The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-11-18
CLARK PERSON, Editor.
TICKET scALpINo.
Tho First Cases Under the New Law

Monmouth Democrat Freehold N. j., Nor. IL, 1855.
At the last session of the legislature n
law was passed entitled .'An act to pre-
vent frauds upon travellers. This act
provided for the punishment by fine not
exceeding five hundred dollars and i'm
prisonment not exceeding one year, either
or both at the discretion OF the court, of
any person not duly authorized who
should sell passenger tickets, or parts
thereof, on any railroad or steam boat
line in this State. This act was not only
in the interest of travellers, who were in
many instances the innocent purchasers
of worthless tickets, or parts of tickets
upon which the time of redemption had
expired, but also of the railroad com
panies, who We're subjected to great loss
and Inconvenience by such sale and trans
fer. Last summer the railroad companies
running to our shore, in order to relieve
the ordinary lines of travel as well as to
accommodate the general public, ran
special excursion trains several days IN
each week from distant points to the sea
shore at exceptionally low rates of fare
and were subjected to severe loss by the
operations of a corps of ticket scalpers at
Asbury Park and elsewhere. On behalf
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company,
which had resolved to break up this un-
authorized traffic in their tickets, Colonel
Franklin, chief of the detective bureau of
the road, secured evidence against certain
parties engaged in the business at Asbury
Park, and at the close of the season after
consultation with General Haight, prose.
cutor of the pleas, and by his advice,
complaint was entered before Esquire
Lawrence against William Duge, William
Erickson, and w. S. Ayres, who were
accordingly arrested and held to await
the action of the Grand July. This body
at their late session found ten bills of indict-
ment in all against these parties. They
were subsequently duly arraigned before
the Court of Quarter Sessions, Judge Wall
ing presiding, and pleaded not guilty.
Yesterday the cases came up for trial,
when by advice of their counsel they |
severally pleaded non 0uH contendre, and |
threw themselves upon the mercy of the |
court. Mr.. Swartz, for the prosecutor,
represented that the railroad company |
did not wish to press these cases to an |
extremity. They recognized that the
law was a new one and that these young |
men were ignorant of its existence. They |
simply wished to bring the law to the at
tention of the public and to DO protected |
In the prosecution of their business.
Judge Walling addressed the prisoners,
calling attention to the law and the duty |
of the court to execute 1t, but he said
that the railroad company did not ask
that any punishment should be inflicted
10 these cases on the contrary, through
Col. Franklin, they asked the court to
suspend sentence. The Judge then an
nounced, that In compliance with that re-
n El.l In, All
of these cases, and that the prisoners
were discharged from present custody,
whereupon they lett the court room, APP
parently well pleased to get off so easily
We are Informed by General llaight
that the money loss to the Pennsylvania
road alone last summer averaged Sl50per
day for five days in each week, and that
loss to the Reading road, which joins with
tho Pennsylvania in this prosecution, was
proportional. 1t may be urged that the
sale of the unused portion of railroad
ticket, excursion or otherwise, by the
purchaser is a legitimate transaction, and
that IL makes no difference to the COM
pauy whether it is used By one person or
another, or on the day II Is limited to by
the terms of the sale, auy other
day. On the other hand the companies
insist that IL does make difference. That
to meet public demands as well as to pro
mote their own business, they mako
special arrangements for the transporta-
tion of passengers at reduced rates, on
certain days and in certain trains, and
that any interference with their arrange
ments by the transfer Of tho tickets or
otherwise subjects them to loss that the
law above referred to provides for the re-
demption by the companies of tho unused
portions of tickets sold, aud that under
the circumstances in which these cheap
tickets are issued and the express agree
ments In consideration thereof, tho rail
roads are fairly aud honestly entitled to
the profits upon their own business, and
not outside parties. who incur no respon-
sibilities. Whatever may BIO our opin.
ions, however, as to the merits of this
question between the railroads aud the
ticket holders, or OF the law designed to
regulate the matter the law is imperative
and must DO obeyed, and so long as It re-
mains upon the statute books courts and
juries are bound to execute it. All par
ties are therefore warned, by the action
just taken, that the railroads mean to
stand by their rights under this law aud
hereafter will press all violations of it to
conviction and punishment.