Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-03
STOLE MILEAGE
AND SCRIP BOOKS.
Short Line Company Lands Two
Dishonest Operators in
Jail.
FROM PROMINENT FAMILIES.
cooroe T.. Pittman and Wallace Mat
locks Their Namcs--Followed Re-
Ientlcssly for Thousands OF Miles.

The trteness of the old saying. 1T is
hotter to have Uncle Sam after you
than a railroad company" has again
bsen demonstrated with the arrest of
George f, Pittman and Wallace Mat
,ocks, two operators who were in the
employ of the oregon Short Line COM
many. and who have confessed to the
stealing OF mileage books, tickets and
scrip books.
The two young men are members of
prominent Kansas families. and their
arrest created a great stir In their VI
entity. The Kansas City Star, and the
local papers Of their home towns in
obliged in divers fireworks over what
they termed the kidnapping of the sus-
pected men.
The story of the operations and sub
seauent arrest OF the two by Special
Agent Joe" Jones of the oregon Short
Line makes instructive reading, and
comes as a warning to young men
starting nut on the wrong track on
llfe's road.
HOW THEY OPERATED.
George Plttman and Wallace Mat
tocks came west last fall over the Rio
Grande. Both were telegraph operators
and both were heading for Salt Lake
with the object In view of lettering
their condition. While on the train
they met another operator--so the writ
ten and signed confessions set forth
who told them how he travelled all over
the country simply by getting work
and then stealing mileage books from
the station agent These he either
sold or used himself, and thus was on
easy street"
on arriving in this city they went to
oregon Short Line headquarters and
applied for Jobs. In due season Pitt
man was assigned to Payette and Mat
tocks to Shoshone depot. Ida, They
subsequently worked respectively 10
days and S5 days and improved the
shining hours by stealing mileage books
and tickets.
After they left their work was dis
covered, and II was up to Mr.. Jones to
get the young men and make an eX-
ample Of them, II was last November
when he took up the cases Yesterday
he returned from Idaho after having
placed both In iail and passed their
cases up to the grand jury now sitting
In Caldwell on the Steunenberg assas-
sinatlon case.
FOLLOWED LIKE BLooDHoUNDS.
with the barest clues to work upon
~ Jones followed divers trails like a
bloodhound. MattocKs had gone to San
Francisco and was heading for Mexico.
Eventually Pittman was located at Eff
fngham, Kan. and Mattocks at Atchi-
son Kan. Both were working as night
operators on the Missouri Pacific Pitt
man was first brought back and then
Mr. Jones left a week ago Wednesday
Tor Mattocks. In both cases the young
men were induced to leave without no.
flying their friends, as MIR. Jones con-
WINGED them that II would be better to
get out Of town quietly without having
a crowd at the depot to see them off.
In the case Of Mattocks some very
clever work was done. This young
man IL a brother OF the cashier of the
National bank at Atchison. the presi-
dent Of which Is chief counsel for the
Missouri Pacific. Mattocks was in
duced 10 leave his keyboard in the
north yard and so hurriedly was the
departure made that Mr.. Jones pro-
vided an extra oyercoat for him. From
there he was taken to the Kansas side
Of Kansas CITY and Kept for some
hours after which long street car ride
was taken and the stub train to To-
peka boarded From there the officer
came with his prisoner over the Union
Pacific TO Denver. In the meantime
friends Of Mattock took action and the
wires were kept hot in an effort to head
of Mr.. Jones, but he landed his man In
Shoshone on Monday Both men, who
are only % and "a years of age res
pectivcly. got the best of treatment en-
route and We're fed In the dining car.
The result was that before they had
reached their destination, both made
written confessions of their misdoings.
ORGANIZED GANGS AT WORK.
The oregon Short Line, in conjunc.
ton with other lines. Is determined To
break up the organized gangs which
trade in stolen transportation, and in
speaking Of the matter this morning an
Official stated that the railroad COM