The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-08-04

play lIiS VII NClNCC. L o"oPPOu
some of my velvet for some of
his. That was ALL"
do you mean to say" asked
Judge Docket, that you got all
your railroad holdings in that
trader"
by no means" answered Col=.
onel Lumpkin. My first inter-
est was a very small one-not
over half a million. The rest
came later from my perquisites
as a director.
But how did Senator Shark
get his velvet?" asked Barlow
who was still seeking a clue to
the paradox:
why, Shark built the rail-
road" said Colonel Lumpkin.
"He was a statesman before he
was a captain of industry. When
he first came into prominence,
Winnebago was a great undevel-
oped country. The people want
ed better communication. and
they didn't know how to get it.
But the Honorable Leonidas did
know how to get it. He was a
man of ideas. He translated a
vague public demand into a con-
crete idea. He canvassed the
state in favor Of a great east
and-west railroad that was to
connect Westport with both
oceans. The people of Winneba-
60 believed in him, and they
therefore sent him to the United
States Senate as their agent and
trustee. The new senator's first
care was to secure a liberal land
grant as an aid to the new enter
prise, and then he proceeded to
organize the corporation that
was to profit by the land-grant.
Fortified by the land-grant the
Senator found little difficulty in
financing the scheme. The Shark
Syndicate sold $4,000, 900 of
their nroeaada pockets, togetnep
[ 9th the title to 10000, 900 acres
If the best land IN the State OF
W;nnebago. The people OF the
state were so charmed with Mr..
Sharks courtesy in accepting
the ownership of the best Part ol
The state that they kept hlm IN
J The Senate until the growth o.
: h;s business interests made II
necessary m for him to assign TN J,
o office to his private Secretary
j "And yet some people CON
t n,a;n that republics are ungrate
FIJI y exclaimed Judge Docke'
= "Sneaking of the constructlo
3 of the Winnebago Paclnc' cot
h tinued Colonel Lumpkln as
lr sose from his chair and wake
to toward his book-shelves, 1 nay
rt Something here that may lnte
es oSt vo,, Gentlemen. Here is
W, man of Shark County, Winneo
'rt 90. co. showing part of the orr
II II nal line of the Winne0ago rae
we ''' What a crooked track {
ON claimed Judge Docket. L h
oil NO idea that Shark County "
eep such a rough country. :,
My "And why do you thlnK II
ed ronqh?" asked the Colonel.
"Those curves tell the stor
said answered Judge Docket. wv
n to I was a boy used to work 9
And railroad survey in Pennsylva,,
airs and / know from experience
nd a a crooked track stands Tor e
neering difficulties. 1t mea
'usi- winding path along noun
sign contours: .:,oa
ng a Colonel Lumpkln Sllilleu.
rs of NAV mean that in Pennsyiy'
per- Judge, but not in Wlnn,en
vene Why Shark County is as lev
ribed this floor, and almost as SIM
II we % Tt's in the very heart of the
les Of belt. When the railroad en-
9th the country you could run
Joint row from one end OF the G.
Gen. to the other without taking
e sew nlough out of the ground.
k was had better guess again. "
teenth "Then the chief engln
prise, the railroad must have
eneral drunk or crazy Wnen ne I
peech, line through Shark County
enator mot at all, sald =
states Lumpkin. He was as co
d upon cucumber. 1t was slmpl
nate of ness. The Shark system
Iy after land-grant of 2O,O0Q ac
a block mile in that part OF Wlnl
es for a and so, where the land WI
ic. and tbov made as many miles