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Show OPERATORS IE ACCUSED 3? SYSTEMATIC ROBBERY 'Charge Made That the Western Union Telegraph Company Has Oeen Mulcted of Thousands of Dollars. Portland, Ore. A systematic Investigation Inves-tigation by tho Western , Union Telegraph Tele-graph company carried on during tho past six months has disclosed an organized or-ganized system of theft among railroad rail-road operators' on tho Pacific coast, by reason of which tiro telegraph company com-pany has been robbed of nn amount estimated at several hundred thousand thou-sand dollars, according to a statement mndo by an oriclal of tho company, who ls'n chafpo of tho Investigation. Complaints mndo In several Instances In-stances that messages filed nt corlnln elation had not been sent or delivered deliv-ered and tho falling off of receipts nt other places on railroad lines caused the Wostorn Union omdals to lnstl-luto lnstl-luto a .thorough Investigation A secret se-cret serv.lco was organized and It was found that In some Instances CO per cent of tho money received for messages filed nt railroad offices never reached tho telegraph company. com-pany. Tho tolegranis, with but four exceptions, woro properly transmitted and delivered, but all record of tfco dispatches so far as reports and bookkeeping pertained, had been de-olroyed. de-olroyed. Following tho discovery and proof rf theft, warrants woro obtained for the arrest of several operators In tho' stato of Washington, and It Is alleged ly Afilclals of tho company that at least ono of tho arrested men has confessed. Tho arrested men will bo brought to trial shortly after tho first ' tho year. According to the Information galh-eied galh-eied by tho telogrnph company, sys-, tematlo collusion In tho robberies ex-' Isted among certain railroad operas tors. In sonio offices tho thefts. It Is! assorted, aggregated several hundred dollars a month, and officers of the company bellovo that during tho past year tho total of tho sums stolen will bxeced $200,000. Only railroad operators oper-ators aru said to bo Involved In the lobbortos. |