The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-04-16
osterberg the Robber ard Thief.

s~ANsA
A few days ago we received copy Of
the Frankfort Zeitung, of March 18th,
containing inits commercial department an
article Of some two columns in relation to
Osterberg and the Rockford road. A
gentleman in Frankfort also wrote us as
follows:
Have the Rockford article carefully
translated; 1t IS gerry rich and pays you land
your friends for all the trouble you had
and publish the whole article,
We handed the paper to Mr.. Winter,
editor of the Rock Island NWe Volks- lei
tunq, for, a translation, but in the meantime
the Chicago Tribune brought us synopsis
of the article which Mr.. Winter says con-
tains the gist of it with no i'm.
portant point omitted, therefore we use
the Tribune synopsis, which will be found
in this paper.
The Tribune translation says Mr.. Harris
paid Osterberg $4,000. This is mistake
Mr.. Harris paid him Lothing. He deman-
ded $4,000 of Harris or he would break
up the trade. He was told to enquire Of
the committee at Frankfort, and that
closed his mouth. He then drew $l5,-
600 from the funds of the road, in
this city and Chicago all there was
on hand-and left town and has never
shown his face here since.
Of course any one who knows the little
swindler and thief will be sorry that he
has made a cent out of the Rockford
road, but we have not much pity for those
bondholders he represented. Out OF
So, 100000 of bonds he represented less
than $4,OO0,OO0. The remainder were sat
isfied and knew that his game was plum
der. The bondho!ders were told this over
and over again by circulars and advertise
ments in the German papers but they let
him go ahead with the foreclosure, he al!
the while hoodwinking them with false
reports. This was especially the case
when he got possession of the road With
the men he had around him here he could
get any report certified to. Those who were
not absolutely his OlCn men were fddling
on two strings SO that they could be with
which ever party came uppermost in a
new deal.
The bondholders were told by this Chat.
ham street cheap clothing man that Mr..
Gable was "a railroad shark, and that he
| (Osterberg, the deegate,) was the only
man to recover the road and run it to theil
advantage. Even when it was shown tina,
be had taken $4,000 to lend to his broth
in-law, little shirt maker, ("6ecduSe hert
eoere no banks an. Rock Island" as he said.
even then the Frankfort Committee he.C
on TO him and told the bondholders that ht
was a good man.
We are really sorry for those bond hold
ers who were forced to lose their property
against their will and better judgment, bu
we are surprised that those bondholder:
ne did represent should DOW dispute hi
bill of expenses. He did just what BIZ
said he would do, and they helped him d.
it. Had they confded in the upright agen
| (Mr. Joseph GaskeiD whom Mr.. Cablt
sent to Frankfort to represent him, ant
not disturbed him in the management
they would now own property wortl
$5,000,000 in the Frightening future o
railroad interests in this country. Blu
they trusted thief aud have lost nearl
every cent They went in with their eye
wide open and now they see that all til
warnings given them were true, and that
instead of having property realizin
something they have to pay big bill G
expenses to a well known adventurer
/ swinder and thief-and they squeal
s Serves them right.
I Wonder how the Jumping Jack
(''the straw men, as the Frankfort pape
. designates them) who went on his S
D Louis excursion and got up that service {
e silver, feel about this time? If they ha
/. taken the advice of THE ARGUS the
, would have saved their credit, at least.