Glencairn took the name "Lord Gordon-Gordon" as his alias, claiming to be a cousin of the
Campbell clan, a descendant of
Lochinvar and of the ancient kings of the Scottish Highlands. He arrived in
Minneapolis, Minnesota and became involved with the
Northern Pacific Railway. He told them that he was in America so that he could buy large tracts of land on which to settle tenants from his over-populated estates in Scotland. His next major incident came three months later when he moved to New York City, claiming that he was going to transfer his funds from Scotland in order to finance his land purchase. He carried a letter of introduction from Gould, who was then trying to gain control of the Erie Railroad in the
Erie War. Gordon-Gordon told Gould that he could help him gain control of the railroad, with the help of several Europeans who had stock in the company, on the condition that he give Gordon-Gordon a million dollars in negotiable stock in what he called "a pooling of interests". However, as soon as Gould delivered the stock, he turned it around and sold it. He gave the names of Europeans whom he claimed to represent, and the court granted him bail while checking the references. Gordon-Gordon took this opportunity to flee to Canada where he convinced authorities that the allegations were false. He then offered to buy large parts of Manitoba, an investment which would bring prosperity to Canada. ==References==