Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-19
rnECOuRT RECORD.
Superior Court - Civil Side - Judg'
 Phelps.

Supef10f COurb CAFh SAUO - uu&o
 Phelps.
 Much interest has been taken in the fla
 nous Woodbridge islander suit of Page vs.
 Merwin, which was ended in the Superior
 court yesterday by the jury rendering yer
 dict for the plaintiff to recover $2, 900 dama-
 ges and costs. He brought suit for $5,0O0.
 This is the case in which Jennie Downes ac-
 cused Page of being the father of her illegiti-
 mate child at the request (according to her
 statement in evidence) of Merwin, whom she
 afterwards claimed as being the real father
 of the child. The court room has been
 crowded daily during the trial, and yester-
 day 1t was more so than ever, as the evidence
 was all in and the arguments were to be
 made. The opening argument was made by Attorney Webb for tho plaintiff, and was fol- lowed by Lawyer Case with his argument for the defense. After tho arguments the jury
 retired and an hour afterward brought in the verdict as given above. Page, the plain tiff, came to Woodbridge about ten years ago from the. South and is man about fifty years of age He is well spoken of in Wood bridge as a respectable man. He was mostly employed as q farm laborer and at the time worked for the defendant. When the jury returned the verdict Page looked pleased and heartily congratulated his attorneys, filling and Webb, to whom he said he ow- cd all his success. Merwin on the other hand looked very down hearted, and 1t is said that if the verdict Is upheld by the Su- preme court, to which Lawyer Case said last evening an appeal will be taken to-day, it will almost financially ruin Merwin. Mer- win, who is a man of about the same age AS Page, came to Woodbridge about ten years ago from Oyster River section near Milford, where he owned property on the bluff below Merwin's Point which he sold to MT. Thomp- l son, father of H. Grant Thompson. With the money received from that sale and other money he came to Woodbridge and bought the fine 100 acre farm known as Round Hill farm, being estimated at that time as worth about $12, ,000 which hasbeen heavily cut into by his recent legal difficulties. The evi- dence in the case which, juryman said, helped the jury to render the verdict they did was the fact that when Mrs. Downs, the mother of Jennie, asked Merwin to pay $2.- 900 to settle the matter Merwin replied that he would not give her $2,000, but would give Jennie $1.50 a week-what the law called for.
 Attorney Hamilton was in court during the trial, he being the counsel for the de fendant before he was suspended by the grievance committee from practising at the bar for year. Then Attorney Case took hold of the case.
 AGAINST THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN FOR $1 ,500. Mir. Henry B. filling, of Wallingford, through his attorney, William P. Niles, has brought suit against the city of New Haven for $1 ,500 damages, the writ being returna- ble at the May term of the Superior court. MT. filling while driving through Bristol street on the night of September 11th, 1885, when in front of Lawrence Kline's house drove into an unsuarded and unlighted trench in the street, injuring his horses and himself, on which grounds he brought the suit.
 SUIT AGAINST THE CITY FOR $5,OOO. Hugh M Harland, of Wallingford has brought suit against the city of New Haven to recover S5 900 for damages sustained by ] his team falling into a ditch on Beers street last fall. The is returnable the first Monday in April to the Superior court. court of Common PIeas-Judges Sud- ley and Deming.
 Judge Deming heard the case of Mordecai vs Scheen while Judge Studley was occu- pied with the case of Gil1in vs. Phillips. Gil lin is livery stable keeper and sues to re- cover $350 for horse which he claims was killed by driving, by the defendant, on the 18th of January last.
 City Court Criminal Side Judge Pickett.
 March 1S.-Thomas Taggert, breach of the peace against Thomas Henchy, $50 fine,
 $6 IS costs, appealed, bonds $200; William Dermody, breach of the peace, nolle; Paul Zimmerman, breach of the peace against Se- bastian Kunkel, to March 20; Chris W. Bornmann, support of wife, to April 2; James Clancy, drunk, judgment suspended,
 breach of the peace against Mrs. Glaneey. $6. IS costs, 5 days in jail; John J. Webb, breach of the peace against Lawrence Tuck CT, $1 fine, $697 costs; Patrick Tucker,
 breach of the peace against John J. Webb, | discharged; Lawrence Tucker, breach of the peace against John J. Webb. $1 fine, $9.97 costs; William H. Agnew, breach of the peace against Lawrence Tucker, discharged; James Devlin, breach of the peace against 1 John Donohue, $1 fine, $6 IS costs.
 Court Notes.
 Judge Stoddard will decide in day or two if Albert M. Shappa of Fair Haven, who was divorced from his wife Elizabeth some time ago, can have possession of their two year old boy or whether his wife, who has the child, can keep it. A hearing in the
 case was held in the bar library yesterday.