Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-08-27

phed the town with water, located somewhere
/ inthe vicinity OF the site OF the present Wooden
Mills. The white cottages and brown nestled
| among the native trees with the bright autumnal
foliage and flowers blooming in the front yards,
was a pleasure and surprise TO one who had just
come up from mining village paved with lime
stone and glittering with yellow ochre, and gave
the place an unlocked for charm and attraction
that was most agreeable. In the centre OF this
charming circle there were four public buildings
The Banfil House, Mansion House, Court Hsuse
and jail The Bannl House the most popular
OF the four; was patronized generally by the
lawyers and leading ltigants and being "a young
spris OF Blackstone, !, too, concluded to honor it
with my presence as guest. i am not certain,
| at this distance Of time whether Banf appreci-
ated the honor or noticed the new guest bnt the
| latter has never forgotten the man or the place.
| Both were landmarks In the early days OF this
| beautiful village and both have faded from the
view of The living and given place to more stately
hostelriss though / cannot say a larger and more
hosptable landlord. Bandl was a landlord. true
type, Of the uneouth, brusque. rough spoken man
OF the West, whose good sense, generous heart
and nnfiaging enterprise built court houses and
| jails to restrain the lawless and punish Guilt
opened roads, spanned rivers with bridges. and
made the wilderness blossom as rose. The
Dennison House at Csssville is monument of
hls craft and skill-though its oft tenantless
rooms, Its unfrequented corridors, its tall chin
neys and crumbling weather beaten walls. Its
solitary and haunted appearance have been the
| wonder and astonishment of the stranger for the
last nifty years. AT last, however. the slow pro-
gress of commerce and civilization has oyertaken
the enterprise that built this mammoth hotel
half century in advance OF the country Another
| year and its old walls will trembe beneath the
roll OF heavy train as 1t comes laundering and
lying down the valley. The cobwebs and midew.
which changing years have gathered in its dust
covered apartments, will vanish and disappear
and the traveller, the man of business, the man
OF pleasure, will find In its regarnished and re-
| generated rooms place of rest, recreation and
enjoyment. The old frame court house with its
quadrangular roof, and large, square drygoods
Dox perehed upon itstop for bell tower, obser-
Yatory or ornament, was the work OF his hands.
| ana paid Tor IN the then currency Of the times
4 county orders or tax title deeds 1t served the
purposes OF Its time though 1t was not model of
beauty or convenience The court room was upon
the ground moor, while the space above served for
jury rooms and the offices OF the register OF deeds
and county clerk, which at that time were filed
| by Morris W. Martin and Arunna A. Parker,
! brother OF the late Dwight Parker Judge Charles
| DUNN OF Belmont, graced the bench with his
| dlgnlned and imposing presence. He was an able
and impartial judge, and his pleasant smile and
| instructive conversation are still fresh In the
| memory OF most of the early settlers, for he was
d man OF no ordinary appearance, well
| ana widely known throughout the state.
me county judge was Hugh II. Golfer who held
sort OF ntst prtuS court travelling from place to
| place and administering upon estates wherever
ne found them, carrying the records in his peck
cts The county treasurer was also an itnerant
Official, Keeping his accounts in his head and his
| deposits at home. There was but one bank in
the county, located as am informed, in log
cabin down on one OF the bends OF Crooke creek.
| 1t was bank OF issue, but not Of redemption-a
regular wildcat, as its lonely retreat would iudi-
cate. The clerk Of the court who was an excellent
penman as well as very intelligent man, was
Lenhsrt o. Shrader, Kentuckyan by birth and
believe brothcr-inaw of Judge Dunn. N. W.
Kendall-under whose official term Brewer, who
| killed DeLasseaux at Beetown, was publicly ex-
ecuted in the town of Lancaster-was sheriff and
execution officer of the court. He hired deputy,
said to be Lewis Reynolds of Potosi, TO cut the
.
Reynolds being a man of extreme poiteness,
| probably his services were thus made pleasant
and more acceptable to the culprit. He (Brewer)
was the second and last man hung in Grant
county, aman by the name of Oliver from Cass-
vile, being executed several years before. The
bar at this time was composed of an array OF the
| first legal talent, lawyers who would have COM
pared favorably viii many in the old states from
wi fnit, rbara Dasxt 4
| Frank Dunn, NJ. NJ. Jackson, Judge Crawford
| and Cothren. and perhaps others equally
| prominent. Plstteyille had Hon b. c. Eastman.
| Geo. W. Lakn and "old man. Chapman whose
Christian name is forgotten. The legal affairs of
the southern part Of the county were attended
to by n. II. Heminp, who resided at Hazel Green
| and afterward removed TO Minnesota where he
| became prominent councillor. Potosi had its
| Cole and Biddlecome, Judge Cyrus X Lord, now
OF La Crosse, and Vim. Hall, now deceased. VIM
| r. Biddlecome entered upon brilliant profcs.
sional career in the city OF ST. Louis just preyi-
GUS to the war, but soon fell victim to cons ump
ton and died several years ago at Pensacola, Fla
Ills was one of the brightest intellects which
ever illumined the bar OF the west. Judgeorsamus
| Cole, his partner, who II not citizen OF the
county is still remembered aud respected as
| such, has by his unwearied industry, prudent
| habits and great good sense achieved greatness"
and still lives to adorn the highest tribute in the
state as its chief justice. Pure In his life earn
| est in his work, simple in his habits upright and
| impartial in his judgments, he is example and
| ornament to the profession and an honor to the
| places he has filed for over quarter OF a CEN
fury, so worthlly and well. There were two other
eminent lawyers that must not be passed over
who resided at the county seat. and were no pig
mics in the legal battles that were being fought
at this tina. mean the late j Allen Barber and
that still living restless walking, Incompetent
sible compendium Of wit, wisdom. legend, litera-
| ture and legal lore. refer to Hon. j. T. Mills,
late judge OF the Fifth Judicial Circuit. But as
see his homer present and still living on proba-
tionary ground, viii no further
See his merits to disclose.
| Or draw his frailties from their dread abode
Barber, or "Allen, as his friends loved to call
him, prosecuting attorney, living on sti-
pend of $500 year, but he managed to "et no
guilty escape" and was even then plough
ing deep the furrow which in after years brought
him fortune and fame. His little Office on the
corner, on the site of the Tom Mcdonald block.
where he afterwards built and long enjoyed a
more commodous building well remember. 1t
was like widows cottage-with little grass
plot in front entered by swinging gate-a well
| worn library within, with sunbeams, litigants
lawyer and litter peeping in and ont every cor
ner. But you all remember the place and the
man and will not weary your patience with fur
ther detail. Both have passed from our midst
but we cannot forget the quaintness of the one
| or the genial noble, generous life of the other
| did not intend to day to refer to the .'Hurri-
| cane Woods, though it is mine rich in the ores
OF legend and adventure Of early times, but bust
ness called mo last week into its pleasant shades
| and when found myself within its magic bord
| ers the spell Of the antiquarian came upon me
and forthwith, like the Laird of Dpmbiedikes /
commenced delving the ancient tunnels for Ro-
man coin. storm arising took shelter at the
| old homestead of Alanson Morrel, now the resi-
dence OF J. Allen Coombs, and his pleasant fam
| ily old settlers both-his wife being the daugb-
ter of Ruel Morre the Oldest living settler OF the
Hurricane. Here found the shop OF the VERT
able Jack Plane the Hurricane poet and ro-
nance writer, when he weaves his roseate tales
and smoothes his hexameters, filed in imagina-
ton, with every variety of the strange and mar
| velous happenings Of early days, in these wild
| woods. asked him to tell me the story of his
life and furnish me short history of the Hurr-
cane, aud this is what he wrote:
The first school house built in the Hurricane was
small rude log building short distance south Of the
Hurricane Corners the west side of the road lead
ing south. Matteson +. Smith there taught the hrst
built by interested citizens each contributing log. IL
IS needless TO say that logs plentiful at that time