Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-28
PENNSYLVANIA ROAD SUED.
Taken Into Court on Account of the
Summit Branch.


Summit Branch.
Considerable surprise has been OCCASION
ed in railroad circles here by the news that
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company has
been summoned into court as a defendant
at Harrisburg Pa. According to the infor-
nation given last evening to a Star report
er, Mr.. Arthur E. Jones of Boston, who
owns 800 shares of stock of the Summit
Branch Railroad Company, has entered
suit against the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company as a corporation and George B.
Roberts president, Isaac ]. Wistar
vice president, and A. J. Cassatt, n. Par
ker Shortridge, William J. Howard. Amos
r. Little, Henry ID. Welsh Samuel Rea,
William II. West and George F. Swift as
directors.
Some time ago the persons above named
entered judgment against the Summit
Branch company for almost $4,000, with
Interest for considerable time, and Mr..
Jones claims that the Pennsylvania Rail-
read Company is about to practically take
possession of the entire ASSETS of the Sum-
init Branch road by making sale of the
property of that line. which consists. be-
sides the road and its equipment, of 5.400
acres of the most valuable coal land in
Pennsylvania. According to the latest
ports published in the Financial Chronicle,
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company is the
owner of 1854 shares of the capital stock
of the Summit Branch company, the total
being 5000 shares, and in consequence of
this, has for many years selected the men,
bers Of the board of directors of that COM
pany. The issue of bonds, all of which are
outstanding. amounts to $1.OS7.OOO, and of
these the Pennsylvania company holds
nearly one-half.
The Summit Branch road extends from
Williamstown to Millersburg. 1t Is very
important link of the Pennsylvania system,
and almost its entire business Is mining
and carrying coal from the mines at Ly-
through cplqhr1tn6 T.Vk
Valley to Washington, Baltimore, New
York, Boston. and other points of more or
less Importance, over the Summit Branch
road and Northern Central railway, which
operates it under the direction of the Penn
sylvania company. These shipments are
regarded as a part of the regular business
of the Pennsylvania company, and amount
to nearly II per cent of its anthracite coal
traffic.
4 Surprising Charge.
But the surprising charge is made by Mr.
Jones in his petition entering the suit that
for the purpose of concealing the price
received for transportation and for coal
sold by the Summit Branch company, the
officers of the Pennsylvania company have
made false returns to the stockholders of
the former company.
After long recital Of alleged facts in the
bill filed, Mr. Jones asked that a receiver
for the Summit Branch road be appointe
until 81 rtion for officers can be held;
that an i! notion be issued to prevent
those named in the bill from acting IS
directors of the company; that the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company be enjoned
from participating in the election: that the
Pennsylvania company account to the re-
ceiver for the profits made by it out of the
mines; that the Pennsylvania company be
enjoined from directing the trustees under
the mortgage made by the Summit Branch
company, to proceed Hereunder, and from
enforcing the bonds held by it against the
Summit Branch. and that the Pennsylvania
company be enjoined from issuing any exc
cution or otherwise proceeding to enforce
the judgment obtained by it against the
Summit Branch company