Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-12-21
AWh0lesaIeFraud
Railroad contractors amose
WITHOUT PAYING THEIR BILLS.
sgFFERlNGgr OF THE LABoRERs..

The people of Lorain county, but more
particularly the citizens of Elyria and ober-
lin, have beeaforced ~tO4consider, the past
few days, the biggest swindle ever perpe-
trated in that county Messrs. B. F. Sage
and C. D. Eaton, the contractors with the
Cleveland and Toledo Railroad Company
for the new railroad line from klyria to
oberlin, absconded on Friday. last with
about $40, 900, of which they had received
Sc, 800 from the Company that day, to pay
off the laborers under their charge. We
make up from the Elyria Dsadcfdt and the
Oberlin Nesos, as well as from what we
learned from other sources, an account of
the matter
During the month Of November the con-
tractors largely increased the force employ
ed on the road, and made contracts for tools
and supplies, to be paid for when the esti-
mate for the work performed in November,
was paid them by the company. Pay day
wasdixed on the 18th of December, and The
weather being too cold to work to sdyant-
age, q large number of the men went to
! Elyria to draw their pay: This was on Fri
day. The day previous, the contractors
came to this city to get their money, and
their non-appearance on Friday morning
caused considerable u~neasiness among the
men; but a telegram from one of the firm,
stating that they would be on handthe next
day, served to quiet their fears.
They did not appear on the Friday night
or Saturday morning train, and their non
appearance made the four hundred laborers
wild. The fact that the wives of tho con-
previous, with all their wardrobe: intensi-
fed heisuspicion into positive belief that
the husbands had decamped. A dispatch
sent to the President of the company clio
tied the reply that the contractors were
paid, on Friday, the amount of the estimate,
and that they stated that they were going
10 start for Elyris On that afternoons train.
That is the last heard of the absconding
parties. 2
1t is estimated that about 2,O0O people
suffer in consequence of this swindle. The
workmen suffer most. There was due them
wages for six weeks work. Many of them
are left absolutely penniless. Divers bus
mess men in Elyria and Oberlin are out of
pocket several hundred dollars each, and
families all along the line had claims for
board, &c, against the contractors. Their
total amount of Indebtedness was not less
than SOS, 600.
Among the Oberlin business men are
Messrs. j. NJ. johnson & Son, Kinney &
Reamer, R. S. Fuller, VIM. Hovey, Jeffer-
son & Barnes, and others in Elyria, Messrs-
Baldwin, Laundon & Nelson, Nm. Laun
don, R. J. Jones, Baker, shute & Nichols,
CoggsweIl, Burk & Houghton and others.
We understand that the c.. & T. Railroad
Company agreed to pay the contractors
eighty-fve per cent. of the sums due them
as the work progressed, reserving fifteen
per cent. as forfeiture on their part to carry
on and complete the work as stipulated.
The Company lose nothing by this
swindle q as they are not legally
liable for the debts of the contractors,
whether. to their employees or to parties
who had furnished board and goods to said
laborers. Nevertheless the company, with
characteristic generosity, intend to appro-
pirate this fifteen per cent. to the relief of
the sufferings Of the swindled employees
and other parties on whom the stroke falls
heaviest. a
The work on this new line is about three
fourths done, we understand. This occur
renee will not probably seriously interfere,
or for any length of time, with the prosecu-
ton to completion oftbe enterprise.
These swindlers were originally New
England men. but had lived in Florida sew
eral years, coming north during the war.
1t is thought they have gone to Georgia.
They will probably be ov~erhauled, and
brought to justice.