Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-07-14


On the same day the following reso-
luton was adopted:
''Resolued, That the President be directed
to goimmediately to Milwaukee, and procure
to be printed bonds for this Company TO eve.
cute to the Treasurer of the State, for the use
of the County of Iowa, and from the Comfy
Of Iowa to this CompanNin pursuance OF the
Proposition of the Company tothe County and
that the Chairman of the County Beard Of
Supervisors be requested to meet the Presi-
dent of this Company in Milwaukee for the
purpose ofsagreeing upon the form of said
bonds" 80
At the time appointed, Mr.. Messer-
smith met me in Milwaukee I furnish
ed him proof sheet of both bonds.
He consulted Judge Miller. / was not
present, and dc not know what either
ofatheaa said. After the consultation,
the Chairman returned me the proof
sheets, with somessuggestions 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 I 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. They2wereprinted ac-
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. 'N
This is the whole of the " Infamous
history" of the ''deceptions and inhu-
ences used" by which the Chairman
was {" so handled and manipulated, as
to obtain his signature. I 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 owns It is true
also that the Chairman was treated
with marked civility by our mutual &C
quaintances ; among whom particular
ly recollect Josiah A Noonan, D. A. J.
/ Upham,' Geo. H. Walker, Hans Crock
er, and by others whom I cannot name !;
who extended to him the courtesies and
Inequalities 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 a 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 a brilliant fire in the night, and the
efficiency Of the engines, IN the work
ing of which he rendered essential aid !;
and the lntrepidity Of the fremen which
he greatly admired. 1t was also his
good fortune while in Milwaukee to be
present at a 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
speech to the rioters in his and their
vernacular language. i
There was but enc 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 ploughing
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 pas senger, but only a visitor ma e
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,and
some OF. the. incidents of it furnished
a1nusemen to. others, T 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 I know or Believe by any one else,
that was designed, or which in any de-
gree tended, TO exercise any IMPROPER
Influence upon him, to1obtain his sigma
ture to The county bonds. On the con
trary, he signed them Voluntarily and
freely, after mature deliberationi and
the best counsel he could obtain, solely
because he believed 1t was a duty, i'm.
posed on him BY law, and which hewas
not at liberty to disregard " 'HoI5
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 Noyember--only four months
after, the bonds were signed-without
dissenting voice; -, - 80. 80 -''-.' sid
"That the bonds of the Mineral Point Railroad
Company to the county of Iowa remain in the
care of the Chairman of this Board, and his sue