Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-09-19

became members OF the California
legislature, and two disgraced them.
selves as they did when members of
the Wisconsin Territorial legislature.
They chiefly became gamblers, or
rather adopted gambling as their
chief instead of incidental profession
after leaving Wisconsin.
The legal sharks left the county
almost in n body, and California was
their opportunity and asylum, as it
has since been their graveyard The
black.legs and demagogue politicians
left about the same time. and with
the same sure destiny before them,
since fully realized, as We do not
hear that even one is living. Ever
since that day, closing say in 1852,
the law and the lawyers Of Grant
have grown in honor and respect
and are now permanent and credit
able Institutions
The writer of this article for the
Herald is no lawyer, though some
what read in the law as well as 9TH
er sciences, and better posted by ex-
| perience and recOllections and hav-
ing remembrance treasury Of the
| legal men and affairs Of the county
during the early period mentioned,
he can not afford 10 allow some Of
the events Of those days TO BIO for
gotten. just here recollection Is
suggested 1t was the practice Of
some of the more contemplate law
yers and not a few of their clients to
appear at the Lancaster court armed
with deadly weapons, as well as their
law books, to fight it out If necessary
for those days there were literally
lighting interests as well as working
and silent partnership interests, of
which the court records bear much
Evolutionary testimony. And the
country then had enough cavalier
and chlvalrous characters To beget u
sort of legal sanction for rights hav-
ing no better claims to right and law
than victorious light. Ore Spen-
Ger, Beetown lawyer, came into
court on one occasion with several
weapons protruding from his peck
cts he was clad in buckskin various
ly and vulgarly ornamcnted and
greasy, and his heavy side arms and
butcher knife gave him the usual ruff
tianly appearance. Upon the adj
journment of court il was natural no
should exhibit his arsenal and exem-
pity its terrible use, which he did by
drawing his long knife from its scab-
bard and swearing that unless the
court, then weak minded Justice
OF the Peace, and certain lawyer
had conceded 50 and so for his clicnt
"this old settler (hourishiug his
weapon) would have closed the case
then and thar And though his
threats were mere bosh, as truly
brave men never behave thus aud so,
the client Was satisfied and no doubt
paid his lawyer roundly for his ruff
tianly practice. 1t also shows the
low character of litigants, or Of suf-
tcient numbers of the people, when
there was actually fair demand for
just such bullying lawyers az Spen.
GER not 20 speak of courts that
would tolerate tho like.
There existed at that time and
had existed ever since advancing
civilization had appeared at Ft.
Crawford and Dubuque, sort of
chivalr0us sentiment brought from
the south chiefly by the Government
officials. La some respects the leaven
Of the Southern ideas Of might and
right were even extreme, and often
gave popular and legal sanction to
rights hav ng no better claim to JUS
tice and sound law than a victorious
fight. The public opinion was indeed
the opposite the, courts acquiescing,
to the present views under the new
reign, tempered and squared at it has
been by the influx of eastern people
and foreigners with their more hu
name views of right and law. Nor
did such Drigandish notions finally
disappear till the war forced their
vanishment. There is now not a
trace left of the peculiar institution,
nor one to contend that the law was
made for the strong not the weak
and justice for the cruel, not the
meek.
1t was always understood that
such chivalrous notions were planted
about the time Jeff Davis, then but a
young Southern Lieutenant, was
posted with some soldiers at Dubu-
que, all sent there by Col Zach lay
lor from Fit Crawford to subdue the
Indians. The Dodges, Jones aud
some others, Southern sprigs, wore
then the leading characters, and had
the usual Southern way of whipping
in their subordinates and forming
their opinions But jeff Davis and
his ideas Of might and right have
long since receued, rather been driv-
en-, to tho far South--though the
struggle and fight was dear aud des i,
perate to civilization. At present
not vestige is reflected North, ex-
cept the reports of Southern Ku Klux
outrages upon the weak by the strong
and whore the idea that law and pow
er are for the benefit of the strong
still prevails And such sentiments
still govern the Southern courts as
they formerly did the North. west,
when.the official service, civil, militia
ry and Judicial, was almost exclusive
ly from the South.
As observed the war swepl away
the vestiges Of chivalry, and enamel
pated our people, lawyers and courts
from the educated sentiments. Great
ing sort of nobility to whom the
weak man owed service and faith.
And we often observe the strange
but pleasing truth that mono seemed
50 much to rejoice over their eman-
cipaiion from such bigoted senti-
ments as the old settlers of Grant
county, who had come and settled
from the South. Indeed they seem
ed TO at once become, from experience
and manly principle, the very ad-
vance leaders in the change from
chivalrous ideas to the more humane