Evening journal., 1900-05-09
THE TRAIN SPOTTER.
AN OFFICIAL WHO IS WELL PAID BY
THE RAILROADS.

OdS OF the Woman spoiter.
A little over three months ago there
alightcd from an Oakland forryboat n
lcmure little woman. who passed along
with the crowd, with scarcely glance
10 the rirht or left Her petltenoss at
tracted some attention and her mod
csty 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 n stranger and that for the first
time in her life she was visiting San
francisco.
Giving a faw quiet directions and en-
tering a cab. she was whirled away
from the hustling throng and driven to
hotel Later the register contained
an unassumng Miss Waller, Chica-
60" Her room was No. II. Calling
private messenger, she dispatched a
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 anythingT 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 a train ticket and cross
ed to the mole. She returned late on
Friday evening. and Saturday morning
the same messenger took a sealed let
ter TO the same lawyers, but this time
there was no evening caller. Saturday
evening she left town again for a 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 a city near the Missouri river,
and she smilingly confessed that she
was bidding goodby to San Francisco
I 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-
sary TO state that In the ten years
which she has devoted TO the business
of spotter or. as she would probably
prefer TO have il called, private de-
tective. she has doubtless made fewer
friends than any one else in the coun-
try. And while she win not allow any
one to get thoroughly acquainted with
her, she does not make enemies. That
would be ruinous.
IL is an unwrltten 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 tollers
who seek n 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 a year.
At times a railroad viii have an I'M
portant case on its hand, and the serv-
ices Of n first class spotter win be In
valuable to the company, and on such
occasions. IL successful, the financial
returns increase wonderfully.
There is a much greater demand for
this class OF detectives in the east than
there IS here. and several reasons are
given for this condition OF affairs. In
the first place. traffic being heavier,
there are more trains run there. and
more men are employed by the COM
panies. Besides. that section IS more
thickly populated, and way trains are
in many instances run hourly, II not
ofteuer, but probably the truest cause
for the increased dishonesty among
railway conductors in the east Is the
low rate of salary which they receive.
There is n well defined belief among
eastern men who travel extensively
that any man who has reached that de-
gree of prosperity where he can afford
to wear creased trousers Is hopelessly
+ extravagant if he pay more than one.
third fare after crossing the Mississip.
pi river once heard a popular actor
giving his reasons for this assertion In
resort on the Atlantic coast. and
after enlightening his audience with q
} dissertation on the almost utter worth.
7 lcssness of money in the west so faI
: as railroad travelling was concerned. hC
continued:
"Take any train on any road west OF
Kansas City. ST. Louis. Chicago or st
Paul. and the rest is easy Assume M
air Of indifference and smoke n cigar
II your conductor be seedy looking
have a beard, an old uniform will
threadbare elbows and a hopeless ex
/, preston on his face, pay your fare. HC
is an honest man. A thousand dollar:
wouldn't tempt him. and you are out q
whole stack of dollars for getting OF
his train. Had you waited for the mex
one things would have been different
There you have a prosperous looking
fellow, who spent his last hour before
l leaving time IN a BARRIERS chair an(
who. but for his uniform. would pas
for a drummer or even a banker. H'
] q 4 u