Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-13
ROMANCES OF THE PUNCHERS
Anecdotes Related by a Circle of
Knights of the Punch.
PEOPLE WHO BEAT RAILROADS.
The Obstreperous Stock Buyer and
Female Adventures Who Are
with the Sport in Clever
Swindlesg
Tn,es of the Cnnch

iuleS ot tnt SOaCns
While every vocation IN life fur
nishes numerous opportunities to the
student OF human nature, who chances
to be engaged therein, to observe the
varied traits in the character of his fell
low man, and while under the circum-
stances attendant upon the most COM
mon of callings occur many remarkable
incidents, it Is doubtful if there be any
pursuit of earth so fraught with chances
for studying the idiosyncracies of man
kind or of witnessing peculiar events
than that of the railway passenger con-
ductor. 1t needs but the citation of the
following facts to prove the assertion
made:
1t WIS u few nights ago that party
of these takers of tickets and carers-for
OF lady travellers, sat in the lobby OF the
Mlllard hotel swapping stories."
Many indeed were the tales they relat-
ed. There was the story of the conduc-
tors triumph over the passenger who
sought to beat the road out of its fare,
the tale OF the mash" made on the
train, u yarn ludicrous in the eX-
treme, and in fact stories too numerous
to be enumerated in their entirety.
speaking of deadbeats on railroads.
remarked one who wore the uniform of
the Union Pacific, Il have been on the
u. p for thirteen years. have run
train from Omaha to North Platte and
from Omaha to Grand Island. Later |
have taken tickets between Council
Bluffs and South Omaha, and
1 find that there are more
people who try to beat the company, or
rather the conductor, out of a ten-cent
fare, than there are who would attempt
to ride over an entire division without
liquidating, and | am speaking accord
ing to the ratio of travel because ]
know the number of suburban passen-
gers is much greater than on the other
run. | remember case which occurred
only n short time ago. A man who is
well known in this city and is worth
perhaps $4,000 came to me before the
train pulled out of the depot and said
he wanted to go to South Omaha, and
at the same time gave me very know
ing wink as much as TO say you know
me- | didn't say anything IN reply to
the aforesaid wink but when my train
started went through the train as usual.
When | asked him tor his ticket he
winked again, but didn't see him of
course, and remarked a little louder
ticket please. And the way that man
continued the winkihg business was Il
caution. Finally when he saw that /
meant business, he said he had no
ticket. | then requested him to pay his
fare, and said he had no money. 1t
sounded odd that man like him would
be travelling three or four miles without
cash. but told him he would have to
leave the train at Seventeenth street,
which evidently had ~ wholesome effect
on him, for he managed to find his fare,
and paid me with very i'll grace seem
ingly. When the train reached South
Omaha he fingered on the platform,
and the tongue lashing he gave me was
tremendous one, let me tell you. And
what do you think, that man actually
reported me to the superintende for
discourtesy. L managed to hold my
job, however"
The cattle buyers are the worst
cases | have to deal withn remarked
a ticket puncher from the Elkhorn.
These fellows who canvass the state
for stock and usually get about six cars
per month to ship. One would think
from their actions that the fate of the
world as to starve or not to starve de-
pended upon them. When they get
carload they generally inform every
freight agent in the country and de-
manu- tthhuul DttSo lIolI CtiCll TOuu
that speaks to them about their little
business. L had one Of these fellows on
my train the other day. He wore a big
hat and talked very loud. / remarked
ticket, sir in my bland way, and he
looked us though he would anninilate
me. Why said he, 4 don't pay any
fare: am stock shipper. sir. Have
you II pass?' | said. No, certainly not
was the reply. Well said I, you will
certainly have to pay your fare Then
there was scene. He vowed that he
would not pay a cent. and reached
for the bell cord. Then he said he
would pay fare, but he would sue the
company first, and boycott the road
next. He wound up by asserting that
he was coming back next day, and that
he would pay no fare, not he. But when
| saw him on the return trip he had a
ticket, just the same"
''The professional dead beat is the fell
low | like to lay for" said a Missouri
Pacific man. ''And professionals are
not entirely confined to the male sex. |
recollect case that came to my notice
years ago when was on the NJ issouri
a woman with three children got on my
train. got in conversation with her,
and she remarked that she was
a widow going to Neosho, Mo-,
for a time, and then expected
to return and make some collections.
she was provided with tickets all right
enough, ana | saw her safe through to
the end of my run. In about three
weeks | was again pulling out of Dem
ison, when who should | see but my
Neosho lady minus the children. When
| asked her for her ticket she said she
had none, and asked me the fare to the
next station. | told her so. She
handed me 80 cents, and broke out cry
ing, saying that was all the money she
had. | inquired how she came to be in
such condition financially, and she re-
piled that she had been robbed of all
her money, some $500 in all, which she
carried in "a hand-satchel. She had
been in Denison making collections, as
she had told me on the previous trip, so
she said. thought it odd that woman
would carry money in n hand-satcnel,
but said nothing, and told her / would
carry her to the end of my
division, she having remarked that she
was going to Neosho. In the meantime
lot of old chaps on the train had their
sympathies aroused, and calling me to