The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-05-22
TICKET AGENTS OF LONG AGO.
When Money Was Easily and Quickly MSde
at the EXPENSE Of Passengers.

When Money Was Easily and Quickly Made
at the Expense Of Passengers.
"Ah. me-" said an old passenger
man the other day, 1.-THE Rialto is
not what it used to be. )" The Rialto
Is that part of Illinois street from
Georgia street to the Union station,
including what Is now known as
Jackson place.
"In the good old days" he con-
tinued, "we used to do business
along here, and money was as free
as water. Then all the lines had
agents here, and the rivalry was In
tense. There was no interstate law
nor presidents agreements to inter-
fere with the commission business.
The boys could pick up considerable
money in day, and the question
of rates out no figure. ! remember
that George Butler thought he was
doing nothing If his books did not
show 81, 600 a month from commits
sions alone, It was during the west
ern boom, and there was no trouble
to sell tickets to any part of Iowa,
Kansas or Nebraska. The homeseek-
ers would come here from all parts
of the east.
Every agent had barker In
front of his Office to attract attention
to the wonderful opportunity to get
cheap tickets, with q farm thrown
in free. The barker would run a
man into shop. Once inside man
had to buy a ticket or die. The great
scheme was to get the mans bag
gage. The agent that got the bag
gage was sure of a sale, for the own
or could not get his valise back until
be had purchased a ticket It was
worth a mans life to pass up the Ri
alto with a gripsaok in his hands In
those days. Rough and tumble fights
were not infreQuent Sometimes one
agent would get the mans baggage
and another would get the man him.
self. Then both would sell him tick.
cts.
Zone time E. B. Thomas, who was
then general manager of the old Bee
line, passed along the Rialto early
in the morning on his way to the
Bates House. He had a valise.
Wright Jordon, who was working on
the Bee line, saw the old man with
the grip, but did not know him. In
about minute after he saw Thomas
Jordon had him by the arm and was
trying to drag him into his Office.
Old man Parrish had an Office next
door to Jordon. He saw the strug-
gle and took q hand. Between the
two the general manager was pulled
and hauled over the sidewalk for
several minutes. Jordon finally got
the gripsack and darted into his
Office with 1t, while Parrish dragged
Thomas into the other Office. Ex-
plantations were made, and Thomas
went to his hotel, where he told one
Of the officers Of the road that the
Bee line had some very energetic
young men about tho station. A
messenger was sent to Jordon's Office
for the baggage. When the affair
became known, 1t was thought that
Jordon would be discharged, but
Thomas said that he was too valua-
bic to take out of the passenger busi-
ness. He remained with the road un-
til after the consolidation, when he
went to the Big -Four, in whose en-
ploy he still remains.
1.-THE agents used to play many
tricks on each other. One nearly re-
suited in tragedy. There was not
friendly feeling between Jordon
and Parrish. One day while Parrish
was at dinner Jordon got huge
sign, reading This Office For Rent,
and nailed it on the door of his r.
walls cmae. When the old man re-
turned and saw the sign, he was
wild. He secured wagon spoke
and started out after Jordon, whom
he suspected. Friends persuaded
him that Jordon was innocent but
he carried the club for weeks, look
ing for the man who played the trick
on him.
when business was dull, the
agents would get long strips Of pa.
per and pound the ticket stamps
with a noise that could be heard half
square. This was done to make
their rivals believe they were doing
business. During the Kiowa boom
there were lively times. A. D. Per
ry, now district passenger agent OF
the Chicago and Alton at 1ndianapo.
lis, was the originator of that boom.
He hunted q location on the map,
got a lot Of bills setting forth the
beauty Of Kiowa and sold oonsidera.
Bile land as we'll as tickets. He got
hold of q farm near the town. Dur.
ing the boom he was offered big
money, but he wouldn't sell. THE
boom burst, and now he cannot give
the land away.
IF Reagents had saved the mon
ey they made in those days, they
would be we'll off now. There ART
only few of them left. There is
more struggle now over the sale o.
two tickets than there was to secure
q oor1ood Cf M oear, ooro II, thoea 6avs