The Eight-Foot Property War

Robert M. Longstaff and his wife brought suit yesterday in the superior court against the Madison Street Cable Railway Company to recover a strip of ground constituting a portion of the premises upon which the power-house of the defendant stands. The plaintiffs allege that they hold title to the property through a patent from the United States and regular conveyances since then. The strip in question is 312 feet long and eight feet deep, lying just south of Madison street, and is covered by the front end of the power-house. It is claimed that at the time the building was erected the title to the land was in Daniel Bagley. By him it was transferred to George W. Stewart, who made a deed of it to Mrs. Longstaff. The company claims that the title to the strip in dispute passed to it along with the rest of the property on which their building stands, while the plaintiffs allege that the man who deeded it to the company never had title to it, and included it in his deed without having a legal right to do so. The court is asked to declare the defendant illegally in possession and to grant a writ of restitution to the plaintiffs.