The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-02-14
That Newborn, Atlantic, Midland
MIDDLE.

You recollect that when W. j. Best,
by the aid of Jarvis and Robinson. got
the Special Session called, and the Wes-
tern n. G. X. r. with all of its fran
chises. rolling stock, etc, including
1850 900 of State Stock.-giveu away 10
the III. hmond s. lDanvillc fellows,-the
gay captain with his wh.skers" got
another gay Knight-Errant, the pensive
and poetical Appleton Oaksmith by
name, to join him in a new scheme.
Appleton had obtained one of those
Cros.-Parallel-C Lei rcular-O blique, Cir
cumambulationatory charters which per-
nit the incorporators to go anywhere
and everywhere, and do anything and
everything, except to actually build a
railroad and he and VIM. Jay were
H'l'vef'll'r well metz The Midland
scheme was reduced to paper, and the
Legislator who CHANGED to visit the hos
pitable Headquarters in the National
Hotel cam away full of-well, let US
say enthusiasm, aud so-f,rth!
The Midland organized, leased the 95
miles of ''Mullet" r.. r. from More
head City to Goldsboro.) and soon set
some w~heelbarrows 10 breaking dirt in
the direction of Salisbury,-at which
point the track was bound to be compile
ted by the good year of our Lord, 1888.
The road was built TO Smithield, Is
miles, largely with the money OF private
citizens and the earnings of the New
bern, or ''old portion road. which does
a fine business in the summer season.
Meantime, Oaksmith quarrelled with
Best, and issued several cards denoun-
cling him ~roundly. Then he called a
meeting of stockholders for Feb .. On
that day, his meeting represented 1892
out of the total l.940 shares of stock.
This indicated that Oaksmith has con-
siderable backing. The meeting, how
| ever, decided to adjourn until the 2lst
inst, at which date Mr.. Best had also
called a meeting.
Meantime the Directors o. the .'Mul-
let'' Road, or the old Atlantic ( \.
G.. c. r. R.'-(knOwn as the Whitford-
Jarvis-Clark Directory who recently de-
clared the lease of their road by Best to
have been forfeited by reason of his
open disregard of his obligations, etc.
boya craI for O Racaiyar Tho ,So i
to be heard by Judge Mckoy in Raleigh
to-day. Oaksmith, you remember, got
out an injunction prohibiting Best's
crowd from dispOsing of any of the pro-
| perty of the road, or voting his stock.
| Since then Mr.. Best has gotten an order
from Judge McRae to answer at Fay
etteville, Feb. Is, why thi. Injunction
should not be dissolved. 1t is a curious
muddle all through, Newbern Journal
remarks =
The Directors of the A. 4. n. C..
"have already declared forfeited a lease
that was paying 100000 per year, so
what sense would there be in leasing
''again unless they could find some one
who would agree to pay more' We
think the whole upshot of the matter
twill be that the earnings of the road
''for the next year or two will be spent
lin litigation, and finally it will be sold
land the hard earned money that is be-
ling paid to-day by Craven and Pamlf
''co counties, and that which has been
"paid by Lenoir county, will be gone
1t was a bad day for North Carolina
when the promotion of Gov. Vance sad
died such a man as Jarvis ON the State.
All the Railroad troubles of the past
four years might have been avoided ifan
high-minded, straightforward man had
occupied the Governors chair.