Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-08-06
THE WILLIAMS BROTHERS.
A Sketch of Their Career-The Marriage
of Lon and Death of His Wifc.

/ A Sketch of Their Career-Th0 Marriage
| of Lon and Death of His Wifc.
Menomonee Cor. Chicago Times.]
The first authentic traces of "our Max
wells" record their residence in southern
Illinois, where their father, a third broth
er, and other members of a fourishing
family were settled. They came up out
of Egypt while yet in the flush of youth,
and their attention was paid at an age
ripe for adventure, to the stock interests
of Illinois proper. Among the localities
anxious to share the credit of nurturing
these striking specimens of the bud and
bloom of bravado, Bloomington boasts
of particular prominence as the home at
one time of both the Maxwell brothers,
and the Coleman family. Ed. Maxwell,
the elder of the brothers, took the lead
in lawlessness from the start, and the evil
dence is cumulative that he not only per-
suaded his brother Lon to take
the first step toward outlawry, but
afterward more than once interposed
himself as the insurmountable barrier in
the way of Ions attempted reform. The
theft of horse in Dewitt county showed
the bent of Edwards mind, while as yet
simple Alonzo followed the lowly fortune
of country store clerk. The father of
the boys removed to Nebraska, and is
now residing either in that State or in
Kansas. The other brother, against
whose good name nothing derogatory is
apparent, remains resident of an interi-
or town in Illinois. In the course of
time Lon Maxwell followed his brother
into paths of human weakness, based
on a hankerlng after stolen horse
flesh. Peoria, Mclean, Tazewell,
McDonough, land contiguous counties
furnished a rich field of operation, and
time brought the Maxwells well earned
fame for dare-deviltry of this limited
kind, as yet unstained, according to re-
ports, by bloodshed. With warrants out
for their arrest in number of counties,
the Maxwells finally
| FELL INTO THE CLUTCHES OF THE LAW
in McDonough Scounty, and were tried
and sent to Joliet This was about five
years ago. Ions term was the shorter
of the two, and at its expiration, in the
| winter of 1880, he visited Wisconsin,
under the name of Williams, and took up
an abode at Hersey, st. Croix county.
| For more than year Lon Williams man
| aged to pass peaceable existence, work
| ing for his living as mill hand at Knapp
and Hersey.
1t is during this calm interval in the
| life of Lon Maxwell, who, under new
name was fairly acquiring his title to it
| by respectable behavior, that the one
| bright bit of romance appears among the
various events which form the data for
this scrap Of his personal history. In the
month of December Lon was chopping
trees between Hersey and Knapp, and in
common with the rest of the boys, found
pleasant relaxation from his hard labor
in the different neighborhood
dances at night, had frequently in
this region all the year round.
At a party of this kind given in
Knapp on New Years Eve, on the dying
of old 1879, Lon Williams was introduced
to Miss Fanny Fuzzy, a beautiful young
girl of about Is at the time. The attrac-
| ton was mutual on both sides, and an
attachment 80 powerful developed during
| the few hours of each others constant
| society that night, that the parties were
afianced by the good night kiss, under
an engagement to be married the next
| New Years. day. The mother of Miss
Huzzy, who married second time and
is the wife of William Thompson, was
seen at her home in Hersey, and readily
gave her consent.
| THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY
was performed by Elder Downer, of the
Methodist church, and when man and
wife, Lon Williams and his bride stepped
| forth from Hymen's altar, the god of
marriage had rarely smiled upon two
happier hearts or more devoted souls
than theirs-this is but just tribute to
the pure young life of her whose untime-
| ly death removed the influences for
good that the outlawed man
could feel, and in his own
way thoroughly understand. The newly
wed couple lived for time with the
Thompsons, until the latter removed to
Arkansaw, small town in Pepin coun-
| ty, when they went to housekeeping
All accounts agree that the devotion Of
| this young married and mated pair was
unusually marked on every occasion of
their appearance ia public together, and
exceedingly demonstrative in their new
home.
In the natural course of time the young
wife became e7aa,ecite, and a happier fell
low than Lon could not have been found
His tender attention to his wife at par
ties, where she was compelled to abstain
from dancing, were noted as an example
of delicacy and devotion not often found
in one of his class. Soon after the
thoughts and hopes of paternity were
kindled in Ions mind and heart, he cut
his foot while chopping and was COM
PEELED to remain idle the latter part of
last winter. Early in the spring, Ed
Maxwell, just from Joliet, put in an ap-
pearance at Hersey, and was introduced
as Ed. Williams, brother to
Lon. His arrival and compansionship
wrought perceptable change in Ions
\ demeaner and spirits. At first he was in
clined to be down-hearted, but grew to
be strangely boisterous in an affected mer-
iment when with his brother. 1t was
now that the remarkable pistol practice
by the Williams brothers took place.
They would 60 out in the woods nearly
every day and entertain the boys at din
ner- time with free exhibitions of
SKILL IN HANDLING THE REVOLVER
such as was never witnessed in this region
before. I could fill a column with the
marvellous shots both brothers made in
sport of this sort last spring. Among the
many in my rough notes are the follow
ing: At the distance of forty PAGES Lon