The sun., 1890-01-26
GARRAGAN AGAINST sIMoNs
A Long Legal Contest Over - Tract or
Land Run Ont by Surveyor Jay 6ouid


HoNEspALE, Pa, Jan. 25.-Ihe compli.
Gated case OF Garragan against Simons, which
has been In litigation in the courts OF this
county since 1884. was disposed OF yesterday
by decision OF Judge H. NJ. seely. The story
connected with this curious lawsuit is one Of
unusual interest
| Thirty-nve years ago Mrs. ElizaJ. Haley kept
hotel at Tobyhanna, Monroe county She
! was widow. The Delaware. Lackawanna and
Western Railroad was then being constructed
over the Pococo Mountains and Mrs. Haleys
house was the headquarters for contractors,
lumbermen, and others whom the railroad
work had drawn to the region, which was then
an almost unbroken wilderness. Col. Zadock
Pratt, the great tanner OF Greene county, New
York. had about that time discovered Jay Gould
In the Delaware county baokwoods, and had
made him partner in large tannery he built
In the hemlock forest OF Luzerne county nine
miles from what is now Goudsboro station on
the Delaware and Lackawana Railroad. Pratt
and Gould were frequently at Mrs. Haley's
house. and she was 80 attentive to their wants
that she became q great favorite with them
The railroad was then completed as far as
Tobyhanna, and that place was the shipping
point for Pratt & Goulds tannery. The tan
merry firm had in view, however. the establish
ing Of more convenient station a few miles
further north in Wayne county, and had pur-
chased large tract ofland there. The station
was laid out before the railroad was built to II.
and named Gouldsboro, after Jay Gould.
Among the contractors who boarded at Mrs.
Haleys were Jacob D. Coon and John L. 81
mons. Pratt 4 Gould contracted with Coon
for the building OF plank road from Goulds-
boro to the tannery, and agreed to transfer to
him certain tract Of land at Gouldsboro In
part payment OF the contract Mrs. Haley had
daughter Mary Jane Haley. She was 16
years old In 1859 when she charged Contractor
came mother. Coon settled the proceedings
against taSGainst him i'm by agreeing TO- pay the girl $500
and attorney. he having married the Widow
Haley. In payment Of this $500 Coon assigned
land had obtained pfe rom Prats aoyGd ias se
Gouldsboro. simons and his wife, removed
wh5s sv the latter 6%t
married. stephen Garraean, a sinm6erman. Mi.
and Mrs. simons continued to live in the hotel.
cial reSerses 0 To add @io to their dieuIees n
Stephen Garragan and his wife, claiming that
taS spd Tea the 4
Jane Haley, through John l., Simons. in 1889.
brought suit In 1884 .,ganst Simons and his
ments the old couple had made upon it. This
proceeding on the part Of Garragan and his
ten incident in Mrs. Garragan's early life, and
II was learned for the first time by majority
OF the residents OF GOuluSDOro tn8t the vile OF
its most prominent citizen was the illegitimate
child OF Jacob Coon and Mary Haley.
man named Edwards had furnished Jacob
Coon with lumber for building the plank road
between Gouldshoro and the Pratt d Cloud
tannery, and had agreed to take in payment
an acre of land at Gouldsboro. to be selected
anywhere out OF the Coon tract Edwards, be-
lieving that with the completion of the railroad
Gouldsboro would become o place Of impor-
tance. concluded to nut up hotel near the de-
pot. and selected his land for that purpose. His
acre was run out by Jay Gould himself. ST.
mons. in his answer to tho claim OF Garragan
and his wife, deposed that on the day when
Jay Gonld ran out the land for Edwards he |
was present. and that Immediately after the |
was completed Gould said to |
him that he wanted him to 20 to |
work at once and put up a hotel on !
the other side OF the plank road for Mrs. \
Simons, and to do 1t heforo Edwards got his |
built Gould declared that Pratt T. Gould want
cd n hotel there. and hey wanted Mrs. Simons,
who. as Mrs. haley. had been so attentive to
their wants at Tobyhapne. to run it Upon 81
hotel. Gould replied that Pratt & Gould would |
furnish the money and the land for the hotel
which they did. The hotel was built. and Pratt
& Gould were subsequently paid back their
outlay on the property. The hotel was the one
80 long occupied by Simons and his wi g. and
the property claimed by Garragan and his wife
imons SAID he could SubStautiate his claim
by I'm affidavit from Jay Gould. but In all the
years the case was In litigation he was unable
70 get the affidavit The Court yesterda sus-
tained the claim OF Garragan and his wife, and
ordered Simons and his wife to transfer the
property to them.