El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-28
HE BEAT THE FLYER.
But Another Beat Made An Equally
Good Record.


Sitting around the Office of the
Orndorff last evening was q party
of old timers all in good humor after
for stories. Among them was Lew
Gilbert, an old newspaper man known
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, who
is at present writing s:book for the Tex
as and Pacific railroad. The conversa-
ton drifted around to the different
methods employed to beat railroad
companies out of fares. Mr.. Gilber,
told how Beau Hickman, the celebrat-
ed character of Washington, d. G
beat the flyer.
There was q conductor on the flyer
who had the reputation of never hav-
ing been beat, and :while party of
gentlemen were discussing him one
day one of them said, iii bet 800
that no one could beat that ,con." The
bet was Immediately taken up by .
gentleman who knew BEAU" well and
was confident of his power to win the
bet.
He went to Beau" and explained
the bet and told MIN who the conduc-
tor Was. "Beau" thought q moment
and said, Hes hard one but guess
we'll win that bet" Well that after
noon when it was time for the train to
GO, a tall dignified looking gentleman
with q high silk hat on stepped aboard
and sat down among party OF gentle
men nodded and passed the time Of
day with them. He was very enter :
tanning AM made friends very easily.
He TOOK off his hat and wiping from his
forehead with his handkerchief was
about to replace his nat when his at
tentiou was called to what looked 70 be
Q railrosd ticket in his hat band and he
said, stGentlemen, there is the way to
- "a
nient and safe," and being satisfied
that they had ali seen his ticket he re-
placed his hat just as the conductor
appeared at the other end of the car to
collect the fares.
"Beau" imm ediately became deeply
interested with something out of the
window and when the conductor finally
reached him and called tickets he did
not hear him and thinking him asleep
SO startled Beau" that his hat fell
out of the window and jumping up in
an angry manner demanded to know
what he meant by shaking him in that
manner.
The conductor in q very apologize
tone of voice replied that be wanted
his ticket. BEAU" in a very inoig
nant exclsim. that his silk nat was
gOr and also his railroad ticket that
his fellow passengers to whom he had
showed what looked like ticket they
all Nodded their heads and said, Eyes,
the gen tleman had his ticket in his hat;
we all eaw IL"
The con. q an EN- embarrassed manner
begged his pardon aud told him that it
was all right and that he would get
bin new hat.
Well, the result was that "Beau" got
;o ii do nd hat in ha in
and his friend won the 800 bet to
$50 going to Beau.
The remarkable ingenuity he
showed In planning the trick can not
fail to be appreciated.
When Mr.. Gilbert finished. another
old timer spoke up and said that fell
low was all right and deserved his ride
but he thought he knew a story that
beat that all to pieces. He said: Zone
day while in New York 1 had to make
q trip to Chicago and had just purchas-
ed my ticket when a we'll dressed
gentleman stepped up to ma and said,
Pardon me, sir, but have you a card
or piece of paDer in your pocket? L
wish to figure something before l for
get it, 1 looked in my pockets and
had neither card nor paper when he
said, Never mind, just lend me your
ticket. 1 can figure it on the back of
urcd wnat I afterU ards fouun out to be
12O acres OF lanc at S125 per acre.
Returning me nv ticket he thank
ed me and walked off. Well, [ would
never have known what happened sf-
ter that if it had not been for some
friends of mine in the last car. On
boarding the train l went in the first
car and the party who had done the
figuring went in the last one.
"The conductor came along and 1
gave him my ticket and he punched it
and put it in his pocket along vito los
more. Well las my friends sfterward
told me.) the conductor finally reach a.
ed the last car and there was ii scene
between him and passenger who
claimed he had already g ven him his
ticket in forward car and had just !
come back to the rear coach. The con-
ductor said. No, sir, you did not pass
me or I would have seen you and I've /.
got TO have your ticket or put you off. /
The passenger insisted that he had
given his ticket and the conductor WAS