The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-09-21
THE LAST ACT IN THE A. & N. C.
RAILROAD TRAGEDY.

When General Grant was inaugu-
rated President, an unlettered COM
rade in arms went to Washington and
made application for a position in
the Cabinet. He could not fill the
bill. Grant did not appoint him. but
treated him kindly. The applicant
next asked successfully for almost
every position within Grants gift
without success. Finally, having be-
come seedy and dispirited he called
on the President and made application
for a second hand suit of clothes.
That application was granted, he
donned the suit and one of Grants
old hats and left Washington a sad
der, if not wiser man. But he had
the hat and the old clothes!
A few months ago, a couple of free
lances bounced down upon North
Carolina, and determined. without the
investment of a dollar. to grab the At
lantic and North Carolina railroad
before breakfast They had their
tooters and their organs to grind out
their tunes and f6c a time created
quite a sensation in the old State.
The bazoo noise and the spectacular
play daZZled some people for a little
while. Then when there was objec-
ton to turning over the property
worth nearly two million dollars to
people who had not a cent invested in
it, the spectators and grabbers put
up q few hundred dollars by paying
for their previously hypothecated
stock. But still they didn't land. And
then a Federal Judge put one of the
number, under indictment for a
felony, in as receiver of the property
whether or no. but that high hand
ed proceeding didn't stick. and again
they didn't land. The subsequent
proceedings showed that, instead of
taking the whole railroad before
breakfast, the spectators and grab
bers couldn't even get hand-car,
thanks to the righteous wrath of
the people and the courage of
an honest Governor! And so. yes
terday, after dropping down by
graduation from $1,S00,000 prop
erty. their attorneys went into the
Federal Court and merely beg
ged for liberal allowances" To
be sure they fixed the amount of
liberal allowances" at pretty good
sum, something like $4,000, but it is
an open secret that they would love
to turn loose if they could get $4,000
or $4,000.
The story of the procedure. printed
elsewhere, discloses how the whole
thing has degenerated into a demand
time an argument was made that
Judge Purne!l had no jurisdiction. A
little later it was virtually agreed
that il he would fix liberal allowances
for the lawyers the claim that he has
no Jurisdiction would not be pressed.
spectators stated that a better bid
was in hand and would be presented
to the Circuit Court. and little later
came almost the virtua! proposition
to let this bid go by if the Judge
would make liberal allowances. The
bid of Mr.. Rowland and yet the law
yers were willing to let that better
lease go by if the Judge would fix
liberal allowances" The lawyers
claimed $4,000 because of the in
crease in the value of stock caused,
as they say by the lease. and yet
when asked if they would approve the
lease, refused to do SO and protested
against it, and wished the Judge not
to approve it.
The whole procedure has degen-
Grated into a demand for allowances.
From a $1,S0O,000 railroad, they have
dropped to allowances of $1,000.
From that they will drop to one
tenth of that sum. But they Will
not get that. and about Christmas
they will get about one thousand dol
lars-"the old suit of clothes and
initiate the old soldier who dropped
from a cabinet position to a covering
for his nakedneSS.
MARK WHERE NORTH CAROLINA
CTOOD