The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-08-26
Circuit Court.

Circuit Court.
The La Sale county Circuit Court, Hon. f S..
Leland presiding closed the last jury trial of the
term on Monday last. II was case of much
interest, that OF John L. Mccormick vs.. VIM. l..
Huse ct al, which, after occupying the court 81
days, has been decided in favor of the defend.
ants.
In attempting to give sketch OF the case, we
find ourselves confronted by two versions, SUBJ
stantially as follows:
Mccormick claimed, that in 1857, when he
and others organized his bridge company and
put in bridge OF boats, Brewster and others
went back on him and his friends and establish.
the Mays ferry and run it as rival, and after
wards new ferry, and thus kept the old bridge
company from building permanent bridge; but
that meanwhile, at an expense of over 500, 900,
Mccormick bull. roadway to the bluff, and
would have built q permanent bridge but for
the losses forced on them by this opposition
That in 1869 Huse and others got charter for
another bridge and roadway over the same lands,
with power to take McCormick's road, &c, at
At an agreed or assessed value
missioners appointed to fix the price. This they
refused, but offered him $1,000 or more, which
he refused.
NcCormick's charter having run out, the new
bridge company had the franchise, and McCo--
miCk continued TO run his boat bridge through
the SKINNER of 1869.
On the 9TH of September 1869, the new compa-
ny got ready boat bridge. aud being about to
open its crossing at point above McCormick's
crossing, opened track from their crossing to a
point where travel conld pass on to Mccormick.
road aud reach the bluff
Mccormick insisting that this was private
property, which neither the public nor the new
company could use until it was paid for, closed
apart of the road near the bluff This produced
excitement, aud those interested in the lew
bridge rousing Others, went cut and tore down
some fences. SO as to open way Of travel, tax.
ing about 80 rods Of McCormicks embankment,
and not content with opening way to their own
crossing, they built q fence square across the
south end Of McCOrmick's bridge, and dug down
high embankment so as to prevent travel from
going to AcCormicks crossing, and thus broke
up McCormick's river crossing, turned all the
travel 70 their own, and have ever since used
this 30 rods Of McCormick's turnpike as an ap.
proaoh to their new bridge.
On the other hsud it is alleged that, prior to
1857 there were several ferry crossings ut Peru,
in this county, over the Illinois river and diff.
ferent roads leading across the bottom from the
ferries to tho bluff, some Of which had been sur.
veysd and located by the state, some by the
county, and some by the town authorities, be-
sides which route had been used by the public
since 1872, leading up to Cedar Creek, OF which
there had been no survey. At the session of the
legislature of 1857 several leading citizens of
Peru procured q charter for substantial toll
bridge across the river. The charter was obtain.
cd mainly through the instrumentality of The.
ron D. Brewster, Mccormick being named in it
% one of the cerporators. The charter contains
apecSliar provision, that any Oh, of the corpo.
rators might 60 on and organz the Company.
Brewster went ahead and procul ID stock sub.
scriptions to the amount OF 81 900; and Nc.
Cormick also proceeded to rise sabsorip.
hons and to organize company. The
Brewster stockholders refused to have anything
to do with the Mccormick company; but the
latter having organized, proceeded to put fer
ry across the river, and subsequently obtained
an amendment to the charter authorizing him
to run bridge Of boats for ten years from 1859,
which he did. At the end of that time, not
having built the contemplated bridge and there
being no prospect of his doing so, other citizens
OF Peru obtained charter for new company,
and immediately went to work and erected
substantial iron bridge across the river and the
bayou south of the river, at u cost of about
$4,000.
uaDuring tho time Mccormick was running his
boat bridge he had procured the vacation of some
roads crossing the bottom and had closed them
up by fences or INSTRUCTED them by embark.
ments in such way that It was impossible to
use t.:,la without outing down portion Of his
embankments; and, although he had built his
roadway . portion Of the distance upon one Of
the old town roads, be undertook to\prsvsnt tho
towns from tesuming posssssion d The syadway