OCR Text |
Show CONDUCTORS IN GREAT DANGER NO MORE '"KNOCKING DOWN" ON THE BIG ROADS. Penalty of 55,000 Will Frighten the Trainmen Out of Their Wits ynclc San le Interested. The' attention of trainmen on both the Harriman and Gould lines has been dlrectej to a now and important feature of the Hepburn act. It Is to be used as a basis for prosecuting a passenger train conductor who Is alleged al-leged to have accepted from a passenger pas-senger a fare less than the tariff rate and pocketlug or "knocking down", the money. The act of accepting less tnan the full tariff rate from any passenger passen-ger Is an offense against the Hepburn act, irrespective of who commits It. and the person guilty of It, whatever his position may be, renders hlmselt liable to all the penalties of the act. The case referred to, and at present exciting the attentloj of all trainmen In tSe west, ris well as in the east, was on the New York. New Haven & Hartford Hart-ford road, where Charles R. Stocker, a conductor, has been charged with col-lectins col-lectins from certain passengers known to him leas than the tariff rates between be-tween DoBton and New York. It appears lhat officials of tho company com-pany had suspected Conductor Stocker Stock-er for some time, and they communicated communi-cated with the Interstate Commerce commission, which professed its readiness read-iness to take up the prosecution ot any such cases. A special agent of the commission In other words "a spotter" was sent to watch the suspect, sus-pect, and It was not long until tlv) conductor was detected In "short far-lnR" far-lnR" friends and acquaintances over his run. He- was placed under arrest and taken before a United States commissioner, com-missioner, who sent the case to tho federal grand Jury and an Indictment resulted. It is to be made a test case, some doubt having been raised concerning the applicability of the law thereto. Legal advisers of tho company and of the Interstate Commerce commission com-mission claim. howeor, that such a case comes clearly within section 1U of the Hepburn act, which reads as follows: "That any common carrier, subject to the provisions of this act, or, whenever when-ever such common carrier Is a corporation, cor-poration, any director or ofllcer thereof, there-of, or any receiver", trustee, lessee, agent, or person, acting for or employed employ-ed by such corporation, company, person per-son or party, shall wilfully do or cause to be done, any act. matter or thing In this act prohibited or declared de-clared to be unlawful, or who shall aid or abet therein, or shall willfully omit or fail to do any act, matter or thing In this act required to be done, or shall cause or wilfully suffer, or permit any act. matter or thing, bo directed di-rected or required,-by this act to be done, or shll aid or abet any such commission, or failure, or shall be guilty, of any such. Infraction of this act, or shall aid or abet therein, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conlctlon thereof. In any district dis-trict court of the United States, within with-in the Jurisdiction of which such ol-fense ol-fense was committed, be subject to a fine not to exceed f 5,000 for each offense. of-fense. "Provided, that if the offense for which any person shall be convicted as aforesaid shall be unlawful discrimination dis-crimination In rates, fares or charges, for the transportation of passengers or property, such person shall, In addition ad-dition to the fine hereinbefore provided provid-ed for, be liable to imprisonment In the penitentiary for a term not exceeding exceed-ing two years, or both such fine and Imprisonment, In the discretion of the court." And, there you are, boys, with a suggestion sug-gestion as to where to head in when confronted v.ith a proposition of a cut rate character. While all the conductors con-ductors on the various roads centervng at Ogden are known to be on the square, In financial matters of this nature, na-ture, the case mentioned Is given publicity pub-licity in order that those interested maj not "overlook a bet" in cases ot this character. |