Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-12
AN IMPORTANT CASE.
Decision in the Suit Against Norman Il.
HarwoOd of VoIusla County.

Decision in the Suit Against Norman Il.
HarwoOd of VoIusia County.
There has Just been heard and deter
mined IN the United States Circuit Court at
Jacksonville an interesting cause, which
has been pending there since Septem-
Der, 1888. The cOmplainants in the cause
were about thirty in number, comprising
leading business houses and some national
banks of New York and other Northern
and Northwestern cities. The claims
aggregated about $1SO,0OO. The principal
defendants were Norman B. HARDWOOD, of
Volusia county, and his wife.
1t seems that in November, 1880, Mr..
HARDWOOD failed IN business i'm Minneapo-
lis, Mimi, where he had become in about
tour years of almost phenomenal success
the prince of merchants there. His fail
ure, he claims, was the result of a failure
of crops throughout the large agricultural
regions with which he mainly dealt, and
the consequent difficulty and slowness of
making collections. He was thus unable
to meet his Eastern Indebtedness as
the notes which he had given for the
large purchases he made to meet
the requirements OF the immense
business he had established became due,
took place among his creditors. Attach
ments and replevin suits followed thick
and fast, and the ruin OF his business
could not be averted. His liabilities at
this time aggregated about 5000, 900, while
his assets, he claims, largely exceeded
$1,000,000. He made a general assign
ment for the benefit of his creditors.
What amount the creditors, 10y their vari-
GUS suits and the assignment realized, we
H. - hr,f Los nla inc
mentioned above represent nearly all that
was left unpaid.
When his failure became inevitable,
MIR. HarwOod went into the court at Min
neapolis and confessed a Judgment in
favor of his wife for something over $685.
600 on promissory note executed by him
TO her in 1876, which was speedily real
lied upon from his assets, and paid over
to his wife. Shortly afterward Mr.. Har-
wood and Mrs. HarwOOd came to Florida,
and in VOlusia county, in the Indian
river section, bought with this
money several large and valuable tracts
of land, and Immediately commenced de-
velOping and improving them on a large
and expensive scale. Besides this they
lent out on mortgages considerable sums
of money. Among other loans was
$4,000 to Gadsden B. Bryan, which re-
manned unpaid at the trial of this suit,
and who is made party in order to have
this loan paid IN to court for complain
ants.
None of these conveyances or loans APP
peared on the records OF Volusia county, or
anywhere else, in the name of Mr.. Har-
wood or Mrs. HaFw00d; but through the
industry, skill and discriminating intelli-
gence of Mr.. G. j. Babbitt, of the law and
collection agency of Messrs. j. II. Hub
bell 81 Co., OF 4N Broadway, New York,
the facts as to the purchases
and loans were clearly ascer-
tanned. Messrs. Hubbell a. Co. then placed
the whole matter in the hands Of the then
law firm of COckrell & Walker, who fled
the bill which has just been heard ON the
answers of Mr.. and Mrs. HarwOOd and the
testimony of numerous witnesses, many
of whom were brought here from Mime
sofa and other places.
The court, by its final decree, found that
Mr.. HarwOOd was indebted to the various
cOmpiainants in sums aggregating about
$l35,000, and decreed that all the lands
and the Indebtedness due from Bryan
were liable to the satisfaction of the in
debtedness by Mr.. HARDWOOD to the COM
plainants; that the lands be sold for the
payment of said Indebtedness, and
that James II. Durkee be APP
pointed a receiver to collect and
get in for a like purpose the $4,000 and
interest due from Bryan. The receiver
was required to give a bond in the sum Of
$4,000. An allowance was made by the
court TO the solicitors for the complainant
of $4,000 as compensation for their ser
vices. Notice Of appeal to the Supreme
Court Of the United States was given by
the defendant. John T. Walker, Esq,
argued the case for the cOmplainants,
and l.. l. Fleming, Esq, for the defend