Evening journal., 1897-11-20
PRIZE THEIR LUCKY BITS.
People by Mistake Pay Out old Coins
for Fare ON Cable Cars.


"Oh. my! I've lost my pocket piece"
exclaimed a well-dressed woman in a
Broadway cable car.
Conductor! conductor!" she called
out, and when he reached her she went
en-:
''rve lost my pocket piece. It was a
half dollar. What did give you when
paid my fare?"
"You gave me a silver half-dollar,
madam" replied the conductor.
"Please look over your money" add
ed the woman. sand see if it wasn't my
pocket-piece that gave you by mis-
take"
The conductor vas a bright-lool1ing
young fellow, and before he began
search for the missing coin he asked
the woman to describe it. This she did.
and then he started to go over his sill
yer drawing n handful out of one pocket
and then out of another.
lie had to discontinue his hunt every
few moments to let q passenger get
on or off the car. The woman kept her
eye anxiously upon him all the time,
however. Finally, after going through
his pockets several times he brought
forth an old, battered-looking half-dol-
lar.
"Is that your poclet-piece?" he asked
the woman MS he handed it TO her.
"Yes. that's It'll" she exclaimed joy
fully, and putting it away carefully in
her pocketbooR, she took out two half
dollars, and, giving them to the con-
ductor, told him that one was for him
self. The conductor thanked her and
went back to the rear of the car with n
smile on his face.
In speaking of the incident to an
other passenger afterward, the conduc-
tor said that the first half-dollar that
the woman gave him was am old one
dated 1904 or 1905, and that he had no.
iced it Immediately.
Would you have turned it in to the
company?" asked the passenger.
''Not much," replied the conductor.
81 am always on the lookout for valu-
able finds like that. know old pieces
of money as soon as I glance at them,
and / always put them away in another
pocket from that in which l keep my
change. We conductors often make d
good thing out of old silver pieces that
we take in for fares. We find out II
there is a premium on such piece
and so if we sell it to some collector OF
old coins. Of course, the railroad com
pany doesn't lose anything by it, be
cause we turn in to the cashier bright
new coin of the realm for it. The com
pany has q long printed list hung NJ
in the cashiers Office showing on wha
pieces of silver money there is q pre-
4 MUM. But the list is not there for oul
benefit. The cashier is supposed tC
keep all such pieces that the conductor
turn in, and then sell them and credi
/ the company with the proceeds. Blu
If we conductors get valuable coin TO
2 fares, why shouldn't we benefit by /
and not the company? / don't think ]
IS dishonest to hold out such pieces from
the company. Do you?'
The passenger said that he did no
/ think it was.
! The conductor added that he had be
{ come an adept in looking out for oil
], coins owing to experiences with hi
passengers, somewhat similar to tn
t one Just recorded. He remembered on
e time getting an old silver quarter fror
a passenger. It was one of the earl
est pieces Of that denomination coine
bv the government, and he CHANGED
n notice it as he was counting up th
= proceeds of his trip before turning theI
n in to the cashier. He carefully tucke
n the quarter away in his pocketboo
N and gave the cashier one Of his own
Y ST carried the piece for more tina
MI a weeK," he continued, when one af
ir crnoon a man got on my car and aske
I'll me If he had ever ridden with me b.
it fore. looked at him for q momen
y and then told him that 1 thought l
had, although 1 could not remcmb'
when it was.
THE reason l ask YOU said Il
al. man, fs that I have lost q valuable col
I'd and believe that paid it out by mi
IN take. It was only an old silver quartz
d. but ]. valued IL as a pocket piece and
IA. would cheerfully pay five dollars to g
~ 1t back.'
~ "Just then I remembered the silv
,gI quarter that l had slowed away in i
pocletboolI, and you can rely on it tn
I wasn't long in bringing it TO ligl
e Wei, this is the only old silver qua
ter that I have got said, as hand
st. it to the man.
Il "'That's it; that's it, he exclai1ne
n and he pulled out big roll Of bills Al
es gave me q five-dollar note. He told
NV afterward that he was a broker in w;
street. and that that silver quarter W
~, his mascot He declared that he h
30 lost it several times, and that his lu
had always gone withit. Headed tn
A he would bet that that quarter b
cost him $500, but that it had sav
he him 100000. And there are, ma
yes more like him." added the conduct
th as the passenger jumped eff the G.
lo7 N. Y. Tribune.