The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-21
AFTER THE C0UNTERFEITERS
THE PTHKKRTONs' REPUTATION SAID
no RE AT STAKE

NJ Robert. or the Erie says Bs Expects
Couvireing Evidence Soor-A Suggestion
that the Foreeriss Were Got Up ~ Order
10 Iniure the Railroad Ticket Broksr-.
Railroad men in this city we're much inter
sstsd yesterday in the dispatches from
Chicago. telling OF the counterfeit tickets that
had been accepted by the Baltimore and Ohio.
Erie. Pittsburgh and Western. and the Ontario
and Western roads The forgeries were FIRST
discovered by Mr.. d. I. Roberts General
Passenger Agent OF the Erie. He hap
psned 10 be in Chicago on Thursday. Oct. 20.
He received a mysterious telegram. warning
him that tickets OF his road had been counter
feited and put upon the market. within
twenty minutee after the receipt OF that de-
spatch Pinkerton's Detective Agency was
shadowinG a certain person who had fallen
under Mr.. Robertss suspicion. and who was
then at n Chicago hotel
In talking OF the matter Yesterday Mr.. Rob
erts gave the impression that there was some
thing very mysterious about the affair.
There il no doubt In my mind" he said.
that we are going to catch the fellows. Wo
know who the broker was that put the tickets
on the market We could have secured n
search warrant and put him under arrest ton
days ago. but VIC were not quite ready then
and We are not quite ready yet Thus far |
this company who it il that suspect. We
have not suffered any pecuniary loss. but we
are bound to punish those who are guilty. We
lost exactly 20S half tickets. They were the
return coupons OF tho limited coach excur-
sions to Chicago and had to be used within
two days nyhow The full tickets cost SlS 80
that we are out just 81 on each Of those tickets
We will spend a great deal more than that II
necessary. to convict the forgers.
Tho reason why am SO confident that we
are going to succeed Is twofold In the nrst
place their telegram. which received in Chi
cago. was sent By one OF the persons who had
been participator in the crime. He sduealed
because he was frightened, l suppose. Per-
haps he didn't get the share OF the booty that
he was looking for In the second place the
reputation OF the Pinkerton Agency Is at stake
to q much greater degree than 1t Is usually
Robert Pinkerton is bound to find out who sent
that telegram to me. and told him so to- day.
He admits that that Is a fact. and consequently
has put a large number OF his best men to
work. When they learn who sent that tele
gram they will know oil that Is necessary"
Mr. Roberts was asked whether ho sus-
pected any person connected with the Pnker-
ton agencies OF completely in the affair He
said he did not. but that for certain reasons.
which he was not at liberty to divulGe the
Pinkertons were greatly interested in the case
He said. further. that some persons who would
not be suspected Of such criminal methods
would probably be entangled in the cons piracy
when the Investigation was ended.
What We noel now" he sail is lega!
evidence We are morally certain OF these
men. We expect that there will DO some M ore
sauealing. We havo good reason for believing
that"
Mr. Roberts showed tho reporter some Of the
A. Ian.
cancelled genuine tickets. He said the coun-
terfeits resembled the genuine SO closely that
he would have accepted them without sus-
picion had he been n conductor, There was
one important omission. however. On all tho
genuine tickets there appeared In red ink
are put on the backs OF the tickets in the ofiico
OF the company. They were missing from the
counterfeit tickets. and this fact caused their
the fellows . that got out these tickets,
few days after their first Tickets were re-.
ceved BY US they discovered that the duplcat-
must understand that IL would have Eesn al
most impossible for them TO forge our regular
true prneed by bsnE nSe n
what is known as safety pnper, hut they were
only printed after all. the only engraving on
OF tho company. 1t was easy enough. how.
ever. when the forgers secured the paper. to
~
plate from that from which they could print as
many IA they pleased.
Two hundred and three Of the tickets that
we Wore stuck on were received on two differ
emit trains on Friday. Oct. 81. noticed in the
espatches from Chicago that passsnGors on
other roads we're put off the trains because
they had counterfeit tickets. That was not
the case on our road. No one was put off on
counterfeit tickets passed on our road were re-
ceiyrd on Nov. 4 We had put special mon on
the trains with orders to find out from any
passenger who had q counterfeit ticket where
cured In that way They were accepted when
their holders informed our representatives
where they had purchased them.
think that the allegation that the losses
amounts to anything like $500. 600 Is lar
from true. ~ the same time | can under
stand thai the other companies have lost
a. great . deal w more than We did. Thcy had
limited a. well as limited, printed as ours
were instead otengraved."
Mr.. Il. g. CaEney, ticket broker said That
the brokers In Chicago had heen hit a great
was inclined to thtnS that the whole story had
been made up for the purpose OF cRSting dis
credit upon the ticket brokers. lie said that IL
was understood that & bill was to be brought
the ratl roads. which, II passed. would wipe ont
the ticket brokers' and lie thought The forgery
story had been concocted to give the color Of
truth to the allegations OF the railroads that
TO bs suppressed. He said that a conferences
OF thu Ticket Brokers' Association WAS to be
Eeld u the metropolitan Hotel from Doe. 3 to
Z, and the alleged forgery would then he con-
siderod. II there had been a forgery he said.
the ticket brokers would find IL to rho ir adyan-
tage 20 take steps To prot ect themselves against
Imposition, as they were Just as lk ely TO SUI
Ter as the railroads.