WEST ROXBURY PARK. 93 



I hereby offer to you $50,000, or even more, to release 

 to me and give up these charming estates to my own use 

 and benefit, for they will surely luring twice the amount 

 of the verdict, as soon as the tide of population which 

 is near at hand, reaches them. The location of these 

 lands, being so near the steam and horse car lacilities, 

 renders them most desirable for elegant homes, but my 

 hopes are sacrificed before I can get the benefit of the 

 advancing demand. 



Ignorant of the principles governing a court of law, 

 and the administration of justice by jury trials, I had 

 the temerity to believe that the guards placed around our 

 tribunals were ample for the security of every private 

 citizen in his equitable rights, but when a jury is em- 

 panelled, knowing but little or nothing of the value of 

 real estate in a neighborhood, and pei"haps incompetent 

 to estimate the true value of large estates, and who go 

 upon the premises for one single view, it would seem to 

 be impossible for them to i-endei- a reliable judgment of 

 the real value of the properties they are chosen to ad- 

 judicate; and yet we are subject to the uncertainties of 

 such jury trials. Our remedy is by adopting the prac- 

 tice of appointing referees. 



Moreover, as an illustration in my case, the jury did 

 not render their verdict according to the old rule of 

 "law and evidence," but entirely ignoring the testi- 

 mony of excellent witnesses, they rendered their verdict 

 on the basis of 11 cents a foot for Newstead, against 



17 1-1 cents, and for Monteglade ll^ l-li cents against 



18 3-4 cents. The average of all the testimony on both 

 sides was about 15 cents, or 3 cents more than the ver- 

 dict, taking $60,000 out of me. 



