Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-09
THE CABMEN,s CUPIDIrY.
How They Overcharged People Dur
ing the Inauguration Times.

Numerous complaints have been made
against the action of the cabmen and hack
drivers concerning their conduct during the
Inauguration, when the city was filed with
strangers. The rates Of fare, as established
by law, were not regarded by many of them,
and they positively refused to carry passengers
at the fixed rates. In most cases when o per-
son would go to hire vehicle, the driver would
make some excuse, such as that he had $3.50
job which he was waiting for and consequently
he could not take job at the established
rates, 'but 1 will take you for the amount of
my other job" the driver would say In this
way they attempted to evade the law and over
charge strangers. Such conduct, however,
Judge Miller thinks was not an evasion, but
was violation of the law, and in one such case
brought before him a fine was imposed. In
many cases where complaints were made the
drivers cannot be prosecuted, because the COM
plainants live out of the city and have returned
to their homes, and in other cases because the
person victimized failed to obtain the drivers
number. In many instances it was impossible
to obtain the number. The weather served to
assist the drivers in their schemes. Most of
them wore rubber or oilcloth covering which
was thrown over the badge, all in direct viola
ton of law. The printed rates were also taken
out of many public vehicles, which is also a
violation of law.
In one instance a gentleman from New York
was accompanied to the Baltimore and Potomac
depot by his two nieces Before leaving on the
train he employed cabman to take the ladies
from the depot to their homes and paid him
in advance. The overcharge made was two
dollars. The ladies got in his vehicle and he
left the depot to take them home. He drove
around the corner to the Metropolitan hotel
and told the ladies that he could take them no
further and they would have to get out. They
demonstrated with him and informed him that
their fare had already been paid and they de-
sired to be taken home. The driver refused to
go further and the ladies were compelled to get
out of the vehicle in the rain and get home as
best they could
An amusing incident occurred at the corner of
Fourteenth and streets. near the Ebbitt house
Prosecuting Attorney Shillington. who prose-
cuted drivers for violations of the hack law called
a cab and wanted to be driven with some friends
to the Baltimore and Ohio depot. Three
dollars, SIR" answered the cabman when asked
what charge he would make. That was So rs
cents more than the law allowed. The prose-
cutor intended to pay the amount charged and
then prosecute the driver, but before he could
perfect the agreement the driver ''tumbled, +"
and pleaded that he could not carry out the
contract because his horse was lame The horse
was in fact lame, and that fact alone prevented
the driver from getting into trouble. The
complaints made are too numerous to mention
There is only one hack inspector to look after
the several hundred public vehicles, and it is
impossible for him to catch every person who
violates the law.