Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-03-01
RAILROAD TO Be
TORN UP SOON
People Along Line Resent Action and
Already Bridges Have Been
Burned to Delay Work


Burned to Delay Work
The final chapter in the history Of
the Atlantic Southern railroad, por-
ton OF the road which was built
largely BY farmers and which a few
years ago was the object of frantic
effort to purchase BY former Secre-
tary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw
Z II being written In the same dramatic
style that has characterized the life
OF the enterprise from its very in
ception.
Following the failure of Shaw to
buy the railroad, that portion of the
line from Villisca to Atlantic. dis
lance OF about forty-eight miles, has
had Q most checkered history. Bought
In BY creditors, It was operated for
. time and then the trains were pull
cd OF, depots dismantled and several
towns which had been built up, sew
eral of them of considerable size, were
marooned entirely and the farmers,
who were dependent upon the railroad
for transportation of their produce
and the merchants to secure their
goods. found themselves in dire
straits
some hLSVOfy Oh tno INetau
Those interested in the railroad
took the matter into the courts and
before the Iowa board of railroad
commissioners. The latter issued an
order requiring the owners of the
.nroperty to reinstate service. but be-
force the order could be made opera
tive injunctions were secured and up
on a showing that made that the
road could not be operated except at
q loss, the owners. the Roberts Abies
company of st. Louis, announced
their intention of dismantling the
line. Efforts were then made to org
anize company for the purchase of
the property and operate 1t as an
electric railroad and this only re-
Gently fell through.
A few days ago force of men
were sent to begin work of tearing
up the rails and switches, which
material was sent at work beginning
even more valuable than when 1t was
laid about nine years ago. An
engine crew and cars to haul the
internal was sent at work beginning
at the town of Grant, midway be-
tween Atlantic and Vilisca, the plan
being to haul the material from
Grant south to Villisca after the
demolition of the north cpd of the
line.
Attempt to Burn Bridge
The appearance of the crew of
wreckers was the first intimatiOn
many of those interested financially
in the property had of the failure
OF the last effort to restore service
and to all living along the railroad
1t was like giving them a death thrust
Swallowing their chagrin. however.
the farmers and others preceded to
make the best of 1t but 1t appears
that there are some persons who
have registered their protest In
different manner, for oil had been
poured upon two Of the bridges and
nred, one structure being nearly de-
stroyed, che IRE in the other being
discovered In time to be extinguishea
before much damage had been done,
E. z. Houchin. in charge fof the
wreckers, also received an anony-
NOUS letter threatening to blow up
the trainmen II the work Is not stop
ped. The letter is either disguised
or penned by an illiterate person and
IAN outraged" people is mentioned
as being behind the movement. The
Abeles company is acting under the
authority of the federal court which
may be invoked to assist in locating
the guilty ones. Mr.. Ables has offer
ed a heavy reward for the arrest of
the perpetrators.