The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-08-23
BOUNDARY LINE CASE
Between Maryland and West Virginia
Nay Soon Be Settled for All Time.

goes Dy the boundary line between
Maryland and West Virginia will
have been settled; at least the at
torneys and those interested in the
case hope that the supreme court
of the United Seates will settle the
dispute within that time" says
The Charleston Mail.
The suit was brought by Mary
land against this state in 1891, to
settle the boundary line between
the two states and since that time it
has been threshed through the
courts. In this case Maryland has
revived the old claim that her
boundary goes to the head spring
ofthe south branch of the Potomcc
river instead of the north branch,
where it has always been held to be.
She also claims that if she can't go
to the head spring of the south
branch she is entitled to line con-
siderably farther west than the
line run from the Fairfax stone.
According to this claim she would
recover from West Virginia a strip
of land about thirty-six miles in
length and one and one-quarter
miles in width off the eastern side
of Preston comfy.
The State of West Virginia in
sists that the Fairfax stone, which
was planted in I746 at the head of
the north branch of the Potomac
river, IS the point from which the
boundary line must run and she
claims that this boundary line was
run and located in 1850 by Francis
Deakin. 1t was found upon
scientific survey made in 1880 that
the Deakin line from the Fairfax
stone was not a due north line and
at that time a line was run by
Lieut.. Micoler which is recogniz-
ed as the due north line.
Virginia and West Virginia
have always claimed the Deakin
line to be the correct line, but the
Maryland authorities have, since
1859, generally claimed the Mich
Ter line. Territory between these
lines IS a triangle, having as its
apex the Fairfax stone, extending
to the Pennsylvania line, where it
is three fourths of a mile wide.
Whether the claims of Maryland
to go 70 the head of the south
branch of the Potomac, or to the
new line recently set up west of
the Fairfax stone are seriously
contended for by her counsel, yet
the counsel for the state of West
Virginia feels confident that these
claims cannot be sustained and
they feel that the real controversy
in the case is the territory between
the Deakin and Michler lines"
Ex-senator Price, who is one of
the counsel in the case for this
state, said: we have heretofore
taken large amount of testimony
to prove that the states of Virginia
and West Virginia have always
held possession and exercised iur-
isdiction up to the old Deakin
line, and l have been engaged for
the last three weeks IN directing
the preparation of the maps and
the taking of further testimony
upon these questions, but the state
of Maryland has taken consider
able testimony and spent a much
larger amount of money on her
surveys than we have.
AN agreement had been reach
ed between counsel that the testi
mony would be closed by the first
day Of this month, but after we
had completed the maps and taken
our testimony, the counsel for thu
state Of Maryland asked for furtb-
er time in which to offer evidence
III rebuttal and make further sur
veys. As the taking of testimony
and making surveys has heretofore
been carried on by agreement be-
tween counsel, we agreed at their
request to extend the time for their
offering of additional testimony
and making surveys until Septem-
Der 10, after which we are to have
until the first of October to offer
L