Pullan v. Cincinnati & C. Air-Line R.

20 F. Cas. 32, 4 Biss. 35
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Indiana
DecidedJune 15, 1865
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 20 F. Cas. 32 (Pullan v. Cincinnati & C. Air-Line R.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pullan v. Cincinnati & C. Air-Line R., 20 F. Cas. 32, 4 Biss. 35 (circtdin 1865).

Opinion

MCDONALD, District Judge.

This is a bill filed by James Pulían against the Cincinnati and Chicago Air-line Railroad Company, and others. Pulían sues as a trustee for divers bondholders under a deed of trust in the nature of a mortgage.

The matter now before the court is a motion for a temporary injunction, and for the appointment of a receiver.

The facts and pleadings on which this motion is founded are substantially as follows: On the 16th of February, 1848, the legislature of Indiana enacted a charter authorizing a company to make a railroad from Richmond to New Castle, Indiana. The style of the corporation was the New Castle and Richmond Railroad Company, and the length of the road twenty-seven miles.

In January, 1851, the charter was amended so as to enable the company to extend their road either to the Indianapolis and Peru Railroad, or to the Lafayette and Indianapolis Railroad. This amendment also authorized the company to borrow money on mortgage of their “road, income, and other property.”

To effect a loan of money for the completion of the road, the company issued coupon bonds to the amount of three hundred thousand dollars, dated February 25, 1852, payable February 25, 1867, with interest at seven per cent., payable semi-annually. The bonds were one thousand dollars each. To secure their payment a trust deed was executed by the company. By this trust deed, the company conveyed “all the present and in-future-to-be-acquired property of the said the New Castle and Richmond Railroad Company; that is to say: the first section of their road from Richmond to New Castle as aforesaid, with the superstructure and all rails and other materials used therein, and all rights therein, tolls and income, and any rights thereto or interest therein, together with the tolls or income to be had or levied therefrom, and all franchises, rights, and privileges of the said the Newr Castle and Richmond Railroad Company of, in, to, or concerning the same.” Such is the verbose language of the deed. It was made to Joseph B. Varnum and George Carlisle, and to the survivor of them, and to the heirs of such survivor, in trust that if the company should fail duly to pay either interest or principal on said bonds, the trustees might enter on and take possession of the mortgaged property. and use the same, and apply the proceeds of such use to the payment of the principal and interest of the bonds; and that, if it should become necessary, the trustees might sell the mortgaged property at auction and apply the proceeds to the payment of such principal and interest.

Carlisle, one of the trustees, died in March, 1863. And Varnum, the other trustee, becoming old and unwilling to perform the trust, the Wayne circuit court, in 1864, appointed the complainant, James Pulían, a trustee in the place of Carlisle.

The name of the company was, in April. 1853, changed to that of the Cincinnati, Lo-gansport and Chicago Railway Company. And, in 1858, it was again changed to that of the Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad Company.

In April, 1853, the corporation executed to said Carlisle another mortgage in the nature of a deed of trust to secure the payment of other bonds. This mortgage was foreclosed in this court in 1860. It covered all the property of the company, which, under the decree of foreclosure, was sold by the proper officer to Choteau, Murdock, Schucharde. Thompson, and Morgan for thirty thousand dollars. These purchasers, in July, 1860, under an act of March 5, 1859, of the Indiana legislature, being the owners of said property, became a corporation under the style of the Cincinnati and Chicago Air-line Railroad Company.

This foreclosure and sale in no manner affected the rights of the bondholders under the deed of trust first aforesaid.

It appears that ever since said new organization, the defendant Judson has been president, and the defendant Tenny, secretary, and the defendant Morgan, treasurer, of the Cincinnati and Chicago Air-line Railroad Company.

It seems that, on the 16th of October, 1856, the last-named company attempted to lease to one John W. Wright and Company, for a term of ten years, all their property.

It appears also that the last-named railroad company has since attempted to consolidate with other railroad companies, both within and without the state of Indiana. But whether these doings were valid or not, [34]*34seems immaterial to the present ease. Even since the commencement of this suit, there has been an attempt at consolidation, including the Cincinnati and Chicago Air-line Railroad Company, and several others, under the name of the Chicago and Great Eastern Railway Company.

It is conceded that the deed of trust and bonds first aforesaid form the first lien on so much of the road in question as lies between New Castle and Richmond; and that on these bonds no interest has been paid for about two years past.

Under the circumstances, the trustee, James Pulían, has filed his bill in equity to enforce the mortgage of February 25, 1852.

The bill, besides charging most of the facts above stated, alleges, inter alia, that the Cincinnati and Chicago Air-line Railroad Company, by their said purchase under judicial sale, took the road with the burden of said first mortgage bonds, and were bound to provide for the payment of the interest on them, but have neglected and refused to pay it; that for some time past, the earnings of the road have been large, and far above the current expense of running it; that the surplus earnings ought to have been, but were not, applied to the payment of said interest; that the same had been wrongfully applied in building a bridge across the Wabash at Logansport, beyond the terminus of the Cincinnati and Chicago Air-line Railroad, as 'it was located by the New Castle and Richmond Railroad Company, at the time when the first mortgage bonds were executed, and in building and completing another railroad, and furnishing it with rolling stock, and in buying up some of said first mortgage bonds on speculation and at reduced prices, and in discharging individual liabilities of the defendants, Judson, Tenny and Ripley; that the officers of the road have been permitted by the company to use corrupt and oppressive measures to force the holders of the bonds in question to exchange them at a sacrifice for other securities of the company; that the company are paying interest on certain sinking fund bonds issued by them at a later date than those represented by the complainant; that Judson and Tenny, officers of the company, threaten that unless the holders of the bonds of February 25, 1852, accede to certain terms proposed by the company, they will build a road parallel to so much of their road as lies between New Castle and Richmond and turn the business thereon so as to depreciate said security for said three hundred thousand dollars of bonds; that the officers of the company have, by false representations of the security for said bonds, greatly reduced their value in the market; that the company are making no provision for the payment of said interest; and that its officers refuse to permit either said trustees or the bondholders to examine the books of the company with a view to ascertain the amount and appropriation of its earnings.

The bill prays an injunction against the building of said parallel road, and for a receiver, and for general relief.

The bill is sworn to.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
20 F. Cas. 32, 4 Biss. 35, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pullan-v-cincinnati-c-air-line-r-circtdin-1865.