, 1876-12-13
TIE SOUTH PARK.


The South Park Commissioners md the pco-
pie Of tho city who pay ta1cs aro agaln about to
be Joined IN action with some cxtortiouate land-
owicrs who hold possession Of some 1atnl with
Il, tho limits Ind out for the South Park, aud
who will, within fcw days, attempt for tho
second timo to extract from tho taxpayers--
through tho Boasd Of Comrutssioncrs-as,o
ten times what their property Is worth. The
land sought to be condemned for park purposes
ID an eighty-acre tract In the northeast quarter
of Sec. "A, Town BS, nn1 Is In the south end Of
the lake division OF thcp park It has one corner on
the lake and is bounded on tho south
by sxty-scvcnth street. Its aituation Is
so low that the persons who, laid
out the 9, pnrk were !. ferccl M H., to plan .
eourses. 1t IS eight miles, in q straight linz,
from tho corner Of State and Madison streets,
md Is about ns worthless as any land In that
part Of the county could we'll be-
ltnying established tho location of The land,
It remains to consider what It Is WORTH and also
what a Jury at q furfncr trial wero Wild enough
to value It ut.
TIE First TRIAL
for the condemnation Of tho tract began Feb,
H. 1876, and lasted nearly three weeks tllo tes-
tl,nony on tho side OF tho Commissioners being
from the best Judges Of real estate III the city
OF county. Their general idea was that
sse s 'a md Tas ystv w9Gtn ABOUT ~ ,as as
TINT figure, while many went As low
ss $500, and q fow higher than $1,000: The list
Of. Witnesses called by tho Commissioners, anil
who gnve the figures noted, compriscd such
Judges as II. N. Ht1barl, j. W. 6covi1, G. ].
lIan.ble:on: George R. Clarke, J. II. Gray, II. B:
Judges Of the value Of land In tho snburba, The
highest figure reached by any ono Of these, and
that only BY lfough, was 41,6o0 per acre. The
witnesses OH tho side OF the owners OF tho tract
were III extraordinary set, and seemed TO hive
tho most wontlcrt1.ily-ynguS2 ideas Of what tic
s7ou to QUO per acre tn their euesscs, and tho
general tono Ut their Testimony was that o. mon
who hadn't mitch Idea about the matter, but
wcrc willing to mako pretty liberal figures fur
tho sake Of n friend nr client who might bc In
terested Ia tho award
rt1E VERDICT
Of tho Jury was tho most extraordinary part Of
this extraordinary trial, and a more astoniahiux
decision than that which gavo the owners s5, $50
per mere, or t4a6.0oo fur tho tract, was never
madu IN a court OF law. Tho horrible
inlustlcc Of this will be seen when II Is retncnl-
the Commission $500 per acre, that on the east
SaO0, and TINT on tho west &ta't per acre. How
any jury could bo ldtotic or dishonest enough to
nwnrd morn tllan soycn times tho highest OF
these I'suEcs for land much worse situated than
tho lowcst-prlccd pusscs comprehension.
sfon applied for a new trial for the matter, and
Judge M, ats on tho Bench in tIlcago would
llavo daleu to rcfusu to set aside so Elaringly
,yrong y verdict. Tho case has BEEN dragging
along Tor twcnty-one montlls now waiting its
cult Court before Judge MeAllistcr next Mon.
day. There Is no particular reason to expect
that q Jury ca,, possibly be found foolish enough
| 10 bo induced to award any such verdict.