The Price of Small Change on the Rails
A passenger sued the Northern Pacific Railroad for $3,000 after being forcibly ejected for failing to provide exact change for his fare.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Benjamin Davis has been awarded a verdict of $3,080 by a Spokane jury following a lawsuit against the Northern Pacific Railroad. Davis claimed that while traveling from Spokane Falls to Cheney, the ticket office was closed. Upon boarding, he offered a five-dollar gold piece to pay his fare, but the conductor was unable to provide change. When the train reached Marshall, Davis attempted to buy a ticket, but the conductor again demanded the back fare and, when Davis could only offer the same five-dollar coin, forcibly ejected him from the train, causing bodily injury.
“The train was then stopped and Davis forcibly ejected, to his bodily injury, as he maintained.”
This incident highlights the immense, often arbitrary power railroads held over daily transit in the late 19th century. Conflicts between passengers and transit authorities over payment technology and physical access remain a recurring friction point in urban transit history.
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