The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-26
Fred Wagner, Contractor, Forgot
to Exchange a Check for
a Transfer.
FOUR POLICEMEN INTERFERE.
The Crowd Threatens to Mob Officers
for Arresting Wagner for Battery
Upon the Conductor.

The weather was little bit too warm for
real sport yesterday afternoon on Vining'
cable and trolley cars.
DE blokes won't STAN to der rights
when dey gives a check by mistake, !"
spoke up besmeared-faced urchin last
evening at Powell and Eddy streets. He
had been running thither and to all day
selling his papers. He was tired. dirty
and angry.
"If dey would be onter themselves dey'd
Just shove de check and hold on to der car.
'Der isn't beIl-puncher on de line
could put me off der old car if l was onto
what he was doing"
1t was little Eddie Greaney who was
taking. He was in earnest and he felt
strong in the position he was taking.
THE Ca LII reporters demeanor must
have struck him as one of incredulity, for
he showed his left hand into his mouth and
therefrom came shrill whistle as from a
punctured boiler. He followed this up
with the cry of:
Mickey Mickey Johnsonl Come here
quick.
Didn't yer see me SIN ash dat conductor
over de head yesterday when he was a
tryin' to put de bloke off der car at Ellis
street?'
Mickey, who had fastened to Eddie's
cali among score of other urchins, nod
ded head full of freckles in acquiescence,
adding: "Me and Brick flor Eddie is red
headed and they call him Brick saw de
bell punch try to do one of our customers
out OF his fare on Ellis street, going mort
Ill II i ~ IL Il.
dey was a-scuffiing, tryin' to pull him of,
me and Brick climbed upon de dashboard,
and we smashed old bell punch over de
he'd till he let go.
''Der was lot of friends of ours around
and dey stood in fine. But you'd just
ought 'er seen that bell punch when we
got tro'."
From the chorus that followed it was
quite evident every lad on the street had
seen the melee between the recalcitrant
passenger, the bell punch"-who, no
doubt, is meant as the conductor of the
car-and the mob of newsboys
Der was another fight dis mornin' at
9 o'clock" Eddie continued, "but 1 WASH t
dere. Some small guy-a geeser way up
IN der 400. One of der boys give i'm a
check and der agent was on, see? His
geesers went ter get der transfer for der
check ana he gets der t'To' down.
"But he was game. He gets on der car
anyhow, saying he could ultimately ride
on der check. But he weakened when dey
stop der car an he give up his fnif, so as
not to be trowed off. OATS too bad; it's
hurtin our business. If we'd been dere
we'd pulled 'em trou' all right"
Bricks" apparent regret that he or his
friends were not present on one occasion
must have disappeared later in the even
ing when mob of several hundred people
gave vent to their indignation at the treat
ment accorded passenger on Castro
street car because he had omitted to get q
transfer from Manager Winnings represen
tatiYe on the corner of Powell and Market
streets.
The crowd was seemingly ripe for mis-
chief, and even anxious for it. 1t:
number continued to be augmented, anG
each passing car was greeted with boot.
and yells of ''Stay on ~ Don't let them
put you off" Were with you'll
So dense did the seekers after excite
ment become that passage-way had tc
be cleared for each passing car and vehicle
by the policemen.
Soon the police force was augmented
and then the work of clearing the street
began and was quickly completed, fol
none of the assemblage appeared anxiou.
to come in contact with the batons which
the police had drawn. The excitement
was all over shortly before IL o'clock.
The passenger was Fred Wagner, con.