Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-01-22
Somerset S. ]. Court.

The December term Of the supreme.
court Tor this county was adjourned fl
rally, Tuesday forenoon, after session
OF q working days. This is the longest
term since March, 1897, when the records
ways it has been Il rema rkable term
Seven of the nine or 10 civil cases sub
mitted TO the jury will be taken to tho
law court. an unusually large percentage
OF this number three will be taken up on
q molten to set the verdict aside one
upon exceptions, two upon both motion
and exceptions. and one will be reported
~ agreement of both parties. This rnea ms
work for the Stenographer. as the evil
Gence III the C'BIien case alone will net
take up less than 800 pages.
Twenty divorces for various causes
have been granted during the session,
only one being denied. The liquor fines
collected approximate $1,000 K record
bre aker for Somerset.
Monday afternoon, the attention of thu
court was taken up with the petition OF
Sarah T. Stevens of Solon who asks for
r writ of certiorari to declare void the
action of the county commissioners in the
matter of the location of a winter road
across the premises of the petitioner.
This is n matter which has been the
source OF much neighborhood unpleasant
hess and the cause of considerable legal
wranglins from first The affair oriGi.
mated by the action of several owners OF
farms adjoining Mrs. Stevens property
in Scion. Their lands We're so situated
that in order to reach the highway con-
'veniently in hauling lumber they We're
obliged to cross her farm, and had been
III the habit OF doing SO until the winter
oil 1S93-190O, when they were forbidden to
do so. They then retitioned the select.
men, asking II have winter ROAD laiI
out across Mrs. Stevens land, in accord
ance with the provisions of the statutes
The road was accordingly laid out by the
municipal officers and Mrs. Stevens was
awarded x25 as damages. From this ac-
ton she appealed to the August tenn OF
the county commissioners court 1890. The
commissioners viewed the premises and
after q hearing cf the parties, confirmed
the action of the selectmen. Again an
appeal was taken, this time to the ST.
Ireme court, but not being taken season
ably the action was dismissed. Mrs. Ste
Nens now brings petition for writ OF
certiorari, claiming that the commission
ers had no jurisdiction and that their &C
ton was illegal. iuasmuch as Hon. Alonzo
Smith, their chairman, was related to
three of the original petitioners within
the degree of cohsanguinity prohibited By
law.
Ate. hearing the testimony on both
sides, Judge Powers decided in favor OF
the petitioner, holding that the relation
ship existing between the chairman oe
the board and the petitioners mentioned
invalidated their proceedings, and order
In the suit Of James Lumsden VS.. Il.
n. Merrill for partition of the property
owned by the parties on the south side
OF Main street IN Skowheyan village Il
ha: been chosen TO affect par
tition, consisting of Hon. Turner Bus
well of Scion. Walter p. Ordway AMI
John K. Mcclellan of Skowhegan.
The suit of jerome ID. HewetI vs.. Alon-
70 III. Chase, assigned Tor trial at this
term, has been cIrtinued. Morley a. Reid
filed his declaration of his intention TO
become a citizen OF the United States. In
the acton Of Joseph p. Pease. VS.. Ed
nund II. Grant, which was referred 10 ar
bitrators, a report has been filed and ac-
repted Establishing between the lands of
the parties aud fading the defendant not
guilty Upon the question of trespass
Upon the calling of the docket for the
rev entries the following actions Were
efaul;ed: Skowhegan Jersey Creamery
VS.. l.. A. MclIcnrey: Edward j. Hume
we'll VS.. Frank !. Estes ct al: Cross &
Rengelin VS.. ". NJ. harrington; Collm- |
bus Marshall vs. Benjamin Manter; /!
1eorgc Cohen et ais VS., j. II. Wardwel. |
Calvin Danforth 80. u. II. Lancaster; I'll |
onic National fank vs.. Blanche +. |
Grown ct al: w. w. Hamblet VS. Lyman |
George Huard VS.. George A. |
Mclaughlin et al; William Littlefield vs..
edwin Tripp Richard II. Tibbetts VS.. Ed
,ar H. Thompson.