The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-04-21
ARASrALLYRR AGENT

A correspondent of the Toledo Com.
mereial gives the following particulars
ot the rascally operations of ]. d. Gen.
nett, agent of the Dayton & Michigan
Railroad at Columbus Grove, Putnam
county:
The fore part of last week W. T.
Naples freight hills were presented for
his spring stock, which had recently ar
rived. Mr.. Maple had had copies of the
shipping bills forwarded to him from
New York, as also the rate per hundred
on his goods. In the bills presented by
the agent the weights were raised so as
to make some sixteen dollars additional
cost. The bills were paid, however, but
on the next day, Mr.. Maple went to
Lima, and from there telegraphed j. III.
Weller, the Superintendent of the road,
iii such a way (the matter and manner
not known to us) as that Mr.. Weller tel
egraphed back to this point that an in
vestigation would be made. This filled
the agent with alarm. He Immediately
started on a tour around town to pick
up all receipts received from him by our
business men. he refunded SIG to Mr..
Maple, S14 to A. II. Day & Co., and en-
deavored to get possession of their re-
ceipts, as well as those to whom he re-
funded no money. The matter had al
ready become generally known and
receipts were being held for other pur-
poses. Several parties were asked to
name their own amount for the return
of receipts, but no receipts were re-
turned. Mr.. Gennett was Immediately
removed from the Office, though the
business is still done i'll his name, and
Mr.. VIM. BraZee, of Toledo, ON account
of the United States Express Company,
and a gentleman from Cincinnati on the
part of the Railroad, are endeavoring
to straighten matters up. 1t was at first
believed, or at least hoped, that it was
some mistake, but examination reveals
the fact that there has been a continued,
systemiZed cousre of robbery running
over series of years. Many of our
business men have destroyed their re-
ceipts, but some few have preserved
them; among the latter is the firm of
Ralph Ewing & Son, who began the
hardware, stove and tinware business
here in 1871. From the first until now
this firms bills have been overcharged,
amounting in the aggregate, in the five
years, to S256.56, according to the de-
cision of the expert examining the re
ceipts. This is only one firm. Another
firms receipts as far back as 1868 show
the same dishonesty there, Some of our
heaviest firms have destroyed their re
ceipts and the amounts can only be esti
mated. 1t is expected that it will re-
quire five or six weeks to go over every
bodys accounts, and until then we can
only estimate, as victim after victim is
counted out, to what extent those who
are still to come have been victimized.
1t is believed that the merchants at this
point, Vaughansville, Peudleton, and
other points receiving goods at this
point, have replenished the agents treas
ury to the extent of at least $40, 900, and
probably $3.50
The plan practieed all the way through
has been only to raise the weights and
making the amounts correspond with
the raised weights at the regular freight
rates. The largest amount cleared on
any one bill was S24, and from that it
runs dewn as low as one cent. Mr..
Gennett has been quite i'll since the dis
covery, driven almost to distraction, we
presume, by this long practiced villainy
being discovered.