The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-09
THE PORT ROYALS FIGHT.
The Central to Meet Its Opponents at
Every Point.

The Result of the Last Bill Will Be to
Keep the Litigation in the United
States Courts, Where the Central
Wants It - The Litigation Compli-
Gated, But There Is a Possibility
That Tt May Become More So.
The litigation over the Port Royal and
Augusta railroad will remain in the United
States courts now, just where the Cen
trial railroad wanted it in the first place,
but where Gov. Tillman, representing the
state of South Carolina, and other adverse
litigants, tried to prevent it from going.
The first steps taken against the prop
erty, or rather the Central's interest in
It, were through bills fled in the state
circuit court of South Carolina, asking
the appointment of a receiver J. II.
Averill was appointed by the Judge Of the
state court The Central tried to bring
the matter INTO the United States court
and Judge Simonton decided that he had
Jurisdiction. He took the matter into his
court but confirmed the appointment of
the receiver of the state court.
The state and several stockholders who
were fighting the Centraps interests,
when they found they could not, in all
probability keep the matter in the state
courts took it into politics and had the
charter repealed through an act of the
South Carolina legislature.
HOW IT WAS KEPT IN COURT.
The Central recently filed two cross
bills for the purpose of keeping the litiga-
ton in the United States courts, and
day or two ago a bill was filed in the
United States court at Charleston, an &C
count of which was given in the MORNING
NEWS, for the purpose of foreclosing all
the mortgages against the property, and
winding up its affairs on account OF the
fact that the charter had been repealed.
MIR. A. r. Lawton, Jr., was asked yester-
day what action the Central would take
with regard to this bill.
O''We will fight it, of course" he said,
land all efforts to confscate the Central's
interest in that property will be strongly
resisted lone thing this bill does,
MIR. Lawton continued, SIS to keep the
litigation in the United States courts.
The Tihman courts can't get hold of it
now. The cross bills which we filed
1--WE will fight the repeal of the char
ter in the courts also. We hold that it is
a charter which cannot be repealed, that
it is an unlawful and unconstitutional
confscation of property. We received a
copy of the bill this morning but the
matter win not come up for hearing for
sometime yet. The statement of it
partly dCCUu pLloutu tbudb PURPOSE bub
this still clinches the hold which the
United States court had on it, as it is a
general creditors bill There is now no
chance of its getting into any other court.
WILL FIGHT 1T IN THE COURTS.
as given in the MORNING News, was cor
rect one, and gives good idea of what il
is. The situation is very complicated
one for so small property and ii will be
some time before it is Strengthened out.
There is possibility however, of its be-
coming more complicated still"
The bill of the South Carolina legisla-
ture repeating the charter of this road
seems to have begun well the work it
was predicted it would do, and the ball
of litigation which it has started rolling,
is already in pretty rapid motion. The
chances are that it will be long and in
teresting fight.