Rail ticket scalping - July, 1903 - 100 Years Ago In The Railway Age - Brief Article

Railway Age, July, 2003

It is gradually coming to be accepted as law and equity that fraud committed upon railway companies is as wrong as fraud against individuals, and that forgery, alteration or misuse of railway tickets in violation of contract is as reprehensible as less popular forms of swindling and dishonesty not dealing with transportation.

Thus the circuit judges in Saint Louis have concurred in enjoining more than 40 ticket scalpers from buying or selling nontransferable excursion, commutation, drovers' and shippers' tickets, issued at reduced rates under contract with the original purchasers. The first and chief offenders, of course, are the people who seek the scalping offices and shamelessly sell the transportation which they have legally contracted, as consideration for the reduced rate, not to dispose of.