The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-25
WORK THE ROAD For CLOTHES.
Men Who Get Car Companies to Pay Their
TaIlOrS' Bills.

Il started to get on Broadway car the
other night" said club man, when the
motorman, who had slowed up for me,
suddenly turned on the power with the
result that my coat caught in the hand rail
and was ripped down the front I was
thrown on my face on the road. got sew
eral bad scratches. and one OF those fine
three cornered cuts in the seat Of my trous-
ers.
Il didn't mind the shaking up or the
scratches, but was sore about my clothes,
and the next day went to the claim agent
Of the road with my clothes in q bundle,
and demanded an order on my tailor or
some equally good tailor for new suit
-The claim agent looked me over care
fully for fully three minutes then without
asking me single question wrote out an
order on the cashier Of his office for $780,
which said was the value Of my suit.
II you would rather have an order on
your own tailor for suit at this price, he
said, az he handed me the order, I'll give
it to you
I would said, so he tore up the other
order and gave me an order on my own
tailor
"The whole proceeding struck me as
being very queer. I had the number Of
the car on slip Of paper, but he never asked
me for it. I was prepared to describe the
exact circumstances Of the accident, but
he apparently didn't care to know anything
about them.
My friend said, "a put his order
in my pocket. how can you afford to give
-
who am, or whether I am an impostor or
not? Why, you haven't even looked at
my ruined clothes
Don't want to see EN- he said. 7
SEQ you, and that's enough. In this kind
of cases. I don't look at the damaged clothes.
I look at the man with the claim. mako
up my mind in minute or two whether he
is on the square or not and I cot accord
ing to my judgment. II had decided
against you. you would have had to 60
through every court in the State before
yielded an inch.
Then he offered me cigar, asked me to
sit down and then told me rather queer
story about clothing claims. He said:
There are more claims for clothing
against us than anything else. Men and
women by the score come here every month
with some damaged article Of clothing,
demanding that we replace it, as It was In
jured by one Of our Cars
There are some fellows. | believe, who
have not bought suit Of clothes for them
selves for years. They work us for them.
Some are out and out impostors, others
manage really to get their clothes stained
or torn on our cars. 40 that there will be at
least a semblance Of legitimacy in their
claims. The real bona fide claims are very
rare.
"a favorite trick is to come in and saw
that clothes were burned in a fire in one OF
the trolley cars. just so sure as the news
papers print an account OF a fro In one of
our cara there are two or three claimants
for new clothes, new hats or new shoes
in to see me.
1T is the same thing with a collision.
After collision, whether It's between two
cars, or car and truck, the claimants
begin to drift in the next day, In nine cases
out of ten these are pure frauds.
81 see all these claimants personally.
think can tell the fraud right away.
Sometimes allow myself to be cheated
by these fellows, because there is little doubt
in my mind about them. but in most cases
/ turn them right out; and never hear any
thing more from them. In other cases I
can tell that the claim is all right.
sin your case know you suffered this
loss through the carelessness Of one of our
conductors or motormen. 1t was enough
for me that believed this The facts Of
the case are not interesting to me-