Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-10-06
Conductor Tried
To- Put CroWther
Off The Train.
REFUSED TO LEAVE.
Two Brakemen Were Called and
All Three Men Could Not Force
the Local AssemhIyman TO
Quit Car Showed Other
Passes.

l. ne NcW 1OTk OuH lHlS IuOTnlllS
published the following;
"TRENTON, Oct. 5.-Dr Frank
Crowther, of Perth Amboy, assembly
man from MiddleseX county, did not
attend today's session of the riparian
Investigation, and, moreover, he in
sists that he will have a conductor
and two brakemen of the Philadel-
phia and Reading Railway arrested
on a charge of assault.
Under the general railroad act all
railroads in the state must carry
members of the legislature free of
charge when on official business. Dr.
Crowther got as far as Bound Brook
this morning, but when he boarded
the train at that point he was una
BILE TO find the pass required to carry
him from there to Trenton. He eX
hibited a dozen other railroad passes
to the conductor and the notice call
ing him to today's meeting, but in
vain. Cash fare was demanded and
refused. DR.. Crowther in the mean
time found his Philadelphia and
Reading pass good from Philadelphia
to Atlantic City, but with an endorse
ment on the back presumably making
it valid on all divisions of the rail
road in the state. This the conduc-
tor refused to recognize and DR..
Crowther becae angry.
THE conductor secured the assist
ance of two brakemen and attempted
forcibly to eject the assemblyman
DR.. Crowther tips the scales far above
the 200 pound mark and the three
men could not bulge him from his
seat.
''In the protracted scrimmage DR..
Crowther was carried past Trenton
Junction, and finally he left the train
at Wayne Junction, near Philadel-
phia. He arrived at the state house
late in the afternoon very angry and
swearing vengeance against the men
who had tried to put him off. He
said tonight that after leaving Tren-
ton Junction the conductor had tried
to make peace with him, but he had
refused all overtures and was deter
mined to have him and the two
brakemen arrested for assault"
DIR. Crowther's Story.
In an interview with a NEWS re-
porter this morning, DR.. Crowther
related the facts of the story, as fol-.
lows:
II was positive that I had n pass
good on that division in my pocket,
and when the conductor, who was an
elderly man, requested my fare,
searched through my pockets, but
could not find the right one | show
ed my other passes and cards to the
conductor, and told him that | was
a member of the Legislature. He
still insisted that l pay my fare, and
when | again refused, he called two
brakemen, and they Immediately
tried to pull met out of the seat, but
i didn't move. After we had passed
through Trenton Junction the con-
ductor became very profuse in his
apologies and wanted to know If he
could do anything for me. l replied
by telling him that if he had been
half as courteous in the beginning,
there would have been no trouble"
The doctor said that he was not
yet sure whether he would take any
action against the company, but that
he intends notifying the company's
officials of the way in which he was
treated
If Dr. Crowther should sue the
company for damages, the Philadel-
phia C Reading pass between Allan
tic City and Philadelphia would fig
ure prominently in the case, as on the
face of it at one end is an endorse
ment which makes it good between
Bound Brook and Trenton.
''That inscription was what the
conductor overlooked" said DR..
Crowther, "and I, myself, couldn't
find it on the card yesterday until we
had passed Trenton Junction, but had
the official been courteous, it would
have probably been seen.
81 don't consider that the railroads
favor me by issuing passes" continu-
ca the assemblyman, because it is
compulsory on their part, as a clause
in their charters reads that members
of the legislature when on official
business are to be transported free of
charge.
II was certainly angry at the
time" added the doctor with laugh.