Craighill v. Lambert

In January, 1895, Mary Van Riswick, widow, and Avarilla Lambert, and Martina Carr, children and heirs, of John Van Riswick, deceased, filed a bill of complaint in the supreme court of the District of Columbia against the commission, under the Rock Creek Park act of September 27, 1890, seeking to restrain the said commission from assessing lands of the complainants for any portion of the cost and expenses of locating and improving the Rock Creek Park, for the alleged reason that the sixth section of the said act, under which the commission was acting in proposing to make such assessment, was unconstitutional and void.

The cause was so proceeded in that on September 30, 1895, the supreme court of the District rendered a final decree as prayed for in the bill. From that decree an appeal was taken to the court of appeals of the District of Columbia; and by that court, on March 17, 1896, the decree of the supreme court of the District was affirmed. The cause was then brought to this court on appeal.

Sol. Gen. Richards, for appellants.

T. A. Lambert and John B. Henderson, for appellees.

Mr. Justice SHIRAS, after stating the facts in the foregoing language, delivered the opinion of the court.