The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-28
A CHEEKY CHIEF JUSTICE.
rBE KIND or MAN VINO DTSGRACES
THE LOUISIANA BENCH.


NEW ORLEANS March %. The prevailing
,variciousuess OF the oflceholders Of the Repub-
tcan party ia Louisiana and elsewhere could
not, perhaps. be better excmplihed than by the
facts which are hero related for the information
Of the readers Of TuE suN. Their are In this
State men who beat Belknap and pendeton and
sther money erabbers all hollow In estimating
the value Of their services to railroads, and their
influence In realizing uuon claims OF frandu-
lent character. Mr.. rcndleton's Zee OF t5J'UV or
spoOn IL thrown into the shndo by the fee claim-
cd BY John r. Ludeling-stiil. regret TO say
Chief Justice of the supreme Court of boulsi-
ana, notwithstanding hi' conviction before the
Supreme Court Of the United tites OF an out
rageOus fraud upon the mortgage bcndholdcrs
and stockholders OF the Vi,ssbure shreveport
and Texas Railroad Compauy and the dcclata-
ton Of that high tribunal that he had grossly
"abuscd" the process Of tho courts Of this state
90 accomplish that fraud. In tho twenty first
volume OF waliace's Reports (paee 6l6) the case
10 which refer may be found by those who
care 10 road one OF the most instructive and adj
mirable opinions ever pronounced by the court
Il IL entitled Jackson ct al. ". Labelling ct OIL
Iquote here from the 9ecreta portion oil tue
Judgment, as that Is ncedtul to the comprehcn-
iion OF the facts and statements now submit.
THE srrRENR COURTS DECREE.
Iis ordered ifjndscd "a decrccd tnat ne decree
piansnt. be reversed and set aside the bill BE-
e. And II h further ordered and decreed and ercoy
'SsS s on ysa bsu O nPsS al
& 10 So,n iav Vr ibs,n nnt Old ar
By the vick,hurg, Shreveport and reLa' Riroad t9m
Nv and main sinei and the holders are auhoized
70 tner houds under tue decree " TINS curt OF
s. And II il iuriher ordered sdIudsed, and decrccd
that tile sale made to JOIN Z Ludeing anl his ascot
s s e1 % S0s The !a deed to hsa oe
be lrqudWsIt dnd rod ard oe get aile anI &
"A
them aud oil the geiendant. re'rn from seing up
claiming any rlgi ute or interes, snde, ssd sS,s
under ,ad essn s9d -s,r3s ran r S
w,e asro'ipe ~ any co Oh S y r eos.ee wn
tse mortgage made BY hc said vicSsburg s6rov,PorI
and Te1as Railroad Company.
that this cause be united to the cult Court a. the
so1nt TO be taken Of ali tao properly OF the said cor
porauon. sgd to appoint receiver thereof ana al.o
said mortgage nc sold. under the direction Of tina,
holders secu BY tic moftsaec secondly f.. thc
ben.nt Of other CREDITOR Of me tompsuy snd 'ccS
TO promote the interests OF ali.
fcndaHts 60 account ior ali money and property re-.
se s t7e e@i 2, nG ry 10 ,9 b 10 %
pnder the cfcumstinces Of the cas- oy the law Of
psy aud de iyer 70 the receyr whatever on sucn &C
eouuting may be found due from thcn.
WHAT AsToSIsnED JUDGE LrDELfNG.
This decree was rendered on Nov. ~ 1874, and
its effect upon the defendants WIS. IA mi.ht
have been expected, not only startling but as
tOunAluk. lUNN Iuu Nftu leh ~ NttltNt AhhA
the supreme Court OF the United states, 60 NJ
posed "a a. was OF Judges whose political arii-
tons were with the Republican PARTY (with per-
haps one or two exceptions, would hardly de-
clare tn 4 men who stood 80 high In the ranks
rs and wosid west ns frSn
stanch and, influential political brethren. Occu-
pyng hleh onci9l positions IN Louisiana prop.
dol.rs, ac ording TO their own estimate and
band y oyer T. LOT OF m9rtsase eondholders'
say that W 3 tho exp, citation anil belief Of
Chief Justice Ludciine and his associates. lie
and his TRENDS said openly that they could not
be thus dealt with But the decree was stun
ner-a fact that could not he isnored-aud the
question with them was. What can We do to
induce the Supreme Court to give Us a rehoar-
ioE and reverse judgment so terribly unjust
A h4sty conference Of the defendants. some
ten or tweko IN number, was held, and Il was
determined that their chief ana President, MIR.
Ludelug. sho ad temporarily vacate his chair as
head OF our supreme Court, proceed to Wash
lngton, aud make a personal appeal TO the
Judges in private, acromuanied 10y an apulca-
tion through counsel, ~ open court for re-
bearing Of the case. - he proceeded to Wash
nearly three months. How he occupied his
time at the cauita IA well known. His hrs'
Jeremiah Black, and ttor Matt Carpenter al
counsel on the expected rehearing.
CHIEF JUSTICE IN THE LOBBY.
Having secured what he considered the best
ADVICE to tie mad in Washington, he suuj le
mented their petition to the Court by bringing
60 tear anon il all the political inGuence he
could comm nd. and even had himself intro,
duced to the Judges, or some OF them, at thelI
lodgings ana elsewhere, Tor the purpose OF pr
va,ey soliciting them. In this he WITS aided by
Congressman FRANK ,iorey OF Louisiana, con-
nection OF Ludelnr's by marriage nd nom
Der OF the partnership which claimed ia flil
road under the sale declared fraudulent end
void by the court. But all efforts failed, fol
as they had rendered tho decree complained OF
by Ludeline and his co-defendants. on Mlrcn .
1875 the decision on the motion for a he rim
was announced by Mr. Justice Sirony, lie al
thor OF the opinion which had aroused tho Ia
disnation aud res, ntment Of Mr.. Chief Justice
Ludeling, ana which his friends said would
utterly ruin him md bis associates - In the
railroad spec litior.
The piteous nnd Cconslderlns the confidence
and the boasuulnes- 81 the defendau hlther
to) piiiful appeal to the sympathles Of the Court
made 10y the defendants counsel, utterly failed
sreu@sn,, and Nr. Lude,ios turned hi: Fac,
homeward. sadly disappointed ana Indignant
man-di.appointed tnat he had finally lost h
case, which probably involved a prospective los
to him personally OF from $4,000 to S3OO.0to-
conscious that the fortune hs had dreamed o
had vanished into thin air. and indignan
that the Courtroom osef, Us he foOshll
thought Of men, IL not as unprincipled us him
SELF, who yet ought to have shielded him at tn,
integrity-should have veniured. in such termi
a. they IL I'd employed in expressing their opin-
fanny him, a leader Of. the Republican party Of
Louisiana, the Chief Justice Of her sugrem,
Court, tne architect Of the Kellogg Government
aud, IN his own concert, one OF her most learned
LAWYERS and most honest citizens.
SHALL lie RESIGN OR STICK 1T oUT7
And then, what to him was Infinitely m orc
calling. perhaps, than this stigma, there was IN,
Wound TO hts pride IN that his loud nut empty
DO SIS Of success had come to nauRht-that M
had failed, and that ignominious y. and had nov
70 temiue whether he would resign his OfIc'
o. Chief Justice. its salary OF $4,000 year, anC
its Influence, or face an angry bar nd an angry
populacc. gloGting over his isgrace, and clam
oring for his exclusion by his brother Judges
That Is to say, whether he would yield to tht
public demand Tor his resignation or expulsion,
expressed through the newspapers Of the STATE
anu city, or br4zen II out ana nefY his enemi as
In addition to these considerations was one
mt probably had moro weight IA hts mind tngI
even the question OF sal iry or the oeuuuciation
ana tue snanie that had been heRped upon h
head. lhrre were certain political and hnancia
matters Il interest to him, and certain suit
which remained unsettled, and out OF which hi
might Yet recuperate his fortune. For you mus
Understand that besides making merchandise
OF his Judicial opiuiOns-n notably the Shepherd
WIN case, the slang ter-house case, and other
~ which there had been money he had de
cided cases before his court Ia which he haC
direct personal and pecuniary intercs
ana ne hal Yet to give validity 10 the SIZE, 90
OF state boz dis which he had obtained from tn
Legislature during Gov. WarmOtb's udministra
Uun,clalWeu gift to ulms II and o