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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 1900)
'Cbe Conservative. ecutors and administrators firmly by these presents. Dated this eleventh day of June , A. D. 1868. The conditions of the foregoing obli gation are such that if the above bouu- den obligors shall procure and give to the Midland Pacific Railway Company , in a reasonable time , the right of way for said railway company from the levee , on the Missouri river in Nebraska City , through the said Nebraska City to the west side of Wilson creek along the South Table creek and Fox creek route , and procure and give to said railroad company three contiguous blocks of lots on the line of said railroad company , east of Sixth street in Nebraska City , the same to be selected by said railway company , and also shall pay to said railway company , or secure the payment by Nebraska City to said company , the sum of one thousand dollars for the damage which the said company may sustain by reason of the recisiou of con tracts on said company's present line of road and for the survey of the South Table creek route , and also shall have Twenty-five thousand dollars of the Otoe county railroad bonds cashed for said company , as follows : Twenty-five per cent of said cashed bonds to be paid the first day of July next ; twenty-five per cent to be paid on the first day of August next ; twenty-five per cent to be paid on the first day of September next , and twenty-five per cent to bo paid on the first day of October next , then this obligation shall bo void , otherwise it shall be and remain in full force and effect. And this further condition is made , to wit : That whenever the said twen ty-five thousand dollars of Otoe county railroad bonds shall have been sold and paid to the company , then ten thousand dollars of this obligation shall be re leased and discharged. Witness our hands the day and year last above written. [ NAMES. ] [ NAMES. ] [ This bond is signed by one hundred and seventy-five of the principal busi ness men of Nebraska City. ] The above bond has not been complied with , except that part which refers to damages , right of way , and depot grounds. The city council of Nebraska City passed an ordinance calling special election to authorize the city to borrow twenty-five thousand dollars to purcha&o the right of way and depot grounds and give the same to the Mid land Pacific Railway Company , to re lease the citizens from that part of their bond which was to procure and give to the railway company the right of way and depot grounds. The vote of the city was nearly unanimous to make the appropriation. The city council , to carry out the will of the people , ap pointed Gco. T. Lincoln , Esq. , and re quired him to give bonds to procure the right of way and depot grounds and deliver the deeds of the same to the Midland Pacific Railway Company. The railway company feel great satis- 'action in being able to report progress , notwithstanding the many difficulties ; hey have had to contend with. We are extremely anxious to push forward the road to an early completion , and believ ing the people of Nebraska City and Otoe county were also anxious to have ; he road finished as soon as possible , we , u order to comply with the general desire on the part of all parties inter ested , had made arrangements by which we could complete the road and run the cars twenty-five miles from the levee on the first day of May , 1869. With this contemplated finishing of twenty-five miles of road , we asked the county com missioners to deliver to us the balance of Otoe county bonds , voted by the people ple to aid in building a railroad through ihe county. It was necessary to have the bonds and negotiate them for cash before they could be used as aid in building the road , and the county com missioners delivered the railway com pany the balance of said bonds , taking from the company the following bond : Bond of Midland Pacific Railway. KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS : That the Midland Pacific Railway Company , of the State of Nebraska , is hereby held and firmly bound unto the County of Otoe , in the State of Nebras ka , in the penal sum of two hundred thousand dollars , for the payment of which , well and truly to be made to the said county of Otoe , the said Midland Pacific Railway Company binds itself , its successors and succession , firmly by these presents , sealed with its seal , and dated this seventeenth day of August , in the year one thousand eight hundred and and its President sixty-eight , signed by dent and attested by its Secretary : Whereas , the Board of County commis sioners of said county of Otoe did , on the seventeenth day of August , A. D. 1868 , by order bearing date on that day , authorize and direct the issuing of the bonds of Otoe county to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars , payable to the Midland Pacific Railway Com pany , or bearer , twenty years from the date thereof , with interest coupons attached for the payment of interest semi-annually , at the rate of ten per cent per annum , to be paid over and delivered to the said Midland Pacific Railway Company as voluntary aid in the construction of a railway from the Missouri river , at Nebraska City , west ward through Otoe county , in the general direction of the town of Lincoln , in the county of Lancaster , in the State of Nebraska , upon the express condition that the said company shall faithfully expend the proceeds received on the sale of such bonds in the location , survey right of way , grading , construction and equipping such railroad. Now the con dition of the nbovo obligation is such that , if the Midland Pacific Railway Company shall well and faithfully ex pend all net proceeds by said company received for the said one hundred thous and dollars of Otoe county bonds , so ssned and delivered to said Midland Pacific Railway Company , in the ocation. survey , right of way , grading , constructing and equipping of the afore said railroad , then the above obligation ; o be void , otherwise to be and remain u full force and virtue. Attest : F. A. WHITE , R. M. ROLFE , President M. P. R. Co. Secretary M. P. R. Co. ; SKAL. ] I hereby certify the above to bo a true and faithful copy of the bond given by ; he Midland Pacific Railway Company , on the seventeenth day of August , A. D. 1808 , and recorded on pages 5548 and 5544 of records of proceedings of County Commissioners of Otoe county , Ne braska. Witness my hand and official seal this sixth day of November , A. D. 1868. G. R. McOALLUM , County Clerk. The arrangements for completing twenty-five miles of said road on the first day of May next depended upon the citizens fulfilling their bond to cash $25,000 of Otoe county bonds , and the cashing of the balance by the Missouri Bond and Stock Board of St. Louis , at ninety cents on the dollar , according to an agreement made with them. The failure of this latter arrangement , which would have enabled us to complete the road to the Brick Post Office , is charge able to a letter written to St. Louis by a prominent citizen of Nebraska City , whose open hostility to the road at home did but little injury , but whose letter , among strangers , declaring that the people repudiated the bonds and would refuse to pay them , did much , as is shown by the following letter : OFFICE OF THE MISSOURI BOND AND ) STOCK BOARD OF ST. Louis , > ST. Louis , Oct. 29 , 1868. ) J. B. BENNETT , Esq. : Having learned that there will be objections raised to the payment of the Otoe county railroad , bonds , we cannot allow the sale through this Board ; and unless this question is settled , you might as well send my receipt and get them. Very respectfully , E. M. SAMUELS , Treasurer. ( CONTINUED NEXT WEEK. ) "The tobacco-growers , the beet-sugar men , the California fruit-growers , and others are rushing in protests against the proposed free trade with Puerto Rico , " notes the Rural New Yorker. "What were they doing two years ago , before the island was mentioned as being a part of this country ? They were then doubtless cheering for the war , and its glorious outcome. "