The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-21
LORDS CONVICTION
SCARES GRAFTERS
Car Conductor May Get a Year
for "NlckeIing" - The
Foxy Spotter.

NEW YORK, Feb. 20.-A reign ok
terror exists just now among the graft
ers on the roster of Metropolitan Streak
halfway company conductors. Andrew
LORD, conductor on the Eighty sixth
street cross-towa line, was convicted
last week in the court OF special seq
slons on the charge OF Knocking
down" fares. Under this conviction
Lord. who win be sentenced tomorrow,
can be sent to the penitentiary for one
year. Up to last week the thought
that they could be sent to prison Tor
n1ckelng, as they call 1t, had never
entered the minds of the pilfering con-
ductors, and great iS the fear of the
guilty ones lest some watchfuI spotter
may have detected them pOcketinR
rares and reported their names to Oren
Root, the general manager.
HOW to prevent grating by conduc-
tors Is problem that has long puz-
zleo the street railroad companies. As
slstant District Attorney Chadwick at
Lords trial made the statement to
Justice Deuel. that the street railroad
companies In Manhattan and Brooklyn
had for the past year been forced to
discharge conductors at the rate Of
nearly 200 month for dishonesty.
The stealing has been going on to
such an extent, despite the number of
dismissals," said Mr.. Chadwick, that
the companies have determined to
make an example of all those caught
from now on. Heretofore they haven't
cared to trouble the courts with such
petty charges"
"NiekeIina" Requires Nerve.
The art as practiced by the thievinR
conductors, which is variously known
among them as "nIckeling," "raking
OFT, knocking down" and doing BUSH
ness" to be pursued successfully calls
Tor no little nerve as is proved by a
spotter who has watched the pilferers
for many years and who claims to be
able TO detect CRATER from the man
ner In which he pulls the strap.
Said this spotter: IF you and I had
the money that is spent In one year by
the various companies in trying to de-
tect thievery by conductors, we could
go without working for the rest Of our
llVeS All sorts of schemes are tried
every day to catch the thieves. Pinker-
ton men, men with pocket checkers,
beside the private detectives regularly
employed by the companies, have spent
days riding around on the cars keeping
constant watch on the registers to
see that the conductors ring up their
fares. ,it =
"A scheme which has been praeticed
with apparent success in Brooklyn is
one In which women have played q
prominent part A woman seats her
self in car in charge of a conductor
suspected of stealing and pretends to
read book. Every time,ca passenger
gets on she turns over a leaf in the
book, and at the end Of the run the
fares rung up on the clock and the
number of leaves turned over are COM
y
few days the conductor Is looking for
another job.
Get Busy in Rush Hours.
1T Is in the rush hours that most or
this stealing is attempted. and then 1t
is hardest to discover. The inspectors
are supposed to keep just as close
watch as the spoilers Two inspectors
generally work in conjunction and COM
pare readings of the register, one in
spector generally boarding the car
about half a mile from the spot chosen
by the other.
Instant dismissal does not always
follow the first detection of thefts. as
1t is possible the conductors may have
neglected unintentiOnally to ring up a
fare or two. Then, again, political pulls
are often brought to bear, and In many
cases save a man his job. A letter
from coroner or a fire chief will carry
Il 5ACdl QGd1 OL weight II the case
against the offender is not too serious.
Aldermen, assemblymen, clerks In
various courts are all influential in va
rying degrees when 1t comes to having
man reinstated, but all other pulls
fade into insignificance when compared
with coroners. police captains and fire
chiefs. Coroners have it in their power
to avert many serious damage suit
against the companies by the exercise
OF little friendly judgment; and as
for the fire chief. he alone can prevent
prolonged blockade dreaded more by
the management than almost anything
else, by instructing his men TO sling
the hose in the air by means or props.
in order that the cars may pass I'M
der it.
"One or two more convictions like
the one obtained against Lord will eff
fectively check the grating methods so
much that fewer spoilers will be re-
quired to watch the thieves. Who
knows but might be one of the first
to be fired when the grating ceases?"
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