The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-08

lantic & North Carolina Railroad; the
manner in which the first suit was
brought by Liquid and Hot Air
Artist, with Wireless Telegraphy on
the side. who paid thirty-seven hun
dred dollars for stock worth in the
market, say, $500, in order to get
into a position to complain of the ir-
| stakeholder the hasty signing by
Judge Purnell, outside of his jurisdic-
ton and at midnight, of an order APP
pointing a receiver of solvent COM
the control of sovereign State of the
Union and put into the hands of a
man who twentyfour hours before
was negotiating for lease Of the
company's property and who had not
ore farthing's interest in the company
except the prospective ''pickings' at
tached to the receivership: the renew
al of the suit under the name OF an
other complainant, once a bona flde
stakeholder who, thrcNgh his proxy,
complained of in his bill of complaint
and whose suit drought after or inn
mediately before he parted with the
control of his stock so that he is not
now a bona fide stockholder), was
groomed by the same man who had
acted as "next friend" for Finch and
by practically the same attorneys: the
bringing of the latter suit before the
Investigating Committee appointed by
the Governor had concluded It's work,
and the issuing in that suit of an in
junction order which tied the hands
of the Governor, the directors and
stockholders so far as the negotiation
and conclusion of a lease was con-
cerned; the arbitrary, hasty and I'M
warranted action of Judge Purnell in
appointing receiver on the 2Sth of
May and his surprising refusal to al
low the company to retain possession
upon giving any bond in any amount
the Judge might name to save the
complaining stakeholder against loss;
the refusal of the Judge to hear argu-
ment before making such an order
and his apparent determination to run
the proceedings through on sche-
due previously arranged and fixed,
without stopping, or even "hesitatlng
at any regular or flag station; the
astounding amendment of the lat
ter order on the Monday follow
NV cO-rpcclVer
a man who was and is under in
dictment for conspiracy against the
State and who admitted before Chief
Justice Clark that there was probable
cause" sufficient to hold him for trial;
;he tyrannical action of Judge
Purnell in attaching for contempt the
editor of this paper who had dared,
under the right given to him by the
Constitution of the United States and
of North Carolina, to criticize and de-
nounce the conspiracy and the sue
ceeding suits and orders; the short
shrift given to the respondent, the sur
ly and unseemly demeanor towards
his counsel the imposition of fine
of $4,000, and the refusal of an appeal
or writ of error or bond which, II
granted would have enabled the re-
sponderit to go about his usual bust
ness and remain with his family until
the hearing in the Circuit Court OF
Appeals-all this in the face OF q
statute so plain that a wayfaring man,
though a fool, could not err in it's
construction, and in the face OF a
decision of the Supreme Court handed
down more than two weeks previous
Nv which a Judge, undertaking to sit
upon the liberty and property of "a
citizen, should have been apprised of
and as certainly, respected; the sub
sequent running to cover by that
Judge when he heard that Judge
Pritchard had taken jurisdiction, and
the discourteous and impudent at
tempt to forestall the result of the lat
ter's INTERNATIONALLY these things re-
cited in this long but pregnant SEN
tence have caused surmisings without
end as to the powerful motives and
influences behind them. 1t is impossi-
BILE to conceive that the real purpose
of these proceedings has been to bene-
fit the stockholders. Finch, McBee
and Cuyler are no altruists; If they
are, they have not, from all accounts,
the money to support them in their
philanthropic endeavors.
The question has been, and is yet,
what and who are behind all these
unprecedented and surprising doings
Who and what have made all this
mess"
Some have surmised that the At
lantic Coast Line was the moving pow
or hut no credence is to be given to
that hypothesis, for they are not that
sort of people, and, moreover the ex-
listing relations between 1t and the AT
lantic & North Carolina Railroad are
satisfactory and profitable TO the
former and are likely to remain SO.
Others have said that 1T was an
attempt by McBee and Finch to get
evidence or bring about situation
that will be of advantage to them IN
4Lo;, triol for conSpjracV next JULY,