OCR Text |
Show SET AT LIBERTY. ., A Very Flimsy Charge Sooa Dll-pocd Dll-pocd f. John and George Chugg, the 17. P. conductors who were arrested a few days ago on the charge of embezzlement, em-bezzlement, were arraigned before Justice Lancy yesterday afternoon, and acquitted, there being only the most flimsy evidence against them. The accused succeeded by abundant testimony in a31rmlng their good character. Both men have a largo circle of friends and when they were arrested a profound sensation was created. On their discharge they were warmly congratulated by many acquaintances who from the first, looked upon them as the victims of predjudice and Injustice. The prosecuting attorney in the case was p. L. wmiams and Mr. I-.ichnor, and Judge Powers defended de-fended the accused. W. H. Volett, in the employ of the Piakerton Detective Agency at Denver, said ho came out hero to Investigate the alleged ticket stealing steal-ing buslnesson tliu Utah dlvWonof the Union Pacific. He made several sev-eral trips with the defendant be tween tiaii xoKe and Ugden and on each occasion Chugg failed to cancel several tickets. On November Novem-ber 23, the witness rode from Ogden to Salt lake on a ticket which he purchased in Ogden, and afterwards he repurchased that Identical ticket from a broker in Ogden. On cross-examination by Judge Powers,, it came out that tho witness' wit-ness' career had been a somewhat checkered and varied one. O. B. Holmes, another Piakerton detective, employed.to work up the ticket stealing business, said he made cine trips with the defendant de-fendant between this city and Ogden, and on every occasion he saw Chugg take up tickets and fail to cancel them. The conductor's con-ductor's method was to have a little piece of cardboard In his hand and he punched these instead of the tickets he took up, giving the impression im-pression that he was cancelling the tickets. He purchased a number of trip tickets from brokers here and at Oiden. After being handled by Judge Powers the witness left the stand rather flusteted. 8. W. Eccles, of the Union Pacific, Paci-fic, testified that it was the duty of 1a conductor to caucel each ticket Immediately upon taking It up and return all as soon as possible. Captain Lange testified that he made the search at the defendant's house and found three uncanceled tickets there. He afterwards ar rested the defendant when he arrived ar-rived from a trip, and brought him to the station woere he was searched in the presence of a Mr. Adams, and alargomumber of tickets, some of which were uncanceled, was found. Mr. Adams testified that the value cf tho uncanceled tickets found on the defend in t at the time of his arrest was$30.G0. On cross-examination by Judge Powers, however, it was elicited from Adams that ono ticket valued at'-IO wa, in reality, void on the night of Uie arrest, as was also one valued at $37, so that tho value of the uncanceled tlckebr. Judge t'uwers argued that there was not a scintilla of evidence tending tend-ing to convict the defendant with the sale of tickets to brokers, and the mere fact that uncanceled tickets tick-ets of the value of $.1 or $1 were found on the defendant when he came In on his train was not criminal. crim-inal. He claimed the discharge of the accused. Judge Lauey ordered that the defendant be discharged. The prosecution stated that the case against George Chugg was not as strong ss that against Jchn, and the latter cate, togtther with the charge against Mrs. Cliugij, was dismissed. |