The Indianapolis journal., 1903-06-07
NJ. s. Meyberg, a Local Ticket Broker,
and James Ii. Finley, Railroad
EmplOye, Arrested.
CHARGES OF FRAUD ARE MADE
PINkERTON DETECTIVE HAS BEEN
WORKING ON THE CASE.
Arrests Made by Him and City Detec-
tives-Warrants Issued for
Other Brokers.

Several arrests were made yesterday and
last night in connection with alleged for
geries and frauds in the sale of scalpers'
railway tickets. Mitchell S. Meyberg, of the
ticket brokerage firm Of NJ. S. Meyberg &
Co. was placed under arrest early in the
evening by Captain Gerber, of the city de-
tective force, and City Detectives Colbert
and Hauser. He was later released on bond.
Meyberg is charged with uttering forged
and fraudulent railway tickets.
Several other prominent brokers of the
city. it is said, will be arrested shortly.
James B. Finley, of 1881 Hamilton avenue,
an employe of one of the railroad COM
panies, was also placed under arrest and
charged with forgery, and it is said that
many of the transactions Of the brokers
were ,rade possible by him, as used and
un" u tickets We're only obtainable through
so-4e man in the employ of the railroad
otherwise they would have been destroyed
by the auditors of the various roads.
For years the railroads of the United
States have claimed that they were being
robbed OF many thousands of dollars by
brokers who forged names to passes.
plugged up the holes in the tickets
rnade by conductors punches changed the
dates or the tickets and used them over
and over. So ceverly was the work done
that II was next to impossible for the con-
ductOr to detect anything irregular in the
ticket al the time OF taking il up, and as a
general rule it was too late To locate the
person who passed it after it was discov-
cred.
RAILWAY ORGANIZATION
Early in the year an organization known
as the Railway Ticket Protective Bureau
was established. and the membership con-
sists of every railroad operating passenger
lines in the United States. Its object is to
eliminate all alleged dishonest brokers of
tickets from the business. The Railway
Ticket Protective Bureau, believing that
Indianapolis was a center for the alleged
frauds, placed the matter in the hands of
the Pinkerton national detective agency
and MIR. III. A. Roach, expert in ticket
scalping iniquity, it is called, and one
of the assistant superintendents of the
Pinkerton agency, was sent here to ferret
out the guilty parties. He came to Indian
apolis SIX months ago. and with the as
sistance of Captain of Detectives Gerber
and Detectives Colbert and HauSer has
he says, succeeded in unearthng one OF
the most extensive railway frauds yet un-
covered. Search warrants We're yesterday
sworn out for the Messing and Meyberg Of
fices and it is said that sufficient evidence
was found TO warrant the arrests made and
several sensational developments are prom
ised within the next few days. In Mr. Mey-
bergs Office the detectives found punches
such as are used by conductors on all the
railroads entering the city OF INDIANAPOLIS
acids used for the removal of ink marks
used and unused tickets, and a quantity of
waterproof ink. with which most of the
fine pen work on the tickets is done and
also several tickets in the process Of re-
construction. When asked what use he
had for the material, such as paints, etc.,
SAID HE WAS AN ARTIST.
Mr.. Meyberg stated that he was an artist
and painted water color pictures. but be-
came confused, it is said, when the detec-
tives rified his desk and secured many let
ters and papers. Among the letters found
was the following:
''St. Louis, Mo-, Oct H. 1902.
Union Ticket Office. Indianapolis. Ind:
"Gentlemen-We beg to hand you here
with Pittsburg to ST. Louis ticket No. 2g76
which, no doubt, you can work from In
dianapolis to St Louis. Would ask Won to
kindly put some sort of stamp on il and
work IL over. allowing US the best amount
of credit and oblige.
Yours very truly
CLAUDE & SCHUBACH
Railway Ticket Brokers"
The ticket which was inclosed had been
partially used and was sent in the letter