Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 22.pdf/231

 The Jury Had the Last Say MUCH ADO ABOUT LITTLE, OR LITTLE DONE ABOUT MUCH BY JUDGE A. G. Zmumuum or THE DANE Corm'rv Coux'r or WISCONSIN

HE case had been continued at least a score of times. It had been run ning along for several years. It was all about an alley, or rather a twelve-foot strip through the middle of one of the principal business blocks, which the city wanted to make a public alley. The strip was and for many years had been an eyesore and a dumping ground for all sorts of rubbish back of the stores. It was hardly passable, and had become a dangerous menace from

a ﬁre and police standpoint.

The title

deeds of all the owners (save one) along

this twelve feet. That would make nearly ﬁve thousand dollars for the alley part. They were willing to have the strip dedicated as a public alley, but they wanted reasonable compensation. In the course of time it had come to be called the Kicker Alley, because the

Kicker block part of it had become the storm around which the controversy raged.

Everybody really wanted it made a public alley. But some wanted com pensation and some did not. Nobody appeared to have any legal chance left

the strip showed that at some time in

for compensation, except the Kicker

the past some sort of reservation, or easement, or dedication for alley pur

block people.

poses in a private desultory way had

in the council, among the business men,

The matter was threshed

out for some years, in the newspapers,

and by the general public. So the city council ﬁnally passed a resolution for condemnation proceed alley for half a century. But one end of it, by the various ings before a judge of one of the various owners of the one exception, had been courts. The corporation counsel took charge, closed from time to time. This was back of the Kicker block, and these ' drew the necessary papers, had a plat owners always had and claimed the full made, served notice on the twenty-odd abuttors, and a day was ﬁxed for a private ownership of the twelve by forty four feet back of their block. Nothing hearing. The hour set for trial event was ever given away or clouded in any ually arrived and with it members of half a dozen ﬁrms of attorneys repre of their deeds. Moreover, the owners of this lot did senting various abutting property owners. The corporation counsel, alert, vigor not need the alley or the use of it as such. They had plenty of room and ous, always with a chip on each shoulder, opportunity on the side street of this was there for the public. Lawyer Reuben corner block for ingress and egress. The Smiley, suave, courteous, able and vigi last owners had but recently bought the lant, appeared for the Kicker block block and had paid therefor four hundred people. He was there ready for a ﬁght, dollars a foot on the side street, including and willing to concede-nothing. His been made. In a manner, it had been used as an