The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1901-04-04

win, counsel for the respondent, made
An eloquent plea for his client, speaking
for about an hour.
County Attorney Cover closed the
case for the State with a strong and
forcible argument for the fearless per-
Torrance of an evident duty
Judge Whitehouse than dwelt briefly
upon the principles of law involved, the
rules as to the nature and weight of
evidence required to convict of such
crimes.
The case was given to the jury at 4.30
and in less than forty-fve minutes the
verdict of guilty was returned. sen
tence has not yet been imposed. The
extreme penalty for an offense OF this
kind is five years imprisonment.
The actions of Sarah +. Stevens VS.
Charles French and Josiah French are
now on trial. These are two suits for
trespass which grew out Of neighbor
hood quarrel in the town of Scion,
where these parties reside. For some
thirty or forty years ii has been cuslo
mary for many of the farmers living on
the Parkman Hill road, and near Mrs.
Stevens land to haul lumber across her
land in the winter time, and no objec
tons were ever raised until the winter
of 1890 1900, when Mrs stevens, in
return for the bringing of a Islander suit
against her husband, in which the
Frenchs were the moving parties, de
MED them the right of crossing her
land.
A petition was then presented to the
selectmen of the town, praying for the
location of a winter road across the
land in question, as provided by statute
In accordance with this petition, the Sc
lectmen went on and surveyed the road,
and it was accepted by the town on the
9Th of March, 1900. Mrs Stevens APP
pealed to the County Commissioners,
| who, at their December term, filed a
report confirming the action of the
selectmen. Mrs. Stevens again appealed
to the Supreme Judicial court, and at
this March term the appeal was dismis-
sed on technicality. While this appeal
was pending, the defendants in these
cases, acting under legal advice, drove
across the land of the plaintiff, shoveled
out road, and removed the bars which
/ had been put up. For these alleged
acts of trespass the suits were brought
The defendants in their pleadings set
up prescriptive right to cross the land,
CldiiHiuR lndt lot lliilt out Oh minu l1e
| farmers in that vicinity have been accus
| toned to cross in the winter time for
the purpose of getting wood to market,
that they have done SO under a claim OF
right, and have acquired that right by
open and adverse possession, no objec
ton ever having been made by the own
er of the land until this trouble came up
The plaintiff claims that no such right
exists, that although the land has been
used by the public for some time, it was
always by permission of Mrs Stevens,
and not under any claim of right That
the assertion Of the defendants that any
prescriptive right exists is an entirely
new one, and that nothing of the sort
was ever thought of until the difficulty
| arose. She claims that the defendants
had no right whatever to enter upon her
land while the appeal was pending, and
| that the whole matter is scheme to
defraud her of the complete and proper
| enjoyment of her land. Forrest Good
win for plaintiff; George W. Cover for
defendants.
Willard F. Warren from Abbie B.
Warren Divorce decreed for descrtion.
Rose A. Taylor vs. Patrick Taylor. Mar.
| riage annulled on account of illegal
marriage