The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-10-03
Fighting a Railroad
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1876 by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

When the surveyors for the B. and Il.
railroad reached within a mile of the
town of Scoville they were stopped by
the owner of farm, who threatened
them with an action for trespass if
they set foot on his land
1t was old Ransome who had lived
on that farm since he was born and
was now over sixty years old. Boy
and man, he had been known as stingy
and mean, and no one had ever dealt
with him second time His wife was
about like him in her disagreeable way.
The two seldom or never disagreed
with each other, but they disagreed
with everybody else.
The town of ScOville wanted that
railroad and wanted it built at once.
but there was old John blocking the
way and his old wife backing him up
1t must cross his eighty acre farm to
reach the town. The surveyors argued
and coaXed. but it was of no use.
The railroad finally guarded its sur
veyors and the line was run, but that
was only the beginning of the fight
1t collected its forces and began the
grading. Old John was out there with
his gun and his wife was there with a
club, but the lusty men laughed at
them and carried them off the scene.
and In few weeks there was the
hooting and footing that the old couple
dreaded to hear. They would not sell.
and the railroad waited for them to
propose some sort Of settlement.
There was highway about quar-
ter of mile to the south of the Ran
some farm, and the new railroad cross.
ed 1t at a level. The soft earth was
soon quilted out by the wheels Of the
wagons, and this left the tracks three
or four inches above the surface. When
old John observed this he yoked up
his oxen and hitched them to his wag.
on and went after load of wood
When he returned with it to the cross.
Ing he stuck there. The oxen could not
pull the wagon across the rails. The
ola man sat down to patiently wait
Tor train to come along. One appear
ed IN sight In about an hour and found
It's progress blocked. 1t took all the
train hands and some Of the passen-
gers to boot to get that wagon across
the track. There was tuning and
threatening. but old John was very
quiet and calm. He repeated this Der.
romance once a day for a week. Then
the railroad put down planks and the
scheme was defeated.
Wei, we'll have to try some other
TRICK, said the old folks to each other
ana as result of their planning they
Went out at night with big pail of
sou soap and smeared the rails for n
Instance OF thirty rods. The next train
tnat came that way did not whizz past
II stood still and whizzed, and II took
the best part of an hour and a barre,
! Oh sand to make the wheels go round
again and have a grip on the rails
oIu Johh was arrested for this soapv
tricK, but they could prove nothing
against him, and he was DISCHARGED
from custody. After this a new at
tempt was made to bring about a SET
tlement, but it was doomed to failure
from the start. Then came another
adventure. Old John cut the grass in
MS meadow, and while drawing II TO
tne barn to store away he drove across
the track at point, on his own farm
and wheel somehow came off tbe
wagon and dumped hay and vehicle in
grand heap. There was just time 70
get the oxen out of the way when \
locomotive of freight train plunged
INTO the mess. Hay and splinters few
over half the county, and the whole
train was derailed at a cost of many
thousand dollars to the company.
There were two lawsuits begun i'm.
heuiately' one by the company to
nlake the old man pay damages and