The Press., 1891-12-24
THIEVING ON TRAINS.
PEOPLE WHO CROSS THE BROOK
 LIN BRIDGE FOR PROFIT.

LIN EHiD6e sr0h. FHOflt. One Man ,ybo is wsia sSnowu and Is Con-
 stantiy Watched HI. Speciality Is Um-
 .breiias--Esecorsi of One Days Careless
 nesa-Odd Things f.eft isehind. A we'll dressed woman got into bridge ear carrying gold headed umbrella. A moment later fairly well attired man came in. walking carelessly, and sat down beside her. Had careful ob- server noticed him when he. entered he would have seen him throw quick glance at the umbrella before sitting down.
 The train rumbled across The lady gazed at the bay. and watching the swiftly moving craft fell into dreamy state of observation. When the guard called, '.Brooklyn: all out!" the lady got up. with the far away look still in her eyes. and walked out. leaving the un- brella The man beside her had ridden across with his eyes closed. as if fa- tigued.
 When she had got out his hand fell quickly on the umbrella. and he was making off with it when the guard col Jared him. The fellow looked surprised at finding the umbreaa in his hand, muttered something about picking it up unconsciously," shook off the guards hand and plunged into the crowd.
 .'That is the fifth time in a month have caught that fellow taking lost ar ticles." said the train,nan to reporter. 'sThe brilge trains are3 paradise for such as he. There is more miscel- lapeous collection of lost articles gath cred on these trains than in any other place in America. I'll warrant" HOW LOST ARTICLES ARE KEPT
 The number of missing articles be- came so numerous. and so many claims were made by pretended owners, that several years ago system of checks was put into use. Now anything found in the cars by porters is taken by them to the train dispatcher'ss office. where he makes a report of the article, giving the train on which it was found and other details. This is entered in book of blanks having stubs. The trainman then gets receipt for what he has turned i'll. When the caller comes for what he has lost he must thoroughly identify the article before he can get it. The stub of the traininan's receipt keeps thus perpetual record of everything found 4
 These stub books are filed away and are never destroyed. A glance through them reveals bewill-ring variety of lost goods The stubs of 1889 are es- I pecially Iholiiic in curious cases. Here are some of the things recorded: Pumice stone. diagram, two boxes of cigars, a pocketbooii containing fifty-two dollars, a white apron, spool of cotton, pair of rubbers. d picture, waistcoat, brace let. some surcingles, eeveral remnants, piece of sheet iron, three sauce dishes 1 and a horsewhip.
 On one Saturday 6se record for va 1 riety was eciil,sed. That day the guards gathered up these things:
 Three pairs of stockings. a ladys veil, | q roll Of sheet nnsics a teaspoon, bot tle of wine. eentlemsn's kid gloves, eye glasscs. porter's badge, a lunch. a gos- samer. cranberry lisold.
 ONE MONTHS RECORD. ln one stretch from Sept i2 to Nov. 22 a0O articles were reported. That was l the rainy season. and forgotten umbrel- 1 las sweile,l the list. But taking the year around umbrellas have the questionable l distinction of being the oftenest oyer looked Pocketbooks, however, singu- | lar to say are not fur behind. A count of fify-six stubs selected at random gave l this tally:
 Umbreilas. ......... as Canes .............. z Pocke' books......... IT. Keys. .........,...:.. i PackageS ... ..... jjacket..... On an average three articles are found day This makes nearly Il hundred a month. Some sneaks have long ago found this out. and travel across 0ften each day and run chance of picking uI something of value. Even if they fail the low car fare does not leave them much out of pocket. The guards have spotted" number of these characters and watch them closely. They cannot be driven away by fear of arrest, fo, they know very we'll that it is no easy thing to make a charge of stealing hold against them. s
 The trainlnen have decided that the three classes most guilty of forgetting are strangers to the city, absorbed in everything but tiieinselves: married wo- men. and gentlemen who have been tout I with the boys" Anybody who has I studied human nature at all will under. stand why the trainmen have so decided
 New York World.