A Sportsman 197 



tended over several days in the Sears Building, where 

 the offices of the company then were. The road was 

 then behind, with a large floating debt. The con- 

 ference resulted finally in a transfer of large blocks 

 of stock at about fourteen dollars per share to Mr. 

 Gould from the principal owners, besides large amounts 

 of land and income bonds at large discount, and a 

 loan was arranged by Mr. Gould of ten millions of 

 dollars to take up the floating debts. When the trade 

 was completed and the stock and bonds were delivered 

 and the checks in payment, Mr. Gould drew from his 

 pocket a thickish, good-sized memorandum book and 

 asid: 



"Gentlemen, I will draw your attention to this 

 book. A year ago, when you first invited me to join 

 you, I sent out an agent to Omaha, who, with assist- 

 ants, spent a number of months in a critical exami- 

 nation of your road. In that examination every 

 station on your line was visited, and in this book 

 you will see a description of the stations, with the 

 names of every station keeper, and an account, as 

 correctly as covdd be obtained, of his history before 

 and after joining your service. You will find here 

 an account of his conduct since acting in your em- 

 ploy. If he is of temperate habits and honest: if he 

 is a gambler or negligent, or identified in any way 

 with suspicious or doubtful characters; also an ac- 

 count of the local resources about each station. In 

 fact, a description in detail of the actual situation of 

 your road, and the character of the lands acquired by 

 the government appropriation and their possibilities. 

 All this information has been acquired by my agents, 

 who in assumed characters of traders, land buyers. 



