The morning call., 1890-10-18
PUNCHES FOR HIRE.
An Easterner Caught Operating
in This City.
Tha sch5me Divulged by a COrducter-After
Arrest tie Agent Is Taken to Denver
fer Prosecution.

A little over week ago Superintendent
J. w. Harris of the Calilornia-street Cable
Railroad Company received information
from one of the conductors on the line that
stranger from the East was endeavorlng to
perpetraTe sNindle on the company In in
PRODUCING duplicate bell-punches. which he
had for hire to conductors for use in their
business.
The matter was placed in the hands OF
Detective John Curtin, and as result w.
H. Robertson was arrested on Tuesday
evening at the corner Of Sacramento and
Powell streets, as he was about to board a
Powell-street car. He was taken 10 his
room at y Prospect place, where he sur
rendered TO the detective ten " Beadie' and
six "Meaker" punches, and made full
confession OF the scheme in which he played
the part of agent
The originator of the scheme, it appears, is
one j. Patrick killum, no about six months
since was employed by the Metropolitan
street Railroad Company Of Kansas City as
Assistant Superintendent. In the latter
part of July last lie was discharged from
the service of this company, and went direct
to Denver, where he presented 4 forged let
ter Of Introduction from General Manager
Mccarthy of the Metropolitan Company to
Mr.. Durbin, Superintendent Of the Denver
Tranway Company. Durbin wrote to Nc
Carlhy, who answered that the letter was
forgery, and consequently hilum did not
ieCeNe employment.
ORDERS FOR CAR-RLGIsTERs.
In August the Meaker Manufacturing
Company Of Chicago, ILL.,, received letter
from one Ii. II. Hammond, Pres dent OF the
Denver Rapid Transit Company, asking 1t to
send him eight car-regislers. The rtgist rs
were forwarded, and soon after came an
order for eight more, which were also sent
to the Transit COmpany's President
A about the same time the BeadIe Rail
way Register Company of New YORK City
received an order Tor sixteen regis tiers or
punches of the kind used on nearly all the
stTeel-Tailways in that city. Upon inyestl-
CATION ii was learned that there Is no such
corporation rs the Denver Rapid Transit
Company, aud further that the alleged
President Hammond was none other than
j. Patrick kIllum, the erStwkil; assistant
superintendent of tie road in Kansas City.
He was at once arrested and eight of the
registers were found in his possession. SIX
OF the Be3dle puzzles had been rented TO
conductors IN the employ OF the Denver City
Cable Con pany, for which he received $40
per week or each device. y short time be-
tore his arrest, and while quietly working
his scheme at Denver and Kansas CITY
through agents. lie met W. II. Robertson,
the young man arrested IL this city on Tues
GAY lhsl hl4luHl WIS d. Ills illIlC DlO9 GU
III a cigar-sture, and also assisted one OF the
Police Court 'shysters" OF Denver in his
profession. lie saw III young Robertson
prospective agent and soon on the young
mans confidence by telling him that he CN-
Vccted a good position in the Police Depart
ment, on the strength of which statement he
borrowed the sum of 500. When Robertson
asked him for the money lew days later
he confessed his inability to pay, but prom
ised to lay before him splendid scheme"
with plenty Of dust in it
lie then explained to Robertson that The
scheme consisted in renting beil-punches
10 StFeet-rallway conductors; that it was
easily worked and a sure thing, Tor even il
We are caught, said he, my knowledge OF
- the law viii enable NE to bring the thing
cut all right lie further explained that if
tie punches were obtained from the maEu-
facturers and the royalty paid, the stree
car companies could not prosecute III the
event Of this being found out.
" tn such arguments as these he made
friend and agent Of Robertson, who agreed
TO start Tor san Francisco as soon as The
punches could be obtained. 1t was at this
time that the order. referred to above, to the
B-adle Railway Register Company of New
York was given. HE order was filled and
addressed to H II. Hammond, President
OF the Denver Rapid Transit Company"
and reached that city about September 9TH.
seven days later Agent Robertson with
we'll filed sampe-case left Denver, and al
rived here few days later.
OPERATIONS BEGUN IN THIS CITY.
He secured quarters at % Prospect place
and commenced operations at once, by rid
ing on the different StTeet-car lines and be-
coming acquainted with the conductors. In
this way he fell in with Conductor GOode of
the CaIifOmia-Street line. VINO expressed
desire Tor a second punch, but thought the
charge OF SO per week rather high, but
after several visits il was agreed that Rob
eItsOn Should receive half the amount reg
ist-Ted by the punch at a weekly inspection.
A die to tit the register was necessary, and
oue was obtained from card impression
and modelled by 4. 0Sterloh, a matchmaker
at $50 Sixteenth street The die fitted per
fectly, and the conductor, much pleased with
lis new punch, promptly turned it over to
Superintendent Harris.
Robertson made acquaintance ON every
line in this city, and though lie had rented
only one punch. he says in his confession
that many Of the conductors on Valencia,
howard, GeaTy, Suffer, Post and Powell
streets were watching, as several were will
Ing to try new register II the dies" could
Dc dispensed with.
Robertson WAS sent back to Denver on
Thursday with detective, and If not prose-
Cuted Will be used as witness ON the trial
OF hllum, which Will take place early next
month.