Tore Up The Road

A large gang of men were put at work on the South Lyon branch Sunday tearing up the rails, loading he iron on flat cars with the evident ntention of abandoning the road. The men came largely from Owosso and a dispatch to a Detroit evening aper said they were offered $3.00 'or a few hours work, their destinaion being unknown. The people of South Lyon secured an intimaion on Saturday, however, that the oad was to be torn up Sunday and, t once notified railroad commisioner Whitman, vho notified the ailroad company that the work must not be done. On Sunday, ïowever, all but about three miles of the track was torn up. An atempt was made to buy provisions rom the farmers for the gangs, but not a farmer could be found who would furnish them food to eat for ove or money. As will be remembered the Toledo nd Ann Arbor road originally built what is now known as a branch as part of their main line, the terminus of the road at one time being South Lyon. After a time, however, the oad was built to Howell, leaving he old main track at Lelands and hus effectually side tracking South yon, the road (Leiand to South -.yon) being thereafter known as he South Lyon branch. To secure the original building of he South Lyon branch the people iving along the line of the road ïad contributed beside the right of way some $16,000. Naturally they ïad some rights in the premises. ?or a series of years the Ann Arbor road operated the branch in such a manner as to cali forth vigorous and rrequent complaints from the people of that section. The assistance of the railroad :ommissioners was several times inroked. The people charged that the road was operated in such a way is to make it practically useless to them. Finally, last spring, the Ann Arbor road filed a pétition in the circuit court of this county, asking for leave to abandon the road, take up the ties, remove the station houses and seek pastures new. The people entered their appearance, invoked the aid of the railroad commissioner, petitioned the Ashleys and held an emphatic meeting in South Lyon. Nothing was ever done in the abandonment proceed ings, the case being never brough up for hearing. The next step in the programme was the formation of the South Lyon & Northern road incorporated fo $400,000, composed of New York parties, John L. Burleigh, the whi lom editor of the Ann Arbor Dem ocrat, being the only one known to residents of this vicitiity. A deec was recbrded last August from th Ann Arbor road to this company o the South Lyon branch. The nom inal consideration inserted in th deed was $140,000. It was recordec by John L. Burleigh. The question now is, did thi company pay #140,000 for the privi lege of taking up the old iron on th road? Or was it, as the resident along the line intímate, a company formed solely for the purpose o allowing the T., A. A. & N.. M. R R. to abandon the branch, the new company being beyond the reach o the courts? It goes without saying that th residents of this section are hot anc propose to try and inforce thei Railroad Commissione Whitman has promised to do all tha he can to secure them redress, an later developments may be expectec