The herald., 1895-05-07
A HIGHHAYMAN' DEMANDS
That Is What a Taxpayer Dubs
His Assessment
HE REGISTERS A PROTEST
A Peculiar Document Filed With the
City Clerk
An Alleged Tragedy, Farce and Comedy
Recently Enacted on Sand Street,
Near Broadway

rather remarkable bit OF literature is
the communication yesterday field with
the city clerk by James NJ. Davis. in an
address to the council, protesting against
what he is pleased 10 term highway
man. demands.
The council, it appears, some time ago
ordered the lot OF the petitioners on the
northeast corner of Sand street and Broad
way graded, his assessment upon the sup
posed improvement being $4l.90. This
sum Davis declines to pay, for what ap-
pear to him to be the following substan-
tial reasons. He says
Your protestor and petitioner would
respectfully represent that he is a citizen
of Los Angeles, the owner of lot stu
ated oJ the northeast corner of Sand and
Broadway streets; that the said lot 'front.'
ing on Broadway is on an established
grade. and which has been graded, side
walked and graveled at my expense; that
l purchased said lot from the city of Los
Angeles, shat 1t is a conner lot and 1t
the time OF purchase and for several
years thereafter |. had the benefits of
corner at the intersection of Sand and
Broadway, being able TO drive from
Broadway onto Sand street on the south
side of said lot; that recently Sand street
north line OF Sand street, so as to leave
nearly perpendicular bank of from
thirty to forty feet. which makes it i'm
possible to use both streets in connections;
that | have been seriously damaged by
this grading. having no means of access
to said lot except in front; that the
superintendent OF streets has assessed the
said lot the sum of S4l.90 benefits and
given the street contractor a warrant
against said lot for said sum. | protest
that this grading has been no benefit.
but serious damage to the lot and L
would pray OF your honora Bile body to in
vestigate the matter, and if in your wis
dom there has fbeen no benefit to the lot
that you set aside such assessment.
seems that the authortes-the street
Superintendent and the cOntractor-have
perpetrated in one act tragedy, farce
and a comedy. They have put in what
purports to be the intersection of piece
Of sidewalk at the northeast corner of
Sand street and Broadway. so that ii a
person were to walk from the north side
of Broadway into this intersecting side
walk at the corner, he would have to de-
scend from thirty to forty feet perendicu-
larly and would be liable to suffer a tragi
cal result; if he were to attempt to step
from the intersecting piece OF sidewalk
on the north side, he would find in front
of him a wall of thirty or FORTY feet in
height which would be rather farcical;
and when the contractor was putting
down this sidewalk with wall thirty
to forty feet high in front of him it must
have seemed to him comical.
l claim this piece of sidewalk to be of
no benefit to me or to any one else on
earth. Now comes the serious part OF
the business to me. Your superintendent
of streets says that if l do not pay the
contractor for building this sidewalk and
grading this street. he will take the lot
away from me and give it to some other
person who will pay the assessment.
/ pray your hor orable body will protect
me from this forced contribution, which
seems to me no better than a highway
mans demands. Should your honorable
council decide that | have no remedy
tnat | must either bay or lose my lot
then | pray you that fence be erected
around this piece of intersecting side
walk, and that it be preserved until the
city builds museum, and that it be
placed there on exhibition as a monstrous
exhibit of the injustice of street assess"
ments. Respectfully submitted,
JAMES M. DAVIES.
It's the surest-Dr. Prices baking pow