Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-01

How a Gang of Tramps Tried to Steal
a Ride on the Pennsylvania.
THEY HID UNDER HAY. AND STRAW.
Depot Officers Have q Lively Time Ejecting
Them From the Cars.
WOULDN'T PASS AS HOMEwooD HORSES

The horses that took part in the Home
wood races were transported to Philadel-
phia and other Eastern points last evening.
They were carefully loaded in several ex-
press cars, with liberal allowance of hay,
straw and cereal food. While the railroad
company contracted to carry the four-footed
animals, there were 16 bipeds, commonly
called men, who tried to pass themselves of
as horses, but were summarily elected from
the cars. Kate Field has habit of COM
pairing people with beasts of burden and
living creatures that run wild in nature, and
she says she means no offence by it. A man
whom she hkens unto horse in her opinion
is noble and intelligent, while every school
boy is familiar with the foxyand wolfsh ap-
pearance of some men, but even this eloquent
advocate of the trotter would be surprised
to learn that 16 bummers tried to beat ride
on railroad under the classification Of
horses. Dynamite has been shipped as nails
to avoid high rate, but this is nothing to
the trotter scheme of securing free transpor-
tation.
One Way to Get Out Of Town.
1t was suspected at the Homewood tracks
that some sort of trick would be resorted to
by the hangers-on of the races to get
East and they telephoned to the
depot officials to search the cars.
Depot Officer Zimmerman and some of the
trafnmen around the station were delegated
to make the hunt, and lively time they
had of it. It was thought one man was hid
in big covered box, and it was marked
with cross so that it could be located by
lifted the lid he pulled one fellow out, and
was astonished to see several more follow
him. Then commenced the search through
the hay and straw. They tramped over the
cars and could hear the men creeping under
the hay like rats. An officer would dive
down, grab leg, and the victim
would be elected from the car
very promptly. After goodly number had
been yanked out they concluded nobody was
on but those holding tickets. A horse was
eating hay out of q manger, and Mr.. Zim-
norman noticed that the mass moved once
or twice when the animal didn't touch it
The hay was taken out, and there was man
snugly concealed from view.
Less Afraid of Horse Than Man.
He was not afraid of the horse biting him,
he said, but he was as much surprised as the
officers were when he was discovered. One
thing that demonstrates the intelligence Of
race horse is his great care not to injure
human beings, especially trainers, when
they sleep in the stalls, as they fire.
quently do, and the tramp said he knew
he was safe. The owner of the horses
thought such ingenuity should not go un-
rewarded, and the fellow was permitted to
ride
The officers had considerable trouble in
keeping the men off the train. When the
fast line started several of them made a rush
for the cars, but the express was stopped
and they were put off again. One Of the
gang gave Officer Zimmerman lively chase
In the yard, but he escaped. 1t is believed
that some of them boarded the cars out in
the freight yards and got the ride after all.