Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-05
A FEMININB sPOTTER.
She Tells How Street Car Conductors
Have, In Past Days. Knocked Dcwn-A
Mere Barateile of $3.50 Per Month.

She Tells How Street Car Conductors
Have, In Past Days. Knocked Down-A
Mere Bagatelle of $3.50 Per Month.
There is lady detective in Pittsburg,
who has been employed by several Of the
street railway companies, and whose diary,
reaching back before the time when the
cable cars commenced to run on either
avenue, is both interesting and sufficiently out
of date to neither injure the fair 'spotter," nor
the men whom she was then spotting. and many
of whom are now, of course, spotless. She may
be called Miss Valentine, for short, and her
. home may be located, in print somewhere out
Fifth avenue, so that nobody need really know
who or where she is. Referring to her diary,
Miss Valentine said to a DISPATCH reporter:
Now will give you few figures, just as
reported to the company by which 1 was en-
ployed, and you can see for yourself. / Will
give you report that made at the end Of
three months TO a certain company in this city.
Well during that time made 223 trips In 66
of those trips deficiencies were found. The
number of fares not reported was 1S4, or, at
cents per fare, they ammounted to SO 20. Also,
four packages for which the conductors re-
ceived 10 cents each, were not reported. This
makes the total deficiency 50 90. Now you see
this doesn't amount to very much; but when
you begin to figure on the 400 trips that the line
makes each day, you double the 50 go, and
you have SO 20 that the company is out for
each day. or S134 40 per week-about S5 80 per
month. Now this is considered reasonably
moderate steal by the companies, and the one
for which obtained these figures considered
itself very lucky in having SO honest a set of
men.
''How did they do the stealing? Well. they
have some very neat schemes for getting
through without detection. and they are often
successful, even if they are closely watched.
Nov one of the latest schemes is to leave q
number of fares from the last trip registered,
and when the amount is paid they have what
ever was on the register as clear gain. Some
times the driver of the car provided with boxes
where the passenger is asked to place
his fare, goes to The rear platform OF crowded
car and tell the people he will collect the fares
to take up front; but of course he doesn't al
ways hold on to part of the collection"
Ever encounter any interesting little Incl
dents ?" queried the reporter.
"Oh yes; see some quite humorous situa-
tions now and then. Now, for instance, have
seen two cars, one having a union conductor
and the car following it non-union conductor,
All the cars are supposed to run on time, but
the union man just goes slow and falls back on
the non-union mans time and, of course, gets
some OF his passengers or it may be vice versa.
but the fight always goes on until one or the
other is brought up for not running on time.
"Oh, must tell you of a bet I heard two of
the knocking down conductors make not long
ago. The forfeit was to be the price of their
suppers at NewelPs. and to be paid by the one
pocketing the less money in one day. The fun
paid them WELL and both knocked down in
earnest. One of them came out with S. so; the
other with 81; and neither Of them was detected
or reported"