The Newtown bee., 1892-06-10
TrinityS Church Sheds.

A cloud no larger than a mans hand has hovered for some time on Trinity's horizon; in fact, on its eastern horizon, proverbially stormy quarter. Years ago, Trinity put premium on church going among members distant from it's beautiful and stately sanctuary by fur nishing ground on which they might build sheds under which to shelter their turn-outs from Summer fervor and Win try blasts, showers of rain and feather ing snow. As the hill sloped away to the east, retaining wall was built under the lower side of the eastern row of sheds and the ground filled in level. Unfortu- nately, this wall and the sheds it bore overshadowed a small house little east and bit farther down the hill. In pro- cess of time, F. Cannon, long faithful man of all work for M. c. Hawley, Esq, bought this house, with it's overshadow- ing church sheds. The sheds were not found particularly obnoxious at first, but in time, as MT Cannon began to improve his house and grounds, as he has done with great taste and untiring persever- ance, they became an eyesore and then a nuisance. He tried to get the board of health to remove them, but failed in this. Not long after, fire was discovered among leaves at the north end of the un- desirable sheds, but was put out without damage. In grading about his grounds, MT Cannon dug so deep and so close to the eastern retaining wall of the sheds that it has collapsed and fallen out upon his land. The question arises, Has man right to dig so close to his line that he injures and destroys his neighbor's prop erty? Trinity has once retaliated on MT Cannon by voting to build high, tight, board fence in front of the sheds, with a locked gate, which would be an added nuisance to MT Gannon's property, as it would still further shut off the view from his house. Wiser counsels prevailed, as such fence and gate would be almost as much of nuisance to shed owneIs as to the man it would annoy. A commit tee was appointed at the Easter meeting to see to the wall, which was bulging, but had not then fallen. They failed to act and the wall is down. There are two ways out of this difficulty To move part of the sheds to the south end of the vacant space between the two rows, or to re sort to legal measures to compel MT Cannon to respect the rights and property of his neighbors. The sheds are now an open sore. Any person of taste living there would find them nuisance. No one, however, likes to be driven, whether saint or sinner, parish or individual. If MT Cannon had gone at the matter with tact and in friend ly spirit, instead of with menace and wrath, no doubt, Trinity parish would have gone half way to satisfy just de- mands. MT Gannon's desire to beautify his home and its surroundings is worthy of eommendation; the way in which he has endeavored to force neighbor to give up rights possessed when he bought his house is open to criticism There is no use of dilly-dallying with the matter any longer. If mutual concession is im- possible, let the judicial rights of each be established and each compelled to re- spect those of the other. That is busi- ness and business, properly understood, is justice. There is no use in trying to befog the issue by saying that it is case of rich parish trying to persecute a poor man. The individual has done all that has been done and the parish, dreading conflict. even for it's rights, has borne indignities to which it should never have been subjected. But even rich parish is entitled to respect and should have every protection of law to which it is entitled