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PROPRIETRESS OF CRABTREE DAIRY DECLARES INJUSTICE WAS DONE HER. The force of our present day jury system has never more clearly dem onstrated than in the suit brought last Wednesday at Waukegan for the des truction of trees upon our property, known at the Crab Tree farm, Mr. Durand and [ at considerable expense bought, two years ago, the adjoining woods of 35 acres to our property merely to conserve it in its natural beauty for future generations” and to keep and hold the woods unspoiled by civilization. A man rents an old build ing across the road and starts a black smith shop. As the building in ‘get back some distance from Wai highways he deliberately and willfully and confesses he cut down as fine a group of wild crabe apple, Hawthornes, and other trees and shrubs as may be found on the north shore so that “hie, sign may be more plainly seen,” as he acknowledges. At the trial the evidence all went in, practically all the instructions that we asked were given—but, we lost. The result simply shows that a case where a person who is supposed to be well-to-do has absolutely no chance before the average jury in suing for damages for an injury of this kind. Since purchasing the property now known as the Crab Tree farm, which is a valuable piece of land in its nat ural state we have had to fight con stantly to keep people living in the vicinity from cutting off the wonder fully beautiful arbor-vitae and cedar trees for their Christame trees and decorations. Uprooting and in some instances, carting off in wagons trees, shrubs, flowers, and sod, shooting the pleasant quail and partridge we shave placed in the woods, cutting off large trees to smoke out the o’possums and ‘coons. In fact it has been a struggle to try to keep what we own, even the soil. As a test case, we brought suit against this man and, although we have three laws on the statute books in Ilinois that give a penalty for the very thing this man did, Chapter 33, Section 201, “Malicious Michie which provides a penalty for the wae ang malicious cutting “of shrubs, and. frees on ‘the, lands of .another’ or om! ighways': of, * imprisonments, set. ceedings one year, a fine noted dng’$200, or both, and lability to the person injured in double the amount of ‘damage: done,'Section_ 269 cut the heading. “Trespass,” a ‘fine of: less than $3, not more than, not exceeding three months. county jail. Another chapter, 1! tion 540, provides a penalty of for cutting any of certain kings trees on another's land without per mission and $3 for each tree,of 4 sorts cut, yet with such laws on, he statutes we lose our suit. Before be ing asked the reason a jury ‘man plied “Why what does anyone. “We to make such a fuss over a lot “ crab apple trees that are no good any way?” as Such cases should be tried by a judge who certainly is better able to interpret the laws in accordance with our statutes and with more intelli gence and justice. Very sincerely, GRACE G. DURAND.
Newspaper Details
Libertyville Lake County Independent and Waukegan Weekly Sun
Libertyville, Illinois, US
Fri, Jan 31, 1913
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Thomas G.
USA 02 May 2026
Other Publications Near Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville Lake County Independent and Waukegan Weekly Sun
Libertyville Independent
Libertyville Lake County Independent
