The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-05
The North Louisiana Railroad Case.
tOuaehita Telegraph

The Supreme Court OF the United States
rendered an opinion on Monday which con-
Cludes the vexatlous litigation in the matter
Ut the final disposition OF the Vicksbnrg,
Shreveport and Texas Railroad. he road Il
To be sold, and thus, at last, Jarndyce and
Jarndyce Id removed from chancery. This
road as most Of the readers Of this paper
know. was chartered with Its eastern ter
minus on the Mississippi river, opposite
vicksburg, and the western terminus on the
B line dividing Louisiana and Texas, west OF
Shreveport. From Shreveport to the Texas
line, about eighteen miles, and from this place
to Delta, about seventy-two miles. the road
IL now fn operation. The intervening dis
lance between Monroe and Shreveport, about
ninety-two miles, has only been surveyed
three lines, IL we are not mistaken, having
i been run By as many different engineers, all
prior to The war.
Anything like q full history of the litigation
iust terminated would fill several volumes.
A single brief In the case, printed at this
office, Is a volume In itself.
III January, 1866, the road and oil the prop
erty Of the Vicksbulg, Shreveport and Texas
Railroad Company was seized. upon the SUIT
w w. r. Gordon, OF this parish, upon $40
worth Of unpaid coupons attached to four
bonds of $1,000 each belonging to MIR: Gordon.
The road was sold on the third OF February
following. At the first Offering Kramer "
comply with the requirements of the sheriff,
the property was re-offered few hours sub
seuuent, when Ludeling and associates be
came the purchasers for $4,000. Suit was IN
stituted by Branner a. Go. to annul this sale,
the result OF which was to confirm the title OF
. Ludeling and associates to the road. This
was In our State courts.
Meanwhile III. II. jackson and others, hold
# ING mortgage bonds Of the road issued before
y the war, brought suit In the Federal courts to
enforce their mortgage There We're 761 bonds
Of $1,000 each, with interest accrued, Interest,"
Cd III the suit Tho case, after being passed
upon by Judge Woods, United States Circuit
Judge of this district was appealed to tho
United States Supreme Court. There the
case was decided adversely to Ludeling and
associates, and the road was decreed TO be
sold. according to the laws OF this State, to
satisfy tne claims Of jackson al the other
Judge Woods appointed O receiver for the
road-Maior j. w. Green, who Is yet In charge
of the road-and a master in chancery to de
termine the value OF improvements mace
while In charge. The master In chances
rendered his statement for what amount We
cannot now say. Ludeling and associates
however, claimed a balance due them from
81 81, O96, o31 IS. Judge Woods rendered judg
ment for about $780, 900 In favor Of Ludellne
4 and associates, for betterments, the decree Of
the United States Supreme Court ordering
the road sold being imperative until the
3 amount iii dispute could be settled by appeal
to the Supreme Court, To which tribunal both
parties to the suit appealed from the decision
OF Judge Woods.
1t was on this appeal and cross appeal that
the Supreme Court rendered Its opinion on
Monday, referred TO In the outset-a suit III
y yolving, as will be understood, the simple
question of what amount Ludeing and as
eociates were entitled to out of the proceeds
Of the sale of the road, and not in any way
affecting the ownership Of the road, which
still remains In the original stockholders
subject to decree of sale to satisfy the mort
gage held by jackson and other bondhoders
OF the road As we learn from private ad
vices, among them kilograms received by
Judge Ludeling. the Supreme Court has no.
disturbed its original decree. except to give
Ludeltng and associates a Judgment for abou
$3I50oo Tor betterments, to be derived pro
rata with the bondholders, out Of the proceed.
OF the sale Of the road.
ms ", so Tar as we can now state from
recollectlon alone, the history III the litigation
Just ended, and happily SO for the interests Of
This section oi country. Whether NJ ara cor
rect or not matters little, since the materta
fact liz settled-the road II r. ha cd an ~,
the missing link In the great ,ntaran,o 81,
railway from the Atlantic To- tho poo.a, y
soon TO be supplied. OF the yalne ~. - ~ I
property to be sold, we know noth,po, Va an
rough guess, we estimate the franah - : .
cnartef ana the location of the road vnnth +
the long rum more to capitalists than ~ ~; u.
properly of the road II is a link witho,t mi ~ ~