Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-12-03
SET AT LIBERTY.
A Very Flimsy Charge Sooa Dis.
posed sf.

John AMI George Chugg, the II
p. conductors who were arrested 1
few days ago on the charge Of EN-
bezzlement, we're arraigned befor,
Justice Laney yesterday afternoon
and acquitted, there being only the
most flimsy evidence against them
The accused succeeded by abnndan nj
testimony in Affirming their good
character.
Both men have a large circle Of
friends and when they were
arrested profound sensation was
created. On their discharge they
were warmly congratulated by many
acquaintances who from the first,
looked upon them rs the victims Of
prejudice and injustice.
The prosecuting attorney in the
case was p. l.. Williams and Mr..
Eichnor. and Judge Powers de-
Tended the accused.
w. II. Volett, In the employ Of
the PiBkerton Detective Agency at
Denver, said he came out here to
investigate the alleged ticket steal.
ing business on the Utah division of
the Union Pacific. He made sew
erai trips with the defendant be-
tween Salt Lake and Ogden and
on each occasion Chugg failed to
cancel several tickets. On Novem-
Der q, the witness rode from Ogden
to Salt Lake on a ticket which he
purchased in Ogden, and afterwards
he repurchased that Identical ticket
from a broker in Ogden.
On cr0ss-examination by Judge
Powers, IL came out that the wit
ness career had been a somewhat
checkefed and varied one.
y. b. Holmes, another Pinkerton
detective, employed. to work up the
ticket stealing business, said he
made nine trips with the de-
PENDANT between this city and
Ogden, and on every occasion he
saw Chugg take up tickets and
fail To cancel them. The con-
ductor's method was to have n
little piece Of cardboard in his hand
and he punched these Instead of the
tickets he took up, giving the i'm
preston that he was cancelling the
tickets. He purchased a number of
trip tickets from brokers here and at
Ogden. Affer being handled by
Judge Powers the witness left the
stand rather fiusterei.
s. w. Eccles, Of the Union Paci.
fic, testified that II was the duty Of
a conductor TO cancel each ticket |
Immediately upon taking it up and
return all as soon as possible.
Captain LANCE testified that he
made the search n. the defendants
house and found three uncanceled
tickets there. He afterwards ar
rested the defendant when he ar.
rived from n trip, AMI brought him
to she station woere he was searched |
in the presence Of a Mr.. Adams, and
a large number of tickets, some Of |
which were uncanceled, was found.
Mr. Adams testified that the
value ct the uncanceled tickets
found on the defendant at the time
Of his are II was SS0.60.
On cross-examination by Judge
Powers, however, il was ELECTED /
from Adams that one ticket valued
at so was, in reality, void on the
night OF tLe arrest, rs was also one
valued at S37, 50 that the value of
the uncancel-d tickets.
Judge Powers argued that there
was not a scintiila ofevidence tend
ing to convict the defendant with
the sale of tickets to brokers, and
The mere fact that unclnceled tick
Its Of the value of - or 81 We're
Iound ON the defendant when he
,ame in on his train was not crim-
nai. He claimed the discharge of
the accused.
Judge Laney ordered that the
defendant be discharged.
The prosecution stated that the
,ase against George Chueg was not
IS strong IS that against john, and
he latter case, together with the
.harge against Mrs. Chugg, was
dismissed