The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-08-20
THREE FORMER OFFICIALS ARE
UNDER Bend, CHARGED
WITH HUGE FRAUD.
RAVN'S DEATH RECALLED.
cveoident Harahan swears to War.
rants 'ndietins Men sHioher W"
for Conspiracy in Operating Con.
fidence Game-DecIares He viii Go
to End Of Alleged Corruption.

Chicago. Aug. lg.-Thrcc former Off
Glals oi the Illinois Central railroad
company were arrested today in con .
l'cction with alleged huge frauds by
nncuns OF which the railroad asserts 1t
'was deIrauded out OF $l.500.O0O. The
men arrested are: Frank b. Hartman,
former general manager OF the road ,
Charles l.. Ewing. former manager of
lines north OF the Ohio river; John X.
aylor, formerly general storekeeper
o. the road.
Tho warrants were sworn to by
president Harahan OF the railroad
concerned. They charge the three men
with operating a confidence game
Hartman and Ewing were taken to
the Harrison street police station.
Their bonds of $4,000 each were sign
cd by professional bondsman.
The allegations In the so-cailcd graft
case arc among the most sensational
In which high officials of great cor
poratlon ever have been named. The
investigation began over a year ago.
1T reached u crisis last spring when
President Harahan began actions to
recover sums said to aggregate more
than $1000.0O0 alleged to have been
secured by car repair companies In
connivance with high officials of the
road. Hartman, Ewing. Taylor and
a large number of others of lesser
magnitude resigned their positions.
Much of the money is said to have
been repaid privately The name of
Ira G.. Rawn. vice president of the
suad. who resigned to become presi-
dent of the Mono and who was found
dead recently at his home with a bull
net wound IN his breast. was brought
Into the scandal. Murray Nelson. Jr.
attorney for thef Illinois Central.
stated today that Rawn's death headed
off warrants which would have been
issued for him.
Work Of Detectives.
Private detectives working under the
direction Of President Harahan are
said to have uncarthed frauds other
than those connected with padded car
Tepalr bills. These are said TO involve
the divcrting of 81 100000 or more from
new construction. The investigators
declare they have secured confessions
(which viii be used in their attempt to
fastcn the guilt on culpablc persons.
Today's developments bring the
name of Ewing into the case for the
first time. He was seen at his resi-
iencc by reporters but declined to dis
cuss the charges against him. IIarrl
nan embraced the opportunity to de-
clare his innocence.
II have never been approached by
ali attorney or detective engaged In
this casc." said Mr.. Hartman. II am
perfectly innocent of any and all
charges made against me. will ad-
1nit that | have been awaiting some
such action MS this In order to rcfutc
the charges. am glad Of the Oppor-
tunity to clear my name. have al
ways been true to my friends and |
want them to know, AZ viii be shown
~ court. that | always was true to
the Illinois Central"
Empioye for Years.
Harriman's connection with The Iill-
1ols Central covers period of 81
years. He began as a civil engineers
apprentice. served three years as an
assistat roadmaster and rose through
s'' bihotS VI totINlIuStluk eiSlueeT,l
trainmaster and division superintend-
ent to the general managership. An
official of the road lntimated that
other warrants would follow those is
sue3 today. He declared that the sys-
tenn of graft unearthed by the rail-
roads makes political graft look trivi-
al. ~.
I'VE will get the last man In this
conspiracy II 1t takes us down to the
loWllest section hand" he declared.
"'fhe mass of evidence we have sc-
cured Is so great that 1t demonstrates
that political graft In its. palmiest
conditions passes into insignifcance
beside the hoodwinklng of railroad ex-
eeutivcs by designing underlngs. I
predict that other railroads will wake
up and that their awakening will pro-
duce more than one sensation"
President Harahan awaited the mi-
mute details OF the investigation before
striking. When he considered the time
ripe. as he did last night. lie took the
field himself He called on Chief JUS
tice Olson, OF the municipal court and
with the assistance OF a pile of docu-
ments and photographs laid the case
before him. Judge Olson referred him
to Judge Bruggemeyer, in the jurs-
diction Of whose court. the Illinois
Central offices are iocated. Judge
Bruggemeyer issued the warrants, but
made every effort to keep the fact
secret Not until the arrests were
made this afternoon did the secret
leak y
- y