Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-07-10
LOSSES or FREIGHT.
CLAIMS THAT ARE MADE AGAINST
A RAILROAD COMPANY.

dier-yarious Fraudulent ,Tethods---Lost
Freight Sold at Auction.
1--WE have, all the time. large amount Of
stuff which accommodates on our hands, said
the ''lost baggage agent Of one Of the rail
roads to a reporter; ''but most of the prop
erty left on cur cars by accident is sure to be
quickly called for if it has any particular
yalue.n
ANY trouble in identifying applicants as
proper owners Of the baggage claimedf'
mot particularly. Our most frequent
trouble IS the adjustment OF false claims
We can tell by persons manner whether
the claim is just one Or not. Take the pro-
fessional swiBdler, for instance. Besides hav-
ing brusque manner, his claim is made in
an indefinite WY az TO number of check,
style Of package and the contents thereof.
The true claimant--the person who has really
lost something-has a respectful and anxious
bearing lie Invariably gives an accurate
description Of the lost parcel, and is very
slow with threats Of suit to recover dam
ages"
Il suppose that overshoes and umbrellas
are the articles most frequently left in carsf'
No more frequent than small parcels Of
clothing. shawls and small Yalises, but, as
say, these are always quickly claimed Il is
with fraudulent claims for lost baggage that
we have the most experience"
FRAUDULENT CLAIMS
''What are the fraudulent methodist
"Aost numerous, and some Of them, most
ridiculous. Now here's an old claim which,
while not fraudulent, is worthless and most
bull headed Several weeks since a barrel Of
whisky and case Of canned goods were ship
ped to a grocer in the interior OF the state
About the time Of the shipment the grocer
died Immediately, his entire stock was taken
by a Wholesale grocer who had a chattel
mortgage thereon, and 50 without leaving a
family or any property, he was buried There
was no estate and accordingly no executor
/ Meanwhile the goods shipped over our road
I lay in the freight house, there being no one
to deliver them to. l notified the shipper Of
the situation and he replies by saying that
cur company must keep the goods and that
be viii hold US responsible therefor.
/ Il had a travelling man try to get $50 out
F Of us for damage done to pair of very rare
+ and fine window curtains Damage done, as
I he claimed, by snow melting through his
F sample case, which had been carelessly
dumped in snow bank by one Of our bag
{ gagemen, and SO staining the curtains
Had the sample case been 50 duInpedF'
f feature of the claim. All we asked was that
+ he present a receipt from his employers
showing that lie had paid them, as he
claimed, the SIS for damage done. and which
+ he had TO make good to his firm. He failed to
produce the receipt and 50, Of lis own wolf
ton, the case was dropped.
Another case came from man who put
in a claim for 50 for new castings and freight
thereon, and -. 80 for labor in putting them
into q stove shipped over our road and broken
while in transit. investigated the case and
found that a ieg had been broken out OF the
stove and that the man had instead of get
ting new castings. paid a village blacksmith
$50 for riyeting the old leg back in its
place. No new casting had been bought. no
freight had been paid, and the entire cost TO
him had been less than s.. Vet he claimed
$50 from US
I'VE had another case where one Of our
agents delivered some freight with an ex-
pense bill calling Tor eleven cases Of goods.
But ten casss showed up, aud the parties to
whom the goods we're delivered, while they
seemed surprised at the deficiency, at once
explained that the missing case contained
books, a silk dress and more books That
was their very indefinite inventory, and they
stuck to il quite firmly. Investigation showed
agent had made mistake on his way bill
and 50 on the expense bill, and finally that
the people at last confessed that they hadn't
lost 50 much as a tin spoon OF their house
hold goods shipped
SOLD AT AUCTION.
''What becomes of lost freight never
elaine
Nv, eli it at auction L seldom has any
.f,1 l. a. 4
CO.. We sell packages according to the way
il which they are billed. We cannot tell as
to their value Once III q while purchaser
gets nicely taken in. I rscollect at one Of
our sales We got $13 for large crate billed
'crockery.' A well known physician was the
purchaser, and when the crate was opened 1t
was found TO contain lot Of plaster OF paris
images, such as Italians peidle about the
streets"
Worth $, perhaps, TO one of those ped
dlersr
Possibly, but not worth five cents to the
doctor Once ia while, however, a good
deal may be made. l recollect we sold con
signment billed two boxes and one barrel Of
dust 1t brought $3.50, and when opened
the barrel contained Paris green ami the
boxes held two dozen packages Of a patent
insect powder. I understood that the pur-
chaser sold the LOT 10 q wholesale druggist for
So Another box billed as one box OF sun
dries sold for 3. and when opened by an ex-
presslnan who bought them the 'sundries'
were found Ia consist OF a very complete out
fit Of cutlery sampleS-ffteen OF twenty
poke, knives. a dozen razors, several pairs
of shears and scissors. two or three carving
sets and a variety Of case knives. The name
Of the manufacturers was, Of course. found
on the goods and the expreSsnan, by CORE
spondence. returned the goods 10 the manu-
facturers and received therefor a So check -
DOES the income from the sale Of TN
claimed property come near meeting the cost
OF tracing up lost freieht!'
go, but in the avoidance Of well basel
claims by tie exercise of greater care IN
handling freight and in the exposure II
fraudulent claims, the system self more
than PAYS Now look here
just then q brakeman from a train which
had just arrived entered the lost freight
office bearing i'll has arms an old umbrella,
worth perha. IifJy cents, and a good willow
basket, in which Was badly unused lunch, q
button hook and pair OF Soilei cuffs
That's tue way it goes" said the agent
Nov it is probable Tat somebody viii cal
for this = >ke, to-morros. OF next day, but
the umbrella Is fixture until sold ar auc-
tion. n-De'roit Free Pres
An Odd win.
John Newgate, of Boston, merchant,
selectman and constable of the town
who was admitted a freeman in 1855
and elected representative st the Marcel
and September sessions Of the genera
court, IN 1888, and who died in 1865