Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 190, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 August 1914 — Railroad Epotter Not Popular. [ARTICLE]

Railroad Epotter Not Popular.

The “spotter” is a great grievance to railroad men. In theory, at least, be Is an anonymous individual. He “sleuths around” disguised as an ordinary traveler, or a "hobo” stealing a ride, or a village loafer idling through the saloons at the “division point,” to “spot” the employes who slip in for a drink. Railroad men never, by any chance, talk of anything else but railroading, and, sooner or later, the constant discussion of the "spotter,” his appearance and style and so forth, makes him sufficiently familiar to the employes so that his usefulness is considerably lessened. The men learn to identify'him and to conduct teemselves discreetly when he is around. When this stage Is reached the road transfers him to some other division where he is not so well known. The "spotter" strikes his man tn the dark. He mails in to the division superintendent the statement teat Conductor go-and-So neglected to collect his fare between such and such points, or that the conductor charged him an excess cash fare, and, presumably, pocketed the difference, or that a ceriain freight crew collected all the loose change possessed by a gang of "boes” found stealing a ride, and, having collected and pocketed the loose change, let the tramps' ride on in peace. When the division superintendent gets this report he proceeds to raise his own variety of trouble for the offending employes. Thus is discipline maintained.