Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-03
FILING THEIR KICKS,
Appalling Number of Appeals
Taken From the City
Assessment.
THE ASSESSORS HARD LOT.
BOquet Street Property-HOlders Make
a aStrOng Complaint, and
SAY THEY HAVE BEEN JUGGLED.
A Suggestion That the Courts May Order
the Work Done Again.
THE ASSESSORS HARD LOT.
SAY THEY HAVE BEEN JUGGLED.
ENORMOUS REDUCTIONS ARE DEMANDED


He is beset on all sides with threats, with
opportunities, with appeals to court and
with appeals for generations Not
withstanding his repeated promises to
rectify errors, his statement that all
suits against him will be settled
amicably TO all concerned, and his daily and
nightly yigils with the mass of cores
pondenee bearing on his pet triennial
assessment, the dissatisfied property owners
are continuing to pile up suits in court and
the number now awaiting judicial con-
sideration is appalling. The prospect for
many more grows as the time for paying
taxes grows shorter. Taxpayers don't un-
Gerstand the philosophy of the assessors
statement that they can pay their taxes on
what they consider au excessive assessment
and then get an exoneration from the asses
sors and their money back afterward.
A large number of appeals were filed in
court yesterday and another batch is in pro-
cess of preparation. Among the latter are
several from Boquet street, Fourteenth
ward. The appellants side of the story
gives them a strong case, although the
Board of Assessors say it is the result of
mistake and will be rectifed before the
case can come up in court.
Boquet Street People File Complaints.
The complaint of the Boquet street peo-
pie is presented by Prof 1. w. Former, who
is extremely bitter in his denunciation of
the way the assessors have conducted their
triennial valuation of properties. Prof
Former owns 200 feet fronting on Boquet
street, by 175 feet deep. The land is in
three parts, one being 125x175 feet, as
sessed at S1O,625, on which is his resi-
dence, assessed at 81, 500. The balance is
divided into lot 75x100 fronting on Boquet
street. assessed at 81, 125 and another lot
5Ox1O0 fronting on an alley in rear, assessed
at 81, 600. The alley lot is assessed as
usual out all the rest is classified as full
value or built up city property. 1t
is on the classification that Prot.
Former kicks. On both sides
Of him, across the street fro-l him and all
around him there is property exactly simi-
lar to his classified as rural The property
IF W A Sheibler is just below Mr.
Formers 1t has a frontage on Bouuet
street of 125 feet and depth of $50, is
classified as rural and assessed at S19. 125
which means that he pays taxes on SIC, 100
for an acre lot, while Mr.. Former pays on
sI7, 800 on a little more than a half acre.
Object to This system of Classification.
Nj Shocks one lot, situated between the
Foruer and Sheibler lots, is assessed as
rural, but on the other side of the Sheibler
lot Mr. Daschback has 60x175 feet classified
rs full taxable. Just adjoining Daschback
Is Charles Speer's property, fronting 80
feet on Boquet street and only LIS feet deep,
classified as rural, and from the Speer prop
ertv TO Frazier street George Smith and
others having property of the same depth
as Speer's are classified as full built-up
property.
East of Mr.. Former are the properties of
Willis Wilmot, James Booth (of Booth &
Flinn). Jacob Freibertshauser and Mr.
Johns, all of large frontage, classified as full
taxable. But directly across Boquet street
from Mr.. Former are the properties Of ChaS.
Umbaestetter and j. Nevin, having 'front.'
age OF l25 feet and depth of 800 feet,
smooth level land, classified as rural. Ad-
joining them on the east is
vacant lot, 1SOx22O feet, of Mrs.
Dr. Lamb classified as full built
up Adjoining this on the east again is
Joseph Loughrev's three acres, originally
assessed as full taxable. but on his threat to
class. The Dawson, Eichleay and Semple
properties east of Lougrey, having depth
OF 515 ieet, have been cut in half under the
newly adopted classification rule, and while
the front part is elassed as full taxable the
rear j. made rural.
Calls the Board of Assessors Jugslers.
That. said Prof Foruer, "shows how
our Board Of Assessors have juggled the
triennial assessment They assess one
man more than other all things
being equal. Where in the world will
3 court countenance such work? 1t
is not equity, it is not even an
apology for fairness 1t looks as if a man
who could bring proper influences to bear
could get his property classified as he
wished. have called on the assessors re-
pcatedlv. in nv own case and in behalf of
my neighbors who have been Disseminated
against, but my appeals have been totally
disregarded, and l have now received
NV notice to come and settle my taxes on
the valuation the assessors have seen fit to
put on NV property. Under this assess
ment l pay more taxes than my neighbor
who has twice as much equally valuable
property. / don't propose to SUBJ
nit to any such treatment. l have
placed the matter in my attorneys
hands. and several of my neighbors have
done likewise. The appeals to court will be
filed early next week. If the same inequali-
ties exist in all parts of the city as in Oak
land, there will be hundreds of suits of like
character, and / will be surprised if
the count does not strike down the whole
assessment and order a new one; such a
step would be a hardship on the city,
know, but il would result in more careful
work on the part of the assessors and more
equity for the people in the future
Many Appeals Taken to Court.
The appeals filed in court yesterday
against the Board of Assessors all claimed
excessive valuation, illegal methods on the
part of the assessors and in
most cases illegal classification under
the new class rule of the board. Among
them was the appeal of Mrs. f. c. Myers,
whose property at Penn and Dallas avenues
TwcHtv-second ward, is assessed at S62, 100,
OF which $40, 900 is on the land and $40, 900
too high.
James r. Bell, Crawford street, Eighth
ward is tine next He is assessed at s., $50
and thinks a little over half that figure
would be fair.
Kate NJ, Alice L. and Charles H. Barr,
Isabella Barr and E L. Smith, guardian of
James MEG. Barr, heirs and devisees of
John McGinness, are assessed at S14, ,521 on
the estate in the Eleventh ward, which they
consider several thousand dollars too high.
Sarah L. Hitchcock, owner of the prop
ertv at Fifth avenue and Smithheld street,
leased to the Kaufman Bros, is assessed
ofE front foot mr. S436 1QS tho