Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-01-08
WOMANFIGHTS|
BIG MAGNATE|
MRS. HERMAN oELRIcHs IN BOUT
WITH HARTMAN
WILL HELP FISH CONTROL THE
ILLINOIS CENTRAL
Some Personal Enmlty Against Great
Railroad Man Enters into Society
Leaders Desire TO Assist
Friend
snacial to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 7.-Mrs. Her
man Oelrichs, society leader of New York,
who has arrived in this city with the
avowed purpose of starting open warfare
against 70. H. Hartman for the control
of the stock of the Illinois Central rail-
road procurable in California, Is meeting
with marked success.
When asked for q confirmation of the
reported intentions of her visit Mrs. DEL
richs said II am making no attempt to
conceal the fact that am here as antag-
onist of the great railroad magnate. 1
will represent in my fight Stuyvesant
Fish. with whom / have been sympathe-
tic in his struggle with Mr.. Hartman for
the ownership of the Illinois Central, and
1 have been persuaded by Mrs. Fish, my
friend and companion, to represent her
husband
To assist her in her search for e
loose stocks of the Illinois Central in this
state. Mrs Oelrichs will have the advan-
tage of her society prestige, wide
acquaintance with influential people of
this city, and the f; ct that she is
Native Daughter and the daughter of
late Senator James G. Fair. There are
supposed to be about 1900 shares of Illinois
Central stock in California.
OF these 1900 about 600 are already con-
trolled by E II Hartman and 400 shares
have been secured by Stuyvesant Fish.
To procure the remaining 600 Mrs. Del"
richs will devote her entire efforts as long
as necessary. The stock is now in the
possession of about eighteen people in
different parts of the state, and many of
the holders will be easily approached, as
they are prominent members of society.
Personal Enmity
The crusade of Mrs. Oelrichs against
Mr. Hartman has been reported as not
entirely impersonal one, and in confirma-
ton of former private enmity credited to
her against the magnate Mrs. Oelrichs
told of previous dealings with Mr.. Harri-
man. The story dates back to the con-
struction of the South Pacific Coast mar
row gauge railroad by late Senator Fair
fourteen years ago and in which Mrs.
Oelrichs and her sister, Mrs. William
Vanderbilt jr.. are interested to the eX-
tent of s70O00OO.
The narrow .auge road was built from
San Jose to Santa Cruz by way of Oak
and in opposition to the Huntington and
Stanford interests in that part of the
state at that time. The only competitor
to the South Pacific line was the Santa
Fe railroad. which had then extended as
far as Mojave. When Senator Fair was
approached by the Santa Fe to sell his
interests, which included entrance to the
San francisco bay region, c. p Hunting
ton heard OF the ofScr and Immediately
made his bid s70OO,OoO to Senator Fair for
the South Pacific coast narrow gauge
line. Ultimately the offer was accepted,
and when Senator Fair died the bonds
f representing the deal and bearing in
4erest of per cent were left to his daugh-
ters.
Since the branch line has been changed
by the many improvements of the South
ern Pacific Mr. Hartman lately suggest ID
to Mrs. Oelrichs and Mrs. Vanderbilt that
the interest on the bonds be cut from )
TO 31s per cent annually. On being re-
fused. Mr.. Hartman intimated that he
would make the cut, regardless of the
owners wishes, on the ground that the
Southern Pacific was not supporting the
interest on the bond
Mrs Oelrichs was equal to the occasion,
and suggested that in the case of a re-
duction of the bonds there was a posi-
bflity that George Gould and the Western
Pacific world be glad o. chance to pur-
chase the right of control of her property
with it's valuable rights of way into the
regions now inaccessible to the Gould
lines.
The reduction in Mrs. oelrichs' bonds
was not made.