86 HISTORY OF THE 



presumed, to keep the case within their own control. It 

 is alleged that one of the commissioners offered a bet 

 that my property would not bring over eight cents a 

 foot in court, — a shady inference that might be subject 

 to a bad construction, — no doubt " the wish was father 

 to that thought." 



On the 20th day of Ma}^, one of my old and most ex- 

 cellent friends, Hon. George C. Kichardson, passed 

 away, mourned and regretted by a long list of our best 

 citizens. He was to have been one of the chief witnesses 

 in my suit, as he owned lands near by, or next to mine, 

 consequently he would have given valuable testimony. 

 On the morning of his death, I called at his office and 

 was shocked to learn that he was dead. 



After repeated delays and reappointments, made b}' 

 the opposing counsel, we at last succeeded in bringing 

 our suit into the First Session of the Superior Court, 

 Chief Justice Lincoln F. Brigham being the presiding 

 judge to hear our cause, a most admirable and conscien- 

 tious judge, worthy his high and responsible station. 



On Thursday morning, the 17th day of June, our 

 case came up and after emjjanneling the jury they were 

 at once taken out to Monteglade and Newstead, now 

 within the West Roxbury Park lines, accompanied b}' 

 the city solicitor and my counsel, to view the premises. 



Next morning the trial was resumed in court and 

 seventeen witnesses were sworn and examined for the 

 plaintiff. At four o'clock the court adjourned till Mon- 

 day morning, the 21st, when six more witnesses on the 

 plaintiff's side testified to the value of the land; their 

 united evidence averaging over 18 cents a foot for all of 

 both estates. This ended our testimonj'. 



