Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-11-16
Angles CLAIM SET FORTH.
The Old Omaha.Portage Land Grant case
BEFORE the Supreme Court.


United States supreme court is eheaseu
in listening to an interesting recltal o.
the manner in which 1000 acres OF
land in Northwestern Wisconsin were
taken from the Portage u superior
COMPANY and after one OF the most eA-
citing land grant contests ever knoWhn
Wisconsin conferred upon the Chicago,
St. Paul, Minneapolis d Omaha COM
panv. These lands were granted 10
Wisconsin by Congress as aid IN Dulld-
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 tor
the grant, which had long been in
possession of the Portage Company
of which A. A. Jackson, OF JanesVllle,
was at the head. The North W estern
Company wanted it and so did the Mil
waukee & St. Paul, and numerous new
corporations sprung up offering to oulid
the road and earn the lands. The
fight brought to Madison the strongest
kind of railroad lobby, including
James III. Howe, of Kenosha, John w.
Cary, of Milwaukee; John c. Spooner,
of Hudson; A. A. Jackson, of James
Vile, and others. 1t finally resulted in
a 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
and originally brought suit against
the Portage Company for labor,
material and supplies furnished.
He got a Judgment for $2O5,OOO
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 it's 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 a
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
court an interesting description of the
methods employed in securing land
grants.
Some startling disclosures were made
in the case this afternoon and the JUS
tees were treated to an exposition of
methods by which the 1000 acres Of
public land were acquired by the Oma-
ha Company. Gen. Thomas Ewing
was speaking for the plain
tiff and appellant. Gen. Ewing
went deep into the merits Of the ques-
ton and laid bare some features Of leg
islation at Madison in 1882 and events
leading up to that famous contest. He
used language rarely heard in this sedate
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
ficers 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 $S5,-
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,
treacherQus, infamous, etc. He denied
the statement Of the other side that the
Portage Company was mere specula-
tive concern with no intention of ever
building the road. He declared that
angle would have completed the road
had 1t not been for the treachery of the
Portage Company officials in selling out
to the Omaha.
PROBABLY KILLED BY WOLVES.