The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-21
HOW wELLEs WAS CAUGHT.
Pinkerton Man Tells of Arrest of
Santa Fe Ticket Swindler.


Speaking of the ticket frauds peroe-
trated on the Santa Fe. the Kansas
City Star says:
H. A. Roach, assistant superintend-
ent of the Pinkerton National Detec-
tive agency. has for the last ten days
been working day and night. with
corps of assistants. in the case of
George A. Welles, the Union avenue
day night for having in his possession
a large quantity of stolen Santa F'e
tickets. Most of the tickets were from
the station at Princeton, Kas., which
was burned early last month.
The case of Welles is an unusual
one, said Supt. Roach last night. HE
was actually doing a wholesale ticket
business. We found letters showing
that he was in CORRESPONDENCE with
brokers all over the country offering
to furnish them Santa Fe tickets in
quantities. Before we found him out,
he was about as big a competitor as
the Santa Fe had in Kansas City.
He not only had the tickets. but he
had a complete outfit for altering
them. This outfit included acids for
removing rubber stamps. colored cray
ons and watercolors for changing the
color of tickets. three boxes of rubber
type, all sizes; type holders. some of
them already set up with the names of
Santa Fe stations. conductors punches
and round hole limit punches. With
such an outfit and with the 1900 tick
to estimate the amount it would be
possible to defraud the road of. The
tickets were like so many blank
checks. that is to say, they could be
made good to almost any point Just as
blank check could be filed out for
any amount. Among the tickets were
1900 to Chicago and return
When a railroad is defrauded by NJ
tered or irregular tickets it is some
times week or more before the off
Gals become cogniZant of the fact, if
the fraud is discovered through the
regular channels. 1t was about two
weeks ago that the Santa Fe officials
noticed the first irregular tickets is
sued from the Princeton, Kan, sta
ton The Railway Ticket Protective
bureau, of which the Santa Fe is a
member, was at once notified and the
PinkertOn agency was given the case.
The detectives traced the tickets to
the Welles office on Union avenue.
Welles was put under strict surveil
lance. Men were watched from the
time they left the brokers' office, where
they bought their tickets, until they
entered their trains at the Union de-
pot. When the tickets were offered the
conductor, who was often a detective
in disguise, they were told that they
had been defrauded of their money.
Most of them admitted that they had
bought the tickets at the brokers' office.
In this way many witnesses against
Welles were obtained. Last Wednesday
eleven bona fide passengers were Sc
cured as witnesses in this manner.
1.-The boldness of WeIles is shown by
the class of customers he sold tickets
to-" said superintendent Roach last
night. "Why, among those he sold to
this week was a party of five ignorant
Austrians, none of whom could speak
a word of English. They bought tick
cts to Chicago and were guided to their
train by his office boy five minutes be-
fore it started. Such acts were bound
to get him into trouble sooner or later"
will any more arrests follow" was
asked.
I'm sure I cannot tell at present."
was the reply.
who do you suppose got the tickets
in the first placer"
I'm sure I don't know
us anybody under suspicion?"
That's something I can say nothing
about at present.