The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-03-02
BILLY AND HIS BILL.
THE RISE AND FALL OF A RAILROAD
RESTAURANT KEEPER.

His Device For Swindling Immi-
grants and Others Worked So Well
That He Grew Reckless md Invit-
ed the Fate That Overlook Him.
Every time l hear locomotive bell
and see man sprint for train" said
the station master, at makes me think
of old Billy Holmes, who used to run q
railroad hotel in the western part of New
York state. Billy used a locomotive bell
to warn customers of the departure Of
trains. His hotel was right opposite the
station, and people passing through on
the trains would prefer to step outside
for lunch to going against the station
lunch counter, for in those days the rail-
road lunch counters were the kind that
they make jokes about. Billy set first
class table, and his place was known all
along the line. He always treated the
railroad boys well, and they reciprocated
by turning considerable patronage his
way. When there was stop for lunch
and the crowd went across to Billy's, one
of the boys would watch and let the peo-
pie know when it was train time. Billy
was making a good thing at the business
in a legitimate way when the tide Of
emigration to the west set in.
"Billy was able to speak several Ian
guages, and the foreigners early learned
this and would seek him out. He kept a
number Of foreign newspapers on file and
on occasion would act as banker. One
thing Billy noticed soon after his place
began to draw the bulk of the emigran mt
trade was that no matter whether the
emigrants could speak a single word Of
English they knew that the ringing Of
the locomotive bell meant that the train
was to start, and at the first tap they
would make break for the station, and
anybody in the way would be spilled
over. A good many times they would
leave things behind, and it was after one
German had left the change from a good
sized bill in his anxiety TO reach the train
before it started that Billy thought that
bell in the hotel would be good thing.
1t wasn't a very difficult matter for him
to obtain an old locomotive bell, and he
had this rugged up in the front part Of
the dining room, where it could be heard
plainly but was out of sight.
'"Then he waited for a chance to test it.
1t was about three days after the bell
was in place that it was used for the first
time. There was bigger crowd than
usual that day, and Billy figured that his
chance of detection was less than when
there were fewer people. About three
minutes before train time the porter was
sent out to pull the bell while Billy got
ready to make change if people cared to
wait. Billy told US of that first grand
rush until we were tired of hearing it.
l don't remember just how much he
made, but there had never been such a
days business since the hotel was start
ed.
After that it was a poor day that
Billy didn't clear up from $40 to $25 in
the shape of change that people couldn't
wait for, and it got so after a time that
he imagined he was being treated unfair
ly if man should happen to lay down
just the right change. OF course he didn't
try the game on people who were famil-
lar with railroads, but just laid for the
foreigners.
For time Billy was content to work
the game egitimately-that is, he
wouldn't ring the bell until it was almost
train time. Then he got to giving the
bell a few yanks almost as soon as the
people had sat down to table. In that
way he got the money without giving
change and in good many instances
saved the meals, too, although once in a
while the emigrant would grab every
thing in reach and scoot for the train
with his hands full. After awhile Billy
devised a scheme to get back part of the
stuff that customers tried to carry off
with them. One of the walters would
jostle the man with the handout and
make him drop it, and everything that
was dropped went back to the kitchen to
do duty a second time.
BILLY got to making such a good thing
out of his bell game that he was inclined
to think that all money that came in with
emigrants belonged to him. That led
him to work the game pretty strong, and
once or twice he narrowly escaped seri-
Gus trouble. 1t was just when he was
doing the best business that the smashup
came. He had got to running with the
safety valve fastened down and the
throttle wide open all the time, so that he
might have figured how things would
end.
"a party of Swedes came in the place
one day, and Billy gave them the grand
holdup. Even he acknowledged later that
they got the worst Of it. 1t might have
been three months after this little episode
that a second party of Swedes struck
Billy's place. One Of them, apparently
the leader of the crowd. was one of the
biggest men | ever saw, and he could
speak English after a fashion. Billy
didn't learn that until it was too late,
however. The party ordered dinner, and
as they were served the walters called
for the money. This big fellow pulled
out roll of bills you could hardly get
your hands around and started to strip
off enough to pay for the dinner. Billy
made a grab, and the Swede grabbed
him. First he pitched him across the
room, and when Billy got TO his feet the
Swede was waiting for him again. This
time he used n chair.
"As he banged it on Billy's head he ex.
claimed: Aye don't get folled twace on
same game. Aye bate yo'. Yo' rob me da
fairst tame, but no again. Aye gave yo'
ten dollar, an Aye get no change. Aye
gave yo' on'y da punch dccs tame
'By the time they got the big fellow
away from Billy the hotel keeper was an
object lesson for people inclined to be
smart. 1t was matter of ten weeks be-
fore he came out of the hospital, and dur
ing the time he had been there he had
done lot of thinking. No one said any
thing to him, but it was not great sur
prise when he took down the bell in the
dining room. Then the railroad lunch
counters began to serve up decent food
and his trade fell off. The last time
made trip over the road | noticed an
old fellow heating the tomtom in front of
the railroad lunchroom in the town
where Billy used to run his hotel. His
face seemed familiar, and walked over
closer. 1t was old Billy."-New York
Sun.
Her Sponge Cake.
Mrs. Newlywed-I was going to have