Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-27
TRICKS OF RAILROAD BEATS
People Who Presume 10 Be Honest
.., Do Shady Stunts.
GAINS REGARDED AS VELVET
a Movins Picture Of New and old
schemes Encountered on the
Trains rev fhat
Failed.

!
] WHY Is It that thouss nds OF people. Of all
classes. like 70 beat the railroad? This is
a quetion which railroad officials have long
struggled with. according to an attache OF
! the passenger department Of railroad with
! of1cs IN st. Louis. He says that Il has
! almost reached a mania and men OF means.
/ wel-to-do farmers, storekeepers and pro
/ fessional men. known for their honesty in
business dealings, will resort 20 many
| tricks and untruths TO deprive the rail
roads OF what is honestly theirs
Some OF the schemes devised are very
elaborate while others are absurdly sim
/ pie Sometimes they work and some
/ times they don't Generally they do. for,
! in spite OF the great system formed by
the railroads TO protect their interests,
tho public Is naturally given the benefit Of
] the doubt
Perhaps the oldest game Of the man who
seeks free ride Is that OF the man who
boards the train and tenders for payment
Of cash fare 800 bill Usually a con-
ductor is unable to get the change. he is
not allowed TO eject the passenger be-
cause he has volunteered to pay, and the
man gets his ride free This Is not 60
/ general a practice for the reason that
! small per cent Of the public carry 500
! bills Then, too. the game has been hit
rather hard by the ruling enforced two
years ago to the effect that no passenger
should board q train without first pur-
chasing a ticket
WorktnK an ola Bill.
a train auditor. who for several years
had a run from st. Louis to Oklahoma
city was several times the victim OF one
OF these fellows. He soon realized, that he
was being deliberately imposed upon so
he secured 500 in change and waited.
Within a few days the man boarded the
Rtrsin at Monet, Mo- and. as usual, ten
dered the well-worn bill The auditor, who
/ withholds his name, quietly pulled out the
change but deducted all the free-pass
rides Of which he had kept an accurate
/ account The passenger became enraged,
/ Of course but the auditor bluffed 1t
| through and left the man sadder but much
wiser.
Another trick. seldom resorted to. and
also spoiled by the 1898 ruling with regard
TO the purchase OF tickets, Is much more
complicated, and requires the aid OF
confederate. It was brought to light on
the FRISCO railroad.
! Mr.. A boarded the St. Louis train 81
Oklahoma city and paid cash fare to ST.
/ Louis His confederate Mr. b, also
boarded the train. but rendered as fare
a ticket to a point twenty-five miles up
! the line. As soon as the train auditor had
made the first collection OF fares Mr.. A.,
who had received a cash fare receipt as
/ well as a hat check, opened his grip. put
his hat inside and handed the hat check
! to Mr., B. Then he raised the window
and when the conductor passed through
the train again unfolded a tale OF woe.
/ telling how his hat had blown out Of the
window. The auditor wired back over the
line asking section gangs TO look for and
return the hat which was never lost Mr..
b had a hat check to ST. Louis and was
passed by without question. The trick be-
came known through a man who witnessed
its operation and who afterward told the
train auditor.
''W'hat makes me mad" said the train
man. when he learned OF the strategy.
rs the fact that sent four or five tele-
grams trying TO trace a hat that was in
the train all OF the time"
Two of a Kind.
a scheme that works well on a crowded
train. and also requires two operatives,
comes to light through a Wabash train
man.
Two men boarded a train at Moberly
Mo. with one ticket to st.. Louis. Mr.. C.
bit off one corner OF the ticket, kept the
piece and handed the ticket to Mr. D.
Mr.. G. seated himself In the center OF the
car and when the train auditor had almost
reached him, went forward, passing the
conductor. While ne was gone Mr., d.
handed IN the ticket and got hat check.
/ Presently the conductor approached Mr.
/ c. and asked for his ticket Mr. c. feigned
| surprise and insisted that he had already
/ given in the ticket.
by Georger he laughed good aturedly,