Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Several years ago, my business partner and I purchased land adjoining Mr. Clarence Bowser’s. A couple days after we had it surveyed we discovered that Mr. Bowser had erected white posts about 100 feet inside what we were told was our property line. We had our lawyer write Mr. Bowser and tell him to remove his posts.

Getting no response and being pretty reasonable people, we set up a meeting with Mr. Bowser to find out why he believed the property line to be different than what our survey showed. He very graciously invited us into his home and spent over an hour showing us old maps, surveys, deeds, etc., and explained that years ago parcels of land had been re-numbered, lines had been moved, basically saying that land had been stolen from folks who at that time did not have much education or money and usually believed what they were told.

I did not totally understand all of the documents that Mr. Bowser showed us, but he told us all he wanted was the opportunity to take his case to a jury of his peers, not judges, lawyers, surveyors, just every-day people. He told us that if a jury said he was wrong, he would accept their decision and comply with allowing the right of way through his property.

How many of us would not act if we believed that our land had been stolen from us? Mr. Bowser is fighting for what he believes is right. It was pretty distressing to read in last week’s paper that there was a confrontation that could have ended in tragedy. Stop putting the man in jail. Allow him a jury trial and let him prove his claims.

Connie Torrence

White Marsh, Va.