The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-23
STEALING A RAILROAD.
How Train Built and Gould stole the
Union Pacific.

or Of Jonah swallowing the whale. The
Union Pacific has less than 5000 miles OF
road and the Southern Pacific over $500.
The former has been a thorn in the rail-
road world these four decades. ever since
George Francis Train undertook its con-
struction sin order to save the Pacific
States 10 the federal Union" with the
White House as his goal. After keeping
silent forty years Mr.. Train gives some in
side history of the Credit Mobilier.
Among his never-typed facts Mr.. Train
mentions the difficulty encountered I'm ne
sotiating the second mortgage bonas under
the charter of 1862. The government held
the first mortgage. While neither a Demo-
crat nor Republican, the Clipper Ship
King styling himself a plain business
man of extensive acquaintance, employed
DIR. Durant to do the necessary lobbying
through the Pennsylvania-Thad. Stevens
party with cash, while he. Train, gave
banquets, flowers. theater parties. etc, TO
his friends to keep them In line. He lee
tured 10 Catholics and Professionals in 1864
at 81 a head, giving proceeds TO charities.
His bill at Wizards Hotel in Washington,
known as "Cockroach Hail." now sup
planted by a fine stone structure, was $50
a week for six months. He occupied the
famous apartment numbered 11S.
Neither DR.. Durant nor Coils z. Hurt
lnStOn was invited 10 Train : Splenulu ell
tertainments. Durant because his presence
would have been impolitic, Huntington be-
cause he was with the radicals. Train says
that the only cash he personally paid out
was 81, 500. The radicals said they could tap
Durant, hence the fight against his pro-
gramme was fearful. Huntington, sitting
beside Train in the House gallery listening
to the debate, whispered: Train, you are
spending large sums. L have no ready cash,
but here are 200 shares of bedrock of Cen
trail Pacific, which will be of great value if
we carry the hill " Train rQnliQd. Inn.
am not in this for money. L want to save
the Union. You have refused our green
backs on the coast, which. to my mind. is
high treason: | cannot accept your kind
ness, but 1 shall carry the bill through my
friends, while your friends and Durant are
selling you c. O.. D."
Holman, of Indiana, the Great OBJ
%jector." fired the first shot i'm debate. Thad
Stevens followed; then James Brooks, who
Credit Mobiler; Sunset Cox. Washburne.
Father of the House" and Watch Dog of
the Treasury and others; Washburne
said: who backs this bill? See what
names are there. Are any of the great
railway corporations represented? New
York Central? No. Pennsylvania Central?
Central? No. Any great bankers? Capital
lists? No. You will find only one name
there-George Francis Train!"
The bill was passed over Thad. Stevens's
head, who, Train says, was paid by Law
yer Long Smart. six feet three inches high.
out of Union Pacific and Credit Mobilier
tdSns WIG lIdln ODldllcQ, SUU,UpV q III
nights poker losses. When 1t became
known that Durant had paid half a million
to pass the bill Congress appointed a COM
mittee to see who got the money. Stuart
was arrested and jailed In the committee
room. Nothing was done. All was hushed
up. This is the first time it has been told
coming on TO New York with Train. would
not speak because the latter had not 1900
to spare, promised by Stuart, Bushnell and
DuraDt. Bingham, Patterson, Colfax and
others, a dozen members of Congress all
told, in Amess memorandum book, did not
pay for any stock in the Credit Mobilier.
Ex-Mayor Bemis, of Omaha, Trains for
mer private secretary, has the names of
the 100 stockholders of the Credit Foncier,
all members of Congress. Only two were
expelled-James Brooks and Oakes Ames-
who paid cash for their Credit Mobilier
stock, while the others put in no money
and were voting against both Of these cap
italists.
When the first mortgage government
bonds began to come in for each forty miles
Of road. $4,000. then $4,000: then $4,000 a
mile, everybody wanted to jump in. Train
| paid SO. 900 a year for offices over Turner
Bros Bank, at No. % Nassau street, and
built therein a stone and brick safe for
books and Union Pacific papers. One day
a young man handed Train court notice of
a receiversh.p. 1t seems that Jay Gould,
John 1; Blair, M. c; Amy. Fisk and others.
through the Tweed ring, then stealing ev-
erything in sight, went TO the banks as a
formality and took with them, through
their cashiers s0e;cco.oo IN greenbaeks to
- q . phtNt " c'C 1fNh ny hba P0Aa
it in. Gould and Fisk had no stock what
ever, but used Blair's millions as a stool
pag sbiers TO ne get a aIlowe oi the the sreeneacts Inc ne
get out of their sight, and took them all
back to their banks within an hour. Will
by Judge Barnard backed by Judges Nc
Gum and Cardoza. Gould had stolen the
road!
legged F~enianism. and again in Dublin on
civil process. While in Jail he received
through James Brooks. owner of the New
York Express. an offer of the vice presi-
dency on the ticket headed by Chase. Train
replied: Il will take first place; Chase can
have second. | am coming out against
Meanwhile. he was elected to Congress
against John Morrissey and Horace Gree
ley. Morrissey counted him out.
Rowland Hazard arrested DIR. Durant at
Newport r.. L., on the Credit Mobiler dis
pute for half a million, and as the prisoner
could not get bail he was allowed to remain
with the sheriff at Trains villa at Bailey's
beach. The sheriff sat at all the meals as
Mrs. Trains honored guest, and slept i'm
Durant's bedroom to watch the prisoner.
The case finally was compromised out of
court.
Train ordered General Easement to build a
dozen miles of road in one day. Il can IL /
had the ties, fishplates and rails" said
Easement. who had 10000 men at work.
Train agreed to have them on hand. What
about feeding the mem" Take a dozen
freight cars; knock out the ends. and we'll
knives, forks and water. We will drive a
drove Of cattle alongside as fast as you can
lay the rails, with butchers and cooks for
three square meals" All arrangement
were completed. and Easement did actually
build eleven miles in one day. Train and
] Pullman's excursion in 1867 was an event.
The first piano ever on a railroad Train in
duced Pullman 90 place i'm one of the six
cars. and Abe Pullman was the pianist.
George NJ. Pullman was Trains copartner
I'm the Credit Foncier. The party journeyed
over the Hannibal & st. Joe Railroad.
called In those days the. Horrible & Slow
jogging Railroad.