The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-15
McBEE ARRESTED FOR CONSPIRACY

dS reviewer Oh the railroad. They WeIs
clearly seeking ito impoverish another fol
their own enrichment. and if Chief Jus
tice Taylor had had these two confeder
ates IN view he could not have more
clearly declared the law. 1t fits their
! case exactly. 1t is significant that the
court in the Gold Brick cast emphasized
| the definition of a conspiracy given by
| Chief Justice Taylor. 1t looked like the
court foresaw the day when these two men
poverish the State, and to declare in adj
vance if they made the effort they could
be punished by imprisonment in the peni
tertiary for the conspiracy.
The people will remember that Capt
McBee came down to Raleigh to lease the
railroad lin a iiffy' He made propo-
sltion to the Governor who gave it care
full consideration. While it was pending
the Governor received notice that within
few days other parties would file bids
He announced that he would not take
up the matter until all the bids were in.
Thereupon McBee and Finch who had
come to North Carolina to rule or ruin
conspired to get the road, let McBee run
it in defiance of its owners, put his bench
men examining books in the hope of find.
ing enough extravaganza to give some
tn acly
to extort for themselves a lease at their
own price. In pursuance of the con-
spiracy, Finch bargained for stock at a
fancy price (has he paid for it?) and put
lots Of vague rumors in his application
McBee was made receiver and Immediately
upon taking charge promulgated charges o.
official laxneSs or dishonesty unjustly upon
eleven agents of the road. and made a
spectacular grand stand play of notifying
their bondsmen that they were behind in
| their settlements; he discharged mechan-
les and carpenters whose work was neces-
sary and hired Republican lawyers and pet
accountants, and made other discharges
that were not dictated by the highest
interest in the management of the prop
erty. All for what? To seek to get the
fruit for which the conspiracy was en-
tered into--to be made permanent receiver
and get the lease Of the road at his own
figures.
Instead of coming back to Raleigh in
high feather, McBee comes back under ar
rest upon the charge of committing a
felony. There is a limit to which con-
spirators may go. Men who own property
that is taken from them without notice
may have to see it placed for time in
the hands of conspirators without being
able to help themselves. But conspiracy
is a common law crime. 1t is as wrong
to conspire to take property valued at
81, SOC, 900 as to eonspire to pass a gold
ter than the man at Greensboro who
tried to defraud Mr.. Paul Garrett in the
famous gold brick case? Finch had no
stock in law when he made the applica-
ton for the lease. Wasn't that gold
brick game? McBee conspired with him
to get himself appointed receiver of prop
erty belonging to the State of North Car
DINA, the counties of Craven. Lenoir and
Pamlico, and private stockholders, nearly
all of them protesting against being made
the victims of gold brick game.
Under the charge of conspiracy, all "the
facts may be uncovered. For two weeks
the railroad organs have been clamoring
for an investigation and demanding "the
facts Let us have them all today with
out delay, lodging or equivocation Let
us have all that transpired in Raleigh
and in Norfolk prior to the unwarranted