The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-13
THE HOOKING VALLEY MATTER.
Lieutenant-Governor Ames Says Mr.. Blaine
Told the Exact Truth.

Lieutenant Governor Ames Says Mr. Blaine
Told the Exact Truth.
Boston Special.
Lieutenant governor Ames, in explanation of
the Union Pacific and Hooking valley stories,
says:
In the fall of 1880 Mr. J. Henry Brooks, of
Boston. came around and wanted me TO subscribe
to the Hope Furnace syndicate for block of
$25, COO. He brought with him statement of T.
Sterry Hunt, the geologist showing that the
lands were full of minerals-coa and iron. Mr.
Baines name was down Cor a block of $25, 900,
and / talked the matter over with Fred and
Cakes, and we agreed, matter Of friendship
for Brooks. to take block, though we didn't care
for il. The interest was to start on the LIST of
November and when paid in the S21, 900 had
to pay some interest. Now. Mr. Blaine was i'll
exactly the same situation as myself His name
was down for a whole block of $4,000, and SO
was mine; but. as say, l only took third OF 1t,
Just as Mr. Blaine only took half of it. The
whole subscription was not taken up and don't
think IL ever was taken up.
In 1881 Mr., Brooks came to me with a great
scheme for consolidating this Hope Furnace
tract with a Tote of furDaces-the Brookdale and
a number OF others-and call it the Standard
Coal & Iron Company Well, that consonda
ton did not 90 through 1t was going to start
early in the year at first, then it was to start the
list of May. then the LIST of June and then the
LIST of July, and so on, but it did not go. In the
fall of 1889 he came around and offered me fifty
bonds of the Standard Coal d Iron Company in
lieu of my subscription, and said all the others
had taken them, so | consented TO take them.
That is Just where Blaine stood exactly Now,
you can see that there no time at which the
Hope FurnaDce Tract Association owned land.
We paid in money and took receipt OF Denlson.
The syndicate never was made up. Consequently,
as every business man will understand, we never
owned anything except the receipts for our
money; so that when Mr. Blaine says that he
never owned any lands in the Hooking valley he
tells the exact truth
Some time in 1882 Mr. Brooks came and de
ivered me two dollars in bonds for every dollar
! paid in. They were bonds of the Standard
Coal Il Iron Company and those bonds proved
TO be worthless so that all Mr.. Blaine has to
show for his money in this enterprise Is a lot OF
worthless bonds These bonds purported to be
first mortgage bonds on the property, and it
afterward appeared that there were prior mort
cages and never were Cancelled, so that these
bonds delivered to us not really first mort
gage bonds at all. I could not borrow $40 bond
on them as collateral 1t is perfectly certain
that Mr. Blaine never owned an acre of land i'll
the Hooking valley, or any interest in any coal
or iron company, by virtue of his ownership of
these bonds In short, it was another instance
in which Nh. Blaine was like the man who Jour
neyed from Jerusalem into Jericho and fell
among thieves and got stripped.
''What about the Union Pacific stockr Mr.,
.Ames was asked.
81 say without hesitation he replied, "that in
that matter also, Mr. Blaine told the exact truth
when he said he did not own any Union Pacific
railroad stock. The fact that he owned six
Union Pacific bonds gave him no interest in the
Union Pacific Railroad Company. He simply
held note of the road, secured by mortgage.
might own bond or note of corporation but
that would not give me any interest in the stock
of the corporation That is the explanation of
that Mr.. Blaine did not lie in either of these
instances. He said his actual interest was but
$40. 500, and that was so. He said that he never
owned any coal or iron lands in the Hooking
H. Il
and that was exactly So too He said that he
never owned any Union Pacific railroad stock,
and he never did. That was absolutely true
also Mr. Blaine has not lied. The fact is that
the men who say Mr. Blaine lies are lying them
selves and fear most of them are doing it will
fully