Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-05-15
A TRIANGULAR GAME,
The Reports of the Three Spoilers
Disgusted the Railroad OMciaI.


"Under the old, loose system that
prevailed on most of the southern and
western roads," said veteran passen-
ger conductor of this city, 1.-The spot
ter was virtually necessity, but the
trouble about him was that he never
could be relied upon with absolute GER
tainty to tell the truth. He knew his
popularity and prestige with his en-
ployers depended on the number of
cases he worked up, and II he couldn't
catch conductor knocking down he
was only too apt to manufacture n lit
tie circumstantial evidence and report
the poor fellow anyhow.
"Of course l am speaking of the
average spotter, and no doubt there
were plenty of exceptions to the rule,
but that was the great defect of the
system and, incidentally, it reminds me
of a curious little story.
Back in the eighties" continued
the veteran, "a tip was one day given
to well known and very popular con-
ductor on certain line leading out of
New Orleans that a spotter of consid-
cradle note In the north had been put
on his train, with instructions to inves-
tigate him thoroughly.
This conductor was big, jovial fell
low, fond of good clothes, good sport
and good living, and, while there was
no evidence of anything wrong, he had
fallen under suspicion on general prin-
ciples. The company officials were
persuaded he was living far beyond his
means and Inferred that he must be
helping himself to the cash, but all
prior efforts to get a line on him had
failed ignominiously, and for that rea-
son the expert sleuth had been import
ed from the north and told to go to the
bottom of the case, il 1t took six
months.
"Whcn the conductor himself heard
that spy had been put on his trail he
was highly indignant and also consid-
erably alarmed. He reasoned that the
fellow would be especially anxious to
sustain his reputation as n thief catch
er and was in all probability fully pre-
pared to fake up n case in the event
that he discovered no evidence. To
protect himself against such a maneu-
Yer he quietly telegraphed to big de-
tectlve agency In Chicago and engaged
n first class operative to spot the spot
ter.
Both men went on duty at about the
same time, the spotter taking the role
of n commercial traveller who had fire.
quent business up and down the road.
He watched the conductor, the Chicago
dptnpfiva yuntphnh him nd ha
ductor sized them both up and chuc-
klcd In his sleeve.
Now comes the funny part of the
yarn. The double watch had been in
progress only few days when
treacherous brakeman went to the gen
eral superintendent and told him the
whole story. The superintendent was
pretty wise person himself. so he said
nothing but simply engaged an entire
ly new man and set him watching the
two spies.
The triangular game went on for
several weeks; then the conductor was
summoned to headquarters. He car
ried his detectives report with him and
was staggered when the superlntend-
ent showed him two others.
THE original spotters report exoner-
ated the conductor, the Chicago mans
report agreed exactly with the spot
ter's, and the last spy asserted fatty
that the two other men had stood in
together, so as to please all hands and
save trouble That disgusted one road
with spoilers, and the superintendent
swore lie would never employ another
The conductor, by the way, retained
his job."-New Orleans Times Demo