Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-28
AFFAIRS AT SOUTH OMAHA
CITY At.ora y Threa .en5 to Take Legal Ac-
tioI A a nst squatters
SAYS 7!lY MUST MOVE OR PAY RENT
so"e VIA sooa re in undi'puted
PoSres'ion NJ city Property For
Ten Years Unless They Are
D~iAturbed.

After looking over the records and taking
a l.ttle trip about The city A.. II. MurdoA,
the city attorney, has decided that he will
beein proceedings a. once against the squat
tiers. This Is an old story in South omaha,
and as the subject comes up two or three
times a year Il VIII be interesting to tax
payers to see what Murdoch will do.
Former city attorneys have made the same
proposition and in the end it amounted to
nothing. when Montgomery was city at
torney he was instructed to go ahead and
either Gust squatters or secure a nominal
rental fee. Squatters who were in posses-
sion 81 streets and alleys at that time re
still holding down ground, and unless steps
are taken they will soon acquire title.
Time and again the city engineer has
been called upon to give locations OF squat
tiers. and he has put in many an hour hunt
ing them up. His reports have invariably
been referred to the street and alley com
mittoe, and there the matter rested. Sew
oral valuable tracts Of property supposed
to be owned Ivy the city are now really in
possession OF squatters who will go into
court and claim a ten years undisputed
residence. In this way the city stands to
lose a large amount of property unless
Ups - Ndhth a blNt " NulllDtl ltdotb
TO be made or a rental price agreed upon.
The city officials are in hopes that the city
attorney will attend to this matter at his
earliest convenience.
Condemning Old Buildings.
While the city engineer is the building
inspector at the present time he does not
have an opportunity to get around on ac-
count Of other work. An assistant, it is
naa,-t.l xusrI - l. " .
and SEQ that building permits are brought
in promptly. An inspection is also to be
made Of delapidated buildings. Complaint
has been made of the dwelling at Seven
teenth and Missouri avenue. It is asserted
that this house, which is owned by DR.. ].
y. Kendall Of Saratoga, N. Y, is about to
fall down. The city officials will take no.
tlce OF this at once, as well as other build
ings in a similar condition.
CIotbesIine Thieves.
Clothesline thieves are getting in their
work in all parts of the city, but as a gem
eral thing the amount is so small that re-
torts are not made to police headquarters.
She neighborhood east of Twenty-fourth
street and north Of L street has been af-
Gicted with petty thieves for some time
past, and as a patrolman is seldom seen in
that portion of the city after dark some of
the citizens have decided to go thief hunt
ing themselves. At the present time the
neighborhood is tolerably we'll looked after
by residents, but the citizens would like to
have a policeman assigned to the district
in order that they might get a little sleep,
as the frequent turning loose of shotguns at
chicken or clothesline thieves disturbs their
rest.
Pushing improvements.
The electric light company has men at
work building manholes for the conduits
being laid across M street. The cold
weather delayed the work, but now that &C.
ment can be laid the manholes are being
builtS as rapidly as possible. When the
manholes are complete the overhead
wires on M street will be taken down and
placed in the conduits and the transform
ers now on the office floor OF the company's
building will be removed to the basement.
Hauling Ice to Packers.
The railroads are hauling ice to packers.
Those who are in charge OF the work say
the ice crop this year is harvested and
there is plenty on hand to last for two
years, II necessary. Yesterday one pack
ing house had 125 cars hauled in and this
ice was stored away. other packers are
getting ice right along. There will be no
dearth in the supply for icing cars during
the coming summer.
HannOn Getting Anxious.
Since the action Of the council on Mon
day night in relation to the grading of
Sixteenth and Seventeenth streets, Con-
tractor Dan Harmon is showing evidence
that he wants to commence work as soon as
possible. Yesterday he went down and
looked over the ground and found that the
frost is two feet deep. He says that he
cannot do any grading until the frost is
out of the ground. 'If the city can do
any better on its contract" said Mr.. Han
non to a Bee reporter last night, at is well
come to do So" When the work is COM
menced 1t will take only. four weeks to
l complete the grading ordered.
Permanent Sidewalks.
On account of the large number of ac-
cidents reported recently. the cause being,
so it is alleged, the poor condition of the
sidewalks, the city council proposes to en-
large the permanent sidewalk district.
There was a conference yesterday and the
talk was that permanent walks should be
laid on allA property east OF Thirteenth
street. This was hardly considered neees-
sary by some of the oouncilmen, but 1t APP
pears that so many accidents are reported
from that portion OF the city that some
thing will have to be done and the laying
of good walks is considered the only proper
remedy.
Magic City Gossip.
Members of-the Lotus club danced at
Masonic hall last evening.
William Maxwell, the alleged Masonic
fraud, has departed for parts unknown.
The city offices will be closed at noon
today on account of the funeral of former
Mayor w, G. Sloane.
Robert u. Montgomery, deputy county at