The Indianapolis journal., 1904-02-28
BAND TOGETHER TO ROB
BY ALLEGING INJURIES
Conviction of Leader of Con-
spiracy to Defraud Railway
Companies.
AT WORK IN NEW YORK

NEW YORK. Feb. 27-By the arrest and
conviction in Philadelphia OF J. Frederick
Seymour, a man Of many aliases. has been
revealed an extensive system TO defraud
railway companies by means of fraudulent
damage SUITS based upon accidents that
never happened.
Seymour was sentenced 10 two years in
the county prison and ordered to pay a fine
of $500 for an attempt to swindle the Phila-
delphia Rapid Transit Company out of 5000.
He had brought suit against the company
for that amount on the ground that a
woman named Beatrice Graham. whom he
called his wife, had been injured in col
lison.
Suspicion having been aroused. the case
was investigated. and it was found that
Seymour and several colleagues had organ
lied a plan by which certain persons were
TO pretend that they had been injured in
accidents and the ringleaders of the scheme
were to demand damages. Many suits OF
this kind were compromised before de-
tectives were put on the case.
At the trial of Seymour an agent of the
Philadelphia company testified that the
band had been originally organized in New
York and probably was still working in
this city
He named several physicians who. he said,
were implicated, and he declared that Sey-
mour and his .accomplces had operated IN
different cities under variety of names.
SCHEME SAID TO BE WIDESPREAD.
DIR. Alfred Riedel, of No. 276 West Thirty
eighth street, admitted that last summer,
at the request of Seymour. he had attended
a woman who called herself Jennie Will
liams, and who was supposed to have been
injured in an accident on the Paterson Rail-
way Company's lines. He declared that, al
though suspicious circumstances attended
the case, he had acted in good faith.
DR.. William w. Armstrong, of No. 233
West Thirty-ninth street. also said that he
had been called upon by railway company
officials in regard to alleged false claims
for damages. but he declared that he knew
nothing of Seymour and that he had always
avoided cases of the kind.
By an attache of the Metropolitan Street.
railway Company IL was stated that not
only that corporation, but the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit Company and other munic-
ipaI railways, as well as the Adams Express
Company and the United States Express
Company, had been recently made victims,
or attempted victims, of an elaborate
swindling scheme similar to that operated
by Seymour.
II cannot now recall" said this officer
what the name of the chief person in the
scheme is. but it may have been Seymour.
The thing is so extensive that Ii cannot
easily be uncovered. 1t is done obecurely
and the work of finding out the criminals
must all be in the dark.
1T is safe to say that at least so to 20
per cent of the actions for damages
brought against railway and express COM
panies, who are next in prominence in sur
face traffic, are fraudulent claims.
1T is a thoroughly organized scheme,
with an ambulance corps, alleged police
men, lawyers doctors, messenger boys and
successfully that now there are two sets
of these swindlers competing against each
other.
LAS result of this condition the courts
are nearly always filled with damage suits
against corporations for alleged accidents
and of course nothing is left to the de-
PENDANTS but to allow the suits to come
to trial. regardless of the expense. Such
cases are increasing all the time, and,
even though substantial damages are
rarely recovered when the claim is shown
to be fraudulent, it is very haraSsing to the
companies involved.
Some time ago an organized effort was
made to break up this iniQuitous traffic by
Mr.. Vreeland, the president of the Metro
politan Company. He put detectives on the
case, and, after an exhaustive inquiry, sue
ceded in arresting half a dozen persons
supposed to be the principals. The case
was pushed to the extent of indictments
by the grand jury, but for some res son
1t was allowed to lapse and since then the
scheme has fiourished.''