The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-18
Unsuccessful Attempt to Resist Service of Lee
gal Papers-Illegal Scheme Beaten by Gen.
Sickles and Three Hundred Policemen.
Perplexities of Society Organized for
the Promotion of Social Purity.
Rumors Of Wholesale and fragrant immoral
ity Found Untrue-A Halt In the Collec-
ton of Funds for Grants Monument.
JAY GOULD AND THE ERIE.


Desperate Expedient to Which the Spectator
Resorted Fourteen Years Ago.
Special TO the INDIANAPOLIS Journai.
NEW YORK, April 1.-THE proofshest Of q
circular will be submitted to the Central Labor
Unions regular Sunday meeting to morrow
with view Of having it multiplied under official
sanction for wide distribution. 1t is understood
TO be the composition of A. j. Blissert, local
labor leader, and there is little doubt that will
be promulgated 1t calls on the public to boy
colt all the Gould enterprises, in accordance with
the resolutions already adopted by the Central
Union; but its novelty consists in appealing to
owners of capital to join in the movement with
wage-workers on the ground that Gould has al
ways been an enemy of law and order. It quotes
his language condemnatory of the mob violence
in the West, and construes it as a sef-arraign-
ment AS proof of this charge an account is
given of the wrestling of the Erie railroad prop
erty from Gould by the riehtful proprietors, in
1872 The paragraph with the point in it is as
follows:
'Jay Gould was in illegal and forcible poses
sion of the Erie road and the shareholders had
endeavored in vain through the courts to gain
their simple rights. In partnership with Jim
Fisk, he had commanded the services of such
corrupt judges as Barnard, McCunn and Cardozo,
and the support of the Tweed ring: but just at
this time the three judges were unbenched, Fisk
had been killed by Stokes, and the Tweed ring
was broken. The defrauded stockholders deemed
1t an opportune time to assert their rights, and
they undertook to do so, but Jay Gould. the man
who now deplores mob violence and condemns
defiance Of properly constituted authorities,
attempted to defeat justice and law by employ
ing mob Of the worst cut threats and bullies
TO be collected In the city of New York. With
these scoundrels he for time defed the law,
held possession of properly belonging to others,
and was finally ousted only by the generalship
of Daniel e. Sickles Jay Gould is not the man
to pirate about the wickedness of mob law"
The events thus recalled occurred on March
ii, 1872. A large proportion of Erie stock was
held by English capitalists who had been able
TO get no returns from the Fisk Gould manage
ment They were known as the McHenry party,
and they had tried persstently through the New
York courts to GUST the two men who had seized
the property; but the infamous Judge Barnard
had invariably defeated them by issuing injunc-
tions. On one occasion he opened court in the
parlor of Josie Mansfield, the mistress of Fisk,
and he committed series of judicial outrages
chat resulted in his disgrace. General Sckles
was then the United States minister to Spain.
Abroad he met some of the aggrieved share
holders, and. in conversation with them, declared
that a successful move could be made against
Could under the altered circumstances of Fisk's
death and the Tweed downfall. They wished
him to undertake 1t. He agreed to take the job
at $25 900 in advance, and 800, 600 more when it
should be successful. The bargain was
made on those terms, and Hamilton Fish,
then Secretary of State, granted Sickles
leave Of absence for three months. The plan
was to make great ado of attacking Gould in
the courts and the Legislature, and thus divert
his attention from the point Of real assault,
which in the directory of the company.
Sickles knew that a majority of the directors
would turn against Gould as as thcy be-
came convinced of safety in doing so. Secretly
they were convinced of the right and feasibility
Of putting the McHenry party in possession. On
the morning of March IL the mine was sprung.
Gould was to be deposed at meeting of the d.
fectors. He got news of the intention early, and
matter referred to in the labor union circular
took place amidst much excitement The Offices
of the company were in the Grand Opera house
building, and Gould resolved to keep out the
enemy by force. They included such men as
John A. Dix, William r. Travers, S. L. NJ. Bar
low and Gen. George B. Mcclellan, all led by
Sickles, and justified by an order of the Supreme
Court. Gould hastily sent to Tom Lynch,
keeper of an oyster saloon on the wharfs, and
within two hours Lynch arrival with
awo hundred roughs It subsequently,
transpired that this force had been
organized for months. It consisted of
the toughest men to be enlisted, and they had
been placed on the Erie pay-rolls at $40 month,
with no duties except to hold themselves in read
iness for ar instant call to do some fighting under
Lynch's orders. They were massed in the vesti-
pules and corridors of the Grand Opera house
before the stockholders representatives arrived,
and they refused to let anybody enter. Gould
barricaded himself in an inner room, in order
that no legal paper could be served on him. The
directors were met on attempting to go in, by
the two hundred roughs. The police were then
under Superintendent Kelso who had been
seryitor Of the Tweed ring, but now he deemed it
best to 60 with the new current. and he sent
three hundred policemen to the scene of the
rioting Goulds mob quailed before his force,
and declined to fight Sickles captured the
premises, broke in the door of Goulds room with
. crowbar. and served writ of ejectment on
Gould Beside losing the management Of Erie,
Gould was, by court processes, forced to give up
property worth 49, O0O 900 that he had personally
acquired Sickles got his $l25, 900, and by invest
ing it remuneratively Is now possessed of full
half a million.
THE NEANISkOI.
Perpiexities of an Organization for Promo
ton of Social Purity.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
NEW YORK. April 1.-THE Neaniskoi is an
association Of young men for the promotion and