Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-10-01

OPENS NEXT WEEK, WITH PROSPECT
OF QUITE SESSION.
On Tuesday of next week, Oct. s, the
regular term of Supreme judicial Court
opens at South Paris, Judge A. r. Saw
age of Auburn presiding. The con-
tinued docket Of the court is the small
est for years, but this Is largely due to
the habit acquired of late Of cleaning up
q lot of dead wood at each term. In
former times old lawsuits which had
grown mouldy with age were allowed to
lie peacefully from term TO term until
frequently from pure necessity they were
removed. Now it Is the practice to
scrutinizs cases which have been stand
ing on the docket for three or four years,
and get them out of the way unless there
appears to be some reason why they
should remain longer.
In spite of the small continued docket,
there are indications that the term may
be one of some length, though this can
never be told until the court actually
meets.
Three cases which are assigned for
the second day Of the term, and it Is
understood are TO be tried, should be OF
considerable interest, because they in
volve an unusual II not an entirely new
question in the courts. The suits are
brought by Hervey S. Hastings Of Newry
against the International Paper Co., the
Berlin Mills Co., and the Burgess Sui
phite Co., three corporations having
manufacturing plants at Berlin, n. H.,
on the Androscoggin River, and are for
damages to the land of the plaintiff.
In the three cases the declarations are
practically identical. They set forth at
considerable length, In substance that
the plaintiff, Rervey 8. Hastings OF
Newry, is the owner Of certain tract OF
land in Bethel, of the value Of four
which was formerly rich, alluvial inter
vale land, bounded north ana east by
the Androscoggin River, south by Otto
Brook, and west by land of Will Blake
that from the first day of September,
1904, to the date of the writ, the defend.
ant company has at divers times turned
into the Apdroscoggin "refuse materials,
pulp, fiber, chemicals and other mineral,
foul and injurious substances" etc,
which have in times Of high water been
deposited upon said land to . depth
varying from one-half inch to several
inches; that the result has been to
poison and kill the grass grown upon
the land and render the land nearly
worthless; that the plaintiff has at great
expense endeavored to remove these In.
furious substances from his land, but
has been unable to do so.
In zach ~ fho cauaa fha apnnnnt M
damage is placed at three thousand dol.
lars. From the nature Of he cases, 1t ID
probable either that the three cases will
be tried together, or that one will be
tried and the others abide the result.
The writs are dated Aug. 20, 1910, and
were entered at the October term, 1910
Counsel for Hastings are Foster & Eos,
ter and Payson & Virgin Of Portland.
Counsel for the International Paper Co.
are Symonds, Snow, Cook & Hutchinson
Of Portland, and Bisbee & Parker OF
Rumford; for the Berlin Mills Co. and
the Burgess Sulphite Co, Hon. John P.
Swasey Of Canton and Hsrrick q Park
Of Bethel.
On the criminal docket the case OF
Joe Bill, or Ignacio Albanese, will come
up for sentence. Joe Bill of Rumf0rd
was convicted of the murder of his wife,
Rosie Bill, at the October term, 1911.
The case went to the full court, which
overruled the exceptions aud denied the
motion for q new trial. Judge Haley
filed a dissenting opinion. As far rs
known, there Is nothing of unusual note
in the new criminal business which will
come before the court.
Venires for grand jurors, to serve for
the coming year, and for traverse jurors
for this term, have been returned a. fol-
lows: