River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-04-06
HISTORICAL INCIDENTS OF CLIFTON.
BY AN OLD SETTER.

Vlsorsi MI. hcMurphy, chairman.
Davis being transient, soon left the
town, and B. F. Pierce was appointed
in his place; and little later in the
season Mr., McMurphy got set into the
city of Prescott, and Uncle Jonathan
Bailey was appointed chairman.
II. N. Bascom was again elected
town clerk.
The meeting voted one hundred and
twenty-five dollars for the incidental
exr IS Of the town, and fifty dollars
for school purposes.
At the organization of the town,
school district No. /, in Pierce Valley
existed, and this year district No. 2,
at Clifton Mills, was formed; and soon
after, the Bailey settlement very re.
luctantly, and under protest, organized
the Bailey district; that is, in getting
up the Clifton Mills district, the in
habitants being somewhat ambitious.
and numerous enough to prevail, pro.
posed to take all of the westerly
portion Of the town into their new dis.
trict, and thus have the rich farmers
along the Prescott road contribute to
the education Of the rising citizen;
otherwise, as there was a repugnance
to being identified with the Mills set
Element, they might form district by
themselves, and raise and educate
their own children. So of the two
horns of this dilemma, these discreet
settlers chose the latter, and soon had
not only a district, but a house and
children to match.
At the third annual town meeting,
John McAlurphy was elected chair.
man, which place he filled for two
years.
Mr.. Bascom held the clerks office
for four years, tl.en John d. Otis was
town clerk for several years.
". J. Copp held the Office Of chair
man from 1861 to 1858. inclusive; then
James NJ. Bailey was chairman one
year; John S. Copley was chairman
two years, when George McMurphy
appears again, and succeeds to this of
flee for three or four years. Thence
Mr.. I. j. Atwater came in for a good
ly share of the chairmanship; and
last, though not least by any means,
the faithful Mr.. Cone steps gracefully
into this distinguished position.
The town expense was not greatly
augmented until 1854, averaging about
two hundred and fifty dollars a year.
In 1854 the expense of the war began
to assume gigantic proportions and
that of the peaceful Clifton arose sud-
denly to four thousand one hundred
and fifty dollars. This was mainly to
pay bounties, of course. But high
taxes it seems did not stop with the
war, for we find the tax Of Clifton for
incideRtals alone, ranging from ten to
fifteen hundred dollars for four or five
years after the war ceased.
This increase in town expense was
greatly, or wholly, caused by the cele-
brated and unfortunate law suit of Mr..
and Mrs. A. F. Shadduck against the
town, which cost the town in the ag-
gregate, ten thousand dollars.
This suit was brought by Mrs. Shad-
suck for injuries~r by being
thrown over steep bank into gully
by the road side, with team and wag-
on, which SO fractured her ankle, that
amputation was after a time resorted
to as the surest means of relief.
After "lawing" for six or eight
years, at great expense on both sides,
the case was compromised, or settled,
by paying six thousand five hundred
dollars to the plaintiffs, besides inter-
est and cost Of suit, all Of which, with
sixteen hundred dollars attorneys
fees, and at least one thousand for at
tend2nt incidentals, make a sum suf-
flcient to build ten good sehool.houses;
and the only fact adduced by this ex.
pensive affair, is, that towns are tech
nically holden for the safety Of the
citizen, regardless Of any lack Of pru-
denee or discretion on the part of the
latter; and, entertaining such invol.
untary guardianship, should and must
provide suitable safeguards, and re-
move all stumbling blocks. There are
two sides to most things, and three 70
some, and in law suits, though the
plaintiff and defendant both lose in
the contest, there is a third side party
who makes money. Thus in the mat
ter Of cordial attorney fees, the Shad.
duck lawsuit was a balm to this
household.
we desire TO correct an erroneous
impression conveyed in one statement
above made 10 is not true that the
only fact adduced, or developed in the
Shadduck law suit is that towns are
holden Tor the safety Of the citizen.
regardless Of any lack Of prudence or
discretion on his part. No such doc.
trine was ever promulgated, and prob.
ably never will be. On the other hand
contributors agligence, or even want
Of ordinary \. udence, will defeat the
plaintiff in any and every action for
damages, either against a town, or an
indiyidual.-EDs. JovR.l