The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-04-30
Court Denies Petition
of the State for Annul-
ment.
COMPAN BEARS
UNIQUE RECORD
Shortest and Richest Rail-
road Line in the Entire
World - Much Needed
Link.

First blood in the socalled r.,
f. & P.-Connection t,ailroad
case has been scored by the
stockholders of the Connec
ton railroad as a result of a
decision handed down by Judge
Beverly T. Crump in the Law
and Equity court of the city of
Richmond, in which the peti
ton of the State of Virginia
for an annulment of the charter
of the Connection railroad was
denied.
Two petitions have been involved in
the case. 1t seems that when the
Richmond, Fredericksburg and po-
tomac Railroad anticipating the de-
velopment of railroad interests in the
South. decided TO connect with the old
Richmond & Peters/irg Railroad. now
the Atlantic Coast Line, it became
necessary to build connecting link
through she city OF Richmond. from
Broad street, to the Richmond ternai
nus OF the Richmond and Petersburg
at Byrd street. gear the river
OLD BROAD ST. STATION.
Until that time the station of the
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Po-
tomac had been in Sroad street, near
the present site of the Colonial theater.
Trains came in from the Potomac
river landing, connecting by steamer
with Washington. through Frederick ks
burg, Hanover Junction and Ashland.
and after many accidents in Broad
street. substituted horses for an engine
in hauling cars down Broad street
from Harrison to the station at Eighth
and Broad.
This served all right for traffic
fro~1 the North terminating at Rich
mond, but long before it was finally
ABANDONED IL became necessary to run
The through trains for the South from
Elha STATION at Pine and Broad around
by way of Belvidere street. the State
penitentiary. Third street tunnel and
the wooden aqueduot to what was.
known as the Petersburg bfidce. over
lanes river, the Union Station being
IN Byrd street, between Seventh and
Eighth streets
stock company was formed 10
bulld this connection railroad and tun-
mel. and it was this company which
brought suit in the city circuit court
Of the city of Richmond, before Judge
r. Carter Scott for damages when
tho r., F. g. p. Railroad and the At
lantic Coast Line abandoned Byrd
street station, Elba and the Connec-
ton railroad, and opened up the fine
new union station in Broad street. il,
January, 1919. using the belt line
railroad ina crossing James river.
RICHMOND STOCKHOLDERS,
hundreds of thousands OF dollars
worth of stock. largely owned in
Richmond. represented the original
investment of Richmond stockholders
IN laying the tracks, constructing the
tunnel and building the trestles be-
tween Broad street and the river by
way or Belvidere street the peniten-
'iary and the river in 1855 and 1867.
This connection road was used by the
Richmond, F>rede y isburg and Po-
tomac railroad for upwards of fifty
years, and when ii was according to
the petitioners. more or less sudden
~ abandoned, the stockholders of the
connection company felt they had
suffered heavy damages.
So they brought suit in the circuit
court According To their contention
the suit which was brought shortly
afterwards in the law and equity
court in the name OF the state of
virginia, asking for an annulment
OF their charter. was in reality an
effort on the part of the Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad
IN which the state is a large stock
holder. to checkmate their suit be-
fore Judge Scott. In their answer
to this suit represented by Meredith
Continued on Page Two)
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