St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-15
A Prisoner in the TombS at
Gotham Alleged to Know
Too Much.
Anxious Railroad Men Offer
in Vain to Go on His Bail
Bond.
The Revelations Promised Are
Discounted by Rail Off,
Gals.
Mr.. Ford, Of the Pennsylvania,
Springs a New Deal Sue
cessfully.

New YORK. May 1.-THE Herald
headed Railroads Laugh at Federal
Laws" and in it says: Alphonse You'll
laire is confined in the tombS on
charge of forgery preferred against him
by one Michael Dillon. Since his arrest
the police have been investigating the
disappearance of some valuable docu-
ments belonging to different railroad
companies. Noullaire had been en-
plOyed at different times by the inter
state commerce commission, and in the
claim departments of various railroads.
The police investigating the loss of the
papers found that every clue pointed to
VOullaire.
Percy r. Todd, general freight agent
of the West Shore road, called On
VOullaire at the tombs and offered to
furnish bail for him if he would return
the papers taken from the West Shore
company. f. E. Tilden, of the New
York, Lake Erie Il Western railroad
also went TO the tOmbS to discover, if
possible, just what the prisoner had in
his possession affecting the Erie road. All
promises proved unavailing. Then, as
District Attorney Weeks took his turn
at investigating, VOullaire admitted
that he mad documents of enormous
valueStO railroads, but he refused to
surrender them.
On being threatened he offered to
give proof of his assertions. He would
give an order on woman who had
few papers in her custody, directing her
to give them to the bearer. The order
was signed and the detective obtained
from the woman the papers she had. in
GLIDING railroad pass issued to
United States consul IN Canada. and
letter from general freight agent in
one OF the intefSr cities of New York
state, showing that special reductions
in rates had been made for the benefit
of certain shipping firmS in fragrant vic
latiOn of the law.
Other papers in Voullaire'S possession
show proof of evasion of the law by
many other railroads. Among the ship
perS mentioned as having received
special rates are the ArmOurS, Swift,
Morris and j. V. Farwell d Co, of Chi
cagO; the Standard Oil company, the
Sugar trust, the Rutland and other YER
mont marble companies, the Rotsoff
Mining company, of Piffard, n. Y, and
others. A rebate of S6,61S to j. 3. Far
well and K. J. Walker d Co. made out
''fOr services rendered" is shown. V0u-
laire was once employed by the inter-
state commerce commission, but was
discharged for going on a spree. He says
he has loco cases against railroad com
panies. The penalty in each case would
be 5000.
The story is pronounced by railroad
men here very old matter. A reporter
saw Percy r. Todd, general freight
agent OF the West Shore road, and lie
said that at the time the letters stolen
from the railroad officers by AlphonZO
V0ullaire were published in the Chicago
Tribune, Judge Veasey and his asso-
ciates of the interstate commission. in
structed Secretary Mosely to make a
public Statementin which it wassaid that
the information in question had been in
the possession of the commission for
several months; that many of the ir-
Irregularities charged were as matter of
fact ordinary traffic arrangements with
in the limits of one state; that the 9th
ers, while they might show the neceSsi-
ty of amending the law were not within
the scope of the existing law.
Now as to those stolen papers" said
Mr.. Todd, I'VE have certainly been try
ing to getthem back, but, as | told Supt.
ByTneS, we are perfectly willing to have
them placed in the hands OF the inter-
state commerce commission, or made
public in any way. Voullaire offered to
sell them to us, but we refused to give |
him a cent"