The Carlin Act of 1913, sponsored by Rep. Charles Creighton Carlin (D) of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

and signed into law by President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

, was an Act of the United States Congress that made

larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...

from interstate carriers a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "''félonie''") to describe an offense that r ...

and a

federal crime In the United States, a federal crime or federal offense is an act that is made illegal by U.S. federal legislation enacted by both the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives and signed into law by the president. Prose ...

. An amendment to the Carlin Act was introduced by Rep. Leonidas C. Dyer (R) of

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and passed by the

68th United States Congress The 68th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 192 ...

, expanding its scope to cover any "station house, platform, depot, wagon, automobile, truck, or other vehicle" associated with freight or express shipments. The amended act provided a fine of not more than $5,000, imprisonment for more than 10 years, or both, and stated that a crime could be prosecuted in whichever district it was committed. President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

signed the amendment in 1925. The Carlin Act was amended again in January 1933, making it a violation not only to break open or rob

boxcar A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...

s involved in interstate commerce, but also to "obtain by any fraudulent device, scheme, or game, any moneys, baggage, goods, or chattels, from any passenger while on a passenger car, sleeping car, or dining car, in a train moving in interstate commerce." According to the report of the committee on the bill, this was prompted by reports of passengers on Pullman berths being robbed at night while they were sleeping. In such a situation, the committee said, "the thief

ould Ould is an English surname as well as an element of many Arabic names. In Arabic contexts it is a transliteration of the word wikt:ولد, ولد, meaning "son". Notable people with this surname include: English surname * Edward Ould (1852–190 ...

not be prosecuted under the Carlin Act, because the property is taken from the possession or custody of the passenger and not from the carrier."

References

1913 in American law 62nd United States Congress United States federal criminal legislation United States federal legislation articles needing infoboxes {{US-fed-statute-stub