Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-06-06
Mrs. Judge Dunn.

DIED: At Muscoda on Tuesday, May %, Mrs, Mary
~ Dunn, rslict Of Chief Justice Dunn age rs years
aud month.
"a brief item in the HERALD last week no,
ticed the death Of Mrs. Judge Dunn, at Musco~
da. She was buried in the family burying
ground at Platteville on Friday. The par.
ticulars accounting for her death are not as
complete or satisfactory as we would like to be
able to give. She was, as stated, living in
Muscoda, keeping house for her son Johns
children. She did that as a matter of choice.
She wanted to be useful. Ordinarily ard nat
uraly she was of a most cheerful disposition.
But recently her son Tarlton died. away in
the Rocky Mountains. Since his death she has
refused to be comforted, appeared melancholy
On the morning of her death she arose early.
as was her habit, and walked out She had done
so many times and nothing strange was thought
of it. She remained away so long that search
was made. Her body was found in the Wis
consin river three>fourths of mile from The
house. She had as il appeared, walked into the
shallow water some distance and then turned
towards the shore and fallen on her face with
her hands under her. The water was not deep
enough to cover her. There was 40 sign of
struggle. There was a handkerchief around
her face and shawl over her head IF there
was any other circumstance with her taking off
indicating the act as suicide it has not been
told u.s. As far as we can learn it is accepted
as a fact n Yuscoda that her death was by
suicide but 1T seems to us the circumstances
do not admit the conclusion. The handker-
chief and shawl are spoken of as evidences of
such intent. 1t seems to us they are evidences
rather that they and the winter clothing were
worn by careful and prudent woman anxious
to take care of her health. There being no
sign of struggle is not evidence of suicide, Is
it not probable that faintness, bewildering i'll
ness or some momentarv affiction not amount
ing to insanity even, put the good woman into
the helpless condition in which she died She
was a woman Of rare mind, correct in thought
and duty. In life she would be ashamed to have
it said she would commit suicide.
Mrs. Dunn was rect of Judge Charles Dunn
who died in Mineral Point in 1872 She was
sister of Lenhart 0. Shrader, the founder of
this paper. These two were all the children of
one family. The following in addition we find
in the Muscoda News:
She was the daughter of Ohio Shrader, a
German by birth, and first saw the light in
the town of Somerset, Pennsylvania, in April,
1906 In the year following, her father was
appointed Chief Justice Of the territory of
Missouri, then newly purchased from the
French, by President Jefferson. In 1912,
when she was seven years of age, he died, and
she was adopted by has near friend John
Scott, then member of Congress from their
at his hands at Lexington, Kentucky. In 1921,
- che r,al 10 IL
then rising young lawyer. the wedding taxi
ing place at the house of Judge Pope, of Kas-
kaskia, Illinois. In 1886, President Jackson
appointed her husband Chief Justice of the
territory of Wisconsin, and they removed to
this State, where she has since lived.
In 1872 Judge Dunn died, loss which
changed her thought and conduct during all
the following years. She cared little thence
forth forrest and enjoyment, seeming to wish
only to drive away too vivid thought by en-
crossing occupation. Last fall at the opens
ing of our school year, she insisted on coming
hither and taking charge of the children Of
her son John Dunn, on whose farm near Cas-
tie Rock was her home, and devoted herself
to their interests in the months that followed.
During the winter she had severe attack of
fever, from which she rallied, although its ef-
fects were left on brain and action, in mo-
ments of observation-disclosures, and growing
soberness of manner. Ever lively and cheer
full in company she had won the warm friend-
ship of all her neighbors, friendship that
grew with every added week and they noted
with pain the change wrought by disease. In
the latter part of April beloved son died in
the far west, among comparative strangers,
and the blow struck out the sunshine Of her
days. She no longer cared to linger in chat,
or sought the company of others, though
meeting all as socially as before but prefer
red to be in quiet and alone. The last day of
be more cheerful. Her sudden and violent
death is a sad affection to worthy family.
who in records of several generations have
known nothing of such trouble before.
A woman of culture and refinement, who
had graced social sphere to which good
breeding was the only passport, who had
spent all the years of her life in the near com.
partnership of men of prominence in public
affairs, she might have been pardoned if she
had arrogated something of Difference to her.
self by reason of these things; but she was
beyond any thought of such pretension, and
strove only to win the sympathy and love of
her new acquaintance in our village by offer
ing freely sympathy and love on her own
part. A member of the Episcopal church,
and devout Christian, believing to the utter
most what she protested, she strove 10 en-
body in her daily life the principles of practi-
cal religion. In the hour of sorrow every
one who had known her by sight-and few
did not-stood ready TO render the bereaved
family prompt assistance where assistance
was opportune; perhaps he fittest tribute to
the grace of any human life. And with this
grace to plead for her now that her hands
are folded and her feet are still, now that the
longing has passed from her heart and the un