A Bill for an Act for the Incorporation of the “Waynesville and Petersburg Rail Road Company.”

Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois represented in the General Assembly that Russel Post John Taylor John Bennet ^Hoey^ W^m Hoey, Richard Ackman, Washington ^George W.^ Turley and all such persons as shall become stockholders agreeably to the provisions of this act shall be and they are hereby constituted a body corporate by the name of the “Waynesville and Petersburg Rail Road Company” and shall continue for the term of fifty years from and after the passage of this act.

2^nd The corporation shall have the right and power to construct and during its existence to mantain and continue a single or double Rail Road, with such appendages as may be necessary for the convenient use of the same from Waynesville in McLean County through Postville in Sangamon county to P the Beardstown and Sangamon Canal at Petersburg in Sangamon county as the directors of said company may direct to transport persons and property by steam or horse power, and by the name aforesaid they are vested with the right and privilege of erecting building and making a single or double Rail Road way for the purpose aforesaid and the right of using the same in the manner hereinafter provided for and during the term of fifty years.

3^rd If the said corporation hereby created

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do not commence said Rail Road on or before the expiration of five years and complete the same within ten years form the passage of this act then shall the said corporation cease and this act be null and void.

4^th The capitol stock of said company shall be five hundred thousand dollars with ^the privilege^ for said company to increase the same to one million of dollars if the opinion of said company such sum should be required to construct said Rail Road said stock shall be divided into shares of one hundred dollars each and shall be transferrable in such manner of said corporation may direct.

5^th The corporation is hereby empowered to purchase and hold such real estate as may be deemed necessary for the use and convenience of sai in the exercise of their corporate powers for the object of before named, and may by their agents surveyors and engineers enter upon and take possession of and use all such lands and real estate and materials as may be necessary for the construction and mantainance of their ^said^ Rail Road and the accommodations required or appertaining thereto and may also receive hold & take all such voluntary grants of land & real estate and materials for the purpose of said Rail Road as shall be made to the corporation by the General or State governments or by individuals to aid in the construction of or maintenance of said Rail Road completely vesting the same, in fee simple, in said corporation; but all lands thus entered upon and taken material so taken for which

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are not donations or owned by the company shall be purchased by said corporation of the owner or owners; & in case of disagreement as to prices & before taking materials or making any part of said Rail Road on said land in controversy it shall be lawful for the commissioners or superintendants of said company to apply to some justice of the peace of the county where said land is situate, who shall cause five freeholders to be summoned who after being sworn faithfully and impartially to examine the materials and ground [...?] in controversy shall assess the damages which they believe such owner or owners will sustain over and above the additional value of such land will derive from the construction of such Rail Road and make a report signed by at least a majority of them, one of which then shall deliver to the agent of said company and one to the owner of said land or materials in controversy and one to the justice of the peace and the amount of damages or costs being paid to the owner or owners which shall have been assessed or deposited with the justice of the peace, the Rail Road may be constructed on said land or the materials taken.

6^th The said corporation is hereby authorized to erect toll houses, to regulate the time and manner of transporting passengers or property, and to fix the rate of tolls and demand & receive the same.

7^th If in the construction of said Rail Road it may be necessary to cross any water course

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or public highway it said company shall in no wise injure or obstruct such water course or high way but shall leave them in as good a state as they were found

8^th If any person shall wilfully do injury to said Rail Road or any of its appurtenances or shall obstruct the passage of carriages or cars on said Rail Road he shall be be proceeding against by said corporation & fined in treble the ammont of damages so done to said company.

9^th The said Corporation so created by this act shall in their corporate name have power to sue in any court of law or equity in the state having jurisdiction of the case and prosecute the same to recovery; and to defend when sued, to plead when and be impleaded in law and chancery; and shall be entitled to all the privileges and rights which corporate bodies usually exercise at common law. They shall have a common seal and change the same at pleasure. The stock of said company shall be deemed personal property and together with every species of property owned by said company shall be liable to be seized for debt and executed and sold for the discharge of the same.

10^th The Company shall have power to make such regulations and bye-laws as may be necessary for the transaction [...?] of all business appertaining to their affairs.

11^th Books for the subscription of capitol stock shall be opened at by Russell Post, John Taylor & John Bennet at such time and

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places as they may deem proper and when [...?] one hundred thousand dollars of said stock shall be taken said company or stockholders shall proceed to elect directors and take all steps necessary to carry the provisions of this act into execution; Provided however that at lease one pr. cent on the stock subscribed shall be taken paid at the time of subscription; and said company shall have power to call in such payments of stock from time to time as they may deem necessary.