Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-11-09
THE TRAIN SpOTTER.
AN OFFICIAL WHO is WELL PAID BY
THE RAILROADS.

The Work which Ia Performed by
This Glass of Detectives and the
Qualities For Which II CsIIs--Meth-
ods of the Woman spotter.
A little over three months ago there
alighted from an Oakland ferryboat a
tenure little woman. who passed along
nth the crowd, with scarcely glance
TO the right or left. Her petiteness at
tracted some attention and her mod
esty more, but no one who observed
the air of confidence with which she
made her way TO the public carriage
stand would have imagined that she
was stranger and that for the first
time in her life she was visiting San
francisco.
Giving few quiet directions and en-
tering cab, she was whirled away
from the hustling throng and driven to
hotel. Later the register contained
an unnssuming miss Waller, Chica-
CO." Her room was No. II. Calling
private messenger, she dispatched
message to a. firm of lawyers, and that
evening, promptly at s o'clock, a pros
porous looking, well dressed gentleman
entered the hotel, glanced at the regis
ter. and, ignoring the clerks question,
"Do you want anything?" passed by
the waiting elevator and walked up
the stairs.
That was Tuesday evening. On
Wednesday morning Miss Waller might
have been seen boarding a Market
street car bound for the ferry, where
she purchased u train ticket and cross
ed to the mole. She returned late on
Friday evening, and Saturday morning
the same messenger took sealed let
ter to the same lawyers, but this time
there was no evening caller. Saturday
evening she left town again for few
days, and these trips were continued
until one day last week, when, by the
merest chance, the object Of her re-
peated outings was discovered. On this
occasion she was the possessor Of
ticket to city near the Missouri river,
and she smilingly confessed that she
was bidding goodby to San Francisco
| for some time to come.
| AS an illustration Of the care which
| she must exercise In order to enhance
her value to the big railway corpora
tions in this country 1t is only neces-
eary to state that In the ten years
which she has devoted to the business
of spotter, or, as she would probably
prefer to have 1t called, private de-
tective, she has doubtless made fewer
friends than any one else In the coun-
try. And while she will not allow any
| one to get thoroughly acquainted with
her, she does not make enemies. That
would be ruinous.
1t Is an unwritten law Of the rail-
roads that every employee is open to
suspicion until he has been proved
guilty, and the people who take upon
themselves the task of separating the
| two classes--those who are found gull
ty and those who are as yet merely un-
der suspicion-are objects of the great
est contempt with the army of toilers
who seek living on the trains. To
offset this unpopularity, however, they
have the inducement of large financial
returns. There is no ironbound rule
governing the amount Of money which
they receive, but the more proficient OF
the class probably make from $500 to
$1,000 year.
At times railroad will have7an I'm
portant case on its hand, and the serv'
Ices Of a first class spotter will be In
valuable to the company, and on such
occasions, II successful. the financla
returns increase wonderfully.
There 10 much greater demand fol
this class of detectives in the east thar
there is here, and several, reasons arc
given for this condition Of affairs. II
the first place, traffic being heavier
there are more trains run there, ant
more men are employed by the com
panies. Besides, that section is more
.thiclsly populated, and way trains are
In many instances run hourly, II no
oftener, but probably the truest caus'
for the increased dishonesty amons
railway conductors In the east Is th'
low rate Of salary which they receive.
There is we'll defined belief among
eastern men who travel extensivel.
| thht any man who has reached that de
gree of prosperity where he can affort
| to wear creased trousers Is hopelessl.
extravagant II he pay more than one
third fare after crossing the Misslssip
pi river. once heard a popular acto
giving his reasons for this assertion II
resort on the Atlantic coast, and
after enllghtenlng his audience with
dissertation on the almost utter worth
lessness of money in the west, so ia
as railroad travelling was concerned, h
continued:
"rake any train on any road west o
Kansas City. st. Louis, Chicago or 81
Paul. aud the rest Is easy. Assume a
air of indifference and smoke n cigar
IL your conductor be seedy looking
have beard, an old uniform wit
threadbare elbows and hopeless ea
preston on his face, pay your fare. III
Is an honest man. A thousand dollar
wouldn't tempt him, and you are out
whole stack of dollars for getting o
his train Had you waited for the mex
one things would have been differen
There You have a prosperous lookln
fellow, who spent his last hour befor
leaving time In a barber's chair an
who but for his uniform. would pas
for a drummer or even banker. II
looks as well fed and as well groome
as a king, and you need have no fel
that he will decline your invitation
L divide the cost t,f your ride to vol