Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-07-13
SLIPPERY SAM
He Sells His Name fOI
Greenbacks!
A History of His Trusteeship o
fhe Indiana Southern IL. X.
How He Betrayed His Trust and
Joined Hands with Its Enemies.

JOIneQ H0ROS Will kts Enemies.
Tilden's Ationey, i'm Hts Interest
Corrupts a Judge.
A Leading Democratic Pape
Tells Of the Corruption of the
Democratic Candidate for
the Presidency.
Cincinnati Enouirer.l
In the glare of the calcium light o
impartial investigation the hoof print
of Samuel j. Tilden are found in sucl
devio1s and serpentine paths as wert
never trodden by the foot of reformer
We have been led TO this conclusion o
late by the exposure of incidents in the
career of the favOrite son OF York which
have come to the light of day, and the
story we are about to relate more thar
confirms it. The facts in the case have
been carefully collated bys representa-
tive of the Enquirer, sent to Indians
for that spacial purpose, and they will
be found to be backed up by documen.
tary evidence of a most corroborative
character.
THE STORY OF RAILWAY.
In 1S49, the Legislature of Indiana,
by special act, chartered the Fort
Wayne and Southern Railway com pa.
ny, road designed to rum between
Fort Wayne and Jacksonville, Ind.
1t was also designed to extend the road
into Louisville, by means of a tunnel
under the Ohio river, and a charter for
that purpose was obtained from the
Legislature OF Kentucky. A specal
clause in this charter from the State of
Indiana permitted stock subscriptions
to it to be paid in real estate, and the
farmers of Allen, Wells, Blackford,
Delaware, Henry, Rush, Decatur, Jen-
nings, Jefferson, Scott and Clark couu-
ties, under this provision, took stock in
the road to the amount of a third of a
million dollars. The land thus SUBJ
scribed was conveyed in trust to Hon.
John ID. Defrees to be by him held for
the benefit and security of the original
bondholders. In 1853 work was COM
menced on the road and the hearts of
the farmers beat high in the anticipa-
tion of the time when the iron horse
would go snorting by ther doors. The
work of negotiating the bonds was a
slow one, and the trustees of the road
found a friend in the person of John C.
Parker, who assisted them with loans
and also indorsed their paper. In 1866
Mr.. Parker was elected President of
the road, much against his will, and he
at once set about raising the means to
view he visited the East and made an
with well-known New
York Custom House broker named
Herman Livingstone, who took Sc, I30,-
900 of the company's bonds to Europe,
TO endeavor to raise the means on them
to purchase rails to iron the road. In
Livingstone met q certain |
VIM. Racster Wagstaff, who had been
q banker in England, and who was
to him to be immensely
and well versed in railroads
he having been concerned with Sir
Morton Peto in several of his specula-
lions. Livingstone and Wagstaff made
a contract, by which the latter sgreed
10 come to this country, to bring q civil
engineer with him, and assess the value
Of the work on the bed of the road al
ready made, and then, If all was satis-
factory, to complete the road. Mr.. Bolt,
he President of the Liverpool, London
md Globe Insurance company, of Eng
and, furnished Wagstaff with an order
IN the branch Office of his company in
New York for $75, 900, and soon after
Mr.. Wagstaff, accompanied by a pri-
vate secretary and civil engineer,
arrived in the Empire City.
HONoRs TO wAGsTAFF.
On his arrival in this country he was
feted by Mr.. Pell, the American mana.
,er of the Liverpool, Londor and Globe
md all the "nobs" of New York were j
invited to meet him. Prominent /
.mong those who attended was her
3ritanic Majesty's Consul at New York q
nd the Hon. Samuel ]. Tilden. Mr.. !
'arker, who had gone East for that +
special purpose, was also present, and :
net the distinguished Britisher. The r
lay after the fete Mr.. Pell, SO Mr.. Par i
.er says, informed him (Parker) that +
fr. Livingtone was not man of suf- +
cient standing, financially or other q
wise, to be associated in a large enter +
rise like the construction of railroad q
r to be associated with such a gentle i
nan as Mr.. Wagstaff. This information, z
oupled with the fact that Livingstone f
ad not given entire satisfaction to Mr.. n
'arker. and glamor of the tete to Wag- @
aft, blinded Mr.. Parker, and he at 4
nee dismissed Livingstone and made q
fresh contract with Wagstsff without n
ny further inquiry into his financial a
landing. a
A LITTLE sPECK OF TROUBLE. L
Mr.. Wagstaf7s engineer found that f
ne Fort Wayne and Southern road had II
raded its railroad from Fort Wayne al
} Muncie, and from North Vernon to
and be estimated the j.
alue of the work done at about ST. fC
$1,000. This was satisfactory; but ts
pom making an inventory of the bonds So
the company, handed down from z
le original officers of the road, it was u
scovered that one hundred of them tf
ich of the value of $1,000, were miss II
g. In this dilemma it was resolved d.
foreclose the mortgages on the road, al
Id to facilitate matters the company ae
Which was in reality John G. Parker) dl
lied. By the use of little crooked al
wearing an order of Court was obtain sa
in January, 1866, and the road was fu
Id after seven days notice, and said tn
,tice only published In q Louisville OF
per at that. The road was bid in by sa
agstaff's attorney, and in accordance
ith the laws of the State of Indiana a pa
w company, known as the Indiana
uthern Railway company, was FORM /.
, with William Powell, jr., as Presi- L.
Mt, and August Tregent, Secretary, do
d Board OF five Trustees. These ON
n were but fgure-heads for Parker wa
Wagstaff. The effect of the sale was ma
transfer improvements, rights and car
achiseS of the old road to the new. the