Page:United States Reports, Volume 209.djvu/310

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OCTOBER TERM, 1907. Ol?i?m of the Com't. 2? U. 8. Mr. Francis H. Dexter and Mr. Frederic D. McKenaey for appellee. Ma. Jvs?cg Wmam delivered the opinion of the court. These several appeals were taken by the various appellants from the same decree. We dispose of them together. The transcript is voluminous and confused. Following the order of the court below and the direction of the counsel for all the appellants, not objected to by the counsel for the appellee, the transcript contains all the proceedings, all t?e testimony offered at the hearing, together with.the opinion as well as the elaborate findings of fact and conclusions of law by which the court below disposed of the case. The many assigmnents of error proceed upon the assumption. that every question arising �rom the transcript is open for our consideration. Our power to review is derived from � of the act of April 12, 1900 (31 Stat. 85), which provides "that writs of error and appeals from the final decisions . . . of the District Com? of the United States (for Porto Rico) shall be. allowed and may be taken to the Supreme Court of the United States in the same manner and under the same regulations . as from the Supreme Courts of the territories of the United Stat?." Our jurialiction over cauca coming from the Territories gen- erally was thus stated in Idaho & Oregon Land Co. v. Brad/ey, 132 U. S..509, 513: "Congress has prescribed that the appellate jurisdiction of this court over 'judganents and decrees' of the Territorial courts, ' in cases of trial by jury, shall be exerci.?l by writ of error, and in all other cases by appeal;' and 'on appeal, in- stead of the evidenc?e at large, a statement of the facts of the case in the nature of a special verdict, and akoo the rulings of the court on the admission or rejection of evidence when ex- cepted to, shall be made anti certified by the court below,' anti transmitted to this court with the transcript of the record. Act of April 7, 1874, c. 80, sec. 2, 18 Star. 27, 28."