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Show OPERATORS JUS ACCUSED OF SYSTEMATIC ROBBERY Charge Made That the Western Union Telegraph Company Has Been Mulcted of Thousands of Dollars. Portlnnil, Ore. A systematic Investigation Inves-tigation by the Western Union Telegraph Tele-graph company carried on during the past six months has disclosed an organized or-ganized system of thoft among railroad rail-road operators on the Pacific coast, by reason of whleh tiro telegraph company com-pany has been robbed of an amount estimated nt several hundred thousand thou-sand dollars, according to n Btntement made by nil ofllclal of tho company, who Is In charge of the Investigation. Complaints made in several Instances In-stances that messages filed nt certain btatlons had not been sent or delivered deliv-ered nnd tl! falling off of receipts nt other places on railroad lines caused the Western Union officials to Institute Insti-tute n thorough Investigation A secret se-cret fierv.lce was organized and It wns found thnt In some Instances CO per cent of the money received for messages filed at railroad olllces nover reached the telegraph company. com-pany. The telegrams, with but few exceptions, were properly transmitted and delivered, but all record of tha dispatches bo far as reports and bookkeeping pertained, hnd been dent de-nt royed. Following the discovery and proof cf theft, warrants were obtained for the arrest of several operators In tho stato of Washington, and It Is alleged l.y ofllclals of the company that at least one of the arrested men has confessed. The arrested men will be brought to dial shortly after the first of the year. According to the Information gath-jeied gath-jeied by tho telegraph company, systematic sys-tematic collusion In the robberies existed ex-isted among certnln railroad operators. opera-tors. In some olllces tho thefts, It Is asserted, aggregated several hundred dollars n month, and nfllccrs of the company believe that during the paBt cur the total or the sums stolen will exceed $200,000. Only railroad operators oper-ators nre said to be Involved In the robberies. |