Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-09-06
TRAMps AS RAILROADS. BANE.
S25, ,000, 900 a Year Is Estimated Cost Of
the Vagrancy Evil.

InS eN'h
Vagrancy costs the railroads Of this
country about $25,OO0,0O0 a year, ac-
cording to a representative Of the Bal
timore and Ohio railroad. Statistics
compiled recently from 1901 to 1sO5
show that more trespassers were KILL
ed on American railways than the
combined totals Of passengers ana
trainmen killed, and that from one
half to three-quarters Of such tres
passers are estimated by railway COM
panies to be vagrants. Undoubtedly
the railroads are the greatest suffer-
ers from the tramp evil, and yet they
are one Of the chief causes of Its
growth. Josiah Flynt Is reported 10
have said that the man who asks aims
of you In the streets in New York on
Monday may make the same request
of you in Chicago on the following
Saturday. Most Of the railroads In the
east have recognized the dangers OF
permitting the stealing Of rides on
their trains, and the majority nave
adopted a regular system of policing
their territory.
The Norfolk and Western in partic-
ular has an elaborate plan for the pro-
lection of it's property. Its police force
numbers more than 200 men, scattered
over the entire system, which Is divid-
ed into districts. Each district has Tor
its centre some important city or town
and covering fifteen or twenty miles OF
the surrounding country. Here lieu
tenant Is stationed with force pro-
portionate to the Importance OF the 10
cation. The men under him scour the
yards for thieves and tramps, and ar
rest suspicious persons and keep
watchful eye on the rolling stock. Each
train of merchandise and each passen-
ger train when 1t leaves the station Is
accompanied by a detective. III ne Is
on a freight train, his headquarters Is
In the cockloft Of the caboose. Al eV-
ery stop he walks over the cars and
puts off tramps who may have tried
to steal a ride and tests the seals OF
the car doors On board a passenger
train the detective rides as an ordi-
nary traveller, ready to help the con-
ductor in an emergency and keeping a
sharp lookout for pickpockets. He
also tries to prevent the riding OF
blind baggage"-that is on the front
platform of baggage cars without end
doors.
In spite of the very best of care,
great deal Of harm Is done by tramps.
Trespassers often board a train at
water plug" or at a coal tipple,'
climbing upon the bumpers of the
cars and crouching there until the
train has started. They then pull
themselves up to the top Of the car on
a rope ladder which they always carry
with them. Thus they can get down
to the door of the car, the seal OF which
they break and so force an entrance.
Then they throw out what bales Oh
goods they think valuable. These are
collected afterward and taken to
fence" or a store where stolen arti-
cleS are bought ana SOU.
A railroad detective has divided rail-
road trespassers into four classes. 10
the first class belong men who have
money enough to pay their fare, but
prefer to save 1t and ride on the
bumpers" instead. Villagers who wish
to ride to neighboring town make up
the second, and the third consists OF
men who will work long enough only
to earn tobacco and grog money and
then loaf their way from one part OF
the country to the other. The brake
men call this class stake men, and
the tramps know them as gray CATS
The fourth class is far the most dam
gerous, and is composed Of the real
tramp, who believes that the world
owes him a living and takes 1t In the
shape of car rides and whatever else
he can steal by the way. Ten years
of petty thieving by these men cost
the Norfolk and Western $l5O,OOO
yearly. This, of course, was before the
road was regularly policed.
The chief recruiting stations of
crime are the dens of vagrants. Loaf
er, tramp, criminal-so runs the sim
lister scale 1t is for this reason that
vagrancy has aroused the attention of
such a body as the National Confer
ence of Charities and Correction. which
at its last meeting in Minneapolis
started a movement to obtain the CO.
operation of the railways, charitable
societies and all other public organi-
cations in an attack upon the tramp
Philadelphia Ledger.