Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-11-28
INDICTED.
The Grand Jury Finds a True Bill Against
the L. N. Railroad.

The Grand Jury Finds a True Bill Against
the L. & N. Railroad.
The Montgomery county grand jury
has found an indictment against the
Louisville and Nashville railroad Tor
alleged determinations against Clarks-
vile merchants The Indictment was
handed in Saturday. 1t is endorsed "a
true bill" by B. ]. Corban, foreman
and John Hurst, E. B. Whitfield, ]. J.
Crusman, Ed. Carkuff, and S. I. Cham
bers are marked as witnesses.
Following we give the full text OF
the Indictment:
STATE OF TENNEssEE,)
nfo>yrco.rFRY COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT,
November Term, 1880 }
The Grand Jurors for the State, upon their
oaths preseDG that on the LIST day of Octo-
Der, 1855, and for time prior and subsequent
to said date, in the said county, the Louis
vile & Nashville Railroad Company, char
tered by the laws OF Tennessee ana Ken
lucky and doing business in said county as
n public carrier of passengers ana mefchan-
disc into the city of ClarksviIle ana there-
from 70 various places, towns and stations
along its line of road, and as such carrier OF
goods did unlawfully, wllfulIy ana oppress-
fyely discriminate against T.. Il. Whlfheld
aud other merchants OF said CITY IN the
shipment by them of salt and other mer-
chandise TO their customers at Elkton, Ken,
lucky, and other stations on the line OF SAID
road, by charging them UNIV eAoIDlt;eht
! and oppressive rates for such shipments
| the said charges being in excess OF the scned-
| ule rates that had been published as re-
quired by law-said charges pelng ueStru aS
| i've to the business of said merchants; as
/ this was the only carrier by WhIcn tne me,
I could ship to Ssaid places. AT TINS tlIne sslu
carrier was charging reasonable anu yust
rates TO the other or favored merchants OF
GAINESVILLE for the same Klna OF HieIcHdIi-
disc to the same points, ana Sucn uiScIlIlI-
i nation was so unlawfully made Ior tne pur-
| nose of depressing said Whitfield ana otners
/ and destroying their trade and TO bulld up
| the merchants so favored 70 the SrSi5tsl vi
/ and inconvenience OF the pQDlc ana
| AGAINST the peace and dignity OF the STATE.
| And the Jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths
aforesaid, further present tnaI az tne ~ Ilnn =
| and nlace aforesaid the said Louisville a
| Nashville Railroad Company ana Inc OF
| steam boats running Cumberland river We're
the only common carriers Dy when IlIJ =
! wholesale merchants of ClarksVllle coulol
| receive their stocks of salt and other her-
| chandise, and the said Railroad company
was the only carrier by Whlcn such ii ne :
chants could supply their customers IN a
large territory, Including Springfield, Tenn,
and Elkton and Hopkinsville, in Kentucky;
indeed nearly all such customers adS F sd II.
| self n monopoly of the carrying trade lnlu
| CiarIxsviIIe of salt and other lnerehandlSe
| 6,r snch merchandise for such merchants
! Ala unIawfulIv and oppreSsively establish q
, prohibitory rate of freight upon such mer,
! chandise out of ClarkSVille TO Elk Ton anu
| said other points as had been EecelNeu ny
: | said merchants by the river, at the sailit
: time charging much lower ana reasohap 81
rate on such as had been received oy ~
road. and thereby established for itself, IN
lawfully a MONOPOLY of the carrying tIaus
into Clarksville of said commodities agains
the peace and dignity OF the Stale;
r.. III. BURNEY, Atty Gent
The main circumstances on which
t the Indictment was founded have beer
, given much publicity, and are proba
blv familiar to the majority of ou
= readers. but it will not be out OF plac'
to recapitulate them here.
About last March, we believe, Nj
; EB. Whitfield, who was then agent a
!. this place for the Ryman line OF steam
: ers. received a consignment OF salt b.
river at very low rates, or, at least, q
q lower rates than were given by tn
: railroad. He was thereby enabled
sell salt cheaper than GAINESVILLE me-
n chants who had received that commoC
e ity bv rail. But when Mr.. Whitfield
, attempted to ship this salt to Elktol
Il XIV, and other points along the l..
e n. railroad, he was charged such eS
u hOrbitant rates that it was unprofitabl
for him to do so.
About the first of September tn
Ii trade between Capt. Ryman, of Nasl
le Vile. ana Messrs. F. P. Gracey & Brt
i of this city, took place, which necess
ar tated the discharge Of Mr.. Whitfield
l. agent for the Ryman line and the en-
"a plcvment of the Graceys in that C
r. pacitv. The Graceys are also agen
ID for the L. & n. railroad, and had 10
I'd merlv run a boat in the Cumberlar
" in opposition to the Ryman line. III
Graceys claim that in the trade Wi
Ryman, they fully protected Clark
ville's interests in the river.
A week or so after this trade W
- consummated, the GAINESVILLE Dem
y GRAFT published lengthy article settll
IL forth the particulars of the White
salt transaction in full and chargll
that the river had been "scooped"
the L. & n. railroad and Clarksvl
everlastingly done for.
A few nights following that famo
meeting Of the Board OF Trade to
place-the meeting that has been Ju
" likened to the King of Spain, W
marched his soldiers up the hill a
then marched them down again.
letter was read at this meeting ire
Can't. Ryman saying that MIR. WI
field had been given cut rates on
while he was agent for the steambo;
and "was raising all this muss' beca'
he couldn't get such rates any m'
since he had been discharged.
Whitfield very promptly denied
assertion and produced bills to pr
that he had paid rates equal to OF
dealers.
lrn There have also been other CT
on yes OF discrimination which
an substantially set forth in the sec'
ise- count of the Indictment.
she The agitation of these matters C
ORR ted considerable comment in the Ii
,rly nress and otherwise. Thine CHRc
the Gle, at the outset, called attention
rful the fact that there were laws in i
,nts nessee making such oflenses pc
ion, and when the Criminal Court
ork. Judge Tyler, in his charge, called
was matter to the attention of the gr
ted, jury.
IteI A Card.
go In the Democrat of last Frlda
emu notice a card, signed many voters,
hey onosiirr mo 70 become a candidate