Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1876 — Swindling by Railroad Checks. [ARTICLE]

Swindling by Railroad Checks.

A practice is growing up among the railroads in this region of refusing to check baggage for anyone till the person has purchased a ticket to the point to which the check is desired. The baggagemaster punches the ticket and then no more checking can be done on that ticket. This rule puts a stop to several little swindles which in the aggregate nave cost the railroads a good deity- ft was ascertained that trunks were checked* atone end of the line, the checks sent by mail to a person who claimed them al the other end, and who then presently sent trunks back in the same way. In this manner a large amount of express business was done free of charge. Another trick was to buy a ticket and then get a trunk or two checked by one train, more for soother train, etc., till perhaps half a dozen or more, loaded with nobody knows what, had been sent free of the extra charge required. The punching of the ticket by tie baggage-man prevents this operation. Another of the ways that are dark is the stealing of pairs of checks from the baggage-room or elsewhere, putting one slyly upon a trunk in place of that the baggage-master has put on, and then claiming it by the duplicate check. A shrewdrogue will, in that way,sometimes get one or two trunks, but the chances are that he will get caught. A while ago a former workman of a certain road, being familiar with the train bag-gage-men, used to ride with them in their* car, and contrived to exchange checks that he had stolen for those on the trunks, and then would appear and claim them. He was detected after he had tried the trick a few times, and a large part of his booty was recovered.— -Hawf'ii —A sister of the late ex-ProMdrnt Polk died a few days ago at Columbia, Tenn. She was the last surviving hu hilkt of her immediate family, which cv.i-isted of nine* brothers tmd sister. Pre- 'but Polk being the eldest. • - iiij; t*7