In Ayers v. Chicago, 101 U.S. 184 (1879), a bill was filed in a state court of Illinois, by the city of Chicago against citizens of Illinois, to enforce a deed of trust. A citizen of Alabama, having a judgment against one of the defendants, and claiming a lien on the property covered by the deed of trust, was admitted as a party defendant to the suit, and filed a cross-bill to enforce such lien, and removed the suit into the Federal Court, on the ground that in the original suit there was a controversy wholly between him and the original plaintiff, and that in the cross-suit the controversy was wholly between citizens of different States. The cause was remanded, and on appeal this court affirmed that decision, saying that the original bill and the cross-bill constituted one suit; that the intervener was allowed to take part in a controversy between the city and the debtor; that he had no dispute with the debtor, and none separably with the city; that he and the debtor had a controversy with the city as to its lien on the property; that the debtor, who was on the same side of the controversy with him, was a citizen of the same State with the city; and that, such being the case, the suit was not removable.