Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-08-18

of such bQnQsS AIlvw tnaT
such s-Fete-e e5Sld not be obtained He
therefore managed to have an act passed
by the Legislature .gpermitting an express
sion of the wish of the people by aeknowl-
63gments instead of at the ballOt-box. "
When this was accomplished, the shrewd
lawyer and his brother captured their
naighbors of New Lebanon on the follow
ing plan:
Aeaampanied by an officer empowered to
take Acknowledgements, the Tildens in
their earEisAe, visited every landowner in
the town. aud Ssked them to give their per-
mission to the lbSlding. The prospects of
the road were painted in glowing eOlors
facts and figures We're given to show the
probable returns, and every one was as
sured that be would be iadeDpifed against
any and all taxation arising ont of the
construction of the road. The fSrmerS
were told that the interest on the ,railrsad
bonds which the town would receive would
pay the interest on the town bonds, and so,
ringing all the changes, the tempters de-
luded some into giving their consent. Some
they whipped in by threats, others had the
thumb-screws put upon them in various
i,ways. and the acknowledgements were col
llIected. Some who had seen the confidence
,Esan operate, and were wary Of landsharks
II inShigh places, demanded guarantees that
H Ithey Eould be indemnited against any or
4 all taxes arising out of the proceeding.
To these On indemnify bond was given,
signed: byttR9 Tildens, but no eOnsidera-
dion was passes and the cOnfiding tiller Of
ftbe soil has, in sll the succeeding years,
sean the .;swof gappt and hungry at his
dGars, and has beer, tod that his indemni-
ty,kand-the written giiSTantee OF the rail-
road sharperS-was WoFthlsSS. Michael
FarrsY. Richard O'Brien, TimO4hy Coffee,
Egbert Webster, HoratiO Hand, Hiram
Gibson, Eussel Wickham, and Others, to
the number of over half hundred, hold
these fraudplent papers, drawn with intent
to deceive, ,aRd absolutely worthless. One
man only-K Washington HitehcOek-was
shrexd eno1ghIto insist on passing twenty
dollars as the eSGsideratiOn Of the bond
and HE has been iDSsmniied yearly.
After the passage e the tOwn-bonding
act, Mr.. Tilden procuhst the appointment
of his .hrether, Moses Y. ESlden, and two
others, ,as railroad commissioners for the
town of New Lebanon. One u khe gentle
men appointed refused to Get. and TIE 9TH
er conld not give the required bond, So thst
Moses Tlden became, and has continued
to be the sole .eSent and representative OF
the railroad eOIaE issioners Of the town,
practically the road has been in the
hands OF the TlluPnE ever since, or 9h'll y
was swallowed up by some larger nSn, anu y-.
some oBe of the TiLdeBS has DeeII iI5.l, sli9SI3
for either as daFector or EreSiuene
OF it. The road has gone ASrough all the
of fortune, andiqllS.Se Is hotnlIS
certain about it to the faFmersgs New LED
anon. but the annual tax 70 pay the lller-
est on the town bonds. TpiS fails DIE IN
January. and although the amount Is qua
over to the Tilden Railroad Commissienet.S
nj that time, it has not at any period in +,
wears reached the holders of the town |
bonds until many months thereafter, and I
then only when the town and the Commits /
sionerS have been threatened with prosecu- /
tion. The Town of New Lebanon was
bonded in the sum of 800, 900, being one |
ffth Of its entire valuation. The act pros
vided that the Commissioners should re- |
port to the Town Board at the spring audit |
ng what disposition had been made OF |
.he moneys paid over TO them by the town 1
officers as interest on the town bonds. /
These commissioners, Of whom one Of the
Fildens Is the sole representative, hsfe
held Office about ten years, and in 81 7,li 1nae
lme have never made Tepost, ,ToHas
Board OF Commissioners of "noLu -.-I.
Y. Tilden was the only one hctihS' tOOS
charge OF the S100, 600 worth o5 LeIlEJa1 ,Iss
non in exchange for town bonds; Instead
y ~ HseI. tbey we're sent up to New York
NJ ,a5 rIooe5 in the care OF the railroad law
~ ,,n,. samuel J, Tilden, for safe Cd keeping.
when the part Of the road passing
through the State Of New York was
soId and bid in BY Duncan, ShBrman