The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-11
ANGLING FOR MILLIONS.
Litieants Who Hope to Win Something
 from the Huntington Estate.

New York April 6.-In my letter a few days ago I referred to the suit of Mir. G. Emily Reynolds of Washington, against the Huntington estate and the motion made last Friday, for the imme- diate filing of the appraisers inventory of the estate. A suit similar to this was brought last year by an Englishman named Morshead and was dismissed by Surrogate Thomas on the ground that since there was no evidence to prove that Morshead was creditor of the estate which the executors formally and em- phatically denied-the surrogate had no jurisdiction in the matter. The main point of difference between the two suits is that Morshead claimed to own 100 shares, while Mrs. Reynolds is the owner of only ten of the Central Pacific rall- road stock concerning which both charged fraud and collision 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 Surrogate Thomas elaborate decision, but yielded to the pleadings of the petitioners to be allowed to submit briefs, and these briefs are to be submitted today. The matter, therefore, now awaits the decision of the surrogate which it is to be hoped will be promptly rendered and do a great deal of good in stopping the bringing of use- less and expensive law suits.
 The Central Pacific railroad was built by Huntington and his associates, Hop kins, Crocker and Sanford and a few other strong business men of California who had amassed fortunes in their various occupations and were bold enough to risk them in a scheme to connect the east and the west by a pioneer railroad over the Sierra Nevada mountains. From their connection with the construction conn pany which actually built the line arose many years afterwards the claims of cer- tain disappointed stockholders or alleged stockholders that there had been collusion and fraud in making these construction contracts. These men and their asso- ciates were laughed at because of their foolhardiness in trying to put a railroad line over the high mountain ranges and the almost painless plains and deserts that then lay like an ocean between the Mississippi and the Golden Gate, and Huntington was dubbed Pacific Railroad Crazy because of his enthusiastic faith in the venture. He and his associates triumphed, however, overcoming all ob- stacles, and the Union and Central Pa cifc railroads became facts.
 In the case of the present plaintiff 1t is interesting to note that she did not acquire her stock until three years after President Cleveland's commission. ap- pointed by congress in 1SS7 to investigate
 
 made their widely published report. It was shown that the contracts termed eol- lusive and fraudulent, and all acts and proceedings under them had been ratified, approved and confirmed by the stockhold- CTS without a dissenting voice and that the profits made tn construction were only reasonable in view of the risks as- sumed."
 MT. Huntington used to be amused at these law suits, and when Morshead, in 1897 or 1898. made an outbreak in the English newspapers attacking Hunting ton savagely, the latter laughed and com mented on it with a remark better under stood in London than here: If Morshead can get any satisfaction out of such things 1t Is all right. l don't mind They don't lnJure me, and may be they will keep Morshead from thinking of certain things that are more harmful to him than law suits. The policy of the executors of ms estate seems to be like his own, that ls' 10 have everything brought out into the open and threshed over as they have already been threshed over many times.