The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25

S sSs i SsSsa .1 q sSS 'S Ss} Y' DSss 8 s ny aSSS ssSS
sSsesds; knew @STP, at The s ti%s. SSs the y oo mei SPe on one
pu 1Ss s ss tRs oo sysau 81 'f sio sSS F' stp.Sa. q Is he
said, By one Of the many crooks who then hung
eontasious. Before niaStfsil SIX or ssysn con:
duotors reported similar experiences. The straps
tbsS% o Mai IN s ssi &lR ns9s g % "SS 1 'n may ssy that hat
tneni SoRf 10 iSs do woto R RSs bpeii pu lnta S on Ha ss,
for several day. therSstter did. didn't hay have i z very
fused e EHit on them and they were Re. made NSi b Tn;
gone forth, ana shortly every car on the Broad:
way and Seventh avenue lines was equipped
o .%ISSS and Sn SSss 9, were the oG ss%l On ts Of tss
t asieS s'T TssS an S ssG TO out shs up 'y 70 iRat 81 slm Rs'a L ~as
agreed on all sides that something must DO done
son Ssss sdI q paeRR ss o aae 6 Rsas % msshs snH :i tasnsd
out bogus punches. which somehow or other
and wero used with moro or less success. The
curiosity. Of tho passenger to see whether his
hoard the the metallic soHnd supposed to accompeny
the operation OF punching a hole In the trip sup.
S tSspr 81 pis the f Snnd. aSa T SnI,iI q t amie Seu mpo ohlon OF OF
their left werc enabled to ring a bogus gong up
when the car was crowded 1t was compare
lively easy to avoid registering some fares; but,
nevertheless, the bell punch was getting IN It's
dollars Higher. just about that time a better
f,s't that 81 I / don't mime mean that ali Of them were
honest, Notwithstanding tho fact that the com
p pf tSs sH Se iiP punch saa.S S 30 een nas a ant dss to tSe
conductors' wages. Deacon Richardson, who
had also adopted the bsil punch. and had a strike
on his road in consequence. His road had never
SieEin M i it "aor Tish ' %Sen | ten e soS that aft es scS
conductor had not only to live In BROOKLYN ana
tho ISF eo lH n a nSs5s p 1ssn S2 o any in O. Js9seS yoe cit N
, nas s hS Sss e % 1o %. tes are = e in i hSbi s Z T IN tSe
winter; that he bad to pay for each lamp chin:
ney that was broken from any cause whsteSsr
his wages were smaller than those paid on other
roads, 1t is easy to understand why some of the
lock and key in the old franc ONCE. at that time
stands. One night it was broken open and
bore a number. and was valued at S25. In feet,
immediately after the theft was disSoyered a
being Entrusted with a punch.
There was q great hue and cry at the time.
Ssts s : Ran1 The T inner ne e!rd 'ESHe 81 nS Son ads sn'Ss in
this city and Brooklyn learned that the stolen
S Sors. when 9Sa the 1ssa ar pisP had blown low % over aA tho CON- o
%spirators exhnmed those punches, brought them
S Q Ssy to 70 Ss sele S Z ana t on the ' Beoad a. SO % roSd.
with ths duplicate bell punch the conductor
handsome profit by, knocking down.
Tho way Of working 1t was this: The conduc-
REf @%en sSss s? IN which Shiay he carried 1 tie punch iar:
would. 81 course. turn Into tho eomPsny only
steal sis 70 sis,s day. and were never de.ssc.sd
s ons ~ IL B nR siIs 70 'e enP Psisssss..t q grail tsli.
a ani's0f posa f repS,a tom had Pe drii;ea into h%e'' the
clutches of the bell.punch thieves; He had paid
s WseP s sas the ihsp9 use Of offs One sN q the stolen tssira !
ments. He had an especially good car. 1t car
tsse Of oss course e. had to deduct from his steal.
ings the amount to DO paid 70 the punch thieye,
with bis income. began blaskmsiiing his victim,
$;s,, 4 ds Ssm I" sSoi' Ss, Z 2.5 IL on SsH5 ssdss Gss
his daily, report to the company until
the officials became satisfied that there
t Of passengers. This report was compared with
: never detected falling to punch the trip alp
Not even the detectives found out that this con
:" It remained for one OF the conspirators, the
: blackmailer. to turn informer. He had bled the
not neI' possibly sfiy pay amy NOR" Unless he took The en-;
tire receipts OF the car each day, The black
revenge. and 6e went before one Of the ofieiaii
OF the company and put up q whining stor,
o could not sleep nights with this awful burden OF
: his soul, that he knew the company was being
' short he gave ct the wEoOls thing away. The con
r duetor who hnd been selected for an example wa
8 sas spdt AND S o1dsGs an to h report ssr at e once NJ r to the pr sa'
= dents ONCE. He had no time for his usual til
7 to SsS she q s.' SSno e. fhs f sis sit wa' Psh ne T %Se m se
! I Isssd Punch H. s V: in ~ !, hj P,iSs S}SSsss T 1S.Si Ss :, q
= 1--we want your punch, said the Presiden,
t had run Rhls last trip as a BSosdwssy, o9ndaesor
!; oy ysf re HSs punch '? Intraisss ! to s'S him When fSa a hs'
that s.S sisS. 'y ssia e ~ pt saRsssE punch. We wan
"of course tho trapped man took IN the situs
PHesidsnts chair. He stammersd and suffers.
n z few words Of deni&l: but was quickly pini9ne;
Q f q t the I pa1oh. They syP had sp Been aus told Gp by tho so @ rSSi
! who was et that time deriving q share of th
:. sSfs" smPio tFG 81 the { S2 eosd. e r iSwsse otsS sS%d eSnSas.o !
. fares from the broadway and Seventh Ayenq
r years for having In his possession stolen good,
!, the property OF the Bell Punch Company. whic
THE prompt action on the part OF the CON
pany threw n scare into the men who were usin
the stolen punches. Some of them skipped, tn
others were fired, but mono except the disgrace
college. man was sent up the river. Othe
p methods of beating that aud other roads wer
d tried for years, but to-day I believe that 90 pc
d cent. of tho men on the rear ends of street car
y are honest. guess the roads get nearly all thu
70 is coming to them except in rare cases. such q
,r the one alluded to in the Staten Island story"
10
.o,rn ..o-uE .n