The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-10-27
READING GAINS DELAY
The Central Receivership
Hearing Postponed
to August IS.
THE STATE WAS READY,
But Ex-chancellor williamson $
Sickness Afforded Ground for
Postponemcnt
THE STATE WAS READY,


The proceedings in the matter of the
Information by Attorney General Stock
ton and the application for receiver for
the New Jersey Central, Easton and Am
boy and Port Reading Railroads came
before the Chancellor today. In common
parlance this means that the ''coa1 COM
bine'' was In court and Attorney General
Stockton was making an effort to burst
the combination into atoms. The pro-
ceedings were in the Chancery courtroom
in this city.
Besides the companies mentioned. in
directly connected with the suit, are the
LehIgh Valley Terminal Company, the
Philadelphia ana Reading. the Lehigh
Valley and the Delaware and Bound
Brook Railroad companies. They we re
all represented by the following counsel
when Chancellor McGill opened court:-
Charles L. Corhin, Robert McCarter and
George Holmes. The State was repre-
sented by Attorney General Stockton,
Barker Gummere and ex-Judgs Stevens.
DELAY ASKED FOR.
When 1t was noticed by the people in
terested In the case that many of the
lawyers employed by the railroad COM
panies were absent from Court the Inn
preston tnat the case would not be tried
prevailed, and this conclusion was ac-
curate. An application for an adjourn
ment was made as soon as Court opened.
Counsellor George Holmes began the
tghl for delay by presenting a letter to
Chancellor McGll. which set forth that
q W n s.<nI1
counsel for the New Jersey Central, was
too i'll to be in Court and requested an
adJournment. The letter was signed by
Robert w. De Forest, one of the COM
pany's lawyers.
The Chancellor read this letter and
then Attorney General Stockton informed
the. Court that there were two cases
noticed for hearing before him today.
The first was the ''Attoruey General
against the Easton and Amboy Railroad
Company and Others" I" and the second
was the Attorney General against the
New Jersey Central, &c. &c.
Mr.. Charles Corbin saiu when the At
torney-General made this announcement
that the Lehigh Valley was one of the de-
PENDANTS to the new information that had
been filed. The company. Mr.. Corbin de-
clared was unfortunate In the mat
ter of counsel because ex-Judge
Thomas McCarter and ex-Mayor
Gilbert Collins were engaged in a
suit in the Circuit Court, which had been
perem2lorily set down for trial last Tues
day. Both were still engaged in the
case and could not be present today at
the hearing. Mr.. Corbin asked to have
the hearing put off for thirty days
for that reason. He added that
he had only been brought into
the case, and had not had chance to
read the bill that had been filed. Tie
n Inn fl,nf h Inv III
Attorney General was one OF great i'm
portance, and reasonable time should be
given the defendants to prepare their de-
tense.
r. H. McCarter said that Judge Thomas
McCarter could not possibly be present
and endorsed what Counsellor Corbin
had said. Lawyer George Holmes re-
ferred to the letten written BY Mr.. De
Forest, and said that an adjournment of
week would be sufficient to suit his
clients. He added tnat his associates
were not so well situated because they
were new defendants.
Yes" commented the Chancellor,
their case is new"
SPEEDY TRIAL DEMANDED.
Attorney General Stockton. in answer
to these remarks. protested against any
more delay than was absoiutel neces-
sary.A "This is a case of much public in
terest," he said, "and one which
it would be highly improper
for the State not to ask
for the case to go on at the earliest posi-
BILE time.h He then referred TO the sick
ness of ex-Chancellor Williamson and
said that his professional feeling toward
the ex-Chancellor prevented him from
insisting on the hearing taking place
today, but he did insist on an early DAY
for il.
10 rx1ln fn oh In,
against the Port Reading road was Is
sued, the State was piacedsin the same
position that it now is. The State was
told that counsel had not had time to
read papers connected with the case ana
asked for time to make a proper de-
Tense. | objected to the time, for
l did not think it necessary, and also be-
cause I knew that it meant the beginning
of a system of procrastination. I am
compelled to interpose no stronger OBJ
lection through professional courtesy,
but the Court may save
time If it will make such
an ordee that the day fixed for the hear
ing shall be the time for the hearing aud
that the defendants shall be required to
file their affidavits and records at least
Two days before the day appointed Cor ar
gument.n
SEEKING DATE.
Chancellor McGIll remarked:-"1 find
this difficulty In fixing date for argu-
ment; must be in the Court of Errors
and Appeals after November 13, and be-
cause of that and other arguments 1 can
not hear argument before the last of
November unless | near it on Novem-
ber 10.
Ex-Judge Stevens for the State, insisted
that the hearing should not be delay ed
later than November IL, and that all
documents to be filed by the defendants
should be delivered to the lawyers for bhe
State on November z, TO enable tile
counsel to read them. He asked the
Court not to put the State co the hardship
Of waiting until the last of November
1T is impossible, your Honor. /" said Mr..
Corbin, for us to properly defend this
suit without at least thirty days. delay.
Mr.. Collins has engagements in the Su-
preme Court which will prevent him
from being present at a hearing before
then, and have only been brought into
the case very recently. and am not
familiar with it.
II suppose this case is quite as impor-
tant as any case the Supreme Court
Council may have on hand" commented
the Chancellor with sarcasm.
FENCING FOR POINTS.
Counsellor McCarter supplemented
What Mr.. Corbin said and declared that
an Adjournment was necessary because
he han within four days received two
amendments to the bills of information
filed by the State. and had not been aole
to read them.
Attorney General Stockton and ex-
Judge Stevens looked grettly amused
when they heard this. The Attorney
General explained to the Chancellor
that the matter that had been