Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-10-31
Side Partner, Col. E. A. Boone,
the Railroad Shark
and Schemer.
Text of the Governors Letters OF
.. Endorsement of the
Fraud Taken From the Prospectus
With Those of Cappeller.
A Racy Chapter in the Gigantic Railroad
Swlndle.

The exact relation Governor Foraker
bears to the notorious Black Diamond
railway scheme is plainly shown by the
following letters taken from the pros
pectus of these roads. This prospectus
is a handsomely printed volume ofabout
60 pages, and purports to give the reasons
why capitalists, large and small, can find
no better investment for their money
than Boone's Black Diamond railroad
stock. Among the first evidences OF the
prosperous condition of the company and
the reliability of the managers to which
the prospective investor was pointed, is
the letter on page fouro this prospectus
dated at the Office of the Ohio State Com
missioner of Railroads and Telegraphs
giving an unqualified Endorsement to
Boone's railroad enterprises and signed
by o..
WILLIAM s. CAPPELLER,
The State Commissioner of Railroads,
who lends his official name to bolster up
arailroad scheme, the rottenness of which
is shown on its very face. But Mr.. Cap
peller is in distinguished company, for
on the same page, few lines below,
appears the following: ;..r
II fully concur in all that is said in
the foregoing letter as to the charac-
ter the territory through which said
proposed roads are to pass, and the kind
of business they should command, If
properly constructed, equipped and
operated.
[Signed1 81. B. FORAKER"
This is calculated to inspire conf
dence in the breast Of the would-be pur-
chaser of the stock in these roads but
the following letter, on page 20 and 81
of the prospectus above referred to-
removes any lingering doubt:
GIDEON E. MEIGs" (Mr. Meigs is pres,-
dent of one of the paper roads-the
GAINESVILLE, Mt. Vernon & Marion.
''DEAR SIR: Answering your ques-
tion, state that the organization and
proceedings of the above-named corpor-
alton (the Black Diamond Railway Com
pany,) have been in all respects in ac-
cordance with the provisions of the
laws Of Ohio, and are in all respects val
id. have had personal supervision of
the business of the company since July,
1886, and have carefully examined and
familiarized myself with all that was
done prior to that date. Very respect
fully yours, ETC., J. B. FORAKER"
The great and gallant Governor Of
Ohio becomes party to this nefarious
scheme to rob the people, and uses the
high position he occupies to help float
this
GIGANTIC FRAUD,
the corruption and rottenness of which
he is fully aware, for he says he had
personal supervision of the business of
the company since July, 1885," and had
carefully examined and familiarized
himself with all that was done prior to
that date"
The character of this enterprise is
fully shown by the fact that none of
the projected roads, or any other OF
the various enterprises of which Boone
has been manager and Foraker attorney,
has materialized or ever will.
1t is estimated that over
/ HALF MILLION
Dollars have been collected along the
routes of these roads. The greater part
of this sum has been subscribed in the
form of promoters stock, which Boone
said would be redeemed on the basis of
two dollars for one. In all the large
towns through which the projected roads
were to pass, Painesville, Marion,
Gallon, Wooster, Mt. Vernon, Parkers-
burg, Maysville, KY, the people sub.
scribed literally, and the small villages
and hamlets came up with pro rata con-
tributions.
Meetings were held in rural school
houses and even boys subscribed fifty
cents and dollar in order to secure
railroad through their neighborhood.
And one of the chief factors in begetting
confidence in the enterprise and secuy-
ing subscriptions was Governor For
aker's connection with the company as
general counsel and Governor Foraker's
letters of Endorsement. Now is q good
time for those who were swindled out of
divers sums, from fifty cents to
$25, 900 to reflect that the present Re-
publican candidate for Governor was
o PARTY TO THE FRAUD.
Mortgages are plsstered all over their
property, judgments for large sums are
standing against them, thousands of
dollars are due the employees, the COM
pany's notes have been refused by every
bank in the city, and Colonel Boone,
/ the general manager, president and
what-not of this aggregation, has of late
cheerfully permitted his own checks to
go to protest.
What has become of this enormous
sum that was collected? Only Heaven,