The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer

Excitement in Regard to the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad
Special to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Sandusky, O., December 16.—We have previously telegraphed of the alleged existence of frauds in the management of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad, a portion of which is already built, and which runs from Wheeling, West Virginia, to Milan, this county. The line comes up through the Perry County coal fields, and runs through a country that is famous for its fertility and productiveness. It was the intention some time since to make Sandusky the main lake port on the line, Huron (this county) being second in importance in that respect. The line is built to within half a mile of the latter place, and it was the intention of the management to begin work between this city and Milan this week; but the exhaustive and crushing statement by Mr. Wilson, the contractor of the line who alleges that frauds of the most criminal character have been perpetrated by President Robinson, of the road, has taken the wind all out of the sails of the Wheeling and Lake Erie. The people all along the line are in a fever-heat of excitement over the recent developments. The little town of Milan, a village of less than one thousand inhabitants, raised $58,000 to build the road to their town and now that they are liable to lose their money they are naturally considerably exercised over the matter. Huron, a town of five hundred or six hundred inhabitants, subscribed about $20,000 to the project, and since the Wilson expose the Huronites are rampant. The management of the road wanted to get a couple of hundred thousand dollars from this city, and a large amount of money was subscribed here, but not a dollar of it will be paid voluntarily. The indications are that numerous suits will grow out of this refusal to pay the money subscribed. It is said the Company owes thousands of dollars to laborers, boarding-house keepers and others at almost every town where any work has been done, and not one of these people can get a cent of pay. There is much suffering along the line in consequence. No one now disputes that the credit of the Company is hopelessly ruined.

The charges made against Robinson by Wilson are of the gravest character. The Register, of this city, says, editorially: "If Mr. Wilson's statements are correct, the sooner the President goes to the penitentiary the better for the interests of the stockholders of the road." This is pretty strong language, but the statement of Wilson, backed by the word of men in this county whose honesty is above the remotest suspicion, would seem to indicate that the Robinson management is rotten to the core. Ten or a dozen as good men as there are in Ohio stand ready to swear that Robinson deliberately and repeatedly lied to them, and to others in their presence, about the disposition of $50,000 worth of bonds, which bonds Robinson's Secretary now admits were used to pay off a claim held by a sub-contractor, who in reality should have received only $6,000 which latter amount Robinson claimed to have paid him, but the Company's books show that in this case Robinson is an indiscreet prevaricator. The Register, of this city, will contain to-morrow morning a second statement by Contractor Wilson, who brings more proofs to substantiate what he charged in his first statement. This railroad squabble will develop into the biggest fight of the character ever seen hereabouts, not excepting the row over the Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland road. The Directors of the Wheeling & Lake Erie will meet on Wednesday, the 19th inst., at Norwalk, and it is certain that that meeting will be one of the liveliest ever held in relation to the affairs of the road.