Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-04-18
AGENT FOR NORTHWESTERN
COLLECTS LARGE SUMS FROM
IGNORANT PEOPLE.
QUESTIONABLE METHODS
TO PUNISH COAL COLLECTORS
Homes Of eehem;ans Visited at Night
and At Point Of Revolvers Agent and
Assistant Reap Rich Harvest-Said
to Have Collected $1,000 In Two
Weeks-othsr Iowa News,


southeast part of town there has come
up complaint of the methods used 10y
special agent in the interests OF the
Northwestern. There are tales of this
man with local Bohemian coming 10
the homes" OF GLOWING Bohemian
citizens. The men had revolyers. these
they douriShed about, striking terror
to the hearts of those who had corgle
across the ocean TO find fl eedom.
The two men VINO represented th-ill-
selves to be officers had 40 re-
spect Tor these peoples rights,
it IS said. Without search war
rants they took liberties with
The homes. they ransa cked some
lew OF them from cellar to garnet, SO
1t is charged. They hunted thru
coal sheds and barns and looked into
clsterns. All in all effort to locate
coal ard wood which they claimed
these people had picked up.
Some of the people in the district
nave been in the practice for many
years or carrying home buckets of
coal gathered up along the North
western tracks. Nothing was ever said
TO them. about the laws Of trespass.
or OF the penalties for larceny. Tue
newcomers saw their neighbors take
this Goa! ard deemed it proper that
they also secure a scant supply Of fuel
in this manner.
OF course it was proper that the
railroad company should seek 10 put
an end to this pra ctice- But develop
nients in the past few days tend to
show what very inconsistent. ard even
suspicious methods were used by the
special agent who was sent here by
the company. A visit at some OF the
homes of the people who were caught
in the net aud who We're prosecuted
for the stealing of coal and lumber
revealed some transactions that might
warrant a careful investigation.
Roundup Begins.
The special agent for the company
came here. He was a stranger in the
city, SO he selected from the police
foyoS Of this city a man to work with
him. 1t was one of the detectives,
man who goes Oh duty at noon and
works until midnight. They began to
round up the people in the district
The inability of the majority Of The
Bohemians to speak English necessi-
tated the securing OF an interpreter.
The foreman Of the roundhouse for
the Northwestern, Louis Cejka, was
pressed into this service and he rRade
up the trio that worked on the cases.
The methods of working, it Is re-
ported, were peculiar. Never during
the day were any of the trio seen
making investigations. They always
came at night. The people would be
accused of stealing coal. II they
had any they at once showed it to
the agent. In some cases no coal
could be found, and the agent or de-
tective would overhaul the premises
carefully to see if some property of
the railroad company could not be
found Sometimes perhaps some kind
ling wood that had been thrown away
would be discovered. The trio were
harsh and they terrorized the calm
and peace-loving citizens.
Sometimes they found no coal or
wood or grain Other times and often
they did But the result was the same
Whether they found much or little or
none they demanded payment
Strange to our customs and laws, I'M
familiar with Justice, these people
were powerless. They had or thought
they had no choice in the matter 9TH
er than to pay over what was de-
nlanded Sometimes they got receipts,
other times they did not. When they
did get a receipt it was in many cases
simply a piece of paper with name
on it and setting forth that il was in
payment for stolen property but did
not describe what kind of stolen prop
erty.
For the several weeks these two
rner were working there there was
veritable reign Of terrors in this part
Of town. The people were too much
afraid to even complain. OF late there
have been murnurs, these have
doubled and trebled in volume until it
would not be safe for any special
agents to come around that part Of
town Or police either, for that mat
ter, for it is claimed that at least one
officer took part in these affairs al
tho he was not reported to have
been present when money was de-
manded and which was taken without
giving a receipt.
The Investigations of local news
paper show that this agent collected
s1,7G0 in this manner, some of the
frightened Bohemians paying more
than 300 to him.