Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-07-13
On the same day the following reso-
1ption was adopted:


On the same day the following reso. |
|Qtion was adopted;
sslessolsed, That The President be directed
10 90 Immediately Hilve4 and yps9crs
10 Sc printed bond 3bs TIL Cos nny t0S4e-
sute to the Treasu1 Of tf1tafe, fof thu
of the County of TIA, ard 3f6 the Cq44ty
of Iowa to this Coiany, a puralsnse ofsehe
proposition of the 0mpnuy 10 the Countls@d
Sc the ChairrisiS II th6 Uonnty B6a1asof
Supervisors be requested to meet the Presi- |
dent Of this Company in Milwaukee for the
purpose of agreeing upon the form Of said
bonds"
At the time appointed, Mr.. Messer.
smith met me in Milwaukee. | furnish
ed him proof sheet of both bonds.
he consulted Judge Miller. | was not
present, and do not know what either
of them said. After the consultation,
the Chairman returned me the proof
sheets, with some suggestions OF slight
changes, and said with those modi6ca-
tions he was ready to sign the county
bonds, and deliver them upon receiving
the r. r. bonds in exchange, according
to the proposition. The alterations
were designed for the better protection
of the rights of the county, and l as.
sented to them. 1t was then agreed
between US. that should procure the
bonds to be printed according to the
corrected proof sheets, and that they
should be signed and exchanged at
Mineral Point. They were printed &C
,cording to the arrangement, and about
two weeks after-I think on the 26th
July-at Mineral Point, the county
bonds were signed by the Chairman and
the railroad bonds by myself as Presi-
dent, and the railroad bonds delivered
to him in exchange for the county
bonds.
This is the whole Of the infamous
history" of the "deceptions and influ-
ences used" by which the Chairman
was q so handled and manipulated" as
to obtain his signature. think the r.
r. Co. paid the expenses Of the Chair
man, but of that l am not sure. If
they did not they ought to, as the ex.
penses were incurred on the business of
the R. R., and not his own. Il is true
also that the Chairman was treated
with marked civility by our mutual ac-
quaintdnces ; among whom particular
ly recollect Josiah A Noonan, D. A. j :.
Upham, Geo. II. Walker, Hans Crock
er, and by others whom cannot name
who extended to him the courtesies and
hospitalities for which Milwaukee was
so distinguished, and exhibited to him
the manufactures and commerce of their
city, IN which they took so just pride.
He was also furnished free ride on a
railroad, which was the first he had ever
seen; was thrown off the track and had
an opportunity to display his skill in
getting the cars back again. An op-
portunity was afforded him of witness
ing brilliant FIRE in the night, and the
efficiency Of the engines, in the work
ing of which he rendered essential aid
and the lntre pidity of the fremen which
he greatly admired. 1t was also his
good fortune while in Milwaukee to be
present at riot got up by some Ger
man laborers on the La Crosse & Mil.
R. R., and materially to assist in pre-
serving the peace Of the city, by making
a speech to the rioters in his and their
vernacular language.
There was but one drawback of which
| was aware, to the pleasure Of Mr..
Messersmith's visit to Milwaukee.
While he was gratifying a laudable Gu,
riosity in inspecting one of the mag
| ni6cent steamers that ply between the
different ports upon the western shore
Of Lake Michigan, as she lay at her
wharf, and while admiring the beauty
of her appointments and the luxury OF
her cabins and staterooms, the noble
craft, all unconsciously to her enrap-
tured visitor, was unmoored, and before
he was aware Of it she was ploughine
the deep bosom Of the Lake, and he
was reluctantly compelled-notwith.
standing he informed the captain that
he was Chairman of the Board Of Su-
pervisors of Iowa county, and was not
a passenger, but only visitor-to make
an unwilling voyage to Sheboygan, from
which he did not return until the next
day. But seriously, although the jour
ney and visit of Mr.. Messersmith was
on the whole pleasant one to him land
some Of tho incidents OF IL f,Iuiol,s j
amusement to others, can say with
the utmost truth and sincerity, that
nothing whatever at Milwaukee or else
where was said or done by me, or so far
as know or believe by any one else,
that was designed, or which in any &c,
gree tended, to exercise any improper
influence upon him, to obtain his sigma.
ture to the county bonds. On the con.
trary, he signed them voluntarily and
freely, after mature deliberation and
the best counsel he could obtain, solely
because he believed it was duty i'm
posed on him by law, and which ne was
not at liberty to disregard.
To show conclusively that none Of
the members Of the County Board sup.
posed that the Chairman had been oper.
ated upon by any improper influences,
in signing the county bonds, I refer to
the following significant resolutions,
unanimously adopted by the Board on
the 23d November-only four months
after the bonds were signed-without a
dissenting voice:
stThat the bonds of the Mineral Point Railroad
Company to the county Of Iowa remain in the
cessOrs in Office, and
THAT the thanks of the Board be and are here
by rendered to John Messersmith, Esq, for the
aole manner In which he has discharged the dl-