The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-14
TITLE ID LANDS
 ARE IN QUESTION Law Suit Is Entered In Chan
 cery Court
FIRST BIG DEVELOPMENT I
New Railroad Connecting Mississippi Lumber Fields With New Orleans Is Almost an Assured Fact.
 Advantages of Road.
By A. c. AYLESWoRTH.


 Hattlesburg, Miss, June 13.-(Special)- Title to timber lands in the adjacent country heretofore held by the J. E. North Lumber company of Bond, Miss, has been put in question in a law suit just entered in the chaneery court at Hat tiesburg by Judge N. C. Will. represent ing St. Louis capitalists. The action is against the Lincoln Trust company of st. Louis, trustees of the bonds issued by the North company. The deed of trust covers property in all valued at over $,00C0O0, and the action here is to have it set aside. The suitors are Edward C. King and John E. Hueskant of St Louis. Chancellor T. B. Wood has just entered an order authorizing the suit to be brought against the North Lumber conI- pany and S.. D. Thayer receiver, as well as against the trustees. The bill filed Tn the cause is of unusual length. It at tacks the title to the lands, sets up the claim of the compliments as owners and alleges that the bonds secured by the Lincoln Trust company constitute a cloud upon the title. It is stated that the North company had undertaken to buy the lands in question but had failed 10 make the payments, and the lands were
  claim to have the title deeds. In the meantime, 1t Is alleged, the North com pany had mortgaged the lands in 1904 to the Lincoln Trust company as trustee for the bondholders. If this suit shall be maintained it will carve out a large slice of the assets of the North Lumber company, which has been in the hands of a receiver for some time
 The first big developmental enterprise that has been sprung upon South Mis- sissippi Since the hard times set in seven months ago comes in the shape of an application which has been made at Jack son for a sharter for railroad to con- rect the Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City road with New Orleans, and as this is regarded as a substantial enterprise with the necessary financial support 1t Is conceded to foreshadow an extensive ano valuable addition to the transporta- ton service of this part of the country. It will give the Mobile Jackson ani Kansas City road the most direct route from New Orleans to Chicago, and wall give this system a stranglehold on the {, ade with Panama, since the system VII have direct access to three leading gulf ports, New Orleans, Scranton and Mobile.
 L. S. Berg, president of the Mobile, ERICKSON anu hdiSdS oltS iitlc lloS boC'i giving his personal attention to the preliminary arrangements for the new road, a survey for which has already been trade. Mir Berg has been spending the past week at Jackson, gretting out tho charter,
 This New Orleans spur proposes to leave the main line of the Mobile, Jack son and Kansas City road at Ovette, Of HpffipSh11TP AL though a direct line to New OrleSns would carry the road through this city 1t has been made known that the line will make a detour to the east so as to avoid Hat tiesburg and all other territory already supplied with railroads, and will run it's entire distance through country well covered with virgin timber, the calcula- ton being that the carrying of this tim- Der in the shape of lumber will about pay for the initial cost of the road It will run through Perry, Lamar and Jackson counties and will touch the New Orleans and Northeastern at Lake Ponchartrain, about where the Goodyear road, the New Orleans and Great Northern. comes in. 1t will cross the Mississippi Central, giving access to Pascagoula. and the Gulf and Ship Island giving access to Gulfport. The purpose is either to make trackage arrangement with the New Orleans and Northeastern for crossing Lake Ponchar- train or to build an independent bridge across that body of water.
 No doubt is entertained hereabouts that this enterprise is on sold financial basis and that it will be put through in time to get the full benefit of the opening of the Panama canal. That has been the ambition of the company ever since it was first opened. The Hattiesburg Commercial club has already started negotiations with view to inducing the company to put the new line through here, though in any event Hattiesburg will have close connec- ton with it over the Beaumont-Hatties- burg spur.