Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-11-18
WOULD STOP THE
 BRIDGE WORK Litigation in Van Buren River Bridge Case Grows
 Interesting.
WILL ASK FOR ORDER
Bridge Contractor on Ground and the Commissioners Are Anxious to
 Get to Work.

Little Rock, Nov lt.-lnteresting
 from the very beginning, the Etiga-
 tion between the opponents to the
 free bridge across the Arkansas river
 at Van Buren and the commissioners
 of the improvement district is now
 about to take on some new features
 of even greater interest from legal
 standpoint.
 The legislature of 1909 passed spe- cial act creating an improvement dis trict consisting of parts of Sebastian and Crawford counties for the purpose of erecting a free bridge across the Arkansas river, connecting Fort Smith and Van Buren. The commissioners were appointed under the act and the work commenced. When an effort was made to sell the bonds to raise funds to erect the bride, the bonding com- panies wanted to see the act tested as to its legality A friendly sut was filed. Then the protestants to the district came in and filed suit, all of which were consolidated. They were dismissed in the Chancery Court of Crawford county for want of eau ty and the Supreme court of Arkansas sustained the lower court. The con- missioners then began to get busy in earnest. Phillip ID. Scott, prominent citizen of Van Buren. is the owner of the right to operate a ferry at Van Buren, This right has been in the family for many years. When the con- miss on was first organized, it offer ed him $15 ,000 for the ferry and the right to operate it. He declined, de- manding $25,000. The commission re- fused to meet this offer. After the decision of the Supreme Court the commission declined to arbitrate, and filed condemnat, on suit in the chancery court at Fort Smith for pos
 session of eleven acres of hand belong
 ing to P. ID. Scott along the river bank in Sebastian county, opposite Van Buren. Appraisers valued this land at $3,500 and the Commission promptly deposited this amount in bank and proceeded to occupy the land. It is claimed that Scott des'r- ed the ferry right to be considered in arbitration, and this the commission declined to do. Now it transpires that old plats of, Van Buren, with the deed of property from Scott ahue Drennen, ancestors of P. D. Scott, upon which Van Buren is now located, show the ancestors were looking forward to the protection of the ferry rights for a great many years to come, for strip of land only a few rods wide, was re- tained all along the Van Buren river front. This strip is now owned by P. D. Scott, though it was commonly supposed to be part of Van Buren. The bridge commission secured from the city of Van Buren, the right to build bridge abbuttment at the foot of Jefferson street. It now is shown that the foot of Jefferson street is not the property of Van Buren, it never having been deeded to the c,ty by the elder Scott or Drennen. The attorneys for the Scott interests, Judge J. H.. Carmichael and Col. Thomas M. Me haffy of Little Rock, have recently held consultation here with their clients and gone over the old plats with them. They have now prepared an applicat on for restraining order which will be presented in the Chan cery court at Van Buren, asking that the bridge commission be enjoined from entering upon the property of P D Scott at the foot of Jefferson street, Van Buren They are not the least doubtful of the result of such an application, but after the restrain ing order is received, the bridge com- mission can still go in and secure pos session of the land under condemna- tion proceedings and the filing of a bond This will all consume time. however and the bridge comm ssion is anxious to get to work The bridge contractor is already on the ground, and will commence work unless litiga- ation prevents, before the end of the