The Washington times., 1911-07-11

| The old familiar might liner" bid
fair to soon become a thing Of the
past.
Slowly, but steadily, the number o'
diIapidated vehicles on the public hacl
stands is diminishing. and even now
there are seldom more than three ol
four On tho two best stands in the
city, one in front of the Pastoffict
and the other at the Municipal build
ing. It's a meager existence thai
those who stick to the once profitable
calling pick up in these days of taxi
cabs and automobiles. One by one
the drivers sell their horses and
hacks. or lose them through fore
closure, and seek Jobs in other fields
Once gone there is no one to take
their places.
It is the taxicabs and automobiles,
of course, that are putting the night
liners" out of business. Before the
day of the motor vehicle, the hack
drivers made a good living; some
even accumulated property that they
could retire and have sufficient to
live on when they were too old to
handle the reins. But as one of the
drivers who makes his headquarters
at the Municipal building said. them
was the good old days"
Good For the Drivers.
They were the good old days for
the drivers, but not always for the
passenger. In those days, when po-
lice regulations were not very strict
and were seldom enforced, 1t was not
such an unusual thing for some of
the drivers to stretch their con-
science where the question Of over
charge was concerned
THE old Pennsylvania and Baltimore
and Ohio stations were money-makins
stands in those days." remarked a for
mer driver who now has a Job as
watchman in one Of the Government
departments. THE police never both.
cred US. 1 used to be at the ePnnsyl.
vania station, and whenever anyone
stepped up and asked me how much.
would charge to take him to the St
James or the National or the Metropol.
itan, I always knew right away thai
they were strangers. Al three hotels
are less than a stones throw from the
old station.
Naturally, I'd just size up the stran.
ger, and 1t always cost him as much
as I thought he'd stand. Some Of them
would want to know the direction to
the hotels, and I'd point straight across
the Mall. just opposite from the right
way. When I'd see they were thinking
about walking I'd tell them to jump in
and I'd take them to the hotel for q
or so cents. I'd just drive around the
block with them and drop them a hun
dred yards from where they started.
I've often got as high as IS for
taking a party of four to one Of these
hotels. I'd start through the Mall and
often drive as far as the Washington
barracks and back again, so that they'd
think they we're getting thier moneys
worth.
All Knew the Game.
And, mind you, 1 wasn't the only
one. Almost without exception every
driver l knew did the same thing when
ever he got the chance. or course, there
were some who were regular thugs and
highway robbers, but 1 never did any
of that business. l was always salts
fed with the legitimate overcharge."
The police records will bear out this
former hack drivers statement. Many
complaints have been made by persons
who lost large sums by being robbed
while in the power Of these hackmen.
The most profitable field for the night
liner was along Pennsylvania avenue
in the chill, gray dawn Of the morning,
when men who had been out all night
were vending their homeward way. The
sight Of an intoxicated man was a sig
nal for every hack driver in sight to
whip UP his horse and start after the
victim. 1t was not always the first 10
arrive who got the victim. Sometimes
two drivers would get into a fight, and
a third would get the fare"
Years ago men who got into public
hacks while under the influence Of
liquor were lucky If they found enough
money in their clothes when they came
to their senses to buy a sandwich and
cup Of coffee. Instead of taking them
home the drivers would carry them to
some spot on the ourslSSts OF the Dis
trict, take whatever money ard jewelry
they could find in their pockets, and
leave their victims to get back to the
city as best they could. In those days
1t was difficult to make cases against
the thieves even when the might line
drivers were known
Handicap FSr Drivers.
The police had no strict supervision
of the vehicles, and the fact that the
victim usually admitted on the witness
stand that he was intoxicated made him
an incompetent witness.
Kid Curry was probably the most no
torious cab driver that ever piloted q
Ice Dealers Can't Deliver