The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-11-24
THIEVING ON TRAINS.
PEOPLE WHO CROSS THE BROOK
LYN BRIDGE FOR PROFIT.

One Man Who Is Well Known and Is Con-
stantIy Watched-His Speciality Is Um-
breIlas-Record of One Days Careless
ness-Odd Things Left Behind.
Awell dressed woman got into bridge
car carrying gold headed umbrella. A
moment later fairly well attired man
came in, walking carelessly, and sat
down beside her. Had a careful oh
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
eazed 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 UNI
brella. The man beside her had ridden
across with his eyes closed, as if ia
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 umbrella 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 1
have caught that fellow taking lost ar
ticles," said the trsinman to reporter.
"The bridge trains are paradise for
such as he. There is a more miscel-
laneous 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 dispatchers 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 a receipt for what he has
turned in. When the caller comes for
what he has lost he must thoroughly
identify the article before he can get it.
The stub of the trainman's receipt keeps
thus a perpetual record of everything
found.
These stub books are filed away and
are never destroyed. A glance through
them reveals bewildering variety Of
lost goods. The stubs of 1889 are es-
pecially prolific in curious cases. Here
are some of the things recorded: Pumice
stone, diagram, two boxes of cigars, a
pocketbook containing ffty-two dollars,
a white apron, spool of cotton, pair OF
rubbers, picture, a waistcoat, brace
let, some surcingles, several remnants,
piece of sheet iron, three sauce dishes
and horsewhip.
On one Saturday the record for va
riety was eclipsed. That day the guards
gathered up these things:
Three pairs of stockings, lady's veil,
roll of sheet music, teaspoon, bot
tie of wine, gentleman's kid gloves, eye
glasses, porter's badge, lunch, gos-
samer, a cranberry mold.
ONE MONTHS RECORD.
In one stretch from Sept. 10 to Nov.
%, 200 articles were reported. That was
the rainy season, and forgotten umbrel-
las swelled the list. But taking the year
around umbrellas have the questionable
distinction of being the oftenest over
looked. Pocketbooks, however, singu-
lar to say, are not far behind. A count
of fifty-six stubs selected at random gave
this tally:
Umbrellas.....,..,.. 3 Canes.........."....
Pocketbooks.. ........ II Keys...............
Packages. Walters jacket.
On an average three articles are found
day. This makes nearly a hundred a
month. Some sneaks have long ago
found this out, and travel across often
each day and run chance of picking up
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, fol
they know very well that it is no easy
thing to make charge of stealing hold
against them.
The trainmen have decided that the
three classes most guilty of forgetting
are strangers to the city, absorbed in
everything but themselves; married wo-
men, and gentlemen who have been ''out
with the boys" Anybody who has
studied human nature at all will under
stand why the trainmen have SO decided
New York World.
william the ConqueTor Liked oysters.