The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-08
CONDEMNATION
SUIT DECIDED
Jury Awards Damages to Own
ers of Ground Needed for
PoStoffice Extension.
TOTAL AMOUNT is S53, 1893
MINOR BUILDING CO. DISAP-
POINTED IN OUTCOME.

After celebrating for two and one
half hours. the jury in the condemna-
ton suit brought by the government
against the Minor Building company
NJ. H. Walker and the SWenson estate
returned a verdict of s5S,1sS as a fair
price for the property sought by the
government This is over 5000 less
than the price asked for the property
owned by the Minor Building company
and the Swenson estate NJ II. Walk
CT did not set a price on the piece of
ground which he owned. The amount
of the verdict is divided as follows:
Minor Building company. for real es-
tate. $4,000; damages to improvements
on abutting property, $1,000. NJ. II.
Walker, s., 900 for real estate SVEN
son estate, for property, 1896; damages,
1892 Total, $53,1SS.
The amounts asked for the property
owned by the Minor Building company
are: Lot 40 feet by 1872 feet, $50, 900;
damages 10 adjoining sixty feet of
ground. $1,000; damages 10 improve
ments on ground, $4,000; erecting of
site. $500: Swenson estate. $1,000 for
ground; damages to property adjoin-
ing. $500 Total. 1886
The closing arguments to the jury
were made Immediately after court re-
sumed at the afternoon session. The
first argument TO the jury was made
by Benner " Smith in the interest of
the Minor Building company. He was
followed by United States District At
torney II. E. Booth for the govern
ment gilbert Olson and Frank B.
Stephens closed the arguments in be-
half Of the defense.
IN his charge 10 the jury Judge Mar
shall stated that they must not take
into consideration what the price of
the property might sbe in the future,
but what the market value of the
property was when the suit was fled
Seit. is, 1908.
1T is on the value of the property
at that time" said Judge Marshall
and no other time on which the jury
can render a verdict. / will not at
tempt to say what would be fair es-
innate for the property sought That
is for You gentlemen to decide
Attorney II. e. Booth, in closing his
argument, said that the government
was not seeking to secure possession
of the property at a lower price than
IL was worth. nor did the government
want to pay price a. great deal high
or than its real value. He told the
jury that the property owners were
setting their prices on what the ground
might be worth in future years. which
was exorbitant
Government Experts Testify.
When the case opened Monday
morning the government placed three
OF the local real estate dealers on the
stand to give expert testimony as to
what was fair estimate of the price of
land in the vicinity of the federal
building. Z. 3. Wicks, George NJ. Can
non and Frank e McGurrin were put
on the stand and the estimates given
by the witnesses for the defense were
given a severe shaking down. The
witnesses for the government all tes-
titled that $500 a front foot was ample
price for the ground sought by the
government George NJ. Cannon testi-
fled that he was of the opinion that
from 5000 10 $500 a front foot was a
good price for the Minor Building COM
pany's property, and that $1,000 was a
fair price for the Walker property.
For the small piece Of land owned by
the Swenson estate he thought 60 cents
a square foot was a fair and just price,
Notwithstanding the fact that 1920 had
been asked for the strip of land
The testimony of the governments
witness placed a valuation on the land
of less than one-half of what was
asked by the defendants. In the case
OF the Swenson property. they were
awarded a verdict of 1886 for their land
as against the price of 81 200 asked.
The other property was cut in propor-
ton with the exception of the Walker
strip. which was placed at $1,000, the
amount deemed a f.lir price by George
NJ. Cannon, one of the governments
witnesses.
The land over which the scondemna-
ton suit was brought Is directly west
Of and adjoining the federal building,
with a frontage of 40 feet on Market
street and 176 feet deep, divided be-
tween three parties. The amounts
owned by the various parties are: Mi
nor Building company, 40 feet on Mar
ket street by 1S2 feet deep: NJ. H.
Walker. 3SiS feet by As feet; Swenson
estate, 81 feet by As feet The prop
erty owned by the Swenson interests
has a frontage on Fourth South street.
The Walker property has no street
frontage.
The question now arises as to wheth-
e. or not the government will take the
property at this price or bring a new