Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-03-12
THE
TON RAILROAD.
The Charge Made by the Ledge,
NOW Proven.

some person connected officially with
that magnificent buHcombe corpo-
ration, known as the Charleston rail-
road, had refused to distribute tickets
to the Ulks ball or have them
sold at the way stations without a com
pensation or percentage being paid las
was generously done by other roads, we
are now prepared to prove, as we make
1t a rule never to let time act as a stat
ute OF limitation against a thing which
was a wrong on the public and an exer.
else Of petty power on the part of any
servant Of the people known as a rail
road corporation. Some days since we
published a denial from Superintendent
Ross, which denial was couched in
guarded language, in which he denied
knowing anything of the affair, and de
MED that any tickets were refused at the
Main street Office Of the company. On
the Sd instant we published the follow.
ing:
We believe it susceptible of proof, that
tickets to the ball Of the Ulks were left
at the office of the company aud the re.
quest made to send them out to the diff
ierent stations (which was done by other
roads, was refused, unless a per centage
or compensation wa allowed. The com
mittee OF Ulks so reported, but the
chairman being absent from the city at
present, we are forced to withhold fur
Their particulars until he returns, and
when he does, we will do Justice to that
corporation known as the Charleston
railroad, and to the official who refused
TO take charge of the tickets, Of which
Superintendent Ross says he knows
nothing. We will bring the official to
light, whomsoever he may be, and get at
the bottom Of the affair with reference
to the Ulks and the Charleston road, a
corporation which has made itself rather
unpopular with the public in many in
stances, which we will in due time take
pleasure in making known to the people
Of Memphis.
The gentleman referred to, Mr.. j. A..
Gronauer, United States Inspector oil
Hulls, having returned from Cairo, our
reporter interviewed him yesterday after
noon. Mr.. Gronauer states that a week
or ten days before Mardi-Gras he, &C.
cording to instructions, carried a pack
age Of 500 tickets to the Charleston
railroad depot for the purpose Of getting
the Superintendent to have them dis
tributed at the stations and sold there
as on other roads. A young man was
in the Supeintendent's Office and with
him were left the tickets, and from him
a receipt taken, after informing him as
to the object of leaving them there. A
week afterward Mr.. Gronauer was in
structed by Mr.. Eckerly to go to the
Charleston railroad and get the tickets,
they not having been distributed. He
did so, and found the 500 tickets
in the original package untouched and
undistributed. AS he was leaving the
building (the general Office a young man
appeared at the head of the stairway and
informed him that he would distribute
the tickets along the road provided the
; Ulks or committee would pay him com
missions or a percentage for so doing.
Mr.. Gronauer informed him that he be-
lieved the Ulks would not agree TO the
proposition, and he then left. Some
days after the publication appeared in
the LEDGER Of the Sd inst, a young gen.
tleman (Mr. George Jones, son.in-law OF
> superintendent Ross and clerk in the
Office of the General Ticket Agent at the
3 depot presented himself at the LEDGER
office aud stated that be was alone re-
sponslble for the charge, as he offered
Mr.. Gronauer) to distribute the tickets
along the line for a compensation, and
) that he did this as q private individual,
and not as an official of the corpora
ton. He did it as a matter of spec.
U%lation. This ends Mr.. Gronauer' 3
connection with the affair, butte account
for Mr.. Eckerly instructing him to go
back a week alterward and get the tickets,
we state that certain officials of the
Charleston road informed Mr.. Charley
Beehn that they did not desire to dis
tribute the tickets, and preferred that
some person appointed by the Ulks
should go ont on the line and do so. In
fact, there was no money in Ito pay for
the trouble and Inconvenience. Mr..
Beehn so informed Mr.. Eckerly and Mr..
Eckerly instructed Mr.. Gronauer. We
are now getting down to it. The Ulks
had their ball tickets distributed by the
officials of the other railroads, and many
tickets were sold at the different stations,
but no n connected with these roads
ever intimated, either as private citizens
or officials, to do the job for a compen-
sation on speculation, nor did the
Ulks intend to hire or employ any official
of the Charleston road IN such terms,
they believing hat that railroad corpc-
ration had a sufficient amount of public
spirit and interest in the advancement
Of Memphis to do so without additional
reward, as indeed Mardi Gras put money
into the Golfers of such railroad compa.
MES. These are the facts, and we do not
believe that on any other road would an
official be permitted to act in q douhle
capacity with the public, such as official
and private Spectator, as Mr.. Jones, the