, 1888-04-15
CENTRAL WYOMING.
Pulling Strings for the County Seat
of Converse.
The Region in the Hands of a
Grasping Monopoly.
G%lenrOck's Coal Mine Shut Down,
and Other Topics.
Special Correspondence of The Leader.

d county seaG Is tue all absorbing question
in this section at present. Lusk, Douglas
and Glenrock are all aspirants. Douglas
claims a preference right by reason of be-
ing situated near the geographical center,
while Lusk and Glenrock claim other ad-
vantages that overbalance location. At
present the contest seems to be between
Douglas, supported by Manville, on one
side, and Lusk and Glenrock pooling is
sues against Douglas, on the other side.
There appears to be an alliance between
Lusk and Glenrock to beat Douglas at all
events, but whether the arrangement is
for Lusk to support Glenrock, or rice
rerSd, | am not advised.
TIE PROBABLE ACTION
Of certain railroad companies is again an
important problem which our people are
trying to solve. The Northwestern has
admirably succeeded in making itself I'M
popular and obnoxious in this section. Its
action in booming the prospective town of
Douglas, selling $50, 900 worth of lots,
and then not only leaving its investors to
shift for themselves, but actually discrim-
mating against the town and using special
efforts to iniure it and depreciate the
property it had sold at fabulous prices,
has engendered a very bitter public
feeling against that grasping corporation.
This company also exhibited its rule or
ruin proclivities and policy at Glenrock.
The Deer Greek Coal company secured
land for a town site adjacent to its mine,
and supposing it had completed negotia-
tons with the railroad company to C
a depot and other necessary railroad ap,
~purtenances in exchange for a half inter
est in the proposed town, plated the
present town Of Glenrock and placed lots
the market. After many
LOTS BEEN PURCHASED
and the people of the old or temporary
town had moved to the new, what was
the surprise and indignation of all con.
cerned when one day the railroad COM
pany sent its surveyor up the line and
plated a town a half or three fourths of a
mile further west, where it built its depot,
putting the people to as much trouble
and inconvenience as possible. But the
attempt to bulldoze the people into NOV
ing to the railroad town site failed. Then
lots were offered free to certain business
men to locate there. That scheme
failed. But the action of the company
checked the Glenrock boom and brought
the growth OF the town to a standstill.
Its people don't know what to do. They
arc afraid to build or invest in either
town. Now the Northwestern is prepar-
ing to extend its line westward, and is be-
ginning to boom a prospective town in the
oil country, which it proposes to make
the city of Wyoming and the future CAPT.
tai. 1t is to be a repetition of the Douglas
operation. 1t would seem that it would
be impossible for this company to again
swindle the people as it has done in num-
erous towns along its line, but the world
is full of suckers yet, and already they are
beginning to
POUR IN FROM HI EAST,
bound for the "big city in the oil fields"
allured thither by the glittoring but falla-
clous representations of the Northwestern
Railway company in its circulars which it
is scattering broadcast. 1t is the exper-
ience OF the people generally in central
Wyoming that it is safe and advisable to
decline any proposition and shun any
scheme made or proposed by this com
pany.
The people of Douglas and all points in
this section will hail with delight the ad.
vent of the Cheyenne & Northern, the
Burlington & Missouri, or any competing
line that will relieve them from the grasp
of the Northwestern.
Some four weeks since Charles Peter
son, NJ. NJ. and A. G. Neeves, of Ogal-
ALA, Neb., and Frank McWilliams, of
Julesburg, Colorado, visited this section,
pretending to be here in the interest of
the B. & M. r. r. Co. They surveyed
and plated a townsite on what is known
as the Goose Egg Ranch" 4O4 miles
OF Glenrock. This ranch was the
property of j. NJ. Carey, and the report
was given out and circulated that the B.
Il M. had paid Mr.. Carey $4,000 for the
property, but it now appears hat the en-
terprise is
pIrRFTY A ONE
on the part of Peterson and his associates,
and that they actually paid $4,000 for the
property. At any rate, a town has been
there and named "Bismuth." 1t
is located on the north side of the North
Platte river, at the confluence of that
stream and Poison Spider creek. 1t is
expected that the B. & M. coming up
North Laramie and crossing westward
past the Twenty-Five mile ranch across
plains, turning north through
Bates Hole will cross the range through
The pass south Of the Goose Egg ranch
form a junction with the Northwest