The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-04-03
That little Joke attempted on the Chicago
and Paducah Railroad.
The "TaIl Stallion of the 0kaw' and
a HaySeed Judge the Princi-
pal Actors.
the Scheme Frustrated dnd tie con-
sDirutOrs brought to Grief.

lapscd and the property had been turned over
to be managed by a" receiver A few days
later another special" from the same region
announced that the order appointing receiver
for said road he'd been temporarily" (sic y
revoked, and that meantime the company
would he allowed to manage Its own
property.
| Now as the principal stockholders and
managers of the road in question are resi-.
dents of this county, including such men as
Col. Col. Cushman, the heirs of David Strawn,
and Col. Shumway, the announcement in :he
Chicago papers naturally excited considerable
inquiry here, to satisfy which we made Il our
business 10 find out how much these reports
amounted to.
The exact facts, as we find them on inquiry,
reveal one Of the most mpudent attempts at
grand larceny on record. The Chicago and
Paducah Railroad, it may be necessary to
premise, is the outwrowth of a consolidation
of the charters of the Fairbury, Pontiac and
Northwestern Railway and the Blooming
ton and Ohio River River railroad" Before
the consolidation, scurvy pollution OF
Efingham county, named Chas. Noris but
more Familiarity known as the stall Stallion
of the Okaw,' held some honorary position
in the b. g. o. II. X. r., and in consideration
of his sinecure duties. appropriated to himself
two shares of the stock of the company, nom.
inally worth 500 each, but in fact worth
about $40 each.
After the consolidation, the old organza
ton was abandoned, and new one formed
under the name of the Chicago and Paducah
Railroad. The new company consisted of
F. f. Hinkley, of Chicago, p. b. Shumway,
of Evanston; Ralph Plumb, of Streator; and
| w. Ii W. Cushman and David Strawn, of
Ottawa. These gentlemen then became and
arc still the sole stockholders and owners of
the road OF course they had no further use
for sinecurcs and dead beats like the afore.
said Chas Voris, and he was left out in the
cold Naturally the "tall Stallion" &c, was
not pleased with the arrangement, and ever
since has maintained an equivocal attitude
towards the company, sometimes fawning
around for favors and at other times making
boisterous threats Of what he would do, sc.
Latterly, however, as the company has steadi.
ly resisted all his attempts to levy black
mail he vowed vengence, dire and mysteri-
Gus; but as he was generally regarded as a
man of little character or consequence, no at.
tention was paid to his rawlings.
The sequel Will show, however, that along
with his unbounded impudencc and wonder.
full capacity to place himself outside of amaz.
ing qualities of corn,juice, he possesses a
good deal of low cunning and shrewdness
Profiting by such shyster aid and advice rs is
always available In like cases, the plan he ma
tured " to get even with the company" was
like this: He held two shares of stock in the
defunct b. & o. II. II. r. This made him
constructively a stakeholder in the Chicago
& Paducah X. r., by the consolidation He
fore an aggrieved party--in point of fact, was
being daily and hourly swIndled by the
managers of the aforesaid blarsed monopoly!
He would commence legal proceedings
hands of a receiver, and, by thunder! Charles
Voris should be that receiver. But while
Chas. Voris, as a stakeholder, could make the
complaint, it wouldn't look exactly right To
appoint the complainant receiver. The little
difficulty was bridged over by Noris selling
his Two shares Of stock tor $40 to one w W.
Whitney, of Neoga, a tool and sort of bust
ness partner of Noris, and Whtney thereupon
became the complainant Some legal lumi.
nary of the vicinity was hired and the com
plant or petition drawn up in due form
Ii charged the officers of the road with gross
Encouragement; with wrongly appropri-
ating the earnings to their own use, &c,
windingup with a prayer that the court
" therefore" place the road and all its appur.
tenances in the hands OF Il receiver, and nam.
ing the Honorable Charles Noris" as a
proper person to be appointed such receiv.
cr! The petition was prepared with the ut |
most secresy and presented To Judge J. c. |
Allen, Ofthe Fayette Circuit Court, out of
Court hours, in the night The Judge having |
been elected as an "anti monopolist.' and be |
lpg a demagogue by nature. was strongly pre-. !
in favor of the petition; if not indeed I
"A party to tie plot; but ON carefully persuing |
it, told Noris and his drunken attorney that
he dare not risk the order on so thin docu. /
menI; but Is Douglas township In which .
Eningham is situatcdl had issued $4,000 /
in bonds TO the old Il. ~ O. r. road. it was |
agreed 10 make sad township, without the !
or consent OF any OF it, officers or !
party To the petition; and thus
amended, Judge Allen granted The order as
asked, except that knowing all about Charley
Voris, be lacked the cheek to place him in So
position a receiver directly,
and named one Van Nalkenburg, an obscure
station agent on the -. l. n 7. II. road as the
receiver with Noris rs his assistant All his.
l- We have said was done in profound secro-
I