Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-01-17
THAT MANDAMUS SUIT.
The Adams County Railroad SquabbIe Trans
ferred to Grand Rapids.

Monday morning some 80 citizens of
Adams county, including many of the
board of supervisors of that county.
appeared at the court house in this
city to witness the proceedings in the
mandamus suit brought before Judge
Webb by the Princeton & Wisconsin
River Railroad Co. against the board
of supervisors of Adams county.
That the public may understand
the situation we republiSh a short
statement of the circumstances lead
ing up to this suit. Some Chicago pro-
moterS organized corporation called
the Princeton & Wisconsin River
Railroad Co. and proposed to build a
railroad from Princeton to Necedah.
The road was to PISS through the
county of Adams from east to west.
and through the village Of Friendship.
The promoters made a proposition to
bond Adams county for $4,000 to paw
the expense of the railroad through
the county. Petitions for accepting
their proposition were circulated and
a majority of the names of those in
the county who were qualified to vote
on such matters were signed to said
petitions. A board of canvassers.
consisting of the judge, county clerk
and chairman of the county board
canvassed the lists of names and
found a sufficient number to secure
the bonding of the county.
During the time these petitions
were being secured much opposition
developed to the bonding of the
county, and during the night of Dec.
II and 13, the office Of the county clerk
lN,1,,, rl.,f.i ri Of
petitions which had been filed in that
officials office. Each party to the
controversy charged the other with
being responsible for the stealing of
the petitions and the board of super
visors was called together to investi-
gate the whole subject thoroughly.
The work of this investigation was
delegated to a committee of five of
the board to carry on the heinveStigation
and to ItpOrt to the full board at an
adjourned meeting appointed for the
Oath of January. This committee has
been and still is pursuing this
investigation with what result we
shall hereafter see.
Upon this action being taken by
the board of supervisors, the railroad
company in question began mandamus
proceedings before Judge Webb to
compel the board to issue the 100000
worth of bonds according to the
stipulations of the petition of the
railroad company filed with the
county clerk at the beginning of the
enterprise. The case was vigorously
contested all day Monday before
Judge Webb, the attorneys represent
ing the railroad company being
Winkler, Flanders, Smith and Villas
of Milwaukee and Albert n. Eastman
of Chicago. The attorneys for the
majority of the board of supervisors
were Cate, LamoreuX and Park of
Stevens Point and Judge W. S. Stroud
of Portage City. A minority of the
board were represented by S. w.
Pierce of Friendship, Adams county.
The last acts in Court before adjourn
ment were two mOtiOnS,-One by the
attorneys for majority of the board
asking that the mandamuS proceedings
be quaShed because that a large
number Of the signers to the railroad
petition had been found by the
investigating committee to be illegal.
The court Overruled this motion.
The other was by the attorneys for
the SignerS of the railroad petition
alleged to be fraudulent, feminine,
dead or otherwise disqualified by law
from appearing upon said petition to
be specifically described and their
disabilities as Signatories pointed out
by the attorneys for the defense.
The court then adjourned to February
I, 1901.