Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-10-15
AHe Has Been One Himself.
a 300 II Ie TB r
READ! REANii READ!ll

From the Portage Register.
SO much has been said about the
attempt of Wm. r. Taylor to bride a
fellow-mcmber of the Board Of Supcrvi-
sors of Dane county, that we determin-
ed to ascertain for ourselves the exact
truth about the matter. Accor dinghy
we addressed letter the other day 10
Mr.. Fl. Brereton, the supervisorSwhose
name had been coupled with the affair,
in which we said that if he had no OBJ
lection, we should be glad to receive
the exact particulars of the affair re-
ferred to. In reply to our letter we
have received the following sworn
statement from Brereton, giving full
history of the transaction. No citizen
ofW isconsin can perusc it without hang.
ing his head with modification and
shame that the principal actor in this
disgraceful. corrupt affair is now the
Governor Of the great State of WiscoD-
sin, elected in the name OF "Reform i
STATE OF WISCONSIN, 50.
DANE COUNTY, q
Hugh Ii. Brereton, being duly sworn,
on oath says, he is resident of the town
Of Dane, in said county, and has resided
there over twenty-on years last past. In
the year 1871 | was Chairman of the
Board of Supervisors Of said town of
Dane, and member of the Board of SUI
pervisors Of said county.
In November Of said year was In at
| tendance upon the session of said Board
| in Madison. On the first day of such ses-
sion, and before its meeting, VIM, r. Tay
| lor, who was also member OF the County
Board and chairman of his town of Cot
! tage Grove, approached me on the subject
of favoring an appropriation by the
County Board of 81 900, to build bridge
in his town of Cottage Grove, in this man.
| ner: We met in the streets Of Madison,
when he handed me an envelop, sealed,
| and said to me not to open 1t until | got
to my room and not TO have any one pres
ent when did open it, and to be sure and
say nothing about it to any one. took
the enyelop and put it in my pocket,
never once suspecting its contents
Afterwards, when in my room open
ed the envelop and found therein ten dol.
lars in currency. The purport of the COM
munication inclosing the money was that
! the said Taylor wanted me to vote for
| the appropriation aforesaid for his town,
for a moneylccnsidcration The plain intent
and m Gaming of the transaction was that
he wanted to buy me to do so. | was
overwhelmed with astonishment that VIM
r. Taylor should rate me, in the discharge
of my official duties, as man who could
L. 4 -, H., - ysrlo 70 RI
ty and honor At this time the Hon. w
II. Chandler, Of Sun Prairie, was chairman
of the county board of Dane county, anG
the same evening after receiving the at
tempted bride from VIM, R. Taylor in the
manner aforesaid, I consulted with Mr. !.
Chandler about the matter, and showed
him the contents of the envelop received
from Taylor. | made up my mind at once
to return the ten dollars go received from
VIM. r. Taylor, and did so by writing
to him letter, of which the following is
a copy, and iDclosing therein the ten dol
lars received from him, and handing the
same to him in person:
MADISON, Nov. Is, 1871.
| To 1Vm. r. Taylor:
Please find herein $10 which, to my surprise ant
great griefL found in the abridged letter you handed
| to me the other day. cannot think that you have
| ever seen anything in my conduct that would leaC
you to think that any dishonorable propositions
| could deter me from acting upon all matters coming
before me in just and honest manner.
1t is the rule of my life to act in ii things from
conscientious motives in private as we'll as public
affairs and if it is not the rule which you have adop
ted during the past number of years that you have
held official positions, you are not the man that
in common with the public generally, have supposed
you to be-, Yours DC, IL Il. BRERET0N.
| handed to him this letter and. con
tents during session of the board.
In few minutes after, he called me out
Of the meeting, and begged and plead with
me not to expose him, and repeatedly there
after he importuned Inc in the same man
ner. te
Inasmuch as there are so many persons
familiar with this transaction, in Dane
county and elsewhere, since its first hap.
pening and my name has been brought
out in connection with it SO many tunes,
and as | was innocently one of the princi.
pal actors, now feel it my duty,in justice
IS myself and the pnblic,to state the facts.
| L. H. BREREToN.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this
9Th day of October, A. d. 1875.
| NJ. 7. BAILEY, j. P,
Dane County, Wis.
|