Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-04-24

the Warlike Sank Cor Sac) Ind,
up the valley of the Rock River
came rife IN the settlements. and :,
eliminated in the Black Hawk w
90 Atthis critical juncture. no one kno
q ing The magnitude or proximity
= the danger that surrounded The
i the peaceful pursuits were neglect,
. ana every plecaut;on tor safety a
oeiense was taken. Block hons
were constructed, forts built and i
j women and children hustled in
.nem and the men organized ar
, armed ready at moments warn,n,
TO ward off or go in the pursmt
the willy foe. In all these prepar,
lions and forays, Major Coons too
an active part. aui although his va
orous deeds were not recorded in .,
cry bulletin from the field of ba,tIf
as were those of some Others les
worthy, his services were untir;n,
ana highly appreciated by his supe
riors. His family being removed /,
SAFER quarters, the house they occn
pled at Old Shullsburg, stronal,
ou'it log house one and a half stories
s'gh' was converted into a place OF
nc, and garrisoned with soldiers
"hen peace was restored, the family
returned, and his eldest son. Henry
S,he amlable and gentlemanly Town
Cierk, OF PotosD well remembers
playing soldier when a bow. and
shooting out of the PORTFOLIOS from
Tue chamber. He was drawer then
snah ne is now. Several guns were
'flt. by its heroic defenders. and IN
accidentathem afterwards, one was
going through 'hrged, the contents
in the bed beneath-Iuoand lodging
pied or Henry might have beveoccu.
poor mo,herless boy" for his careless
ness.
Major Coons was one ofa detach
ment sent out by Colonel Gratiot in
search of the Hall girls. twn beautiful
young ladies who were spared at the
dreadful massacre of their fathers
family and neighbors, on Rock river.
They were taken captives by one of
Black Hawks rowing bands, and q
reward of two thousand dollars being
offered for their rescue. by General
Atkinson, were afterwards brought in
to the fort at Blue Mounds, by three
Winnebago indians who received the
reward but being suspected as spies
were ordered from the fort and to
proceed at once north of the Wiscon-
sin. The girls were in most desti-
tute and forlorn condition but re.
ceived the warm sympathy OF the Ia
dies in the fort, by whom they were
properly clothed and soon after re-
stored 70 their friends.
Peace being finally restored by the
capture of Black Hawk and the de-
sstEqaAatdian Of bin JbaR Is at the bloody
obtained what was called "Snis'isa
er's Grant" from the governments ns
moved to Dubuque which, though
not open to settlement, was fast be.
ing filled up with miners, tradesmer
and adventures. He built his fur
mace on Catfish near the present SITE
of the Rockdale mills. Here he en-
joyed the confidence of the miner
and did lucrative business though
paying thousands of dollars to tn
government in the shape OF rent. H'
tax rule was afterwards reversed ant
the money refunded but unfortunatel.
for the Major, he did not give tn
matter his prompt attention, and L
the extent of his loss, the government
pro6eth
Belmont, the once famous Capito
of Wise onsin, next attracted his al
tention and here we find him running
one of the largest dry goods stock
in the West During his absenc
from home, on one occasion, hi
shrewd and far sighted wife, took
into her head TO visit the land offic
at Mineral Point, and when the Ma
jor returned he found himself tn
owner of some of the finest farmln
lands in this section of the country
The strsngulation OF the young cit
in its infancy. by the removal of tn
Seat Of Government to Madison
blighted its future hopes and dete
mined the MAJOR to find place I
brighter prospects and more comme
cial Importance. That place was P,
tosi. And thither he came, like j.
seph of old, out of the land Of Egyp
with his family and his fortune :
Hooper, Peck & Scales were the
. heavily engaged in the mercanti
: business at Galena, and with them
g alliance was formed and branC
! house established, under the fir
name of Coons, Wooley &c Co,
! that part of the village OF Potosi,th
: and still known as Lafayette. Her
$ in 1896, the Major erected the fir
J, frame store building in Potosi, shi
e ping the material for its constructi'
8 from Cincinnati by the way of t
d Ohio river. 1t stood immediate
J. above the residence of the late Jam
n f. Chapman though now reduced
l. the mental grade of horse stable
e the farm of Nick Bonn. Its inter-
?, arrangements and finish were M
y vel of beauty and elegance. Piles
D. valuable goods adorned its shelly
le and counters and its capacious eel
u and ware room were plethoric W
IS staple groceries and choice liquo
e But, alas for things material as W
A. as things spiritual! The disease of d,
Sc was already fastened upon the Wit
he parent house and the offspring "
It. not exempt from its faint. The ere
OF system predicated upon the infiat
m worthless currency of the Hin
ut Banks had collapsed. Gen. Jacks
p had issued his famous specie circu
IS, and down to this rock basis all m
RS come. No man or firm in busin
g could withstand the wild tempest
I'D bankruptcy and disaster that sw
To through the length and bredth of
Ills land. All toppled and many W
down. Hooper, Peck 81 Scales tt
lu- to weather the storm, but it was
no use. The proud firm and its
'ar Tendencies were taken from their
ad chored foundations, twirled in
alp air, aud dropped 10 one com
], q wreck. Some of the members emeI
led from the ruins with few dislocs
! 4 4 4. 4. =.