The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-05-15
First Trolley Fight.

The first battle in this county over the
proposed trolley road between Trenton
and Camden came of on Sunday morning.
The scene was at Edgewater Park.
At this point the trolley is going up the
middle of the public road and also will
cross the tracks of the Pennsylvania rail
road. There are objections from three
sources to these proceedings. The rail-
road company objects and Harry s. Ehret
and Mary n Baldwin, property owners
along the line, think the company should
either pay for the right of way in front of
their property or else go around some
other way.
Accordingly the two property owners
looked into the matter with the idea that
they should protect their rights. Mitchell
B. Perkins, the moving spirit in the trolley
matter, received proposition from Chas.
K. Chambers, who represented Mrs Bald
win and Mr.. Ehret, and he agreed to mott
fly Mr.. Chambers of the acceptance or re-
lection of this offer before anything was
done. Mr.. Chambers was at Riverside on
Saturday, and as he alighted from the
train in the morning he noticed man who
afterwards appeared to him personally.
This man could just as easily have handed
the attorney letter in the morning as IN
the afternoon, but he did not, and as MIR.
Chambers was getting on his train in the
afternoon. the letter was given him. 1t
contained declination of the offer made
some time before.
The fact that the messenger had not
handed over the letter early in the morn
ing, together with a statement or two con-
tanned in the paper, led counsel to believe
there was something working. He at
once went to Trenton and secured from
Vice Chancellor Reed restraining order,
preventing the trolley people from laying
their tracks over the road in which MIR.
Chambers was interested. With this
paper he returned to Edgewater Park and
awaited developments. Mr.. Ehret had a
man stationed on the road to report what
was occurring and in short time he came
in with the statement that operations
were apparently about to begin Mr..
Chambers went out and it looked as if
workmen were coming right from the
ground. Nearly 500 men were in view
They had been brought by boat and
wagons from all available points.
This was shortly after midnight. That
the men had come for business was GER
tain. They had their carts and tools, and
commissary wagon. with sandwiches,
coffee and beer was also on hand. The
idea was to begin work at two places. At
present the road is graded and the tracks
laid up to the Pennsylvania tracks on one
side and up to the line of Mrs. Baldwin
and Mr.. Ehret on the other side. The
work to be performed by the men on hand
was to cover this spot and to cross the
steam road.
The railroad people took care of the lat
ter proposition and soon had train OF
cars covering the crossing. Mr.. Cham
bers went out among the men and tried to
discover who was in charge of them, but
there was more ignorance in that crowd
than has been displayed in long time.
Inquiry for Mitchell Perkins revealed the
fact that he had gone to Atlantic City.
The lawyer gave notice that he had a
paper to serve and that stayed proceed
ings for awhile. He mingled with the
crowd, which was very good natured, and
about three o'clock in the morning man
came out and said he was the foreman
Mr.. Chambers then offered him the re-
straining order, which the fellow, Of
course, refused to receive, Mr.. Chambers
attempted to put it in his pocket, but the
man kept out of reach, and finally the
order was thrown at the feet of the fore
man, with the statement that it was served
on him. This settled the matter for the
time and nothing further was done.
The order holds until Tuesday of mex
week when permanent injunction will
be applied for. Argument on this will
take some time and the point will not b.
settled for several weeks. The trolley
line will cross the railroad four times be
tween Riverside and Bordentown ant
there will be more or less litigation owe
this fact 1t is said the trolley people
have frog ready to put in at Edgewate
Park as soon as they can catch the rail
road people mapping.
A deputy was sent to Beverly yesterda,
to serve notices on Mitchell B. Perkin
and Contractor Vandegrift. Mitch mus
have left the sad sea waves at Atlanti
City quite early as he was in Beverl.
when the messenger arrived. The latte
went to Russ hotel and asked if Perkin
was there. He was answered in the affir
native In reply to a question whethe
Mitch could be seen, the messenger wa
told he must give his name. He did 81
and then waited for some time. FINALLY
he heard rustling and on looking out tn,
window saw Perkins moving toward tn,
street where carriage was in waiting
The messenger went out and planted him
self in such position that the person wht
attempted to pass him would have tt
knock him down or jump an iron fence
AS he was pretty big fellow the knock
ing down business was not likely to occur
before the fellow attempting it thought
twice. So after little parley Mitch was
induced to walk back into the house an6
the papers were served on him and the
contractor.