Payne v. Kansas & A. Val. R. Co.

46 F. 546, 1891 U.S. App. LEXIS 1313
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Western Arkansas
DecidedJune 22, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 46 F. 546 (Payne v. Kansas & A. Val. R. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Western Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Payne v. Kansas & A. Val. R. Co., 46 F. 546, 1891 U.S. App. LEXIS 1313 (circtwdar 1891).

Opinion

Pareer, J.

The plaintiffs filed their bill in equity to obtain an injunction against the defendant. They allege that the defendant corporation, by virtue of an act of congress entitled “An act to authorize the Kansas & Arkansas Valley Ry. Co. to construct and operate a railway through the Indian Territory, and for other purposes,” approved June 1, 1886, were invested and empowered with the right of locating, constructing, owning, equipping, operating, using, and maintaining a railway and telegraph and telephone line through the Indian Territory,, beginning at a point on the eastern line of said territory, at or near the 'city of Ft. Smith, in the state of Arkansas; thence running, by the most feasible and practicable route, in a north-westerly direction, through the Indian Territory, between the Arkansas river and Cowley county, and the Caney river, in Chautauqua county, Kan., as said corporation may select; and also another branch line, which is not relevant to the issues involved in this case, “with the right to construct, use, and maintain such tracks, turn-outs, and sidings as said company may deem it their interest to construct along and upon the right of way and depot grounds herein provided for.” That by the second section of said act said corporation was “authorized to take and use for all purposes of a railway, and for no other purpose,” a right of way 100 feet in width through said Indián Territory, for said main line and branch of said corporation,, and—

“To take and use a strip of land 200 feet in width, with the length of three thousand feet, in addition to the right of way, for stations, for every 10 miles of road, with the right to use such additional grounds, where there are heavy cuts or fills, as may be necessary for the construction and maintenance of the road-bed, not exceeding 100 feet in width on each side of said right of way, or as much thereof as may be included in such cut or fill: provided, that no more than said addition of land shall be taken for any one station: provided, further, that no part Of the lands herein authorized to be taken shall be leased or sold by the company, and they shall not be used except in such manner and for such purpose only as shall be necessary for the construction and convenient [549]*549operation of said railroad, telegraph, and telephone lines; and, when any portion thereof shall cease to be so used, such portion shall revert to the nation or tribe of Indians from which the same shall have been taken.”

—That the third section of said act provided a method for the condemnation of said right of way, and provided that full compensation should be paid the occupants of the right of way by the railway company before its road should be constructed for “all property to be taken or damage done by reason of the construction of such railway.” That by virtue of the said act of congress the said defendant proceeded to locate and construct its roads. That defendant now has a large portion of said road in operation. That the road is constructed down to a point on the Arkansas river opposite to Ft. Smith, in the state of Arkansas, where said defendant now has in progress of construction, and almost completed, a railway, passenger, and wagon bridge across the Arkansas river. The bill further alleges that for several years last past the plaintiffs have been the owners and individual occupants, and as such have held, and now hold and occupy, the land in the Cherokee Nation opposite the city of Ft. Smith for several hundred yards both above and below the point where said bridge is located, and extending back several hundred yards from the bank of said river in said Cherokee Nation, and on both sides of said railway. That heretofore the said defendant, under the provisions of the said act of congress, condemned a right of way 100 feet wide through said lands of plaintiffs, as described in said bill of plaintiffs; for a railway bridge, and for railway, telegraph, and telephone purposes, and for no other purpose. That defendant has been in the quiet, undisturbed, and peaceful possession of said right of way ever since. That, long after said lands were condemned for the purposes aforesaid, the defendant conceived the idea in constructing the bridge hereinbefore described of converting it to or making it a passenger and wagon bridge. That the defendant secured the passage of another act of congress entitled “An act to authorize the construction of a bridge over the Arkansas river, in the Indian Territory,” approved March 15,1890. That said act of congress provided, among other things—

“That tbe Kansas & Arkansas Railway Co., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the state of Arkansas, and being empowered by act of congress approved June 1, 1886, to construct its railway from a point on the eastern boundary line of tbe Indian Territory at or near Ft. ¡Smith, Arkansas, through said territory, in a north-west direction, to a point on the northern boundary line of said territory, with the power to build a branch as therein provided, the construction and operation of which said line of railway involves the construction of a bridge across the Arkansas river, in the Indian Territory, from a point at or near Ft. Smith, be, and the said Kansas & Arkansas Valley Railway, its successors and assigns, are hereby, authorized and empowered to construct said bridge across said river, and to maintain and operate the same as a railway, passenger, and wagon bridge.”

The act further provides that the rates of toll which shall be charged for vehicles and foot passengers over said bridge shall be the. same as those now established for like service by the laws of Arkansas. The bill further alleges that under and by virtue of the last-named act said bridge [550]*550has been constructed as a railway, passenger, and wagon bridge. That said act, authorizing the construction of a passenger and wagon bridge, gave no authority to defendant to take, use, and condemn property for approaches to said bridge, nor under it can the defendant use the right of way obtained under the act of June 1, 1886, for approaches of the road-way for wagons and passengers to its said bridge. The plaintiffs further state that they not only hold the land hereinbefore described as individual occupants, according to the laws, customs, and usages of the Cherokee Nation, but that the ferry privilege across the Arkansas river at Ft. Smith, Ark., attaches to said land, and that they have the license and exclusive right from the Cherokee Nation to run a ferry across that river from the Cherokee side at that point, and are now, and have been for years, interested in running a ferry at that point for the crossing of passengers, wagons, stock, and general travel for hire. That they have a large amount of money invested in said ferry. That defendant is now gradisg and constructing on its said right of way, condemned, as aforesaid, approaches for a wagon-way and footway to its said bridge for the accommodation of wagons, passengers, and general travel, and has begun to construct approaches on plaintiffs’ land on both sides of said road, not on its right of way. That said approaches on said right of way are now rapidly approaching completion, and will be completed and used for the purposes aforesaid unless defendant is restrained by this court. The plaintiffs further state that the construction of said road-wray on said bridge for passengers and footmen, and other general travel on the right of way of defendant, constitutes an additional burden on the lands of plaintiffs. That the same is unauthorized by the charter of defendant, and the same is in violation of law.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
46 F. 546, 1891 U.S. App. LEXIS 1313, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/payne-v-kansas-a-val-r-co-circtwdar-1891.