Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-25

Of Embrvo Railroad schemes Under
Their Arms-LookinS for Victims and
shekels
Fr3D, ne Ysss York Star.
Almost any night men OF rural appear
ance can be seen lounging about the spa
cious corridors OF the Windsor MOTEL with
a bundle of paper either under their arm
or protruding from their pockets. They
stroll about the hotel with the appearance
OF persons who are laboring under great
anxiety, and carefully scan the faces OF
the handsemely-dressed gentlemen who
mass TO and fro. When one Of these rural
looking men advances as il to address one
of these gentlemen who have all the ap-
pearance of wealth, nine times out Of ten
The latter, if possible, win beat hasty re-
treat. as If he feared the bundle under the
mans arm contained dynamite. The
chances arc that the man viii pursue the
other, and after having Corncred him,
viii be confronted with the remark:
''My dear sir, you viii have to excuse
me now, for l have not a moment to-
spare
Every cIose-observing visitor to the
Windsor must have noticed this frequent
occurrence and wondered what it meant.
The misunderstanding man with the roll OF
paper at first would be taken for a deputy
3
some unsuspecting millionaire, but the
rural cut Of his clothes would soon dispel
this idea. Then, besides, the average mill
liOnaire has such a contempt for an order
OF court that he would consider it be-
meath his dignity to run away from it.
The visitor is likely 10 conclude that the
Windsor has become a rival of the Morton
house as a theatrical headquarters, and
therefore the bundle which the man car
Ties about must be the manuscript Of an
alleged play which the wOuld-be play
wright is DESTROYS of reading to the richly
attred gentleman who is supposed TO be \
manager.
But such Is not the case. Instead OF a
play the bundle is composed of a diagram
Of a proposed railroad, with estimates of
the cost Of lie construction and so forth.
The man who is in possession OF it Is usu-
ally a country lawyer, with good gift OF
CAB and any amount of assurance, who
halls from the West. fl is the head of a
company that has been organized to build
a railroad. The company has become
short OF funds after having secured "A char
ter aud constructed a mile or two of road
bed, ana work has come to a standstil.
He mas been sent TO New York for the pur-
pose of discovering some capitalist who
is willing to take hold OF it and push it to
completion. He has pictured has task as
an easy one, and suppOses that, because he
Is an important person in his own cOun-
try, his fame has extended to New York,
or that it will as soon as he arrives here.
4ie arrives with the full belief that he will
have no difficulty in meeting any guam
tity OF milliOnaires whose names are IA
nous In the railroad world and that they
viii readily enter into consultation with
him about his road.
Ifitis his first visit to the metropolis, he
probably thinks that all that is necessary
~ "a "a fh4 Cd
kings viii descend from their thrones TO
examine the map showing bis railroad.
He has been told that while these railroad
magnates put ON great airs while travel
ing through the country in their private
palace cars, they are common everyday
people At home and much more easily app
preached. IL takes the rural railrOader
but a short time to discover his error.
But he cannot bring himself to UNDER
stand the haughuness OF the Office boys
when be visits the mIliOnaires' places
Of business Even when he exhibits
his card, giving his little as president of
the Shantit0wn and BAnty City railroad,
Is be treated with common courtesy. To
his surprise nls card is returned to him
with curt reply that the gentleman can't
be seen.
Alter repeating the visit numerous
times the rurallst becomes discouraged
and sees that IL is utterly useless to per
sist further. He realizes how embarrass-
ing II Will be to return to his fellow citi-
zens, who believe him to have influence
even among men Of wealth, and acknOWl-
edge mis- failure. Happily he learns that
the windsor Is resort for capitalists.
and that it Is their wont TO visit the place
every night. Early in the evening. ac-
companied by his bundle of papers, he
finds his way 10 the Windsor. Then he
begins 10 familiarize himself with the
q ka afHaann 80
there. This accomplished, he makes
their acquaintance by means OF a self in
PRODUCTION.
'Ihese wOuld-be railroad builders" said
gentleman connected with the hotel
care terrible nuisance. This system
they have adopted OF dogglng the footsteps
of gentlemen OF Wealta, ia order TO com.
pei them TO listen TO generally impracti
cable schemes, is on tue increase. fear
that after while persons viii take adj
vantage Of 1t, aud set up "a business OF
aiding the man with the scheme to an
preach the capitalist. The means used 10
accomplish this may be Of a still more
disagreeable nature. But see no way OF
stopping IT, ana ] suppose, as 10 is leeit.
mate, no objection should be urged against
IL. However, 10 is very disagreeable for
gentlemen who come here. These fellows
who are trying b raise money for their
roads are just about like the man who has
written lot Of rot which he calls play.
and thinks viii be the biggest hii OF the
season. Some Of these fellows are yery
fresh, and no end Of l0bs are put up on
them. Others are very smart and very
persistent, going 80 far as To almost force
their way into "a gentleman's house. Do
they can but succeed M getting "a few
capitalists Interested in their scheme ana
receive the least particle 81 encourage
ment. they return home and make the fact
Known. By this they gee up an excite
Inent, and boom ln real estate is iuau-
gurated and tae people are induced %
subscribe more money for the road.
ALT bias only been within n short time
that these people have been coming
here acting in this manner. A few wears
ago, when people lu the West wanted
railroads built the counties through
which the road vas 10 traverse bubscflb.
al stock. ln this way sufficient money
wac generally secured tO construct fha
ToadDeo. Then bonds were Issued aGd
purchased hg eastern capittiiais. who
NompIetf0 ihe road. Tile led ~ great
frauds being committed, end b. became
common tllnH f0f rUTfuUt county Officials