The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1873-02-21

tickets went so far out of the regular line
as to offer for sale two passes that had
been regularly issued by a ailroad officer.
This was an exceptional case. The great
bulk of tickets offered for sale by private
parties are genuine-tho only difficulty
with some of them being the fact thst
they have already been used. Besides
the regular brokers In railroad tickets,
there are numerous private dealers; tho
newspapers every day advertise tickets to
| st. Louis, Chicago Plt,sburg ard other
places for sale cheap; in hotels placards
are TO BIO seen announcing that by apply
ing at the desk ticket TO some poin, can
be had at low rate.
These facts, it would seem, ought to be
sufficient TO put railroad men on inquiry
to ascertain the source Of the supply; but
It appears that they did not, and that
the revelations of conduc~
tor on the Pan handle road
made three months ugo led Mr.. J. b. Ell.
lison, superintendent of the line between
this city and Columbus, and Col. o Brien,
general passenger agent, to institute an in
vestigation. They did not mako and pub
lish II list of charges against their en-
| ployes, and then call them up to defend
themselves, but they quietly set men To
watching. They employed Larry Hazen
to investigate in his own way. He pro-
cured the assistance of number of men,
and bought for them tickets from Cincin-
natl to Columbus and Piltsburg. The
men were instructed Ia keep an eye on the
| conductors, and especially TO note what be-
| came of their own tickets. Two of these
men, who went upon the same car, found
| everything all right between Cincinnati
and Columbus. The conductor tore oil the
| Columbus coupon, punched itand put it in
his pocket, returning the Pittsburg cou-
| pom 10 the spies After leaving Column
BUS the conductor took up the frst spy's
coupon, looked at II. punched it, and put
1t in his pocket. Presently he came to
| spy No 2, who had II ticket CT the same
date, but of higher nGmber. This the
conductor put into his pocket without
punching it vt all The spies, or, to call
them by less hard name, the detectives
saw the same conductor pu, another
ticket in his pocket in the same way, and
they also saw him take cash fare and
put the money in his pocket without maxi
ing memorandum ut the time of the
amount Received, us the rules require.
Other men made like discoveries some of
them found that occasionally conductor
between this city and Coum.
bus would take up the
whole ticket from Cincinnati to
Prtsburg and put it away whole in his
pocket, giving in return to the passenger
his check, which would be taken up by
tho conductor between Columbus aul
Ptts6urg. Here, t6cn, was iOnnd the
secret of the source from which outside
ticket dealers, and possibly the miscel-
laueous private and hotel dealers. obtained
their supply, Out Of twenty-five tickets
bought by Detective Hnzen aud used bv
his men, 1t was iou.d that twcnty-onc Of
them were no: properly punched when
first taken up, and were sold again Thi.
was made certain By inquiring ut Pits
burg OF the passenger agent, whose duty
/, Is to receive tickets from the conductor
if the tickets bearing tho date and number
Of those used By Hazens men were re-
turned on the day they were used. 1t
vas found that twenty.one out Of twenty
five were used n second time.
1t appears that ho less than six con-
ductors AMI eleven other persons, in
Guiding number of agents, are impli-
Gated in this ring for specializing in
tickets. One arrest was m tde on Satur
dag, and others will soon be made, un-
less the company adopts tho more merci
tul measure of discharglng the dishonest
men. Conductor w. NJ. Russell, WELL |
known between this city and Columbus, |
was arrested on Saturday, and was taken
to the Hammond-street station house,
where he gave bail for his appearance.
The officers of the road have reason to
suppose that within the last two years
they have been swlndled out of 100000
in this way. Some Of the detectives e.ti-
mated that each conductor was taking in
about ten dollars day during the time
they were observing their transactions. |
That seems like small sum. but il would |
be- dangerous, perhaps, to take too much |
at once.
The discovery of this system of fraud |
will turn a sharp eve on other roads, and !
will especially direct scrutiny toward all
persons outside of regular ticket Offices
who offer tickets for sale. lii. possible
that the ticket market will be Gather dull.
and 1t is also possible that all conductors ,
will punch coupons with yirtuous and con- |
spicuous vigor. 1t may likewise happen ,
that every cash fare will be iotted down
on the instant OF its reception.
The only persons yet named in the
"ring' are conductor Russell, whose ar
rest has been mentioned, and Il Columbus
agent named Hunter. The latter was