The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1897-10-06
The Law Against Ticket ScaIpiug En-
forced I'm New Jersey.


forced In New Jersey,
From the Nee York Sun, Sept. %, 1897.
The two ticket scalpers convicted in
New Jersey last week are the first offend
ers To suffer punishment under the Acl TO
prevent frauds upon travellers. Whether
they thought Justice slept or were de
termined to defy openly the law is not
apparent, but the bold manner in which
their business was conducted would in.
cline one to the belief that they felt little
apprehension Of being called To account
Atlantic City in Summer offered pecu-
liarly fruitful field for the pro luclive prac-
tice Of their illegi,imAto profession on
account Of the large number Of low.ratc
excursion tickets sold TO that point from
all sections OF the country, and the prom
Using hravest OF ILL gotten dollars was too
tempting to resist One OF the socalled
"brokers" cmigrsted from Washington,
hired post-oilice box, and openly adver-
tised to buy aud sell railroad tickets, and
when he was asked il he did not fear de-
lection, promptly replied that he was
stranger to fear, as he could smell q
detective a mile eff. His nose proved
cold, however, as an officer OF the secret
service Of II railroad company was in
negotiation with him at the time. The
other member of the fraternity did a rush
ing curbstone business, and the quantity
ard variety of the tickets yielded up from
his inside pocket seemed unlimited.
Both OF these young men are now re-
penting leisurely Of their folly behind the
bars of the Mays Landing Jail. Their
sentences, II is true, were not harsh, but
the majesty OF the law which they seemed
to regard so nippanlly was fully vindi.
Gated.
A prominent official of one of the rail
roads Interested In the case said yestcr-
day -
"fhese prosecutions were pressed sim,
ply 10 prove that The law for the protect
ion of travellers could be enforced in New
Jersey and elsewhere. 1t behooved the
railroad companies to protect their pat
rons from imposition by Unauthorized
parties. whose stock In trade consisted OF
non transferable tickets, passes, and tick
els which had expired by limitation, OF
had passed in some way out OF the hands
The average scalper is composed of such
material as this, aud number OF fraudu-
these parties. The ticket for the sale OF
which one of the men was convict cd was
a personal ticket II represented con
trnct between the purchaser and the rail
road company, which had been signed by
the purchaser aud nttCstcd by the raIrond
agent. All conditions had been accepted
by the passenger in consideration of the
reduced rate at which the ticket was sold,
and in order TO enjoy the ben eft Of tho
return passage it was necessary for tie
holder to identify himself as the orr
gina purchaser before an agent Of the
selling company, and thus secure the
proper stamp of valuation for the return
trip. When the scalpcr was asked how
this obstacle could be overcome he sug.
gested that the signature could be counter
feiled without much trouble and the oligi
nal purchaser thus unprecedented. II,
commission of u forgery by nm iunoctn
purchaser was to be n part Of the price o
the goods
"rbis is but one example OF the meth
DDS adopted by the scalpcr to rid h.mse
OF his stock. II involved not only al
Illegal net on the pint OF the scalper, bu
crimlna one on the part of his dupe.
" Altered tickets are frequently sold b,
the scalpers that is to say, tickets on
which the date or destination has been
changed. Limited tickets TINT have ex.
PRED and consequently are invalid, stolen
tickets and passes issued by the railroads
for some other consideration than money,
and non transferable, are sold to M I'M.
suspccting public Mt templingly low rates.
| These evidences Of tie right to trnyel
may he accepted for passage sometimes,
but they are often declined, and the
| deluded purchaser is called upon not only
to give up the fraudulent ticket but tie
proper fare MS well, CT accept the alter.
native Of belrg elected from the trim.
The more ignorant class Of travellers arc
the chief sufferers, as they take the bait
OF low rates moe eagerly and nrc at The
same time easier game for the willy seal
per. These are the people whom The
anti scalpiog laws seek to protect, and il
is IN their interests that the anti scapinp
prosecutions arc instituted by the rail.
road companies. In the Tcccnt case in
New jersey there was no spirit Of per
sccution or revenge manifested by the re
presentntves Il the railrnnI companies,
but in each cure the Cont wns requested
to impose light sentence, mainly Il
| demonstrate 10 The unfortunate You're
men That they could tot lrine with II,
law with mpurily
cone uuwholosome feature Of the scul
peI's trade rs it applies directly to III,
railroads is the opportunity held out I,
dishonest employees to dispose Of stolel
tickets. The scalper is corruptcr OF tn
morals OF those who have the han1ling4 o
tickets, aud cases are known where 9th er
wise upright men have fallen on accouL
Of the temptation offered by the scalpei
office.
"The existence Of the .capcr and hi
trade is not necessary from any point {
view, for every anl-scalping law provide
| Ill Yoaoibta rnoo M 10. .