Editing Jay Gould (section)

===Erie Railroad===
In 1873, Gould attempted to take control of the [[Erie Railroad]] by recruiting foreign investments from [[Lord Gordon-Gordon]], supposedly a cousin of the wealthy [[Clan Campbell|Campbell clan]], who was buying land for immigrants. He bribed Gordon-Gordon with a million dollars in stock, but Gordon-Gordon was an impostor and cashed the stock immediately. Gould sued him and the case went to trial in March 1873. In court, Gordon-Gordon gave the names of the Europeans whom he claimed to represent, and was granted bail while the references were checked. He immediately fled to [[Canada]], where he convinced authorities that the charges were false.<ref name="Brewer's">{{cite book|last=Donaldson|first=William|author-link=William Donaldson|title=Brewer's Rogues, Villains and Eccentrics|publisher=Phoenix|year=2004|location=London|pages=299–300|isbn=0-7538-1791-8}}</ref><ref name="TMHS">{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=J.L.|url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/transactions/3/lordgordongordon.shtml|title=Lord Gordon Gordon|publisher=The Manitoba Historical Society|access-date=August 22, 2008}}</ref>

Having failed to convince Canadian authorities to hand over Gordon-Gordon, Gould attempted to kidnap him, with the help of his associates, and future members of Congress, [[Loren Fletcher]], [[John Gilfillan]], and [[Eugene McLanahan Wilson]]. The group did capture Gordon-Gordon, but they were stopped and arrested by the [[North-West Mounted Police]] before they could return to the US. Canadian authorities put them in prison and refused them bail,<ref name="Brewer's"/><ref name="TMHS"/> which led to an international dispute between the United States and Canada. When he learned that they had been denied bail, Governor [[Horace Austin]] of Minnesota demanded their return, and he put the local militia on full readiness. Thousands of Minnesotans volunteered for an invasion of Canada. After negotiations, the Canadian authorities released the men on bail. Gordon-Gordon was eventually ordered to be deported, but committed suicide before the order could be carried out.<ref name="Brewer's"/><ref name="TMHS"/>