Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1909-02-26
I|I|nOUS.LDuD | TREE
The Cause Several Hard
Fought eggal Battles N
lT's sITE NJ OR Nj IONS !,

but tl,eS LaWy srss ;iN ever Have gesns
BE VIC Rreiak Il Through the Phi a ans
y Legal Enac mon u II hat Preserve!
tf,e Old 4 ana ark III cheapsids mi
There is a tree III Cheap side, Lon:
don, tina may ~ described AS the IA
most Sexp ensiV Of its Kind RI 81 earth,
III i've dollar old pieces dlled TIC entire
trunk AID i've dollar bills duetered ia
place of every one off the leaves III
would not buy the terra hrma IT oc 4 s,
pies, for the land on which it sands
the mort corner Of " GOD street:
and Cheapside, IS worth So, 300 900 an
acre y. The{ tree has stood on the spot
for more than 200 years, while its site
has augmented In value to almost fab !
ulous proportions. /, s2: &. 5. 4
;i3 There have been several hard fought
lawsuits over this plot OF ground, the
fight having been carried even to! the
house Of lords. But SO far the lawyers
never have been able to break through
the phalanx OF legal enactments which
preserve the tree. a In the first place,
there Is q law; In England which pro-
hibits build ers from putting up a
structure which shall keep out the
light from windows which J bear the
mysterious words ancient lights
This tree in Cheapside literally Is sur
rounded By a number Of .'ancient
lights proprie tors5 whose consent new
ers has been obtained when it came
TO- cutting down the, tree and putting
modern structure on its site. For
the same reason the storekeeper who
rents the tiny two story structure on
the. corner just in front OF the tree
never has been able to put his build.
ing up beyond its present height, t:a'5
/ Some years ago lone builder, who
thought himself more "cute" than the
others, started to take the law into his
own, hands and ! put. up building
thinking to arrange with the owners
Of the ;t.sancient lights afterward. But
he !. was met with a perfect Shove,
| Of Jinjunctions, proceedings, writs and
| indictments, more than would have
covered the tree I'm its fun spRfDe
bloom, and it is said he never has beer
able to pay the thousands Of dollars Of
law costs which bis little experiment
resulted In FL IS 1 Il 12:<*''
"a few years ago some gardener
were ordered to lop Off certain limbs 0!
the tree which hung over Cheapside
It was done really to save the life 81
the tree and with the consent Of the
parish clerk and church wardens Of st
1 Peters, Cheapside, the ancient little
I Norman church In Foster lane, near by
who guard this tree from the vandals
clutches. When the. men began t.
work on the tree. however, 1t created
a big sensation In Cheapside. "The.
are chopping down our tree, ;" went 5ul
from a thousand angry throats IN th'
district. Policemen we're called, ant
doubtless there would have been an
other shower Of writs, injunctions ant
1 proceedings had not the minister o
i the parish explained the real reason
| for the looping operations. :i $ s.S
i Another almost impossible barrie
/ which protects the tree In Its position
4 is the fact that It grows In sacre'
| ground. There Is a law in London tina
Ino building can be erected on sacre'
4 ground 4 without special act Of parlia
nent, and woe betide the unhapp
man who dares to put up even shar
wi within the sacred precincts Of g
( graveyard III England s u Ss25 NJ "a
q Tfis ma rticI11ar - corner OF (heapsil