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Williamsport Sun: April 8, 1914 – Plan to End Loafing and Illegal Car Riding

The Philadelphia and Reading company police in conjunction with local authorities are endeavoring to break up the practice of loafing at the company’s station at Arch Street and illegal car riding. Already there have been at last 15 arrests of young men, and more are to follow, warrants have been issued for them.

The practice is mostly carried on by men aged 16 and upwards. They congregate at the railroad station on Sunday afternoons. On Monday afternoon five of these young men were taken into custody and taken before an alderman in the city and they were fined for loafing. Later, other arrests followed, and some paid their fines while others went to jail.

While the loafing is bad enough, the young men have added to it by practice of illegal car riding. This also occurs on Sunday afternoon when the young men board a freight train just below the station and ride to downtown Williamsport, then return on another freight.

This is indulged by scores of young men every Sunday afternoon and it is this practice that the authorities wish to stop. The offenders are not all Newberry young men but include parties from Shamokin, West Milton and other points in that direction who come to Newberry on an excursion train and return later in the day. These men have also been arrested on various occasions.

Last evening several men were arrested on warrants charged with loafing and illegal car riding.