The Somerset reporter., 1894-10-25
HOW HE RODE FREE.
HE BEAT AN EASTERN RAILWAY OUT
OF $50.

Conductors Were Deceived by Him For
More Than Year--A simple scheme
Which Required Only Nerve and SELF
Control-Tricks of Conductors.
There is well settled belief ON the
part of most people that the conductors
on the steam railroads have an lntuitlve
knowledge of the persons who have mol
paid their fares, and that, while they
may occasionally pass man without
taking up his ticket so phenomenal Is
the memory of the average conductor
and so we'll does he remember faces
that it is almost impossible to deceive
him. While this may sometimes be
true, as rule it is the passenger him
self who gives the cue for the conduct
or's action The man who deliberately
attempts to evadc the payment Of fare
in nine cases ont of ten will by his looks
and action say to the conductor, II have
not paid my fare, and | don't intend
to. 3" Some conductors with short mem
ories and distrust Of their abilities for
detecting the frauds will continuously
call out the word "tiCkets' as they pass
through the cars where many changes
are taking place between stations, at
the same time extending their hand to
ward each seat. Tho mar who has not
paid feels that this is a direct appeal
made to himself and responds according
". But if this rinse does not succeed III
making the would be beat deliver up
his ticket ii so far changes his face and
demeanor that he often shows conscious
guilt, and his ticket is then peremptor1ly
demanded
1t sometimes happens, however, that
even all the tricks and artitices OF the
conductor will fail and man will sue
cced daily in evading payment of his
fare, not merely for weeks, but for
months A remarkable case of this kind
was recently observed on the Fitchburg
railroad. For more than year man
employed in one of the large wholesale
houses in this city has been taking al
train from one of the suburban stations,
and acquaintances who rode on the
same car were surprised to see that he
never paid fare.
AT first it was thought that he might
have n pass, which the conductor, know
ing him well, did not require him to
show. But it was learned that he al
ways paid his fare when coming from
Boston, when the conductor Is sure to
demand fare from every person on the
train. Then came the suggestion that
he had an understanding with the con
ductor of the train on which he rode
Dat
found that when the conductor was
changed to another train and stranger
took his place he also failed to collect
fare from the man.
So for weeks the man was watched
with much curiosity by the passengers
who knew of his success and were curl
ous to see how long it would continue.
They saw that he invariably got ON the
train on the left hand side, SO that he
could not be observed by the conductor,
who stood on the station platform. AS
soon as he entered the Car he took one of
the many unoccupied seats next to the
window and lost no time in becoming
deeply absorbed in the contents of n
morning paper. When the conductor
came through the train to collect fares
from the passengers who got in at this
station, this man, instead of ignoring
his presence, as most men similarly sit
uated would have done, gave rapid
glance from his paper, looking the offi-
cial squarely in the eye, and resumed
his reading with just the suggestion of
impatience at the interruption. The re-
hat in
with it positive assurance that there
was no disposition to evado anything.
was so emphatic and pronounced thatit
left no doubt in the mind of the CON
ductor, if he had any before, that the
passenger had got on the train at an
other station and had paid his fare to
Boston. There was something about
the mans appearance as well as his ac-
tions that assisted in the keeping up OF
this deception. He bore all the evidence
of n substantial, honest business man OF
middle age, and far above ovading pay
ment of cent fare. But itwas singu
lar that day after day sharp and dis
eliminating conductor should be so cas-
lily deceived, and apparently against his
OWL 1OINlttlbllsI loi VII bcNtloi otN'
sions he reached for fare but was
checked in his advances by that re-
proachful look with which he was con-
fronted.
But the end came at last, on that
train at least. Either the conductors
suspicious were so completely aroused
that he determined to satisfy himself
whether he was being imposed upon, or
else some one had called his attention to
the deceit practiced, for one morning he
reached out his hand for the fare, bet
received only the swift and impatient
glance. This did not satisfy him, for
when the man returned to the perusal of
his paper he was tapped on the shoulder
and his fare demanded in no uncertain
terms. A Communication ticket was re-
luctantly produced, punched without
comment and returned to the pocket
whence it was taken. The next morning
the passengers watched curiously for
the next move in the game, but the man
had evidently given up the contest on
that train, for he has not been seen on
1t since. As he was known to have
evaded paying fare on that train daily
for more than q year, it was roughly es-