Daily Republican., 1881-12-31
Military Governor Of Delaware, but
matters taking change about that
time IL waa not dali uoraJ <o b;,c


matters taking change about til.
G. time 1t was not delivered to him.
ID At the close of the war he turned b
ef attention almost exclusively to raj
"a roading.and in 1866 he came In posse
sion of the Mississippi Central. II
then conceived the idea of running
Of trunk line from New Orleans to Cairo
d Illinois, by securing possession Of th
IL New Orleans; jackson and Grsa
n Northern Railroad which was in ,h
81 possession of General Beauregard q
d confederate notoriety. Mr.. McCom
is quietly bought the stock Of the roa,
II and upon the day of the annual cleo
y ton, presented himself at the meetin
. OF the Old board ofdirectors, which wa
i, held in The Odd Fellows Hall in New
f Orleans. Beauregard and his director,
had heard of the Delewarean's "unpar
: slleled audacity," and determined t.
a outwit him.
a 1t is enough to say that Beauregart
3 was completely oulwltled and spite
fully had Colonel McComb arrested OF
a charge of dsorIerly conduct, but Ii,
r was immediate y discharged.
, This coup d'etat cllnched his enter
= prise, and he At once began to Cperat,
his grand trunk line, which ran d dis
lance o. nearly 600 miles. the colplet,
consolidation being effected Jaly 4
, 1873. In 1870 he bOught 5000 acres
covered with pine timber, and laid out
, acity after the style of the Nc fnern
cities. 1t was at first called Elizabeth
, City, in horror OF hls wife, but tue namt
, was afterwards changed to McComb
City.
1T IS situated on high ground, and is
one of the most desirable locations in
that section of the country, being los
miles from New Orleans. The build
ing of the city wasoperated under sepa-
rate association, kuown al the Mississip-
pi Valley improvement Company, OF
which }. ID. Billings, of this city, was
superintendent, and Walter NJ. Francis,
treasurer. Prominent among the build
ingS erected was the DeSOta House,
which was built at an expense OF $780,.
900. The population of the city, under
the patIonag OF Colonel McCoMb, rap
idly arose to 1000.
II was owing to Col. McComb's efforts
that the famous Credit Moblllier mat
ter was first exposed. On the first day
Of the short session of the Forty third
Congress, in December, 1872, Hon.
James q Blaine, who was tnen Speaker
of the House of representatives, left
the chair in order to Offer resolution
appointing a committee to investigate
Accusations made in the public press,
founded Oh alleged letters of Oakes
Ames, representative from Massachu
setls, and upon the atfidavits of Henry
s. McComb, of Wilmington, Del to the
| effect That mem bers of the House were
bribed by Oakes Ames to perform GER
tain legislative acts for the benefit of
the Union Pacific Railroad Company
by presents of the Credit Mobiler of
America, or by presents Of valuable
character derived therefrom." A com.
mittee of five was appointed, and their
first meeting was held on Decem ber II,
OF 1872. Tue second witness examined
was Colonel McComb, who offered very
direct testimony in regard to the mat.
ter, besides producing an acknowledged
letter from Mr. Ames, date.l January
%, 1868, referring to assignment of
stock which he had given to certain
|
ton of the affair is too Irrelevant to re-
quire review.
Up to the time of his death Col. Nc
Comb remained President of the Mis-
sissippi Il Tennessee Railroad Com
pany. He was well acquainted and
respected by all the leading men Of the
natlon who have figured in national
affairs for the last twenty years. The
history of the manner in which the Bal
timore and Ohio Company opened their
negotiations the second tine for the
purchase of the Delaware Western
Railroad, which project eliminated last
spring, is quite an interesting one. Col
onel McComb, who held majority of
the Delaware Western stock, happen.
ed to be in New York, when Mr.. CoWan,
counsel of the Baltimore and Ohio COM
pany, telegraphed from that city to
Wilmington, requesting that Colonel
McCOmb should go to New York.
Hearing of this Col. McComb signitied
that he was willing to open negotiations
and after a number of conferences the
purchase of the Delaware Western road
was finally made by the Baltimore and
Ohio Company.
Col. McComb was very happy in his
domestic relations, the greatest atfec-
ton existing between himself, wife, son
and daughters-indeed in this respect
it may be said to have been model
family.
Colonel McComb while quite young
man joined Hanover Presby erian
Church and was from the first a con-
sistent member. He withdrew with |
those who organic I'd Central Presby- |
terian Church and was on the building
committee. Here he retained his mem
bership until his death. He was also
until called away from the city, much |
of his time IA Sunday School teacher,
and regularly taught in mission school
in the Western part of the city before
Rodney Street Chapel was built. While
in the city he never failed to regularly |
attend church, and he took an active
part in all church enterprises. Not.
withstanding the business complica-
tons and railroad litigations into which
he was forced and the temptations to
which he was slbjected, he preserved
his christian integrity, and was in ev-
ery sense Of the term, q sincere chris
tianl
Unlike many men reported to be inn
mensely rich, Colonel McComb was
financially solid, and has withstood tho
crash of several panics. When broker.
banker, speculator, merchant and all
went down together in the crash Coz.
McComb never lost dollar of any
money he had earned.
There are various estimates OF his
wealth, ranging from $3,000,00 to So
OOO, 900, the first being probably nearer
the mark. Besides his home posses
sions in the city worth probably $780,
900, he has fine farm at Claymont, one
below New Castle, and marsh farm in
the aggregate worth 100000. !
He has also large possessions Of real
estate I'm Texas, Mississippi, Illinois,
Long Island and New York City and
This does not include his railroad pos
sessions.
Col. McComb leaves wife, one son
md three daughters; James, Ellen,
and Martha. .,,|,
The funeral of COL McCUmb Will