City of Columbus v. Columbus & Shelby Railroad

37 Ind. 294
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1871
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 37 Ind. 294 (City of Columbus v. Columbus & Shelby Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Columbus v. Columbus & Shelby Railroad, 37 Ind. 294 (Ind. 1871).

Opinion

Downey, J.

This action was commenced by the appellee against the appellants, and its object was to obtain injunctive. [295]*295relief. The facts stated in the complaint, condensed as much as possible, are as follows: In 1853, the Columbus and Shelby Railroad Company was organized to construct a railroad from Columbus to Shelbyville. For the consideration of three hundred dollars, the town of Columbus granted to the railroad company the right of way from the road of the Madison and Indianapolis Company along and across the streets of 'the town, in the direction of Shelbyville; and under this grant the Columbus and Shelby Railroad Company constructed and for many years used-its track. In 1862, the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company, having been sold, was reorganized as the Indianapolis and Madison Railroad Company. In 1866, the Indianapolis and Madison Railroad Company and the Jeffersonville Railroad Company were consolidated, and became the Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Railroad Company. Before this consolidation, a running arrangement had been made between the Indianapolis and Madison Railroad Company and the Columbus and Shelby Railroad Company, which arrangement was renewed and continued between the Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Railroad Company and the Columbus and Shelby Railroad Company. In 1869, the Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Railroad Company constructed a track of its own, diverging from the line of its road at a point further .north, and intersecting the track of the Columbus and Shelby road at a point three-fourths of a mile northeast of Columbus, and, without the consent of the appellee, removed the rails from the track of appellee’s road between the corporation line and said point of intersection, and put them down on said new track, and ágreed.with the owner of the land over which that part of said road ran to procure from appellee a release to him of the right of way. On the 14th of October, 1869, the common council of the city of Columbus passed an ordinance, by which it declared the track of appellee over, along, and across said streets to be a nuisance, and directed the marshal of the city to remove the same, etc., if not taken up by the- Jeffersonville, Madison, [296]*296and Indianapolis Railroad Company within ten days, etc. There was a second paragraph of the complaint, but it need not be separately noticed.

The first step taken by the defendants was to move the court to require the plaintiff to make the complaint more specific. This motion was overruled, and this action of the court is assigned as error. But the question is not in the record. No bill of exceptions was filed, and we cannot, therefore, know what were the grounds of the motion, or that it was not properly overruled. The defendants then answered by a general denial, which was afterward withdrawn; and, second, as follows:

“That appellee, in 1853, organized under the general law, and immediately thereafter procured a release of right of way over said streets, from the then town of Columbus, without consideration, and solely for their principal line of road, without any switch thereon, and to be so maintained by appellee; that the road was so built and operated for some time, until an arrangement was made by appellee with the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Company, whereby the entire management and control of appellee’s road passed into the hands of the Madison and Indianapolis Company, who continually, until May 1st, 1866, operated and controlled the same, the Columbus and Shelby Company, during said time, not participating at all therein, and running no trains thereon, but by the terms of said arrangement, transferred to said Madison and Indianapolis Company all right, power, and control over said road, with full power to make all changes in the line or route thereof, which said Columbus and Shelby Company possessed; that on May 1st, 1866, the Madison and Indianapolis Company and Jeffersonville Company consolidated, forming the Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Company, which became the owner of all the rights, privileges, and franchises of said two companies, including said rights of said Indianapolis and Madison Company in said appellee’s road; that immediately after said consolidation, an arrangement was effected between appellee [297]*297and said consolidated company, similar to the one. existing with the Madison and Indianapolis Company, as above set forth, and giving like control to the consolidated company over appellee’s road, which said Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Company has ever since exercised, placing thereon their own rolling stock, making time tables, selling passenger tickets, contracting for freights, and keeping the track in repair, all in the name and by authority of the officers of the Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Company; and under said arrangement and power of control, said Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Company have removed switches and side tracks, and laid down others, removed and torn down depots, and built others, all to the exclusion of acts of management by appellee, and have also built a road from Shelbyville to Cambridge City; that in 1869, a new road was constructed so as to leave the old line of the Jeffersonville Railroad and connect with the Columbus and Shelby Railroad at a point north-east of Columbus, the particulars of which are shown substantially as set forth in complaint and accompanying plat; that the new route, for a part of the way, ran over land of Francis T. Crump, son of Francis, J., and, to secure the right of way over land of the son, an agreement was made with the father and son, by the Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Company, to take up the old track through the father’s land, and abandon and surrender their right of way therein; pursuant to which arrangement said Jeffersonville, Madison, and Indianapolis Company took up and removed the track and superstructure between the north line of Columbus and the point of intersection, and Francis J. Crump has taken possession thereof, and plowed and cultivated the same; that by said removal, a gap of about a mile has been made in appellee’s road ; that no trains have or can run over the original line since; that a portion of said road—about one-half of a mile long— is within the city limits of Columbus, entirely cut off from any portion of said road, which is being used as a switch or side track for the Indianapolis and Madison part of said con[298]

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30 Ohio C.C. Dec. 642 (Cuyahoga Circuit Court, 1912)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
37 Ind. 294, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-columbus-v-columbus-shelby-railroad-ind-1871.