The sun., 1908-11-29

time I'd gone through the train to look
for them.
aThe trailer's chance-and his chance
is never better, say. than a 30 to shot
is almost entirely dependent upon the
drummer not catching sight Of him.
catch sight OF q trailer whose face is
known to me don't waste Il bit Of time
worrying. l walk right up to him and
s'Beat itp say to him. You're on a
hopeless trail You're not going to get
asnd me this st P n,noby Are going to beat 1t
i've put that question to perhaps a
dozen trailers in my time, and each and
every time they've obeyed my demand
that they pick up their moccasins and hike.
Not infrequenty they smile pleasantly
over it and take their medicine with per-
| feet coolness.
aWhy don't we have them arrested out
OF hand? For several reasons, a few Of
which are that we haven't the time TO
appear against them, we don't want the
notoriety for ourselves or for the firm,
we don't want to tip on other thieves that
we're in such and such place with our
goods on us, and finally 1t is hard thing
TO get q Cinch case on a trailer In any
circumstances. even if he's known to be a
thief and has been mugged.
THE diamond drummer. you see. finds
himself in a sort Of double ended scrape
when he loses his gems or any packet Of
them. Double ended. because one OF the
inevitable consequences Of his loss Is that
his firm is always liable to suspect that he
hasn't lost or been robbed Of the stuff
but has appropriated 1T.
sI've seen the thing break this way
time and again, even in the cases Of old
and trusted diamond drummers. Trust
worthiness or length or service doesn't
make any difference. The diamond
robbed OF his stuff. Diamond firms make
this fact perfectly plain TO all of their
men who sell gems on the road.
"'Don't let anything happen to the
stun, is virtually the attitude. even IL it
isn't actually embodied in instructions
You're to seli them or bring them back
here to be checked up. We don't want
any tales Of woe about losses or rob-
berries on the road
.That's putting it smack dab up to the
drummer, isn't II? The drummer knows
perfectly we'll what that kind Of talk
means, and that's why he travels always
out fear of losing his stuff, and secondly,
the almost certain knowledge that IL he
does become the victim Of robbery IL
will be up to him to convince the firm that
he really has suffered misfortune.
~Only q couple of years ago diamond
drummer whom knew well was robbed
ia a sleeping car leaving Baltimore OF
a valuable packet Of gems. His story
didn't sound plausible to his firm, al
though all OF US who knew the man were
prefectly satisfied In our own minds
that he was absolutely honest and that he
actually had been robbed. His firm had
him arrested all the same In spite OF his
years of honest service.
-He stuck to his story Of the robbery,
OF course. and no case could be proved
against him, 80 he was released from
custody. But he was disgraoed and out
OF Job, and the bonding company had TO
make good his bond.
1T was not until more than year after.
ward that Pullman porter was pinohed
in Kansas City for theft In which he was
caught in the act. and the porter, under
the third degree, confessed that he had
lifted the diamond drummer's packet
OF gems on the train out OF Baltimore.
The drummer Is back In harness again
with his old frIn, but he'll never get over
the wallop that was handed to him on
that occasion.
when bank employee goes about
the city with large sums OF money he
always has q bodyguard, but the
diamond drummer always travels alone.
He has TO be his own watcher and pro-
tector all the way.
1In cities when travelling with their
trouble diamond drummers keep their
gems In a couple OF large wallets which
are buried In very deep. especially made