Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1885-04-16
Laws Interesting to Land Hold.

Laws Interesting to Land Hold.
But few persons unClcrstan the ma
ture Of their rights and privileges in
regard to fencing and the adjacent pub
lie roads, and frequently inposition;
and losses are practlced upon them by
owners of cattle and hogs trespassing
upon their enclosures sometimes dcs--
troying growing crops and intiicting
other injuries aud annoyances to a con
siderable extent, and frequently Cats
ing unpleasant feelings between neigh
bors In addition to these troubles,
which are Of long standing, q ncw evil
has been produced Of late in the mult-
plicity of telegraph lines which are be
ing erected throughout the countrv,th,
companies or their contractors for the
erection Of the poles for the laying Of
the wires. not only occupying the pub
lie roads for the purposes Of their cor.
por4tIons, but absolutely cut ing the
trees on these highways and tn. ada
cent property without al Y authority 81
to do from the owners thereof. This
has been done recently in Baltimore
/ county, and suits have been instituted
for dnmages by owners of the land, and
We fad thas similar suits have been in
situ;eI II Hartford county under simi
lar circumstances. We hope that the
/ laws Of Mar land or the common Law
will reach these in rulcrs on the prop
eriy o.! the le5ti nate owners Of the
sol, and that not only recuniary dam
ages may be inflicted, but that the tres
pa@sers may be punished for their au-
dac!iy BY suitable fines and impy!son~
ment
We have before given some extracts
from the laws on such subjects from
Judge Benefits work, and the follow
ing additional item upon the "Riyhts
Of the Roti,' cannot but b. Of interest
at the present time, and every land
holder should preserve these extracts
for their guidance in the maintenance
Of their nights. Jud &c Bennett says
IF q farm deed is bounded by, On or
upon a road, it usually extends to the
middle of the road way, The farmer
owns the soil Of half the road, and may
us the grass, trees, stone, gravel, sand
or anything of val lie to him, either Oh
the land or beneath the surface subject
only to the superior rights Of the pub
lie 10 travel over the road, and that o.
the highway surveyor to use such ma
teral for the replr pf the road, and
these materials he may cart away and
use elsewhere on the road. No other
man has a right to feed his cattle there,
or Cit the grass or trees, much less de-
post his wood, old carts, wagons or 9TH
er things thereon. The owner of y drove
Of cattle which stops to feed in front Of
your land or Il drove of pigs which
root up the Soils responsible to you at
law as much MS If they did the salnc
things inside the fence. NoIoIy's chill
dren have a ri gnt to pick rp the an-
pies under your trees, although the
same stand wholly outside Of Your
feuce No private person has right
to cut or lop off tire limbs of your trees
in order to move his Old barn or other
buildings along the highway, and no
traveller can hitch his horse to yorr
trees in the sidewalk without being lia-
bic, if he gnaws the bark Or otherwise
Injuries them If your well stands part
!y Oh your land and partly outside the
fence no n@ighbor can use it except by
your permission. Nay, more, 10 maa
has right to stand in front Of your
land ard insult you with abusive lang
uage without being liable to you for
lrespasSing ON yonr land: He has "
right to pass and repass il an orderly
and becoming manner; right to use
the road but not abuse it. But nowi:h-
standing the farmer owns the soil Of the
road, even he cannot use it for any pur-
pose which ,nt"rtrrcs with the use Of it
by the public for travel He cannot put
| his pigpon. wagons, wool or other
things there If the high surveyor orders
them a"ay us obstrnc'iny public travel
If ne leaves such things outside his
fence, and within the limits Of the
highway as actually laid ont, though
some distance from tie Travelled path,
and traveller runs into them ia the
night aAd is injured, the owner is not
only reliable to him for private dana
ges out may also be indicted and fined
for obstructinsa d public highway he
must place it al on his own land, AMI
not half on the road, as in case OF divis-
ion fences between neigbors. But rs he
owns the soil, if the road is discout!nu-
ed or located elsewhere, the lAnl
reverts to him, and he MAY inclose IL
t" th2 centre an use 1t as a part Of hs.
tl.