Salt Lake Tribune | 1905-03-05 | Page 8 | Car Conductor's Secret

Car Conductor's Secret. James McGulre, conductor on one of the Union Traction company cars, boasts that he never overlooks a fare or falls' to collect a nickel a ride unless the passenger leaps out of the window or hasn't the nickel. How he does it is interesting and passengers pas-sengers on McGulre's car will 'feel uneasy un-easy when they learn that they ride dally under the eyes of one who knows all the tricks of that trade. "When I first went on to a car, collecting col-lecting fares was hard business," said McGulre. "I missed a lot of them, j Then I began to study the trade, and I 1 learned Just how to SDOt them all. I don't believe, a man or woman can escape es-cape me. It has got to be a game with mc spotting them all. I don't mind telling how lt'stdone. "In the first place, a conductor should always look at the hands of the passengers. Fully half of the women and a third of the men carry their money In their hands ready to pay. If you Just look toward them they reach out their hands, unconsciously, to hand you the money. "There are three classes of people to watch the ones who are really trying to beat you, the ones who really forget, and tho ones who are sore because the car Is crowded and they have to stand and who don't Intend to pay If they can help It. ' "If the man or woman hasn't a nickel in his hand I look at the face. The man or woman who .Is trying to beat you looks guilty, unless he Is an old offender. Then he may try to bluff It through. The ones who really forget recall re-call It when you say 'Fare.' "The ones who are sore and the old offenders both try to bluff it through. A conductor can't afford to mako them mad and cannot argue with them unless un-less he Is certain. "I always try to be absolutely certain. cer-tain. I remember faces and positions In the car as much as possible and where persons got on the car. "If I am In doubt about a man I look him over for evidence. If It Is raining I look to see whether the drops still stand up on his clothes or have flattened flat-tened out and are beginning to 3lnk Into In-to the cloth; that shows how long they have been on the car. Snow helps. I can tell by the way It has melted or not melted. "In real cold weather I always step ! close to the man nnd touch his clothes as I say, 'Fare.' If his clothes arc vcrv cold I know he got' on the car within a few minutes. In hot weather by touching touch-ing his clothes I can tell Just the same, "There are a lot of little tricks In this business.- I have added a nickel or so to tho treasury o the company Just by looking at the shoes of the passenger who was trying; lo look out of the window win-dow and save 5 cents." Chicago Tribune.