Alex. & Fred. Railway Co.'s Trustees v. Graham

31 Va. 769
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedApril 24, 1879
StatusPublished

This text of 31 Va. 769 (Alex. & Fred. Railway Co.'s Trustees v. Graham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alex. & Fred. Railway Co.'s Trustees v. Graham, 31 Va. 769 (Va. 1879).

Opinion

Moncure, P.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The subject of controversy in this case is the sum of $1,636.06, due by John S. Barbour, receiver of the Washington City, Virginia Midland and Great Southern railroad company, to the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway Company for trackage; that is to say, for the passage of trains of cars by said John S. Barbour, receiver as aforesaid, over that portion of the said Alexandria and Fredericksburg railway, which lies between the city of Alexandria and the southern end of the Long bridge, in the county of Alexandria.

The conflicting claimants of this fund are the appellants, Josiah Bacon and Strickland Eneass, substituted trustees under a deed of trust dated the 1st day of June, 1866, between the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway Company, a body corporate, chartered and organized by authority of the legislature of Virginia, of the first part, and D. Randolph Martin and Robert Turner, of the city of Lew York, of the second part, of-which [774]*774deed (which was duly recorded) an official copy is a part of the record in this case; and the appellee, J. I). Faunce, who, in November, 1878, recovered a judgment in the circuit court of the city of Alexandria against the Alexandria and - Fredericksburg Railway Company for the sum of $3,400, wfith interest thereon from the 22d day of November, 1873, until paid, and $87.29 costs, and thereupon sued out an execution of fieri facias on the said judgment, which was returned unsatisfied. On the 6th August, 1877, he caused an execution of fieri facias to be again issued upon said judgment and placed in the hands of the sergeant of the said city of Alexandria to be executed, and thereupon he caused a summons against the said receiver to be issued out of the clerk’s office of said court upon the suggestion of the said Faunce that by reason of the lien of his execution aforesaid there was a liability upon the said receiver.

The question in controversy between these conflicting claimants depends entirely upon the question whether that portion of the line of the Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway Company, lying between the city of Alexandria and the southern end of the Long bridge, in the county of Alexandria, is or is not embraced in the deed of trust aforesaid, dated the 1st day of June, 1866. If it be so embraced, then the fund in controversy belongs to the said appellants, to be disposed of by them as substituted trustees under the said deed of trust. Rut if the said portion of the said line of the said railway be not so embraced, then the said fund belongs to the said appellee, Faunce, to he applied to the part payment of his said execution.

The court below, upon consideration of the controversy, being of opinion that the portion of the road of said Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway Company between the city of Alexandria and the southern end of the Long bridge as aforesaid, is not embraced in the [775]*775said deed of 1866, decreed that John S. Barbour, receiver as aforesaid, pay over to the said Faunce, to he applied to the payment of his judgment aforesaid, the said sum of $1,636.06, the same being liable to the lien of the said execution. From that decree this appeal was taken, and the question now to be considered is, whether the said decree be erroneous or not.

• The original act of incorporation of the said Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway Company was passed in the city of Alexandria by the general assembly of Virginia February 3d, 1864, and is entitled “ an act to incorporate a company to construct a railway from the city of Alexandria to connect with the Acquia Creek and Richmond railway.” See “ Virginia Acts of Assembly, 1861 to 1865.”

By the first section of said act provision was made for opening books in the city of Alexandria for the purpose of receiving subscriptions to an amount not exceeding $2,000,000 of capital stock, in shares of $100 each, for the purpose of surveying, locating, constructing and operating a railway from the terminus of the Washington, Alexandria and Georgetown railroad, m the city of Alexandria, to the most eligible point on the present railroad from Acquia creek to the city of Fredericksburg.

By the second, third, fourth and fifth sections it was enacted as follows:

“ § 2. That whenever 2,000 shares of said stock shall have been subscribed, and ten per cent, thereon paid in good faith, the subscribers, their successors, executors and assignees shall be and are hereby declared and constituted a body politic and corporate under the name and style of “ The Alexandria and Fredericksburg Railway Company,” and shall be subject to all the provisions of the Code of Vii'ginia applicable to such corporations: provided that the rates of charge [776]*776for tlie transportation of persons and property upon the said railroad to or from the city of Alexandria shall not he ratably other or higher than upon persons or property destined to any point north of said city..

“§ 3. That it shall be lawful for said company, for the purpose of constructing, equipping and operating said railway, to sell their bonds, with coupons attached, at the rate of interest not exceeding seven per centum per annum, to be paid semi-annually, to the amount of one million dollars, and also to borrow money upon their promissory notes duly executed under the authority of its board of directors, to an amount not exceeding $500,000.

“§4. Provided, that said company shall commence the construction of said 3’ailway within two years, and complete the same within five years from the passage of this act.

“ § 5. This act shall be in force from its passage.”

By deed of trust dated on the first day of June, 1866, between the Alexandria and- Fredericksburg Railway Company, of the first part, and D. Randolph Martin and Robert Turner, of the city of New York, of the second part, and duly recorded in the several counties in which the said railway is located, the said party of the first part conveyed to the said pai’ties of the second part “ all the railroad of the said party of the first part—that is to say, the said Alexandria and Fredericksburg railway, commencing at the terminus of the Washington, Alexandria and Georgetown railroad, in the city of Alexandria, state of Virginia, to the city of Fredericksburg, in said state, or to such point of junction with the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad, or the road, leading from Aquia creek to the city of Fredei’icksburg, at or near Brook’s station as now located, or to any other point of junction wdth the said Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad which may in the future be adopted, including all and singular the franchises of [777]*777said railroad as now granted and chartered, and any and all amendments, additions or modifications thereof, together with all and singular, the rights, interests, property and estate, real, personal and mixed, acquired, or which may hereafter be acquired, constructed, or to be constructed, of every species, nature and kind whatsoever.” “In trust, nevertheless, for the use and purposes” declared in said deed, among which, mainly, is the security of the payment of the bonds to be executed and disposed of as therein provided for.

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Bluebook (online)
31 Va. 769, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alex-fred-railway-cos-trustees-v-graham-va-1879.