The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-14

had elapsed and the trainmaster had
returned TO the private Office.
"Wastage. you meanr queried the
trainmaster.
That Is what I have been calling
TIA reckless disregard for the value
OF anything and everything that can
be included In requisltion There is
good deal of that. know. The right
OF way Is Uttered from end to end with
good material thrown aside. But I'm
afraid that isn't the worst of It."
The trainmaster was nursing knee
and screwing his face into the reflec.
tive scheme of distortion.
Those things are always hard TO
prove. IL company employee wants
to steal and there isn't enough COM
mon honesty among his fellow employ
ees TO hold him down he can steal
fast enough and get away with IT,"
"By Titles, yes. but not In quantity"
pursued Lidgerwood. "Wen pass up
the petty thieveries for the present
and look n little higher. Have you
found any trace of those two carloads
Of company lumber lost I'm transit be-
tween here and Red Butte two weeks
agoT
mo, nor of the cars themselves.
They were reported as two trans
continental flats. initials and numbers
plainly given in the car record. They
seem to have disappeared with the
lumber"
(Which means% queried the super.
intendent
THAT the numbers or the initials. or
both, were wrongly reported. 1t means
that it was put up job to steal the
lumber"
Exactly. And there was mixed
carload of lime and cement lost al
about the same time. wasn't thereT
Eyes"
Lidgerwoods swing chair righted It
self to the perpendicular with snap
ut is an organized gang. and II
must have its members well scattered
and have a good many members. too.
he said conclusively. THAT brings us
TO the disappearance of the switching
engine again. No one man made OF
with that single handed, Mac"
Hardly"
81 believe Wen get to the bottom Of
all the looting on this switching en-
CINE business. They have overdone 4
this time. You can't put a locomotive
In your pocket and walk Off with It.
but the object. Mr.. McCloskey-
what possible profit could there be fl
the theft of locomotive that can mel
Their be carried away nor converted
into salable junk2"
The trainmaster shook his head
1--WE stewed over that till I'm threat
ened with softening Of the BRAIN" h,
confessed
"Never mind. You have compare
lively easy job" Lidgerwood went on
"That engine is somewhere this sid
Of the Crosswater hills. Copah hasn'
seen 1t. II is too big to be hidden un
der bushel basket Find it ant
you'll be hot on the trail Of the car
load robbers"
McCloskey got upon his feet as
he were going at once to begin tn
search. but Lidgerwood detained him.
"Hold on. Pm not quite throug
yet. There is another matter. Som
years ago there was a building an
loan association started In Angels, Oh
ostensible object being to help the raj
road men to own their homes. AS
understand II. the railroad compan
fathered II. or at all events some Q
the officials took stock in It. When
died there was considerable defci
together with failure on the part G
the executive committee to account fo
pretty liberal cash balance"
ave heard that much" said th
trainmnster.
"Then Wen bring 1t down to date
Lidgerwood resumed. ut appears thu
there are twenty-five or thirty of I'll
losers still in the employ Of this con
pany, and they have sent committe
to me to ask for an investigation, ba
ing the demand on the assertion tn;
they were coerced into giving up the
money to the building and loan pc
ple."
"Tve heard that. too" McCloske
admitted "The story goes that Il
house building scheme was promote
by the old Red Butte Western boss'
and If q man didn't take stock he e.
himself disliked. If he did take it I'll