The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-26
GREAT RAILROAD SUIT-SUSQUE-
HANNA AGAINST ERIE.

From the NJ Y. Sun.
Another big lawsuit has been begun
Joseph H. Ramsey, President of the Albany
and Susquehanna Railroad Company, has
sued Jay Gould, James Fisk, Jr., and Frede-
rick A. Lane, with other directors of the
Erie Railway, and the Erie Company itself.
The litigation is in reality continuation of
the Susquehanna and Erie quarrel which
Governor Hoffman illegally put an end to by
taking possession of the Susquehanna road
last summer.
Mr.. Ramsey's complaint covers ninety-one
printed pages. The revenue is laid
in Delaware county. Mr.. Justice
Murray, of the Supreme Court, has issued
an injunction and granted an order against
the defendants. These papers, together with
the complaint, make up three of the most
remarkable documents ever known in the
legal annals of this State or country
The complaint states that Mr.. Ramsey
owns certain stock of the Erie Railway Com
pany, and sets out in full it's character,
although the amount is not given; also that
he owns past due claim for money against
the company. 1t then recites, with careful
detail, the history of the Erie corporation
from 1882 to the present time. 1t alleges
that recently the management of the road
has fallen into the hands of the awful triad,
Fisk, Gould, and Lane; and substantially
| that these men and their agents have injured
and are continuing to iniure the property of
the Erie Railway Company, SO as entirely to
destroy the value of the plaintiffs stock and
| interest therein.
| The allegations contained in the complaint
| are many of them very serious and important;
but these are mingled with nonsense in a
most remarkable manner For instance, it is
| absurd to allege among the grounds for ask
| ing an injunction that Fisk has brought OBJ
| loquy upon the Erie Railway Company ''by
acting in gaudy uniform the part of a tempo
rary master of steamboats,. And what shall
we think of the following in sober legal
complaint?
That it is injurious to the business Of said corpo-
ration to have its offices in building which in part
is almost nightly occupied for operate and dramatic
| and its approaches by the large number Of young
| clerks in the employment of said company, and by
opera and theatre women at the same time, and the
| musical and dancing rehearsals by day. with the
tread Of ballet-grls and the echoes Of operas and
songs, and of all sorts OF string and wind instru-
ments resounding in said building, within hearing
and almost within sight OF numerous young clerks
| at their desks, in the employment of said company
in said opera house. are demoralizng to said young
men, destructive of the interests OF said company,
| and without parallel in railroad history"
| Is not this Stiffness run rampant? Why are
not the dulcimer, saclzbut, and psaltery men
toned as among the instruments?
The injunction in this case is of the most
sweeping character, going so far as to forbid
the defendants from using any persuasion"
to prevent the Erie Railway Company from
employing persons other than the defendants
or their attorneys to defend the suit. The
order suspends from Office as Directors of the
road Fisk, Gould, and Lane, and all others at
present engaged in its management. Philo
Ruggles is appointed referee to take proofs
on behalf of both parties, before the court
determines as to the final exercise of its
powers in reference to the suspension of the
defendants.
Of course, it is impossible at present to ex-
press any opinion as to the merits of this
extraordinary case; but certainly the plain
tiff's course would have more to commend il
to the public if extraneous and irrelevant
allegations had been omitted in the com,
plant, and if his preliminary injunction and
order had not been quite so strongly drawn