The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-01-19


books end papers of the Compan
Among the most valuable of Il
assets transferred on that occasi.
: 10 Taylor's Hotel was Miss Helt
Josephine Mansfield. Il went
jersey" testified this fair creatrI
some weeks ago in the suit which b.
just come 10 so tragical tcrminatio
with the officers OF the Eric Con
pany and the Railroad paid all Ii
expenses. Mr. Fisk could affor
10 amuse himself He had mao
fifty or sixty thousand dollars by h
days work in Broad st, and he ha
the satisfaction of knowing that
had not only beaten Vanderbilt an
Barnard, bu. outwit.ed even his pal
ticular friend and patron, Mr.. Drew
lie had now practically the create
share OF the management on hi
shoulders, though in name he wa
Cnly Controller. He softened publ
indignation by subsidizing q gang @
ruflians, ostensibly in the Vanderbilt
interest, TO besiege "Fort Taylor
IS if Tor the purpose CT kidnappin,
the Directors, and organizing ban,
OF railway hands TO mount guar,
about The hotel. He logged th
steps of Mr.. Drew, who was stealins
over 10 New York by night to max,
secret compromise iOr himself alon,
with Mr. Vanderbilt, and when Drew
carried off the funds Ofthe Company
Fisk compelled him TO bring then
back by putting an attachment OF
his money in bank. A bill was now
introduced at Albany 10 legaliz,
Dre-S Overissue of stock. L. wa.
defeated. Mr. Gould visited th.
capital with halt . million OF dollaIs
sRd came back Without cent, and
Tie bill which three weeks before
had been rejected by vote of SO to
81 was carried By vote Of I01 TO 6.
This was followed by a general sus-
pension o! hCstilities. The scanda-
ions network OF irjunctions had be.
come so intricate that one general
order was obtained sweeping it all
away. Judge Barnard was placated
II some manner not made public.
Mr Peter Is. Sweeny, who. as the
representative of Tammauy, had been
appointed 'Receiver' of the proper
ty Of the railway company after il
had been carried out of reach, was
allowed Sl50,000 for his trouble ol
taking care OF nothing; and the exiles
returned to New York. In one OF
his characteristic fits Of irankness,
James Fisk afterwarG On tie witness
stand described the settlement. which
ensued as an "almighty robbery"
The Directors Of Erie took $4,000
shares ofstock eff Vanderbilt's shout.
ders at 20, and gave him 100000
besides. Eldridgo got 100000 OF
Erie acceptances in exchange for
So, 600, 900 OF Boston, Hartford and
Erie, which became bankrupt very
soon afterward. Drew kept all he
had made, bat was to pay S540,00O
into the Erie treasury and stand ac-
quilted OF all claims the corporation
might have against. Nearly halt q
million more wss required 10 pay the
lawyers and discontinue the suits
Fisk, getting nothing personally,
stood cut against the arrangement
until the co-spirators consented to
give him-the Enc Railroad Drew
and some others were TO resign, and
Fisk and Gould 10 take possession OF
the property.
ThGs began Tie NEST extraordinary
chapters OF railway management the
world has ever seen. A series OF
dishonorable transactions on the
stock exchange had plundeied one OF
the most magnificent roads in Amer
lea OF about S6,O00,000, and left it,
with az empty treasury and legacy
vi lawsuits, under the control of two
adventurers, VINO had not experience
enough to run Il hand-car They
took advantage of the claim 6hich
followed TO clear cut the old Board
OF Auditors, and concentrate all
power ia the four Gilices-as Pres.-
dent, Vice President, Treasurer, and
Contrcller--when they then divided
equally, each taking two. There
had already been indications OF an
alliance with the Tammany Ring, and
the bargain WIS now completed by
The admission os Tweed and Sweeny
to tie dirsctursliip, and the appoint
ment OF Barnard as Judge in ordi-
nary They needed Strengthening
The stock had some down to A, and
was destined soon TO go to 90. Van
derbilt vas still 10 be feared, and an
election for directors was coming On,
when the Ring might be completely
destroyed How Fisk and Gould
met these difficulties everybody
knows. The printing press vas set
running TO manufacture more stock
EDglishmen we're investing heavily
in Erie just then, with the idea ap-
parenuy that because it was cheap it
must be good Fisk and Gould sold
the new stock 10 them, but kept it in
their own names, as brokers, on the
transfer books, and so could vote for
themselves with it after it bad passed
out Of their possession. Finally,
when tie foreign holders, alarmed at
the depreciation Of the property, sent
the certificates to New York and
sought TO have. them transferred in
the usual way, Mr. Fisk, with the
assistance of Gould and Barnard,
seized them under cover of fictitious
suit, and had them plsced in the
hands OF Judge Barnard's Gratz, who
was as safe voter as Fisk himself.
The cults of all kinds which filled up
the first year of Mr.. Fisk's manage
ment are bewiidering for number and
variety. There were suits against
Vanderbilt, against Drew, against
Work and Schell, against nearly all
the leading newspapers. The scan
dsl Of tue Injunction system reached
point never before dreamed of, and
10 tue disgrace OF the Supreme Court
(Which Judge Barnard once at least
held in bed) became shame to the
whole country. The crOwning infa-
my was the passing of the Classifica-
ton bill, which Tweed forced through
the Legislature of 1869. Under that
law, Fisk, Gould, Lane, and Tweed
found themselves managing directors
OF the Erie Railway Company for five
years. The terms of the bargain by