THE FARMER'S WAR AGAINST MONOPOLIES. 147 



citizen of New Jersey, instituted a suit against the 

 Erie Railway before Judge Blatchford, of the United 

 States District Court. Alleging the doubts which hung 

 over the validity of the recently issued stock, he peti- 

 tioned that a receiver might be appointed, and the 

 company directed to transfer into his hands enough 

 property to secure from loss the plaintiff as well as all 

 other holders of the new issues. The Erie counsel 

 were on the ground, and, as soon as the petition was 

 read, waived all further notice as to the matters con- 

 tained in it; whereupon the court at once appointed 

 Jay Gould receiver, and directed the Erie Company to 

 place eight millions of dollars in his hands to protect 

 the rights represented by the plaintiff. Of course the 

 receiver was required to give bonds with sufficient 

 sureties. Among the sureties was James Fisk, Jr. 

 The brilliancy of this move was only surpassed by its 

 success. It fell like a bombshell in the enemy's camp, 

 and scattered dismay among those who still preserved 

 a lingering faith in the virtue of law as administered 

 by any known courts. The interference of the court 

 was in this case asked for on the ground of fraud. If 

 any fraud had been committed, the officers of the com- 

 pany alone could be the delinquents. To guard against 

 the consequences of that fraud, a receivership was 

 prayed for, and the court appointed as receiver the very 

 officer in whom the alleged frauds, on which its action 

 was based, must have originated. It is true, as was 

 afterwards observed by Judge Nelson in setting it 

 aside, that a prima facie case, for the appointment of a 

 receiver, ' was supposed to have been made out/ that no 

 objection to tHe person suggested was made, and that 

 the right was expressly reserved to other parties to 



