Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-25
HEARING BEGUN.


Trial of Parties Charged with De-
frauding Railway Company.
Hearing was begun shortly after 2 o'clock
this afternoon before Judge Scott in the
Police Court in the cases Of the former en-
ployes of the Washington Traction and
Electric Company. charged with conspiracy
to defraud. The cases We're first called
yesterday afternoon, all OF the men being
held for further examination today.
The defendants in the cases are George
E. Cadarr. Edward Parker. George W.
Blair, John J. Heating and John n. Myers.
and the charge against them is that they
did among themselves conspire combine.
confederate and agree together falsely and
fraudulently to cheat and defraud the
Washington Traction and Electric Com
pany, a body corporate, of divers large
sums Of money. and in pursuance Of the
said unlawful and malicious conspiracy did
obtain from said company the sum Of
81, COO"
1t is stated that the amount mentioned
in the warrant does not cover the total
loss the company has suffered In a re-
turn on search warrant placed in his
hands Detective F1ather, who has been
prominent In the case, states that he
searched the house Of the defendant Ca
darr and found 900 car tickets
At the hearing today the defendants were
represented by Attorneys Campbell Car
rington. H. Prescott Galley. Edward G.
Niles, Wells and Moss.
Assistant District Attorney Mullowney
conducted the prosecution and in his OPEN
ing statement said the government expect
ed to prove that the defendants entered in
to conspiracy to defraud the several COM
panies included in the Washington Trac-
ton and Electric Company by rescuing can
celed tickets from the furnaces at the
power house, where they were sent to be
destroyed. and turning these tickets In
again as returns for the day, holding the
good tickets and cash fares collected from
passengers to be used for their own pur-
poses.
The defendant Cadarr, he stated. was the
fireman OF the company. and he, 1t was de-
clared. rescued the Cancelled tickets, which
burned slowly on account Of being In bun
dies OF 100 tickets each.
Mr.. Darlington stated for the defense that
after the court had heard the testimony 1t
would be convinced that there had been 70
conspiracy and that the company had lost
very few, II any, tickets.
George H. Hairless vice president of the
Washington Traction and Electric Com
pany. was the first witness called. He de-
tailed the early suspicious he had enter
tanned that the company was being de-
said, appeared TO be far short Of what the
travel warranted.
He thought Cancelled tickets might be the
means Of defrauding and closely examined
the returns Of the conductors, with the re-
suit that he discovered that some of the
tickets were singed about the edges, and
LHo punch III the lCkc1S turned
in by some of the conductors were not such
as could have been made with the punches
in the possession OF those men. The punches
make individual punctures.
Mr.. Harries then detailed the facts con-
corning the placing Of the men under sur
veillance and the arrest of the defendant
Cadarr. The man. he said. had number
OF tickets in his lunch box. He told of an
alleged confession made by Cadarr at the
ninth precinct police station. The man
first said he was simply taking the tickets
home for the children to play with. Later
however. he said he had taken the tickets
through the urging Of older men.
Mr.. Harries was on the stand when The
Stars report closed.