The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-10-15

meaning Adams 4 Co, and othsrS Of that
sort. The General had lost his temper,
which was unfortunate. However, the re-
suit was a vindication Of Colonel OWEN
The committee, which was OF gentlemen
favoring consolidation, saw nothing In II 70
ccnsurc, and acquitted him Of any blame
whatever. rf
My letter Is growing too long. l hasten
to close, though there is . great deal OIL
very interesting material in my hands.
Friday evening, after supper, the vote
upon the proposition for consolidation came
on. This proposition approved OF consoii.
dation, and appointed q committee TO meet
committees Of the Southside and Norfolk
Railroad Companies, to frame plan OF con.
solidation, to be submitted to general
meeting of the stockholders Of the three
railroads to be held at Lynchburg ION the
- day of -, 1866"
To this Mr.. johnson, Of Bedford, offered
an amendment, which was accepted BY the
mover of the original resolution, providing
that before any plan Of consolidation should
90 into effect it should be passed upon and
approved by the separate meetings OF the
stockholders of the three roads.
The proposition was in itself very little,
and with the amendment, if passed, would
amount to little less than the defeat of con-
solidation. The machinery to inaugurate
the cooperation would not answer. But
such as it was, the consolidationists moved
heaven and earth to carry.
Now, the interest was great. Hopes
vibrated. The Observation-Disclosures had
been triumphant under a conviction that
they could carry everything before them,
even believing that they had the State
proxies. The friends Of Owen felt that
they could even elect him under the force
Of sympathy excited by the unjust attacks
made upon him and through the conflict
ing claims Of the many aspirants to this
place. The clamorers for dep6ts that
there was no money to build, and for low
freights and accommodations generally,
began to reflect. They thought Bob "
was good fellow, and would do the best
he could, and that possibly little time
would make all right, especially as the
Board of Directors had recently resolved
to make tariffs equal ON the road. Thus
Owen stock rose with differentiation,
and the anti-consolidationist were as gay
as colts in spring.
By and bye the name of "Gordon
Kent " was called upon his own stock
the crowd was silent and breathless. He
voted "aye." Consolidation rose right
up to q perpendicular. Owen stock
dropped as though it had fallen from the
hawks nest 900 feet The consolidation
lists were bright and frisky. General
Mahone's white cooked hat was on the
outskirts-his keen eyes glistened In the
horizon of the struggle as when about
fanking and routing the enemy. Their
antagonists were gloomy-each wore the
"rucful visage"; but after awhile sort
of reckless hilarity succeeded to despair,
and the strategy was to bring in re-
Inducements as fast as possible, and if tri-
umph was out Of their reach, at least to
alarm and vex the enemy. These came in
one by one, and responded, the vehement
emo exciting that sort of pleasure that
is afforded by bright streak of sunshine
ON dark day. Seth Woodruff, we'll
known gentleman, afflicted with rheuma-
tism and proxies, was brought to the scene
in carriage, and introduced into the hall
in a split-bottom armed chair. His re-
sponses of emo" were quick and sharp,
us luouSii tWluSc vi palu Ill d JoiHt hau
given force and irritation to it. He was
much applaudcd.
The time was late and growing On to-
wards the "middle hour" the parties
were disputing over proxies. The slow
process Of recording the vote was wearing
out the meeting. The venerable Bishop
Early, with his restless flock, watched with
clear intellect and eye the movements of
the tacticians and the swaying the assem-
blage; and like an experienced captain in
storm, kept the ship on the right line.
Never was meeting of railroad stock
holders in such excitement.
At last, before the vote could be an
nounced, and when the consolidationists,
with the State vote in their favor, were 1OS
votes ahead, the meeting abandoned the
idea of scaling and scanning, and adjourned,
every ono going to his rest with the con-
victiou that the consolidationists had the
victory, barren though it was, and being
under the further conviction that Colonel
Owen was beyond the hope Of recovery.
c.