Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-10-06

presented it will speak for itself.
The number Of women present most
surprised us. We did not cx-
pect to sec SO many. And they all see
med to enjoy themselves with unalloyed
pleasure.
Altogether the affair passed most hap
PLY and creditably; and by the enthusi-
asm and interest manifested, we are sure
this is but the beginning of prosperous
career for the Society.
We deeply regret not being able to at
tend earlier, so as to have been more
thorough in our dcscriptions.-D.
Dinner with Chief Justice stowe.
The idea of the good old times" that
the King, the Lord, and the Judge are
DETER than the people at large-Superior
to them in every human excellcnce-is
receiving, every day, in these utilitarian
and practical times, some awful shocks.
which are opening the eyes of the people,
and teaching them that their great men.
their othcerS,-are nothing but men
Just like themselves in all the elements
OF humanity. The old idea is not yet en-
tlrely done away: for it still remains
among US, with its malignant uir7ts, not
wlthstanding we have raised the tenure
OF office from the hereditary to the cleo
tive. The old fashioned reverential awe.
with which the public functionary was
hedged round, fostered by vain assump-
ton of superiority and studied exclusive
ness. adopted to give the "ruigar an abid-
ing sense Of the fact, still finds resting
place in our prejudiceS. as a sort of heir
loom, handed down to us from the afore-
said ''good old times" But often. es-
pecially here in the West, in the contin-
aal evolutions of pioneer life, where
wealth, aflectation, position, and exclu-
siveness have lost their power to great
degree, we occasionally get great man
great because he is just like other folks,
and does not affect to be otherwise-in
office, who aids in dispelling the old no
ton in this matter, and teaches, unmis-
takably, the great truth that the public
officer is the creature of the people and
not their patron. Good grows out OF
this result, Democracy is advanced. and
people are fast learning this important
truth-Great men, ,rhen close to them.
are found TO be no bigger than other
folks
Such a man was Judge ALEXANDER
W.STowE, the first Chief Justice of Wis
consin, whose death the Milwaukee pa
pers recently chronicled.
In illustration Of the real. pra ,tical.
sturdy democracy of the Judge, we will
describe a slight incident of our acquain-
lance.
In the spring of 1851, while he was
yet Chief Justice, as well as Judge of the
Fond du Lac Circuit, we had occasion to
visit him at his then residence, on the
east side of Lake Winnebago, a mile or
two from the village of Taycheedah, in
Fond du Lac County.
After leaving Taycheedah, we passed
through piece of dense timber, over
very rough, uneven, new road, and emerg-
cd into small, but somewhat old GEAR
ing" 1t consisted of few acres of land
which appeared to have been cleared
some years. Old, uneven rough, tum-
ble-down fences surrounded it, and divid-
ed off into two or three fields, in the
center of which was small, old, dilapi-
dated, dirty-looking, wood-colored farm
house.
As we rode up, no sings of life were
any where visible. After looking round
carefully, we espied lad about ten years
old, in one corner of small patch of
corn, sitting upon the fence. We hailed
him, and asked Judge Stowe lived there
He said yes. We asked if he was at
home. Yes. Where is he? lie point
ed to little howell back of the house.
built of poles, and matched with marsh
grass, designed for stable.
We tied our horse to the fence. and
proceeded to the howell 1t was quite
low, not over seven feet high, and the
doorway still lower, so that we had to
stoop to enter. We walked quietly in,
and in the corner farthest from the door,
we saw the Judge His back was toward
US, and he evidently had heard or seen
nothing of our approach. lie was dress
ed in some black, cheap, summer cloth
pansaAoons, coarse, brown, cotton shirt
without any BOSOM" coarse, cowhide
shoes, and shilling chip hat
He was busily engaged in tying togeth-
er, with tow strings, the broken pieces
of wretchedly old, worn out one-horse
harness, preparatory, as we afterwards
learned, to put on to his horse. to pillow
corn, which the lad aforementioned was
to ride for him to do.
The first knowledge he had of our pre-
sence. was VIXEN we saluted him with,