The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-17
THREE CENTS TAKEN
STREET-CAR COMPANY FINALLY AC-
CEPTs THE LEGAL FARE.
Elections from Cars Yesterday Led to
Brawls Which Threatened to
Become Dangerous.
PRESIDENT MASON INDICTED
GRAND JURY ISSUES WARRANTS FOR
HIM AND OTHER OFFICERS.
The Police Department Finally Acts
in n Fashion, Superintendent Col
bert Making the First Arrest.
PRESIDENT MASON INDICTED
GRAND JURY ISSUES WARRANTS FOR
HIM AND OTHER OFFICERS.

Up till a late hour yesterday morning the
Citizens Street-railroad Company con-
tinued to violate the 3-cent-fare law, and
a number Of violent personal outrages on
citizens resulted, but as the day advanced
President Mason and other officials of the
company saw the great danger affairs were
beginning to assume, and they made a
partial concession to the problem, forcing
their conductors TO appear before the pub
lie in the light of beggars. Orders We're
issued to conductors TO accept Scent fare
where patrons refused to pay cents, and
in case the passenger held out a nickel to
keep the nickel. unless the passenger re-
quested cents in change. So in many cases
last night. after the passenger had de-
manded cents change, having paid a
nickel, the conductor would say, in an ex-
pectant voice:
"Oh, L can give it to you, If you want
it,
The passengers werc led to believe by
the very tone of the mems voices that it
might be all right to demand cents. never
theless it was taking the very bread out
of the mouths of Werner and Mckee. Some
of the conductors did not parley with
patrons, but promptly made the proper
change.
The principal feature of the situation dur
ing the day was the arrest of President
Mason and Superintendent Elliott of the
street-car company. on grand jury war
rants, the grand jury having been sum-
moned i'm special session in the morning to
consider the cases. A number of other in
dictments were returned, but the names
were not to be made public till the arrests
This action taken the suggestion
of Attorney General Ketcham The street.
car people see only thorny path in this
grand jury procedure, for 1t will be impos-
sible for the company to get any of these
criminal cases into the Federal Court.
The city administration allowed another
day to go by without applying for a for
feiture of the company's franchise, as the
new law provides. Many lawyers think this
would have been one of the quickest ways
of settling the present troubles. The indig-
nation of the people at the apathy of the
police department permitting citizens to be
elected from the cars finally led Superin-
tendent Colbert to Issue an order to police-
men to make arrests where they happened
to actually see violations of the law. He
made one arrest personally in the morning
On some of the cars in the morning there
were hand-to-hand fights between employees
and citizens who refused TO pay more than
cents. Large cards had been posted at
the barns notifying conductors to collect
cents. President Mason and Mayor Tag
CART had a talk during the day and Mr.
Mason told the mayor that the company
had decided to accept cents where pas
senge1s would not pay five.
AT roll call last night the police received
their first official instruction, Captain Quig-
tendent Colbert: Instruct members of the
department to make arrests on view where
employees of the Citizens Street-railroad
Company refuse to receive the legal fare
for transportation over their lines, which
Is cents. They also should arrest on COM
plant OF any responsible citizen. In this
they must use their Judgment