Show Year Three Three Legal BatHe ng Millions Believed a New Record a a h j 4 y P Clerk James Squire is shown examining some of the evidence in California's record lawsuit which would fill boo books s of novel size size A Law Suit Still Waging Over Oyer Water Rights in San Diego SA AN DIEGO Cal By NEA EA Ser Ser- A vice new worlds world's record for the longest continuous law suit Is believed bee be- to have Jj been en established In InI San DIego county count California where I a legal battle over riparian water rights to the Santa Margarita river rl I which has bas already co cost t the litigants nearly a million dollars has just entered its third year before Judge Lacy D. D Jennings Rancho Santa Margarita a 3 H 4 corporation owner ovner of the Ule largest single ranch In southern CalifornIa Is suIng for six six-sev- o of the water o of the tho Santa Margarita river The defendant Margaret Vail Vall and others wealthy ranch owners of RiversIde county and elsewhere are claiming five ive- sevenths Here are lre a handful of statistIcs on the suit More than OOOO words of testimony or enough to fill average novels have hav been taken It has required a constructed constructed con con- ceiling hIgh cabinet to hold the tho pages of transcript EXHIBITS AND WITNESSES More than 1880 exhibits have been introduced costing from the price of a a. post card to for some somo or of the 20 b by 30 foot typographical typo typo- graphical maps More than witnesses have been called F. F C Finkle plaintiff y engIneer was under Ire fire by y the tho defense de- de fello attorneys for Cor more than days It n the entire time for mOre than tWo years of a battery y of f engineers and anel attorneys each Paid a a. da day to prosecute the case Clerk Cleric James SquIre has be been n callIng call call- Ing tho same case almost every emery morning since October Octo bel 18 18 1920 I even call the darned case in my dreams SquIre declares declareR There are arc so many issues involved involved in- in In the complicated action that It takes Judge Jennings half an hour to recall each one B BREAKS EAKS OLD RECORD Up until this case the Strath- Strath more more-Lindsey case ill the the San Joaquin valley which lasted nearly two years held the record for Call Call- fornias fornia's longest law suit but the San Diego case took the lead months agO Richard ONeil O'Neil Sr late lato owner of the Santa Margarita ranch which consists or of acres north of at atO O Oceanside cat Cal bought the property from Crom the la last t Spanish governor of California Governor OO Pico l Pico ico There is a rumor that the land 1 changed hands as a result of the flip of poker hands |