The Depot Ticket Heist
A theft of transit tickets at the Yakima depot highlights the vulnerability of local agents to company policy.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
On Thursday night of last week, while Operator MacIntyre was out looking after luggage and express for the east-bound train, someone entered the depot and appropriated tickets to Spokane, Walla Walla, Seattle, and Portland from the ticket case, aggregating in value $160. As soon as the loss was discovered the wires were kept warm and the numbers and description of the tickets sent in every direction, thereby making them useless to the holder. While the tickets have no transportation value, the company held Agent Humphrey responsible for the loss, which he has settled. Northern Pacific officials are endeavoring to trace the theft, and as the tickets are now valueless to the holder, it would be policy to return them to Mr. Humphrey and thus save him from a loss which falls heavily upon him at this time.
“As soon as the loss was discovered the wires were kept warm.”
Railroad agents in the 1890s bore immense financial responsibility for their stations, a stark contrast to modern corporate liability where such losses would be covered by insurance rather than the individual worker's pocket. It reflects the era's precarious labor environment, where a single theft could ruin an employee's personal finances.
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