Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-01-06


f,nnd resnnnsible parties to surrender it to.
Judge Ould-Did you get anything Tor II
Witness.-I didn't get cent
O.-Do YOU own any stock now!
Mot unless they have transferred Il snare
| to maxi. me director am director IN the
n,ad now. do not know where the caSh-oooK
and check book of the company are -
Nr Smith.-The books here are all that
c,mr INFO the possession of Mr.. Roberts and
the gentlemen associated with him.
Witness. continuing. | never told any one
thar no money AT all had been paid on the
shares. because $1,000 had been paid INTO my
own hands. My first instalment was PAID ny
check given NE by Stewart, In fact the com!
pany was gotten up by Stewart. Stewart
check WAS for $1,000. and my quota WAS III
Georre /. Roberts. president Of the Alexan-
Jri, and Fredericksburg railroad. testified:
The attention of the Pennsylvania Central fall-
road COMPANY was attracted to this road from
the fact that their line was locked up at Baltl-
more. and they were unable to make >atStac-
rory ARRANGEMENTS to get treig ht and passengers
through Ia Washington That company Is
now building line from Baltimore to Wash
inrton under charter from the Maryland lie.
gislaturc Whcnwc got 10 Washington We found
we were still rs bad off There was gap be-
tween Alexandria and Fredericksburg which
there had been no effort to fill 1t was subject
to interruption from ice III winter: and was u!l-
reliable Parties approached the PennSyyania
| Central with an offer IL sell the franchise u
the Alexandria and Fredericksburg railroad.
Mr. Lincoln was the party, and SAID that nc
had control of the charter We examined the
matter ami found that the charter was lmper-
feet; that Sl40.U0O had been expended on the
roal. and that S2lU.tn,O had been ISSUED by
the company to pay for it, We told MIR. Lin,
coin that if he would get the charter perfected
and made 81, :lS Ia extend to the end of the
Long Bridge. and would bring Us all the
bonds and stock Of the company. We would pay
him SSn.Om. In the early part Of June: $50.
he brought To Us the charter. perfected :t> We
Wished except il provlso that the line from Al
exundria 10 Washington should not bt c3nstruc'
ted until the line from Alexandria tn frcder-
burg had been COM lctcd. This pruvI>o. which
was objectionable he Xplaned by saying that
it was inserted By another interest I" give them
the advantage Of Il few months more control @i
tL. traffic We accepted the charter. Mr..
Lincoln then brought IL Ill the bonds. steaks
&c.. of the company and the resi- gI.tiun OF the
President and Directors. then gave HIM my
check for S4u. OOu We sncc changed Il part
of the location ii the road and are how
! working OH IT,
In the early part Of the spring We honsht
We could maxi connection 1T Fredericksburg
with the Richmond and fredericksburg Rail,
ROAD Company. Mr. Moncure Robinson told
Inc that he owned stock enough in the Rlch-
nlnnd. Fredericksburg and P";"nac railroad.
and controlled enough held III Enai;ni t" carry
anv point he might promise. That COMPANY;
desired to build the first 10 miles "l the rE'd AMI
Mr.. Scott our agent. agreed IL II. should
! i, hn Ia
between the I,ichlnunl Fredericksburg and
Potomac. railroad was that the lwu roads should
l.. run Il, an unite and VT should have the
riglIt ln put agents anywhere south /" solicit
freight lnr any point North the klchn"nd.
Frederick slurs and Potomac Railroad C"nla-
nv Ia receive It's pro rata. Mr.. Robinson sub
United the proposition to Mr. Daniel. President
If his road and afterwards said it WI, re-. eclcd.
and gave >cver: rrasulls for lt-unc "f them.
that he owned several steamers. and the Penn
>vvania Central mi ght put tr,'lgh, down 50 Il,
To- render them useless. We then made amor her
: PROPOSITION; to lease the Richmond. Fredcr-
irksbury and Potomac railroad, and pay /" the
shareholders per cent. That WAS refused.
We then offered TO buy out the stock 1t ." per
cent ,lr,ve the mark price That w;> ret'lS,
Ell. We offered To buy h> stock. ami h. Srd
the rri,,. at $4.Otm.mnl. Di c"ur>, that was
ont nl the question We could Euill \ road III
half the money. H. estimated the value 81
the road at s3.MnluM. and its not lcln= taxed
bv the State at $l.MW.mm additional We
didn believe that the State would loIIg cX-
empt it from this taxation and thought the val
lie set WIS fictitious. We then saw n" other
way but t. apply IL the Legislature. AMI W.,
now propose to build road from the cid nj
the Long Bridge 10 Richmond To carry pa>Scn-
gers from Richmond 10 Washington At one
half the price and in one-half the time We
are forced To ask this from the Legislature IN
view If our investments in Virginia. We I'M
der>tood that Mr., Robinson was able to sink.
and was sinking his interest in the roads IN
which he WIS intercsted.in order that he might
Nuke his property in steamboats, more valuable.
With reference to the legality Of the company
whose road We purchased. that question has.
been tried in twu courts with. To Us. successful
results We knew nothing and suspected
nothing of fraud All the agent who sold To u>
contracted 10 do. he did in good faith. and got
his money We have seen nothing to move Us
from our belief that the company was legal. and
the transaction perfectly fair. All the stocks:
bonds &C.. brought to lis We investigated ana
believed IL be correct : and believing 81. We
stand upon the legality of our position.
The Pcnn>. lvania Central have paid for this
road S>UuHI: $1,000 for cn"inccrln" ana
s2l,.uEh, for turnpike road which We intend I"
use We SUPPOSED that if there waS anything
wrong in the original charter that the Lcgl>la-
turc would have cured it when it revived the
charter We never had any suplcion OF fraud
in the matter. 1t is one hundred miles by the
road We wish to build from Alexandria To Rich
mond about sixty miles shorter than the pre-
sent route. Mr. Moncure Robinson is going
on tn build the ten miles of road, eXpcctn" I"
Y,n. and ~
The Pennsylvania Central Company has CON
tractcl to take S40OO00 in bonds Of the Alex
anIra and Fredericksburg Railroad Company
at par Ii backs that road in t> construction
from Alexandria to Richmond. The money Is
already collected for that purpose. and Is Row
out at interest (l2 per cent. paid s. Tor
coming here from Washington. We can carry
passengers between Richmond and Washington
ut $50, and passengers can 90 u Washington
l.