A Hard Ride From Ocean To Ocean

Wednesday afternoon, as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy train was about to pull out from the transfer for the East, au Omaha gentleman observed two men seated on, or ratlier clinging to, the trucks under the dining car. One of them, apprehensive of being informed on, entreated him, 'Tor God's sake, don't give us a way." ïhe gentleman questioned them, und learned that they had ridden in this rnanner all the way from San Francisco, over 2,000 miles. The train started up and stopped at the depot in Council Bluffs, when the two "beats," supposing that the train had been halted in order to put them off, skipped out. The conductor, when told of the f act, remarked that " that was nothing. líe had had six on tho trucks and six on the roof at oae time." It seoms that the nmount of stolen riding obtained at so perilous a risk is greater than any one has any ido of, and the wonder is that so few are killed. As a rule, they generally ride on the trucks during the day time and at night crawl up on top of the car. If they are discovered and put off, they wait for the next train and resume their ride, many of them going from ocean to ocean in this manner. The Union and Central Pacific railroads have a monopoly on this sort of travel, as well as on every other kind, to and from the Pacific coast. Many of the persons who thus steal a ride from the Pacific coasi went there " well-heeled, " iu search of a "Big Bonanza," traveling in first-class stylo in Pullman sleepers, and enjoying three square meáis a day, and, becomiug busted, they take their chances in getting back homo in this way. Such is life. Winter, however, generally put an end to this, although once in a wliile a fellow is taken out from the tool-box, under a car, half-frozen to death. -