A GREAT LAWSUIT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1264, 21 May 1886, Page 3

A GREAT LAWSUIT.

Judge Tempi", of California, gave his decision in the great case of Colton against Governor Stanford and others, finding for the defendants, the Railroad Company. He had heard the case on the Bench for eight months, read through 10,245 pages of oral testimony and 1500 pag-s of deposit lions, ten volumes of briefs, and two ot depositions, and listened to the arguments ot counsel 55 days. The ca«e was begun ,on the 24th of Mav, 1882, on a petition l>y Mrs Ellen M Colton, widow of General David D. Colton, one of San Francisco’s railway kings, that a contract of settlement made with Stanford, Crocker, and Huntington at the time of her husband’s death should be set aside, on the ground that it had been based on fraud and signed under coercion. The legal team on Mrs Colton’s side inchided Judge Stanly, ex Chief Justice Wallace, of the Supreme Bench, G. R B. Hayes, D. M. Delraas, and George Frank Smith; the defendants being represented by Hall M'Allister, Judge Garber of Nevada, Counsellor Hoge and Judge M ; Kislok, of San Jose. This case was transferred to Sonoma County in August 1883, and the trial commenced November 13, 1883 The testimony was closed on the Ist August, 1884, and the arguments began on the 4th of November, M'Allister c'osing the case with an argument of thirty-five days duration. The clay’s proceedings were printed each night from thesho thand writers’ noles, and ot themselves made a moderate sized law library. The evidence filled 13,500 pages, the depositions 7.500, and the arguments 5,000, or a total of 26,000 pages, printed at a cost of over LI 0,00. The pay of the stenographers amounted to L 450 ), pay of experts L4BOO, sundries L7GO, travelling expenses from San Francisco to Santa Rosa, board bills, witnesses’ fees, etc., El 4,000 ; ora total approximate expense of L 40.000, outside ot counsel fees, and what they will be the litigants dread to consider. The case began in a little old courthouse at Santa Rosa, and the arguments were closed in the new county building, which had been put up and compl' tea while the case was in progress. The length and mental strain of the litigation have had a very decided and injurious effect upon the lawyers, —‘ San Francisco Call.”