Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-03-30
An IMPORTANT LINE CASE,
NvotvrNo run III To Many AcRrs oF
LAND ~ oNTuKD COUNTY.

LAND ~ NhNNAN hNA
The attention Of the people Of Bethel
and surrounding towns has teen held
CO.. four day. tie pas, week by an imPo'-
tan, referee case iavolving the title 10 a
large amoun, Of lAnd in this county.
The case ia question ]. : hos pend
ing before the supreme Judicial Court.
anJ "a. referred 10 Hon. Waldo Pe,,sn.
gil. Of Rumford. Hon. frAnk \. Brad
icy. Of FDsburs. and Judge George A
wilson. o. South Pans
IL l. the case Of EbensFer I. Natter.
Walter b. Nu,tsr. Hsnry Natter. Daniel
Hil,on. Alnon Young. Peter b. Young.
Charles Raakins. DAVID X. Ras,ings.
ard David HAmmons. VI. stephen Tay-
lor and Iewis,oa Steam Mil Company.
The case va. opened before the referee.
a, Bethel las, Tuesday morning. the Esd
inst. aud the hearing continued until
The follovins Friday evening. Major
David X. llAs,ings and Hon. DAVID
HAmmons appeared fr the plaintiff. and
Hon. George n. Bsbee COZ the defence.
The plaintiff. are the owners Of fifteen
hundred aercs Of ~ild land ia the town
Of Byron. AID the defendant, Taylor.
owns = farm adjoining the land Of the
plAiniih.. This Is a. action Of tro,sr
brosgh, by the plaintiff. TO recover tor
the value o. certain timber vhsch the
plaintiff. claim vas cut on 10; : Of Range
10. which they own; and the dsfsnes
claim. that /, was cut on 10, : Of Rage
Is. which tbs defendant. Taylor. owns.
The Lewiston Steam Mil Company were
made parties 10 this action for the reAsoa
that they purchased the timber cut by
Taylor from The 70; in question
The ral question to be determined vas
~ to where The original Range las bet
ween Ranges Is and 10 Was located on
the face Of the earth by SlAs Thofls.
Who surveyed the township Of Byron in
1907. The plaintiff. relied on q survey
made BY Hon. Noah Barker. . former
Land Agent Of the State Of Maine. nov
residing A. Exeter. in Penobsoo, Coanty,
Who made = survey ia 1866 for Hon.
John Lyneh. Of Portland. Who formerly
owned plaintiffs timber land. Mr.. Bar
ksr vas present a. the principal witness
for the plaintiffs. and testified that when
be made hi. survey. in 1865. be deter.
mined that Thofla had omitted 10 es-
tabllsh this 18th Rsnge aud that be
Barker 81 that time run and located .
pew Range between Ranges IL and 10
and spotted il. and in 30 doing divided
the tier of Lots.
The defence claims tha, Thorls did ae-
,ually establish all his Ranges. and
showed . line father east Of Range 10
which had been spotted and respected.
the older spots being over se~ven,y.fOur
years old and claimed that the Range
which Barker pronounced Range 10. vas
intended by Thotls to be Range Is.
Barker claimed that the line set up by
the defendants vas nothing bu, q sable
line.
William Douglass. Of Waterford. Who
VAS appointed surveyor by the Court.
had bsen upon the premises aud made
an extensive survey. he was one Of the
principal witnesses for the defence. The
defence also showed that John Shaw and
other settlers Of Byron. over thirty years
ago, cleared and titled the land east Of
and up to Bakers 90 called 10Th Range,
understanding IL then and nov to be the
cas-, line Of Lots In the 18th Range.
II is expected that the report OF the
referees will Be made to the May term Of
the Supreme Judicial Court in this
County.
This case ID very impertAn. one TO
citizens Of Byron. John Hoaghioa and
other large land owners are Interested in
the result.
Uncle" David Hammons aud John
Houghion. who were on opposite aides
in interest. created much Amusement by
the various original plans Of the Town
Of Byron" which they introduced. being
some eight in number. all Of which pur-
ported to Be originals or copies Of the
original and hardly any two agreeing.