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Show TRAIN'S OMAHA BUBBLE. Eli Perkins was recently iu Omaha and obtained the following particular of Mr. Augustus Kountz.?, president of the First national bank, relative to George Francis Train's gift of 300 acres of land to the city of Omaha, Mr. Kounlze said: " Well, Eli, in lb;t5 George Francis bought of me 150 acres of hind on the bill over west of the town for $o-3,000. paying $S,000 down. There the transaction tran-saction stiiod till ls73, with no taxes or in teres repaid, when George Francis Fran-cis got hard up, and I paid him $7,-000 $7,-000 back. He said he wanted it to pay his passage around the world, and, thinking he mijfht bo providentially providen-tially kiileU on the train, I gavo it to him cheerfully, and " "Then Mr. Train did have $1,000 in this land '" I interrupted. "Exactly bo, Eli, but now," continued con-tinued the selfish narrator, "that $1,000 ia all eaten up by interest and taxes, and George Francis wauted to give it to the city of Omaha. Why, these lands are in debt from $00,000 to $05,000 for interest, back taxes, and assessments, and they woo t begin be-gin to sell for tnat amount. In fact, tho land is in debt about $10,000, and it is to be sold under judgments and foreclosed mortgages in April," and another ungrateful beneficiary stopped talking. I was too mad to speak, but collecting col-lecting myself I said: "And this is your gratitude for Mr. Train's mi-.us $1.0,000 gift? Aud this is the munificent muni-ficent bequest from a generous citizen of the Empire riiy that you would ahnw vnnr misi'ruhlrt im'mt.itudtt for ! This ia the generotis capitalist who gives you splendid mortgages, gives you lands which yuti yourself own, you contemptible, penurious, ungrateful ungrate-ful vagabond you!" but I was too excited and indignant to proceed. A moment afterward, I asked Mr. Kountze to tell me about Mr. Train's Credit Fonder scheme, which began in Omaha. "Well, Mr. Perkins," continued the ingrate, "George Francis bought ol myself uud Sam llodgers, in 1SGG, during the Credit Mobilier and Union Pacific times, eighty acres of flat land, south of the Union Pacific depot de-pot bought it for 20,000. George Francis did not have anymonoy, but substituting brains and ideas iu the place of currency, he organized the Credit Foucier, a sort of block company, com-pany, to pay for it. Each member was to pay in $1,000 hard-pan stock. Then Geo. Francis nominated and elected himself president of the concern, and drew $1,000 each from every ono ol the swell eastern fellows who were loafing around Omaha. He got $1,000 from Governor Dix, Senator Sherman, Oliver Ames, John Duff and Doc Miller, too!" continued Mr. Kountze, pointing to the selfish bankrupt editor edi-tor of tho Herald, "la this way," continued the banker, "he raised about $25,000, and then he took three shares hiinseJf and generously paid for them out of Dix's and Sherman's money, and then came over and paid $8,000 on the purchase paid it freely out of the other fellows' pockets. Then he set his secretary to putting put-ting up cottages on the land, and the coming dictator went off on a lecture tour. There is now a debt of $12,000 against the land a foreclosed mortgage, mort-gage, $2,000 in taxes, and Beveral thousand dollars undue in interest. It will all be sold under judgment, on foreclosure of mortgage in April, and and the eighty acrea wen't bring enough to satisfy the indebtedness ' either, and that's about the beginning and end of the Credit Foncier you've all heard so much of in the newspapers," news-papers," aud Mr. Kountze knocked his cigar ashes against the heel of Dr. Miller's boot. "And Mr. Train's other - speculations, specula-tions, Mr. Kountze, how about them?" I asked, becoming deeply absorbed ab-sorbed in the coming dictator's magnificent mag-nificent generosity and splended financial fin-ancial management. "Lastly," continued Mr. Kountze, "George Francis bought 200 acres of land half a mile south of the town of Sam Rodgers, in 1SG6, for $100 per acre, but he made no payment. To be sure, ho afterward paid part of the interest, but he now owes on the land $30,000, for interest, purchase-money and taxes. The mortgages have been foreclosed, but by stipulation a stay has beeu given, which will expire January 1, 1876." "And the 200 acres are worth?" "Worth about $40,000, Eli." "I knew it," I said. "There ia $10,000 for George Francis ! I knew he was a millionaire 1 I knew his head was level. I knew he had untold un-told millions. I knew if George Francis owed you he'd pay you. Don't you know, penurious wretches," I said, "that Poor Eichard says 'Time is money,' and that George Francis is going to keep the money and let you take it out in time." These miserable Omaha ingrates sorrowfully sor-rowfully acknowledged that they did. And George Francis the generous 1 the princely ! may heaven protect him ! |