Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-08-05
LOCAL AFFAIRS.


SHARP OPERATION BETwEEN TWO OF THE M
| fLoYkes or TIE W. X ". r. R.-THEY APPRopnr-
ATE TO THEIR OWN USE MONIES OBTAINED by THE
| SALE OF TICKETS
| knowledgs OF the discovery of 4 defslcation
in the Wilmington 4 Western II. II. has leaked
out, Of which tho following arc the particulars
40 far - We can learn them
+. Il Devou is Secretary OF the COMPANY, and
Joseph Hammett is ticket agent ut the Whining
ton depot Between thom 1t seems that prac-
! tca has been carried on for some time mast by
which tho Railroad Co. has been defrsuded out
OF portion Of its earnings. Owing to the ma
t're OF their operations IL is impossible to tell at
present the precise amount OF tho defalcation,
0ue Y 10 eupposed 70 reach 10 somewhere In the
neighborhoOd Of Il, 600.
| AZ ticket agent Hammett sold through tickets
70 1Mndsnberg and pocketed the money As
becretary Of tha Company Devon received the
tickets from the conductors and destroyed them
and all evidences of thoir sale. Conductor
Hughes and Freight Agent Palmer, however,
discovered tho trtck by the advanced number
! printed upon tho tickets. The regular numbers
On the ticket were running along somewhere be-
tween 1900 and 1900, but the tickets sold by
Hammett and destroyed by Devon ranged up bc-
yond 1900, which sxclted tho snspioions OF the
parties named above, and the matter was laid
tefore Mr.. Bradford. President of the Com
pany.
Mr.. Bradford At once began an investigation
full amount Of the defalcation. Devon, however,
We understand, confessed to thousand dollars
and gave Judgment to the company a2ainst pro-
party held BY him to that amount. He also ex-
oneratss Hammett from the conspiracy,
ing, and that he persuaded Hammett
very much against his will to 20 into it. Ham,
NETT has, however. been dismissed, and no pro-
ceeding will, we understand, be begun against
Oevou TO recover the amount appropriated to his
MA hall hn d,u,n tl,ak Az,
amount u in excess of that already confessed
Mr. Devou retired from his position on Thurs
day last, and Mr.. Jno. G. Farra, elected to the
posaeon some days ago,has assumed his duties.
FUarHKH EXAMINATION OF rHE BOOKS OF THE con-
PAHY AND DIscovaRY OF FURTHER FRAUDULENT
r9Ans+cTioss-THE DEFICIT INCREASED TO
] During Thursday and Friday the officers
OF the Wilmington Il Western H. H. Co. have
been examining the accounts OF the late Secre-
tary, and further evidences OF fraud have boen
detected. The selling Of tickets and tho pocl-
citing Of the money obtained for them was not
the only way in which tho company suffered
this proves to have been source OF but little
profit OF tho peculators. A large gnm was taken
BY means OF false entries on tile books, and by
an abstraction from the returns of the station
agents along the limo of the road.
so Tar ~ le now KNOWN only about ono hun
dred tickets have been wrongfully sold. A
short time ago, when tickets wore needed only
two thousand were ordered, and Of these it does
not appear that more than the number stated
above were used. II Ia possible, however, that
duplicate tickets may have been procured, but
thore 10 no evidence yet that such has been
dsne. The partnership arrangement OF Devon
and Hammett does not seem to extend beyond the
1st Of last month, but the precise date Of it's be-
ginning, cannot bo fixed.
The loss to the company through false entries
was probably the work of Devon alone, although
Hammett seems to have been privy to what was
going ON. Tho full extent OF the loss, the officers
think, will be about 80 900. How long this species
OF fraud has been carried on is not known, and
will not be be until during next week, when tho
secretary's books will be compared with those of
the agents along the line OF the road 1t seems
which i Was kis custom 10 put into his
own pocket. The reports which accompanied
these returns lie destroyed in order to cover up
Of his books with those Of tho agents. Tho Sun
day pilferings seom To have been the largest,
and on some Sundays no entries are made at all.
II 10 Ascertained that Oh one Sunday something
over SIT was distracted.
An examination Of the books IL being careful
ly made by President Bradford and Buperinten-
dent Conwell There has boon no meeting of
the Board Of Directors in regard to the matter,
nor no formal action on their part. Much sym
patty IL expressed for the family OF Devon, who
are painfully distressed over the discoveries
made concerning his conduct.