There had been quite a number of communications received by the
officers of the Michigan Southern, complaining about the gamblers
beating the passengers on that road, consequently orders were issued
to the conductors not to allow any gambling on their trains. They
did try to prevent it, but the boys were too smart for them, and
got away with many a good dollar while the conductor was collecting
fare or out on the platform at a station. The result was, the
complaints continued to go to the officers of the road, and some
of them went so far as to claim that the conductors were in with
the gamblers. The poor conductors insisted that they could not
watch the rascals and their trains at one and the same time; but
the superintendent thought they could, and threatened to discharge
any one who was complained of again. He found out one day that he
conductors were right and he was wrong. I will tell you how he
was convinced.
Tripp, Adams, and myself got on a train going out of Chicago on
the Michigan Southern one evening, and took seats in different
parts of the car. In a few moments after the train started, the
conductor and a fine looking old gray-headed gentleman came into
the car where we were seated, and something told me that he was
one of the officers. I saw them talking together a short distance
from where I was sitting alongside of a big fat man. The conductor
was evidently pointing us out, for I could see by his actions that
they had us spotted. The other boys knew what was in the wind,
for we had all been there before and understood our business. The
conductor left the car, but the old gentleman took a seat facing
us; so we began to think the jig was up for that trip, for there
was a pair of eyes constantly upon us. But as we did not make a
move, the old fellow got a little careless, took out a package of
papers, and began to look over them. When I saw he was very much
interested in the papers and began to use his pencil, I gave Tripp
the wink, and he slipped over to my seat. We went through the old
business about the same as if the old pair of eyes was not in the
same car, only we talked low, and while the car was in motion no
one could hear what was going on.
Just before we reached a station, Tripp beat the big fat man out
of $600, and he had beaten me out of $500 before we got him to put
up. I gave him the office to get off at the station; so when the
cars stopped, he was on the platform.
There was a Jew sitting just behind us who had been watching the
game, and he saw Tripp out on the platform, so he laughed and said,
"You see that fellow? He gets off when he wins your moneys."
The old superintendent jumped up, put away his papers, and said:
"What's this? Some one been _gambling_ in _this_ car?"
The Jew told him that the fellow with the slouch hat had won $600
from the big fat man, and $500 from me. I told my fat friend it
was no one's business if we lost our money; so when the old gent,
who had been watching his papers just long enough for us to get
our work in, came up to us and asked if we had lost our money, my
fat friend said, "It's none of your business; the money did not
belong to you."
Just then the conductor came in, so the superintendent said to him:
"Those d----d villains have played their games right under my very
nose, beat these d----d fools out of over $1,000, and got off.
Now, if any one comes into my office and tells me our conductors
are in with the d----d gamblers, I will take a club and knock his
d----d brains out. You attend to the train hereafter, and let the
d----d suckers take care of themselves."