A. It was all the time so considered from the beginning.
By Mr. Hambleton.
Q. Was this draft of a contract with the producers drawn prior to the execution of the railroad contracts?
A. Yes, sir, the draft was drawn prior to that.
By the Chairman.
Q. What is the date of that pencilled draft of a contract?
A. I could not give you the date of it; it was written in the office of the Lake Shore Railroad Company.
Q. At what place?
A. New York.
Q. State as near as you can the date?
A. I should say it was probably in December; either late in December or in the beginning of January, probably in December; indeed, I am very confident it was before I went home at Christmas.
Q. Has any copy of this ever been printed?
A. No, sir.
Q. This is all there was of it?
A. Yes, except discussion; we discussed the matter.
Q. I mean all there was committed to writing?
A. Yes, sir, all there was then committed to writing.
Q. Is it all there was as far as making out a contract is concerned?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was this submitted to the producers as a body or individually?
A. We were very anxious to submit it to the producers, and I asked them to appoint a committee that we might do it, but they had got up such an excitement at the time that nothing was practicable.
Q. When was that?
A. Before the last of these contracts was signed.
Q. Can you give the dates at all?
A. I cannot give the dates, but the contract with the Lake Shore road had not been signed at the time.
Q. What producers did you ask to call a meeting?
A. Among others I addressed a communication to be delivered to a gentleman who was understood to be the chairman of a meeting about to be held.
Q. What was his name?
A. Foster W. Mitchell, of Franklin.
Q. You addressed a communication to him, of what purport?
A. Asking him to appoint a committee to meet a committee of the South Improvement Company, that they might know what the objects of the South Improvement
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