New-York tribune., 1903-04-09
ANGLING FOR MILLIONS.
Litigants Who Hope to Win Something from
the Huntington Estate.

Reference has been made from time TO time to
the suit of Mrs G. Emily Reynolds. Of Washing
ton against the Huntington estate. and the motion
made last FRIDAY. for the immediate filing OF the
anpraisers' inventory of the estate. suit similar
10 this was brought last year by an EnSiisnmah
named Morshead. and dismissed by Surrogate
Thomas the ground that since there was no
evidence to prove that Morshead was a creditor or
the estate-which the executors formally and en-
phaticaIIy denied-the Surrogate had no 1urisdic-
ton in the matter. Morshead SAID he owned IVo
shares while Mrs. Reynolds is the owner of only
ten of the Central Pacific Railroad stock, concern
ing which both charged fraud and collusiOn in the
making and CARRYING out of construction contracts.
Surrogate Fitzgerald was inclined last Friday TO
deny the present application on the ground set
forth in SurrC gate Thomas's elaborate decision, put
welded to the adngs of the petitioners to be al
lowed to submit briefs and these briefs are to be
submitted to-day The matter therefore now
awaits the decision of the Surrogate.
The Central Pacific Railroad was built ~ Hunt
ington and his associates. Hopkins, Crocker and
Stanford and a few other business men of Cali
fornia who had amassed fortunes in their various
occrnations and were bold enough to risk them
in a scheme to connect the East and the West with
a pioneer railroad over the Sierra Nevada Noun
tains From their connection with the Construc-
ton company, which actually built the line, arose
many years afterward the claims OF certain stock
holders or alleged stockholders. that there had
been collusion and fraud in making these construc-
ton contracts These and their associates
laughed at because OF their foolhardlneSS IN
TRYING to put a railroad line over the high noun
tain ranges and the almost pathless plains and
deserts that then lay between the Mississippi and
the Golden Gate. and Huntington was dubbed Pa
ciic Railroad Crazy because of his enthusiastic
faith IN He and his associates trf
umphed. however. overcoming all obstacles. and
the Union and Central Pacific railroads became
facts.
In the case of the present plaintiff il is asserted
that she acquire her stock until three years
after President Cleveland's commission. appointed
bv Congress 1871 Investigate the affairs of the
Central Pacific. had made its widely published re-
coIIusive and fraudulent and all acts and proceed
ings under them had been ratified. approved and
tonfrmej by the stockholders without dissenting
voice and that the profits made in construction
were only reasonable in view of the risks as
sumed.''
When Morshea in 1897 or 1925 made an outhr
in the English newspapers attacking Huntington
savagely the latter laughed and commented: IF
Morshead get any satisfaction out of such
things II is alk>ight. don't mind. They don
iniure me and may he they will keep Morshead
from thinking Of certain things that are more
harmful him than lawsuits. The policy or
he Of his estate seems to he like his
own that is to have everything brought out into
the open and thra shed II has already been
thrashed over many times