The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-20
KANSAS OPENS UP
Suits Against Rock Island and
Santa Fe.
Charged With Violating New
Railroad Law.
N THE III. s. CAIIRT-
IN THE U. S. COURT.
Suits Brought at Instance Of
Agricultural Department.
Fines if Conviction Is Secured
Amount to So, 500.

Suits will be filed against the Rock
Island and Santa Fe railroads involv-
ing fines amounting to S2,5OO by the
| United States district attorneys office
today in the United States district
court for a violation of the act passed
| by congress June 29th. 1906 entitled
An act to prevent cruelty to animals
while in transit by railroad. or other
means of transportation, from one
state or territory or the District of
| Columbia
The law provides that shipments of
cattle, swine, sheep, etc, can not be
! kept upon the road without unloading
for watering and feeding for longer
| time than twenty-eight continuous
hours except upon the written request
OF the owner or person in charge OF
the shipment when the time may he
lengthened to SO hours.
IN each of the suits filed TODAY by
H. j. Bone, United States district at
torney. 1t is claimed that the railroads
violated the provisions of the act by
keeping the shipments of cattle and
sneep on the road in excess of the
time specified.
The suit filed against the Rock Is
land contains two counts of the maxi
mum penalty of $500. each and that
against the Santa Fe three counts of
the same amount.
The suits are brought at the instance
OF the department of agriculture and
til .nrougn instructions received here from
the office of the attorney general The
department of agriculture has g num-
Der of secret service agents out and
suits are being pressed of the same
nature throughout the west
The first suit to be filed under the
act was that filed by United States
District Attorney Bone against the
Rock Island January 29 in the United
q &C Trr-x f<.,. L 1t
Claims have been made that the first
suit was filed in Colorado but the suits
filed there We're not brought until a
week following,
are as follows: A shipment of so cars
of cattle were loaded at Mangurn, Ok.
at $50 p. M. February 27 and first
unloaded at Herington,. Kan, March 1.
sas City. The time expiring from the
time the cattle We're loaded the first
time until they arrived at Herington
was AZ hours and go minutes
The second charge is on shipment
of 81 cars of cattle originating at
Lookeba, Ok. The cattle were loaded
at II a. M, February Ct, and the first
point where they were unloaded was
at Mcfarland Kan, on March l. The
time expiring until the first unloading
was SO hours and 81 minutes.
Three different shipments of sheep,
it IS said, were kept out on the road
beyond the maximum time limit fixed
in the act it is claimed in the suit filed
against the Santa Fe railroad. The
first shipment. consisting of ga sheep,
originated at Las Animas on January
18th and were unloaded to be fed and
watered at Dodge City on January
5th. Time "A hours and 5 minutes.
The second shipment was for 49s
sheep from the same point They were
loaded on January Sth and unloaded
for the first time. it is claimed, to be
fed and watered 81 hours later at
Dodge City. During all this long in
terval the sheep, it is said. failed to
receive either food or water. The
third shipment of $40 sheep was load
ed al Rocky Ford January 18th and
at Dodge City 49 hours later
or on January 21st. The final point of
destination of all the above shipments
was the Kansas City stock yards.
The first charge against the Rock
Island contained two counts for $500
each. e
The maximum fine provided for un-
der the act is $500 and the minimum
is 800.