The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1904-03-10
F. G. COwie, a Former Railway De-
tective Demands S21, $50 From
C. m. & st. P. Railway.
ALLEGES RAILWAYS DEFRAUDE D
Claims That His Services Made it Possible
for the Company to Avoid Great Suits
for Damages an Wants Reward.

In the Circuit court here this after.
noon f. 6. Cowie, Of Waukesha, .
private detective, filed a suit against
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
Railway company demanding dam
ages for the sum of $21, $50. This
large sum he alleges is due to him on
a contract made with the company
several years ago.
The suit and the various conditions
on which it is based forms a most
sensational story and is alleged to re
veal some startling frauds which were
practiced by the defendant company
against other roads il this section OF
the West between 1884 and 1888.
Cowie's complaint against the com
pany covers many pages of manu-
script and gives at length the details
of deal by which it is alleged that
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
company defrauded the other roads
out of a sum of money which, with the
interest, now amounts to more than
$600,0 A. ]. Dopp, of Waukesha,
| duO a. LIZ DuChludSCCIs VI IA11S O4Ly
are the attorneys for Cowie and the
service and complaint in the suit
have been filed. tits noticed for trial
at the March term of the Circuit court
of this county.
The complaint Of Cowie goes back
many years and in it he states that
during the years from 1884 to 1888 in
elusive the accountants of the St.
Paul Railway company carried on a
regular system by which the other
roads were defrauded He asserts
that at that time one J. F. Cochrane
occupied the position of accountant
for the company and that he was in
charge of checking up the mileage for
cars of other companies which passed
over the Chicago & ST. Paul road.
Cowie alleges that the figures in this
accounting were jugg1ed to such an
extent that the ST. Paul road became
| indebted to the other companies in
the western part Of the country to the
extent of $685., 900. The figures were
SO jugg1ed, according to CoWie' S
statement, that the roads were not
able to discover the fraud and the
amounts were paid without bubble.
The complaint further states that
some years ago Cochrane retired from
the employ of the St. Paul road and
was later employed by the Chicago &
Alton Company. Before he left the
employ Of the Milwaukee road Coch-
rane is alleged to have made copy
how the companies had been defraud-
ed and armed with these figures he
went to the managers of the Rock
Island road and pointed out the way
| for them to recover large sum from
the Milwaukee road. At that time
| Cowie claims that he came into the
case and that through his efforts as a
detective he discovered that the origi-
nal figures of the Chicago, Milwaukee
& St. Paul company had been de-
stroyed.
| If the details of the deal, as shown
in the complaint, are true the suit has
revealed one Of the most remarkable
stories of railway steals known in
recent years and an awful burden of
| guilt has been placed on the should
ers of the Milwaukee road. The
story of Cochrane, as told in the com
plant, is as follows:
! "Cochrane was employed by the
Chicago, Milwaukee & ST. Paul as a
car accountant between the years Of
1884 and 1889. He left the ST. Paul in
1889 and in the following year he ac-
copied similar position with the
Chicago & Alton road and at that
time he gave out the first story of the
conspiracy to defraud the roads. He
is alleged to have given to the officials
of the Alton road the entire story. In
| September, 1890, he went back to the
employ of the st. Paul road with the
understanding that he was to surren-
der his table of figures to the company
and in return he was to receive twenty
per cent of the amount that the Mil
waukee road had gained by the
changes of the figures. He surren-
dered to the company the table but it
is not alleged that he was ever paid.
He was then discharged from the en-
ploy of the company during the last
year. He then at once went to the
officials of the Chicago & Rock Island
road and approached them on the deal.
He told them that he had been in
structed by w. L. Stone, car service
agent of the c.. M. & St. p, and by
Roswell Miller, the president Of the
company, to cut the mileage of other
companies running cars over the line
and to give them less credit than they
were entitled to.
HE stated that the frauds had lost
to the Rock Island and Burlington and
Cedar Rapids and Northern the
amount Of thirty thousand dollars
which with interest would have
amounted to 100000. He showed that
the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Pau
road paid to the Chicago & Alton road
the sum of 81, 900, the amount shown
to have been due by the table in the
possession of Cochrane and that the
COt11 naY1u on the Oh r. -.