The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1893-11-28
BIG RAILROAD SWINDLE.
Several Leading Lines Victimized-
Bogus Tickets Not Detected Until
Heavy Losses Had Been Sustained


CHICAGO, November 2l.-One of tho
biggest railroad swindles ever pcrpet-
rated =, in this country has just
come to light Counterfeit railroad
tickets to the amount of over 800, 900
have been honored in the last four
weeks by the Baltimore and Ohio,
Erie, Pittsburg and Western, Nickle
Plate and other roads.
There was absolutely nothing on the
face Of the tickets to Indicate that they
were counterfeit. They were accepted
without question by conductors, passed
readily by the ticket counters, and
were entered as of legal issue by the
various ticket auditors. The first inti-
nation of crookedness cropped out in
the auditors Office of one of the victi-
mized lines nearly three weeks ago.
In checking the used tickets from the
same forn number were found. The
original record of two tickets of the
auditor satisfied himself that both
tickets were genuine and sent note
to his printer scoring him severely fGf>
his carelessness. The printer appear
ed in person with dn indignant denial
of the charge. but when the two tickets
were shown TO him was compelled to
acknowledge that the error was made
in his office.
The next day ticket auditor discov-
cred sixtyscvcn duplicated tickets in
the collections. There seemed no
possibility Of the tickets being conter-
| felt. They were exact duplicates.
The next day nearly 300 duplicated
tickets appeared in the collections, and
a panic reigncd in the auditing depart
mcnt Each of the tickets read from
$lS. The one days collections showed
that the company had honored at le, t
So, 400 worth of tickets for which it hid
| not received Il cent Of revenue.
Experts were Immediately called in.
At the end of three days during which
over 500 more duplicated tickets were
found in the auditors Office, one of the
experts declared that the duplication
was counterfeit. With the aid of a.
powerful microscope he had at last dis
covered Il minute imperfection in a
tickets. In all other respects the jobs
were exactly alike. The paper, ink,
type and presSwork could not have
been more alike j. both had been print
ed consecutivcly with exactly the same
materials.
Meantime the other roads were hay
ing the same experience. In each case
the tickets were passed without ques-
tion by all the handlers, and not one
WAS uclCtJcu tllblI UIc uuDllcdJc nuI1r
bcring appeared Each of the roads
promptly issued minute instructions to
its conductors to take up all the couns
tcrfeit tickets and enforce payment Of
passage from persons holding them.
Each conductor was told how to re.
cognizcd counterfcits. and the first day
the four roads named took up over GOO
Of them. The passengers were na.
turally indignant, but each was com.
PEELED TO acknowledge that he had
bought the ticket Of a Chicago scalper
With the information thus obtained
the Victimized roads engaged the ser.
vices Of detective agency and began
the work of running down the counter
feitcrs. The ends Of Justice would be
perverted by publishing all the evi
dencc they have obtained 1t will be
presented to the grand jury. Up tt
3 date the roads have expended owe,
81 900 in securing proof which it il
= confidently believed will land the
esiminals in the penitcntiary for long
temps.
There is no means of knowing how
many tickets were sold by the counter
foiters. The railroads now have il
, their possession about $4,000 worth
. more than half OF which we're honoret
= for transportation