The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-11
CONDUCTORS CLUBAFRAUD
MAJOR STRONG PREsIDED AT ITs
GERLACH BANQUET

have moro money than time In which to investi'
gate demands made upon thor charity, oen DO
gulled, that peculiar beneficial organization
known rs the Railway Conductors Club shines
brilliantly. For two years this club has been
taking In subscriptions from all sorts OF persons.
whose names as well as money It has used to
assist In obtaining cash from other people. What
has been done with tho proceeds IL known only
to Managing Governor" Charles 4. WoisE and
his associates on tho Board of Governors" It
was Weisz who organized the club as q beneficial
organization and who has been roaping most OF
tho benefits over since.
At present Weisz is agent for q cleansing ma
torial and promoter OF the Conductors Club and
the National Railway Protective League, an or
ganiZntion for the promotion Of litigation
against railways. Nine years ago no was a con-
ductor on the Now York. Ontario and Western
Railroad. He couldn't explain certain financial
matters satisfactorily and was discharged. He
had been active In endoavoring to convert the
Order OF Railway Conductors into q strike or
ganization. Upon his promise OF reform he was
permitted to 60 without prosecution. He became
a clerk In the Railroad Commission. and stayed
there until he formulated the scheme Of tho Con-
ductors' Club. Into this scheme he inveigled q
number Of bona ide conductors. most of whom
hastily got out upon discovering the principles
on, which the organization was to be conducted.
OthCI w GU " IL ESuhh " "o'ol thhb
all was fair and above bosrd. Consequently the
Board Of Governors has been hampered by in
In 1885 tho club was Incorporated with tho
following ostensible purposes:
lea together on a social basis for the discussion
Of subjects OF vital Importance to the conductor;
OF promoting arbitration; OF educating the con
ductor TO the requirements Of the various bust
ness interests; OF bringing the employer and EN-
ployee together on common ground
The most important feature OF tho club as
MANNED was ita hOuOrar nv memberShiD.C although
this was not specified in the constitution or by
laws. for the honorary members were to supply
pass through, or at least into. tho hands of tho
governors, who were. according to the bylaws.
governor was to DO chosen by the governors.
Mr.. weisZ was elected tho first managing gov
e err, Ic,,a smm &c mse y, began eEami ihe work as Si sep shem
to become honorary members. In many neses
this invitation was hccompanied by an assur-
Rnce that honorary membership entailed upon
tho individual thus .honored no expenditure.
Shortly after agente began TO go about solicit
ing contributions. with marked success. The
agents had lists Of names with them. These
names purported to be those OF persons from
whom b,1 nd Ssesnfss so h q ee @em FsssiGSd and IN
the list were Chauncey NJ: Depew, George c.
Greene: s.uSysssnt Fish, v; H; Baldwin; Jr;,
Hotel Gerlach. Mayor Strong presiding. At
This claim has since dwindicd to 90. 900.
This banquet was a great card for Weisz and
his as s%, i appeals for s16seriP 2,G 2 were
ing business. but here is where weisz made his
first mistake. 1t became known that q forged
President Of an Eastern railroad, was shown By
an agent to a public man from whom q check Of
the check was made-that was not the purpose.
wrote to the railroad President and learned
that he had never given any such check. nor
as an honorary member. Following this came
Without authority. The RaiiSav Gasete in.
vestigated the matter last spring; and on May
Il printed Msa an rsn s1RGSbHrSs Of II the he, c S6Ieiot Gui Sdlu p
june, 1897. The following plain. language was
used regarding Weisz and his club:
Invited to become honorary members Of tho
u sslq hsa Gsthq BY t dsei na ans 81 ,s9 w RiElinsSd M lis1 1eisy.
and including a brilliant list of well.known
fsilroa .as officers; Is evidence Of . Prevalent ps.ams sT im:
portant to know that c. E. wcisz is not a rail.
road officer or railroad employee; that his last
York. Ontario and Western Railroad. from
which he was discharged about eight or nine
P sssS''ii in was ssss s'''n%sEs tis. z z 4: Il g :s%s con? ss:
projects 1arsis o'f named above. He has = down:
employs men to travel and solicit large contri-
buttons to the support OF tho club from the
well to do among his honorary members 800
The club has a house at us East Thirty-fourth
heavily mortgagcd. Liquors are sold there, and
the register shows average daily visits Of four
reputable conductor IN the Vicinity Of New York
who avails himself of the club. From a large
number Of them the testimony is uniformly
Notwithstanding this, the work of soliciting
subscriptions went nierrily on. One subscrip-
quet OF jubilation by Wcisz and his friends. But
the fact that names had been fraudulently used
now now came to the the notice Of the Charity g 2r z nj a
Devine, having secured a list Of the honorary
members. wrote to them asking what they
Thursday morning, of 4l0 replies, received. a.
were from men who had never heard OF the
they tnew anything Of it or not. SO from men
who had contributed ON solicitation, 70 from
mon who hadn't on solicitation, 10 who
uted. but knew they had been solicited. and
1913 who either had not been asked to contribute
or who didn't remember whether they had been
Mr.. Devine's letters came at an admirable
notioo that all honorary members had been as
sessed SIS each. 1t is supposed that the return
was small. About 100 Of these letters were
time that the club property at l15 East Thirty
fourth street was being put through some pc
Charles f. Weisz and Others, to H.. Henshaw,
from whom 1t had been originally bought FOL
mortgage, In the transfer back to Hen
shaw "Weisz and others" took a purchase
money mortgage for $4,000 at 8 per cent. This
ingenious transaction Is commended to the mo-
tice of the honorary members" whose sub.
scriptions are being thus jugglod. The club"
moved to rooms over the Chimney Corner, at
Twenty NTH street and Sixth avenue. The
news OF this real estate transfer was printed In
the Rdilicau Age. which was then conducting
an investigation into the club. under the head
ing. 1.-THE 'Conductors' Cuba Fraud" Here
are some of the replies received by the Raii,ral
dOe TO letters asking alleged honorary members
what interest they had In the club:
Never heard OF It.
know nothing about this club or its purposes.
To the hest OF M knowledge and belief and recol
lection. ! never heard of the Railway Conductors
Club OF North America before.
I do not know OF any reason why my name should
have appeared In the circular issued by the Rail
way Conductors Club OF North America. or how
came to be elected an honorary member.
/ have never given any Endorsement to the Rail
way Conductors Club.
Ihave never authorized my namo to be uled in any
conn seton whatever with the association.
know nothing at all about II.
These replies all came from prominent men
most of whom live In this city. Matters wer,
getting warm for Weisz. He came to the Charit,