Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1901-10-18
A TRIANGULAR GAME.
The Reports of the Three spoilers
Disguised the Railroad Omciai.

rhe Reports of the Three spoilers
Disgusted the Railroad Omciai.
"Undrr the old. loose system that
prevailed Oh most of the southern ard
western roads" said veteran pnsscu-
ger conductor ot this city. the spot
ter was virtually necessity. bat t.e
trouble about him was that hp ucNvr
sOuld Dee relied upon with Hbsu ate ,ci-
h.uty 90 toll the truth It DHov
popularity and prestige with his enl-
ploycrs depended on the uuuuer 90.
cases he Woracd up, aul ii he couldn't
ratch a constructor 'kuoc.iu- down hc
WAS only GOO apt 10 mlmaetuie a lr
tie c.rcumStouial evidence and report
the poor fellow anyhow
"Of cour- ann spcakur OF TIE
average sputtcr and uo doubt there
were plenty OF exceptions to the rule.
but that was the great defect of The
system and, Incidentally il reminds me-
of curious little story.
Back m the eighties. continued
the yetcrlu "a tip WIS one day given
to a well known and very popular con
ductor on "a certain line leading out of
New Orleans that spotter OF conSid-
cradle note in the NORTH ha been put
OH his train with instructions 10 nves-
tigate him thoroughly.
This conductor WAS "a Z juvim fell
low. fond of good clothes good sport
and good living. and. while there was
no evidence oi anything wrong. he had
fallen under suspicion ON general prin-
ciplcS The company officials were
persuaded ne was living far beyond his
means and Inferred that he must be
helping himself To the cash. hut all
prior efforts 10 get a line ON him had
failed iguomiuiouSly, and for that rea-
son the expert slcuth had been import
ed from the north and told 10 go 10 the
bottom of the case, If it took six
months.
'"N hen the conductor himself heard
that spy had been put ON his train, be
was highly indignant and also cons d.
erably alarmed. he reasoned that the
fellow would bv especially anxious to
sustain his reputation rs thief catch
er and was iual probability fully pre-
pared to fake up case iu the event
that le discovered no evidence. To
protect himself against such a manou-
yer ne quietly tclccrupHcl to a big de
tectlyc agency I'M Chicago and engaged
FIRST class operative 10 spot the spot
ter
Both men wont ON duty nj about the
same time rhc spotter taking the role
OF n commercial traveller who had fire.
qucnt business up and down the road.
He watched the conductor. the Chicago
detective watched him and the con
ductor sized them both up and chuc-
Killed. in his sleeve
Now comes the funny part OF the
yarn. The double watch had been in
progress only a few days when a
trea cherous brakeman went 10 the gen
eral superintendent and told him the
whole story The superintendent was
a 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
rled his detectives report with him and
was staggered when the superntend-
ent showed him two others.
The original spoilers 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 he would never employ another.
The conductor by the way. retained
his ob."-New Orleans Times Demo
crat.