The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-11-01
R0BBING GARAILWAY.
CONDUCTORS AND AGENTS. SCHEME.
How the Scheme vas Carried Out and the PrOhl.
bic Amount Of AOusy TAkSn From the
Company byIt-TWO Of the Suspected
Parties Arrested by Detectives,

MHwAuEEE, October 3l.-What is be
lieved to be a conspiracy Of far-reaching
extent, for the purpose Of plundering 4
railroad company, has been discovered
among number Of employees Of the Wis.
consin Central Railway. The parties tC
the conspiracy are believed to be nearly all
the conductors employed on the road and
number Of station agents. Detectives
Jansen and Riemer, OF this city, have been
engaged for some TIME in working the
case, and last Saturday arrested two OF the
suspected parties, one Stanley Cunning.
ham being arrested in this city, and the
other, named Gavin, in MenAsha. Both
were conductors on accommodation trains,
and it is claimed that there is clear proof
Of both having engaged largely in the sale
OF stolen or uHpunched railway tickets.
The complaint against the parties was
sworn to by Mr.. Il. II. Abbott, general
trustee and solicitor general OF the road,
Mr.. Abbott stated that he had acted Us
complainant in the case simply on account
OF being trustee. He stated that the COM
pany had full proof in its possession OF
having been robbed by u number Of its
employees; that tho robbery had been car
ried on in more ways thai, one, and that
the chief method was In collecting cash
fares which were not accounted for. It
had been found that the loss from this
source alone would amount to thousands
Of dOllars; but he could not even approxi-
mate the amount, 10 also had proof that
q large amount OF tlcketstealIng had been
done, but was retiCent about the phase Of
these frauds, He explained that, while
the exposure Of the conspiracy was not in
u shape to give TO the public,
one might have existed between the
conductors and station agents In re-
latiOn to tickets, the former tax.
ing up tickets without punching them, and
leaving them with the station agents many
times during a month, the agent only be-
ing obliged to report on his tickets, which
re.sold by number, monthly. He stated
that the arrests made are only the begin.
ming, as the company has sufficient proof
to put number out Of the way Of wrong.
doing. He admitted that the company
had discharged large number Of Its ON.
pl0yeS about week ago, anu that 1t had
purposl ry kept the matter secret but he
could not state how many had been dis
charged. He declined to state how the
frauds had been discovered, on the ground
that the matter isnot yet in shape, as NUM-
Der more arrests will have to be made. 1t
was learned elsewhere that eleven conduc-
tors had been discharged at one sweep,
about ten days ago, and number Of sta.
tIon agents at the same time, but It could
not be learned who tho suspected parties
are. 1t Is understood that Conductor Gavin,
who was arrested, has given the whole col.
spiracy away. The greater number OF the
conductors are believed to have disposed
Of their tickets to scalpers, as 1t was only
while drunk that those arrested have been
known to offer to sell their tickets, and
they were known 10 have their pockets full
Of them. It is not known how long this
wholesale robbery has been going on, but
II is believed that the loss to the company
will foot up several hundred thousand dol.
lars, from the number Of parties implicated
In the alleged conspiracy,