Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-11
NIcKINc TaE NicKEts.
False Keys Among the street
Car Drivers-Several Of
Fhem Implicated.

For some weeks past Superintendent
Raphael Semmes, of the street car
company, has suspected one or moro
Of his drivers we're robbing the money
boxes Of their cars, aud set his agents
to work to ferret the matter ont. He
noticed that the receipts Of the car
driven by q fellow named E. r. Burn
hammer were far below what they
should be. His money box was sealed,
and when examined'the next morning
the seals we're discovered to have been
broken. MIR. Semmes took Burn
hammer aside and asked, without any
introductory remarks, where he got
the key with which he robbed his box.
Burnhammer denied at first that he
had robbed the company, but admitted
after awhile hat he had done so, but
thai the instrument used was q wire
and not a key.
He was then shown the broken seals,
and promised to make a clean breast
OF the whole affair if he was assured
that he would not be prosecuted. The
promise was given, and he accused an
ex>ear driver of having made the key,
which he said he would willingly
produce ii allo we'd to do SO. Mr..
Semmes allowed him to go Of after
the key, aud has never seer or heard
OF him since.
The matter was dropped for the
time, as nothing further could be
learned, and the bare statement Of
B~urnhammeT was not enough to
convict the man accused by him Of
making the key. A short time after
this a negro woman, who was the only
passenger on a car driven by a man
named Q. G. Cosby, noticed a key in
the money bcx and called Cosby's at
%tention to it. Cosby was nightly
surprised, and cried out that he had
been robbed. When the spotter
boarded the car he had a long story
prepared for him about two men, one
white and the other black, jumping on
his car, holding a pistol to his head
and demanding his money. he handed
over $3.50, which they accepted with
thanks, To account for the presence
Of the key in the box, he went on to
say that the thieves attempted to open
the cash box before they left the car,
and that the key they used stuck SO
fast in the lock that they could moi
extract it. OF course Mr.. Semmes
believed only so much Of this story as
/, he desired, and boldly accused the
driver of stealing money from the
boxes BY can ofs key. Cosby denied
the soft impeachment, but admitted
that he could have procured a key il
, no had wanted one, as the same ex.
driver mentioned by Burnhammel
had offered to make one
for him. Cosby was at once
discharged. The ex.driver alluded tc
so often came here from st. Louis Just
before the races, and was in the eRA
ploy Of the street car company about 4
month. He was discharged for at.
tempting to get up a strike among
the employees Of the company, AID ha.
since been working at a wagon manu-.
factory 10 the city. In the estimation
of Mr.. Semmes and Of the detective
detailed by Chief Davis, the story
told by the drivers Of this fellow il
CORRECT, but so far the ovidenc,
: against him is not of sufi cient strength
1 to ecure Lis conviction before ajury
He still has his eye on the .niokels o
t the company, however, as he has beer
detected in crowded cars late in th,
D evening, standing near the box anc
0 s%ourteously offering to pass every
/ body's fare.