The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-09-26

In reference to the Green Cove Spring and
Melrose Railroad muddle the Spring OF tue 9th
instant has the following explanation: - The
Chester Construction Company of New Jersey
have the contract for The building Of the Green
Cove Spring aud Merose Railway For some
reason TO us unknown, they have failed to pay
their suh-contractors for The work done and for
which the money was, according to the terms of
the contract, due some time since. They claim
as their excuse for this detacaton that they had
been shown a contract for the sale of all lands
owned by the State of Florida to the jacksonville,
Pensacola and Mobile Railroad That this con-
tract seems TO be properly executed that it bears
the seal of the State of Florida; that on the back
of the c'lntract there is an ackno wledgment of
the receipt of $4,000; that so long as this con-
tract exists The title of lands donated nv the
State TO the Green Cove Spring and Merose
Railway is valueleSs and to conclude, they can't
pay until this matter is cleared up; and further
as soon as it is cleared the money is ready, not
only to pay up claims, but also to 60 on at once
with the road. This is all that we have been
able To learn far about our railroad middle
Reference is no doubt here made to a
fraudulent transaction between majority
of the Board of Trustees in 1871 and
Iittlefeld as President Of the J =. & NJ.
r. X. Co., by which they agreed to sell
to him all ofthe lands held By them IN
trust, or which might thereafter be pat
ented to the State under the swamp land
act, including Of course the unsold inter
nal Improvement lands which were granted
to the State on her admission into the
Union, excepting from the sale only the
lands decided to Gleason and those en-
braced in the charter of the swindling
Aquatic and Tropical Plant Propaga-
ting Company which covered the whole
of Dade county and nearly all of Monroe
On his part Littlefeld covenanted and
agreed y to discharge the liabilities
against the Internal Improvement Fund,
then amounting perhaps to 100000, and
to pay in addition the sum of 800, 900
for 6 the benefit of the Internal Improve
ment Fund" and further agreed to COM
plete line of railroad from Quincy "tO
Mobile, ALd6aaa."
In November, 1877, the FLoRIpIAN had
occasion to refer to this transaction and
we quote what was then said
We have called this the crowning act Of
fraud" We doubt if its parallel can be found
under carpet bag rule in any other State At
the time this most extraordinary sale was made
MAY, 1871 } there was held in trust by the Trus-
tees some 100000 acreas of land which had
been patented and since then there have been
swamp land selections made amounting to OOO-
600 more, nearly one million acres of which
were recently patented 10 the State All this
magnificent domain was sold to Liltleield,
slimed all over as the Trustees well knew he was
with fraud in the issue of the four millions of
State bonds which were subsequently pronounced
worthless by the Supreme Court, and which de-
cision saved the people of Florida from utter f.
nancia ruin while it at the same time DESTROYED
certain pundering schemes concocted by a ring
OF Republicans who sought TO prevent the de-
cision. Thus we have some IA 900 600 acres of
land decided and agreed To be decided to two men,
viz w. H. Gleason and NJ. s. Littlefrld, giving
TO them and their associates all of the puplc do
main OF the State and constituting them the
greatest landowners in the world, and placing
in the hands of these swindlers the future pros
peTiiy of Florida for all time TO come We call
the attention of our esteemed Tampa cutempo-
nary to this transaction, which is matter OF rec
ord in the U. g. Circuit Court at jacksonville in
connection with Reeds pretended anxiety for the
preservation of the public domain from land
monopolists" and his pretended desire for The
completion Of The railroad to Tampa" In the
sale to Altledeld The only stipulation was that
the J. r. q n. Road should be extended from
Quincy ito Mobile. Alabama. "-uo,hing is said
about any other road either In South or East