The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-01
CASE GOES AGAINST CHAPMAN.
JUDGEMENT or THE COURT OF AP-
PEALS AFFIRMED.

Now Looks as If the RecaIcItrnnt
Sugar Trust Investigation Broker
would Have to Pay 800 and serve
Thirty Days in JaiI-The Claim OF
Controller General wright Against
the Central for Taxes Upheld-sev-
ernl Other Cases Also Decided by
the Federal Supreme Court.
Washington, Nov. 3O-tBy It's unanimous
decision to-day, announced by Chief JUS
tice Fuller the supreme court of the United
States practically affirmed the Judgment
of the court of appeals of the District of
Columbia in the case of Elverton r. Chap
man, the stockbroker, who declined to
answer certain questions propounded by
the Senate committee investigating the IA
nous sugar trust rumors in connection
with the consideration Of the tariff bill in
1898.
The effect of the division is that Mr..
Chapman must surrender himself to serve
the term of Imprisonment of thirty days
adjudged against him upon conviction in
the district court, and pay fine Of 800. A
collateral effect is that Messrs. Havemyer
and Searles of the sugar trust, and Messrs-
Edwards and shriver, newspaper corres-
pondents, who also declined to answer tha
questions propounded by the Senate com-
mttee, will have to submit themselves for
trial in the district court upon indictments
similar to that in the Chapman case.
There yet remains to Mr.. Chapman,
however, the right to apply for his re-
lease, after he shall have been placed in
the custody of the marshal. under the
sentence OF the district court upon a writ
of habeas corpus and the whole case will
then come up for review. He may file his
petition In the district court but inas-
much as that court has already practi-
cally decided against him, he will be more
likely to go to the supreme court of tho
United States direct with an original ac-
tion.
A total of thirty cases were dis
posed of by the supreme court to-day.
Among them were the following:
The claim OF w. A. Wright, controller
of Georgia, against the Central Railroad
and Banking Company OF that state for
| certain taxes assessed against the railroad
property for 1891, was sustained in accord
ance with the judgment of the supreme
/ court of the state. The court held that
tax on the property of a railroad COM
| pany may be a tax on its capital stock in
| some instances, 1t was not such a tax
! when the distinction between the two was
| made by the statute, as was done in the
! charter of the railroad company in this
! case.
| A decision adverse to the claims Of tho
| New Orleans Water works Company was
rendered In the case OF the company VS..
Il "a n..f.m HI.
| action of the circuit court for the Eastern
/ district of Louisiana. The corporation
| asked for a decree annulling licenses
! granted by the council Of New Orleans
to certain persons to lay water mains I'm
the streets of the city, in violation Of the
| companys alleged exclusive right thereto,
and also directing the council not to issue
such licenses in the future. Such DEGREES.
| IL was pointed out even II granted, would
be imperative against persons not brought
| into court.
The Citizens Bank Of Louisiana brought
suit In the United States court for the
/ Western district of Louisiana to prevent
! the sheriff of certain parishes In the state
| from SELLING and selling certain property
| of the bank in their several parishes for
| taxes alleged to be due To give the court
/ Jurisdiction Of the case the bank aggre-
| gated the various sums claimed to be due
| but this, the court said could not be
| done, and dismissed the bill. The SUI
/ preme court of the United States holds
that view of the law was correct, but re-
versed the judgment OF the district court
| for the reason that, not having Jurisdic-
| ton, the lower court gave judgment OF
| costs and made certain allowances OF per-
centages to attorneys and others. The
| case was remanded without Instructions.
The consututionality Of the laws of Ala
bama regulating the conduct of insur-
ance in that state was sustained by the
! decision of the supreme court of the
| United States affirming the judgment OF
the supreme court of the state In the case
| of Noble and Ware VS.. S. NJ. Mitchell.