THE CONDUCTOR'S " BROTHERIN-LAW."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8449, 23 March 1889, Page 5

THE CONDUCTOR'S " BROTHER-IN-LAW."

A new plan of fraud has recently been detected in use Jby tram conductors in America, owing to tho officials realising the fact that the shortness of the roturns must bo due to a " leakage " somowhoro. A " brother-in-law "is a small pieco of mechanism capable of being held in tho palm of tho hand, and consisting of a hemisphere of brass not moro than an inch in diameter, and profusely punched with holes about an eighth of an inch wide. It contains a small silver gong, which can bo rung by an arm projecting from under tho brass, the inner end of which worlcu upon a small and strong (spring, on tho same plan as the mechanism of a door bell. This false punch is held in tho pnlm of tho left lmnd, the Hut side, which is a pieco of brass or lead, being against t.ho hand nud the hemisphere being outward. The fingers onoloso tho dummy punch, and tho trip card for registering fares beiug also held in t.ho left hand, serves to hide the (lummy punch. Tho real punch is held in the right hand, and us the conductor receives a faro ho slips his hand into the mouth of the punch, the passenger hear? a bell, tho conductor drops tho punch and slips tho faro into his pocket with his luffc hnnd, :md tho pasHonger supposes his payment duly recorded. Tho ring ho hoars, however, is not that of tho real punch, but that of the ingenious dummy wnCw to do duty for it. So widespread has been thi> corruption among tho conductors on tho San Frauciaco tramway lines that a regular trade is proved to have taken place in these sham bells, tho dishonest conductors paying lldol or 12ilol apiece for them, and leasing them out when not on duty. They were, however, very careful to whom they entrusted them, generally selecting married men as safor persons to trust than young bachelor.l). Generally speaking, they used the false bells only when taking money from women and children, or Chinese, or very old persons, carefully sustaining from their omploymeut in the case of business people or anyono who appeared sharp or watchful. They never used the bull in a crowded car, nor on tho dummy, for in a crowd of passengers the bell would be difficult to handle, ami if used on the dummy the gripmnn's quick ear would soon detect the fraud, and he would either claim a share of the spoils or report tho fraud. The detection of these robberies has led to a wholesale exodus of trameir conductors from Han Francisco, but not bfcforn th<;y have profited to the extent of niauy thousands of dollars.

Sfr-ssrs n. a:nl D. M'Farlnne, Amiiri. Canterbury, l-.ave imported B0 of Mr A. Murray's Victorian m.vrinci stud ranis, 'l'hey have arrived' in excellent condition, and will prove an acquisition to the stock of this colony, us they are st.roiig-constitntioiml and iiirgii-frnmcd, and their wool is of the very choicest description.