Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1893-11-15
ANGLES CLAIM SET FORTH.
The Old Omaha Portage Land Grant Case
Before the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON, u. ", NOV. 0.-Ihe
United States supreme court is engaged
in listening to an interesting recital of
the manner in which 400, 900 acres of
land in Northwestern Wisconsin were
taken from the Portage q Superior
Company and after one of the most eX-
citing land grant contests ever knoWnin
Wisconsin conferred upon the Chicago,
st. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Com
pany. These lands were granted to
Wisconsin by Congress as aid in build
ing line of railroad from Hudson to
Bayfield, with a branch to Ashland, in
all about sixty-fve miles of road.
There were several competitors for
the grant, which had long been in
possession Of the Portage Company,
of which A. A. Jackson, of GAINESVILLE,
was at the head. The North Western
Company wanted it and so did the Mil
waukee d St. Paul, and numerous new
corporations sprung up offering to build
the road and earn the lands. The
fight brought to Madison the strongest
kind of railroad lobby, including
James H. Howe, of Kenosha, John W.
Cary, Of Milwaukee; John c. Spooner,
vile, and others. 1t finally resulted in
victory for Spooner and the grant was
conferred upon the Omaha Company
upon conditions imposed by Gov. Rusk,
that the Omaha Company should pay
the claims Of laborers employed by the
Portage Company.
These matters are now brought be-
fore the court in an appeal of Sarah
Angle, administrators, from the decision
OF the court below, sustaining the de-
murrer Of the Omaha Company. Angle
was the contractor for building the road
and originally brought suit against
the Portage Company for labor,
material and supplies furnished.
He got a judgment for $2O5,OO0
The Portage Company being bankrupt
the Judgment was never paid and is in
fact worthless. Meantime Angle died
and his widow began a suit in equity
against the Omaha Company as having
succeeded the Portage Company and
possessing all its franchises and prop
erty. The Omaha Company demurred
on technical grounds and the demurrer
was sustained. From this action appeal
to the supreme court is taken.
Ex-senator Doolittle made the open
ing argument yesterday afternoon and
exposed what he claimed was
conspiracy between the Omaha Com
pany and the Portage Company by
means of which Angle was defrauded.
Judge DOOlittle argued that the rights
and interests of the Portage Company
had been battered away and that
thereby the Omaha Company had come
into possession Of its property,
leaving creditors of the Portage Compa-
ny out in the cold. Judge Doolittle also
reviewed the proceedings at Madison,
showing how the grant was transferred
to the Omaha Company. He used
rather fOrclble language and gave the
court an interesting description of the
methods employed in securing land
grants.
Some startling disclosures were made
ID the case this afternoon and the JUS
tees were treated to an exposition of
methods by which the 400, 900 acres Of
public land were acquired by the Oma-
ha Company. Gen. Thomas Ewing
tiff and appellant. Gen. Ewing
went deep into the merits of the cues
ton and laid bare some features Of leg
lslatlon at Madison in 1882 and events
leading up to that famous contest. He
used language rarely heard in this sedate
and solemn court, and commanded the
closest attention Of the court while he
exposed the true relations between the
Omaha and Portage companies. He
solemnly declared that Contractor
Angle would have built the road if he
had not been prevented by an infamous
conspiracy which transferred the grant
to the Omaha Company Angle, he
said, had at work 1000 men
with three corps Of engineers, and was
prosecuting the work under his contract
in good faith, when suddenly all opera
tons had to cease because of
fcers of the Portage Company.
Gen. Ewing declared that the vice
president and general manager of
the Portage Company had been paid
$l33 900 for the surrender of their right
to the Omaha Company, Of which $85,-
600 was to be paid after the land grant
had been conferred upon the Omaha
Company. Gen. Ewing denounced
this transaction in the strongest
terms, characterizing it as base,
treacherous, infamous, etc. He denied
the statement of the other side that the
Portage Company was a mere specula-
tive concern with no intention of ever
building the road. He declared that
Angle would have completed the road
had it not been for the treachery Of the
Portage Company officials in selling out
to the Omaha.
NV