The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-19
Charles A. Edwards Arrested
by a Detective for the
Company.
IN LEAGUE WITH employees
Dealt in Tickets Which Conductors
Took Up but Failed to
Punch.

SEATTLE, WASH, July i1S.-Charles A.
Edwards, well-known local newspaper
man, formerly editor of the Spokane Sum
day Sun, and a son of United States Com
missioner A. G. Edwards of Alaska, was
locked up in the County Jail to-day at
the instance. it is said, of James J. Hill,
president of the Great Northern Railway.
His arrest has caused sensation in rail-
road circles. He was captured just as he
was about to leave for Canada.
With the aid of a half-dozen spoilers
the Great Northern has unearthed a game
OF wholesale fraud by which the road has
lost many hundreds of dollars. Edwards
was the head of a gang which worked the
swindle, and he was assisted by three or
four crooks, whose names have not been
given out because they are still at large,
together with number of the most
trusted passenger employees of the road.
One crew running between Seattle and
Spokane has already been suspended, and
more suspensions viii follow. The spot
tiers who are at work on the case had been
trying for several days to get Edwards to
confess, but he refused, and last night,
when threatened with arrest, he prepared
to fee, but was caught this morning while
he and his pretty young wife were about
to board steamer for Victoria.
The warrant against Edwards was sworn
to in Justice McElwain's court by H. G.
WinsIow, Deputy Sheriff of Pierce
County, and the arrest made at his request
by police officer. The complaint charges
simply that Edwards, on the 30th of June,
obtained money under false pretenses by
| representing to NJ. r. Stacey and others
that he could, by reason of his close rels-
tons with Great Northern employees. send
men to Spokane from Seattle for 81 so, and
| failed to do so. Stacey, who is an ex-police
officer, is now q detective for the Great
Northern. He and George Bordeaux and
w. T. Lord, the latter known as Keno
Kid" met Edwards IN Seattle, so they al
lege, and paid him 81 so to send them to
tSpokane. Edwards, on the night of Tues
| day, June 30, locked them in combin-
alton baggage and mail car on a Great
| Northern train, and they started for Spo-
kane. At Cascade Tunnel, Just beyond
the switchback, the car was oYerhauled by
the trainmen, and Stacey and his two COM
panlons thrown out.
This is the basis of the action brought
| against Edwards to-day. Back of it lies
story of fraud and of efforts by the rail-
road company to unearth the employees in
collision with the swindlers. When Ed
wards was searched in Justice McElwain's
| court to-day on his person we're found
| some fash tickets and one or two genuine
| Great n orthern tickets, with teIeera aud
| letters of private nature. 1t was alleged
| that one letter OF an discriminating nature
was torn up by Edwards at the police sta
ton and thrown away, but the pieces were
picked up and will be pasted together.
| The fash tickets are exactly like the
| Great Northern tickets, except as to the
/ reading. Under instructions from the
prosecuting attorneys Office these papers
were returned to Edwards, but record of
them was taken. Edwards was held in
$500 bonds TO appear next Friday morning
at o'clock for preliminary examination.
By that time, it is believed, a new warrant
will have been procured against him for
the more important charge of conspiracy
| and swindling the Great Northern
! Edwards Is said to have made the state
ment that he and his gang were reaping g
harvest by the scheme. Conductors in
league with him would fail to punch some
! of the tickets presented by passengers,
and these, instead of being turned over to
| the company, would be given TO mem bers
| OF the gang on the outside and sold by
them at cheap rates. In that way the
company was robbed of thousands of dol
| lars.
Edwards operated private prin ting
Office. 1t is believed he printed many
bogus tickets, and the company is now at
work on this supposition. Edwards sold
his printing plant few days ago, but it
has been located. Much money was made
also by shipping mining men to Spokane
in the baggage-car.