Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-10-24
One of the Many Roles
Played by Governor
Foraker.
] Pull History Of the EefariouS Black Dia.
mond Railroad Scheme Other Shady
Transactions in Which Foraker and
Ills Associate, Colonel Boone,
Have Been Interested.
TFrom the Cleveland Plaindealer. !

Governor Foraker is an exceedingly
thrifty gentleman if his connection
with a remarkable series of wildcat
speculations recounted to Plain Dealer
representative yesterday can be estab-
lished, and there are thousands of citi-
zens scattered over Ohio who can bear
corroborative evidence as to the truth
OF the charges. They indicate that
Joseph Benson Foraker has lent himself
in his official capacity as Governor Of
Ohio to schemes so fantastic that they
would have done credit to Colonel Null
berry Sellers, and in their prosecution
have rivaled in financial ingenuity any
of the daring feats performed by Henry
s. Ives, the erstwhile Napoleon of FL
nance, now an inmate of the Ludlow
street Jail, New York city, awaiting a
new trial for alleged fraudulent issue of
stock of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and
Dayton railroad.
In 1884 there appeared at GAINESVILLE,
o.. a man named Colonel Albert E.
Boone, who two years before had figured
,conspicuously as one Of the leaders in
the famous star route postal frauds
which cost the Government many hun
dteds of thousands of dollars. Boone
was an adventurer and had nothing to
recommend him to public consideration
except good personal presence, rather
naloderous history and a very smooth,
oily tongue. His wits were his means of
support and he immediately set himself
10 work to tohypothecate promise for cash.
he made few preliminary experiments
on the people Of the Muskingum valley.
He represented himself as something Of
. financial magnate and proposed to
build railroad from GAINESVILLE down
the Muskingum to Marietta. The prime
requisite in such an undertaking was to
secure right Of way. He went over the
aine OF the projected road, literally daz-
cling the farmers with extravagant
promises and glowing pictures of the
prosperity of the Muskingum valley,
t"when the road was built" He was
looked upon as a second Moses who was
to open up to them the promised land.
He guaranteed each individual farmer a
railroad station as location for a town
site and exacted "only" in return the
11knU VA way JuLOukA sAO 1d1lhs AO
farmers took the bait and on his per-
sonal guarantee the right of way
through most of the valley was
signed over to him. When he ran up
against an obstinate fellow who de-
manded quid pro quo for the coveted
right Of way, Boone captured 1t under a
pFpmise to pay stipulated price. AS
soon as Boone had secured the right of
way he opened negotiations with eastern
capitalists and finally succeeded in
palming it of, promises, guarantees and
all, on G. A. Parker, of Boston.
This was only flyer, but having sue
ceeded Colonel Boone resolved to spread
6ut an experiment on grander scale.
But to do so it was essential that he
should have the support of some one of
prominence and influence who could
create stability and inspire confidence
In those who were to furnish the money.
He decided upon Judge Foraker, who in
the meantime had been elected Cover.
Nor. Boone had several consultations
with Foraker which resulted in bar.
gain by which, 1t is said, Foraker was
to receive $40O per month as general
counsel, and good share of the profits.
If Governor Foraker were the upright
man he assumed to be, this Foraker.
Boone coalition was what John Ran
dolph Of Roanoke would have denomi.
mated, had he been alive,''a combination
of the puritan and the blackleg." If he
were not comment Is unnecessary.
After forming the alliance Boone or.
ganized, on paper, four new railroads,
the GAINESVILLE, Mt. Vernon & Marion,
the Painesville, Wooster & Ohio" the
GAINESVILLE, Beverly & Parkersburg, and
the GAINESVILLE, Wheeling & Pittsburgh,
which were to constitute the ''Black
Diamond" system. The roads were duly
incorporated, organized and directors
elected in each county through which
branches of the system were to pass.
Colonel Boone elected himself presi-
dent, and Joseph B. Foraker, Governor
of Ohio at the time, he designated by
the euphonious and high sounding title
'fchief counsel for the s system." Colonel
Boone, equipped with drawings and
,plats, ETC., began his campaign of bunko
along the many hundreds of miles
through which the roads of the system
we're to pass. His modus operandi was
to float what he termed promoters
stock to pay for the surveys and prelim.
.inary work for tho purpose of making
presentation to eastern capitalists, who,
he affirmed, were literally aching to put
their money into the venture. The pro.
moters' stock was to be redeemed "when
the roads was built" with double the
amount in the common stock of the
road, or the stock was to be redeemed al
par with interest. Governor Foraker
Iytas always pointed to by Boone as one
of the leading spirits in the system as
well as its legal counsel and as guar.
,antee that the company was acting in
good faith. The company" by such
representations secured the right of way
for hundreds of miles of road and col
,1ected on promoters stock, my infor.
mant tells me, about $500 per mile from