Iron Mountain & Helena Railroad v. Johnson, 119 U.S. 608 (1887)
U.S. Supreme Court
Iron Mountain & Helena Railroad v. Johnson, 119 U.S. 608 (1887)
Iron Mountain and Helena Railroad v. Johnson
Argued December 10, 1886
Decided January 10, 1887
119 U.S. 608
Syllabus
There is nothing in the nature of the possession of a railroad, or of a section of a railroad, which takes it out of the operation of the language of the Statutes of Arkansas against forcible entry and detainer, or out of the general principle which lies at the foundation of all suits of forcible entry and detainer, that the law will not sanction or support a possession acquired by violence, but will, when appealed to in this form of action, compel the party who thus gains possession to surrender it to the party whom he dispossessed, without inquiring which party owns the property or has the legal right to the possession.
This was an action of forcible entry and detainer. The case is stated in the opinion of the Court.