The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-09-25
Conductor and YIee-PresIaent.

At a certain period. some six or
eight years ago, the officers Of one of
four principal railroads had good rea-
sons for believing that some of the
conductors upon a particular section
of their road were ia the habit OF rem
dering inaccurate returns of their re-
eeipts from "way-passeDgers :" and as
they were unable TO fix the defalca-
ton upon the particular individuals,
PinkertOn was employed to investi-
gate the matter, and test the accuracy
Of their suspicious For the execution
Of this delicate service he selected a
sufficient number Of his best men to
furnish four for every car in a train,
one to be seated st each door and two
in the center Of the car, the latter
facing to the front and rear, SD as to
see every person who went in or out.
These men were directed not 20 rec
Ognize each other, but 10 pay their
fares, and otherwise deport them
i selves as ordinary travellers. Each
one was provided with pencil and pa
I per, and instructed TO keep an aecu-
rate record Of every person that en-
tered or left the cars, noting the sta
tiOns to and from which they travel
ed, etc, so that il at the eud Of the
trip their notes were in accord, it
would be good evidence Of accuracy.
In this manner the major was ena-
! bled, in the course of q few days, to
make detailed report which showed
eOnelusively that nearly every con-
ductor upon the section Of road under
surveillance had been guilty of swind-
ling. He also ascertsined that one OF
these delinquents owned property to
q large amount in PHILADELPHIA.
WhereupoD, as l was informed, Colo
mel s., the vice-president, sent for
the man, and the following dialogue
ensued:
"Mr. =, bow long have you been
employed as conductor on our road :? y
''About seven years, Sir"
What pay haye you received dur
ing that time?"
eight hundred dollars a Year,
tDo you OWE the house No. upoa
- street ."
ST do, Sir.r
Have you other property in this
''I have"
"What Is its vaiue?"
"Well, Sir, l can't tell precisely,
OUT IL IS cOnSlOeraOIe.
"What estimate DO you place upon
your entire assets +"
''Something like forty Thousand
dollars"
"Were you the owner of any of this
vroperty when you ente.ed our serv-
iee?"
"Not dollars worth, sir.U
"You have a family TO support,
understand ?"
"I have wife and three children"
"Will you do me the favor to inform
me how you have been able in seven
years to support your family and ac-
eumulate fortune of forty thousand
dollsrs upon a salary Of eight hnn-
dred ?n
"l have not the slightest objection
answer your question Colonel s.,
provided you will suffer me first to
PROFOUND few pertinent inIerroga-
tories to you"
"Very well, Sir. I've no objections.
What are they ?" I.'|.
"Will you, then, be so kind as to
inform me how long you have been
connected with the - railroad ?"
"Something like ten years.D
"What, allow me to ask, has been
your salary duriug that time ?D
81 suppose it may have averaged
about 5000 a year."
"You have a family to support, if 1
lam not mistaken ?"
"Yes, Sir, have family"
IF u IS not an .ImprQDeE question
ask what is the amount of your for
/ tune 2"
"Well, Sir, don't know precisely,
but it is something handsome"
"WOuld you estimate it at half
million dollars, colonel 20
"Yes, l dare say it is."
"That being the fact, Sir, if you
will do me the favor to disclose to me
the secret of the process by which you,
in ten years, have been able to trans
mute S50,0 into ten times that
amount, without any visible means
outside your salary, 1 will most cheer
| fully tell you how l have managed,
by turning an honest penny now and
then. TO amass the comparatively in
| significant amount have named"
THAT is all very well, " replied the
| imperturbable Vice-President, shut
you seem to have forgotten that there
| is q slight difference between your
status and mine upon the - rail-
road, in that you are responsible to
me for stealing the eOmpany's money,
whereas am not Accountable to you
| for my transactions. In view of this
fact, it now becomes my dnty to inform
you that your services are no longer
required upon our road-r
The faeetious Conductor probably
anticipated this result, and with his
characteristic coolness remarked: "In
that event, Sir, it may at some future
time become necessary fer me to seek
employment upon another road.
Would it be asking too much for you
to give me q letter setting forth your
estimate OF my ability to perform the
duties Of Conductor.u Ea.-1 -o j
tiIf you desire Ii, IcertGinly have no
objections to giving you a testfmoniai
to the effect that look upon you as
the most INSCRIPTIONS and unblushing
knaYe that has ever disgraced the cat
alogue Of our employees, and that any
company having any thing to do with
you will be morally certain to be rob
bed. From Detective Pinkerton,"
by Gen. r. B. Marcy, IN HdTper's
/ -.