Bronson v. Railroad Company

This case was brought here by appeal from the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Wisconsin. It was a bill in equity brought by Greene C. Bronson and James A. Soutter trustee, &c., against the La Crosse and Milwaukie Railroad Company, and divers other defendants, creditors of that corporation. The Circuit Court made a decree in favor of the plaintiffs for one-half the amount of their claim, $565,260.05. From this decree the plaintiffs appealed. After the case came here on appeal, the parties made an agreement that the decree of the Court below should be reversed and a decree entered for the whole amount of the claim, that is to say, for a sum twice as large as that found to be due by the Circuit Court. F. P. James, Isaac Seymour, and N. A. Cowdrey moved for leave to intervene in the cause so as to protect their interests. They were creditors of the Railroad Company and purchasers of part of the road, stock and franchises, and alleged that the agreement to increase the amount of the decree was made with the fraudulent intent to injure them. The motions for leave to intervene and to dismiss the appeal, were made at the same time, were founded upon the affidavits of which the substance is given by Mr. Justice Davis, and were argued together.