Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1858-05-19
The La Crosse Railroad-Again.

We find the following letter in the
Milwaukee Sentinel. Mr.. Cleveland the
writer is much injured man. We
hope he may some day have his just
dues.
Milwaukee, April u, 1857.
EDITOR OF THE SENTINEL: In the
fall Of 1855 the La Crosse & Milwau-
kee Railroad Company commenced a
suit against me, laying their damages
at 100000, for injuries said to have
been sustained by my not completing
the contract | had with that road, and
which the company drove me from
prosecuting, by force. The object of
the suit was probably to frighten me
out representing the company for dam
ages had sustained in the breach of
its contract with me; but the suit has
been used by the Company for other
and grayer purposes, as emergencies
required. For instance: In January
last, in the Supreme Court of the State
of New York, Moses Kneeland, then a
director, and latterly Vice President
Of the Road, in a suit pending to re-
strain contract with Selah Chamber
lin, swore as follows:
''Deponent further says that the
Plaintiff in this case had contract
with said Company for the construction
Of part of its road, that he failed to
perform said contract, and a dispute
and controversy exists between him
and the Company in relation thereto
The said Company claims that said
plaintiff is indebted in large amount
to it, notwithstanding said Cleveland
has recovered a Judgment This ac-
ton is now pending in favor of said
Company against said Cleveland in
which is claimed a larger amount of
his said judgment against said Com
pany, and the said Company are adj
vised by Counsel that their claim is
Just and will be sustained.o
This affidavit was made on the 9th
of Feb. 1858, and sworn to before Geo.
II. Smith, Jr., Commissioner of Deeds
for the State of New York.
Stephen H. Alden, of Albany at the
same time made a similar affidavit.
For several months I have been en-
deavoring to force this trumpcd up
suit Of the old La Crosse Board to a
trial, and succeeded this morning in
getting them so cornered that the
plaintiffs could dodge no longer
When they were driven to this point,
sooner than undergo the humiliation of
o trial, they withdrew the suit. What
excuse for the non-paymcnt Of my
claim upon it will be next pressed into
the service Of the managers of this
fraudulent Company, I cannot tell but
the Judgment [ obtained all over one
hu117re0 and t1coIce thousand dollars
stands, and will continue to stand,
without offset or blemish, until it is
satisfied by payment.
There is not nor can there be any
offsets to it, and every time the La
Crosse road managers undertake to
disturb it, they will find it end as this
one has, in their still deeper discomft-
ure and disgrace. Pursued, as that
concern is, by judgments for honest la
Dor performed-its corruptions and
villanies investigated by the Legisla-
ture and Grand Juries of the State. I'M
til its very name has become Kissing
and a byword among honest men, and
is scarcely deemed respectable by even
its hungry and Cassius-like Attorneys,
who have lived and rioted on it's sub
stance until there is but little worth
having left, one would think it was
about time for the Albany Directory
to consider the propriety of conciliating
rather than outraging public sentiment
and common honesty any further.
n. CLEVELAND.