The times., 1901-04-26
HEARING THE FRAUD CASES
Five Railroad Employees Arraigned
in the Police Court.
Defendants Plead Not Guilty The
Question of Defective Warrants
Waived - Prosecuting Attorneys
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS on the stand.


Waived - Prosecuting Attorneys
Statement-Harries on the stand
The hearing in the cases of George f.
Cadarr, George w. Blair. John w. Mey-
ers, John j. Keating, and Edward
Parker, the employees of the Washing
ton Traction and Electric Company
who are charged with having conspired
| to defraud that corporation out of large
sums of money, was commenced before
Judge Scott in the Police Court yester-
day afternoon. The presentation of the
testimony Of George II. Harries. the
vice president and general manager of
the combined roads, occupied the entire
afternoon, and he will be recalled to the
stand this morning, when the case is re-
sumed.
plea of not guilty was entered by
each of the defendants when the charge
was read to them. Alexander Mullow-
ny. the prosecuting attorney, stated
that after a conference with the attor-
ney for the corporation he had discov-
cred that the warrants on which the
men were arrested were defective, and
gave notice of his intention to subst-
tute an amended information. The old
warrant specified that the tickets al
legged to have been stolen were the
property of the Washington Traction
Company, but in point of fact they be-
longed to the various eleven companies
constituting that corporation, the legal
consolidation not as yet having taken
place. The attorneys for the defence
waived exception to the amended in
formation and the hearing proceeded.
In opening his case Mr.. Mullowny
stated that the Government expected to
show that the defendants had entered
into conspiracy to defraud the several
street railroad lines constituting the
Washington Traction and Electric Com
pany by rescuing Cancelled tickets from
the furnaces at the power house where
they We're sent to be destroyed. and
turning these tickets in again as the re-
turns Of the day. And that they were
thus enabled to retain and convert to
their own uses good tickets and cash
fares that they collected from the pas
sengers.
Campbell Darlington, stated that after
the court had heard all of the testimony
in the case he believed that it would be
evident that no conspiracy existed and
that the company had lost very few. if
any, tickets, so far as the defendants
were concerned
George II. Harries was then placed on
. ra7o
case, substantially as have heretofore
been published in The Times. He told
of the finding of a quantity of Cancelled
and scOrched tickets in the lunch box
carried by Cadarr at the time of his ar
rest, and of his confession when re-
moved to the police station.
Meyers, the witness stated, confessed
to having bought damaged tickets
from Parker at SIPS a hundred. He
first bought hundred of them and
afterward about two hundred. Some of
them he used, some he destroyed. while
others he disposed Of He sold ifty of
them to man named Gather for 75
cents. Continuing, the witness stated
that Blair had at first disclaimed any
knowledge of the affair, but that he had
afterward stated that he had picked up
in the furnace room a package of 100 of
the tickets. Parker acknowledged his
guilt, but refused to give any particu-
lars of his transactions.
When cross questioned as to the man
ner in which Parker acknowledged his
guilt the witness said that he could not
recall the language used but that II
had made such deep impression upon
him that he was sure that the defend
ant had done so. When the hour for
adjournment had arrived the cross-ex-
animation had not been connleted