The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-10-03
The Old Black Walnut.
Pencil Sketch of Solomon /. Juneau, The
Founder OF the City of Milwaukee.

VI Stty VI
Written for the TELEGRAPH CoURIER) 4
There is a fallen monarch of the
forest-a black walnut of large size
that the ungentle hand of Time has
lightly touched, inasmuch as its
trunk, now shorn of all its branches,
is as we'll preserved as the day when
an Indian in search of the wild bee
and his store of golden sweets, laid
his flint ak at the roots and sent it
crashing to the earth. This old tree
is on the farm of MI William Stct-
son, son of William A. Stetson, who
was one of the pioneers of Wiscon-
sin, and who settled in what is now
the town. of Somers, in this county,
some time in the years of 1867,
At the time of the settlement re-
ferred to Mr.. Stetson found the wal
nut tree in the position it has re-
NAMED in to this day and explained
the downfall of the old tree to his
son in the manner above Indicated
With the readers permission |
will carry him back to the year 1920,
period covering nearly sixty nine
years of time, and we will stand to-
gether under the Wide-spreading
branches of the old walnut, now ly-
ing prone upon Mother Earth, sad
memento of the rapid flight CT by
gone day bearing upon their snowy
wings the joys and the sorrows, the
success and the failure of two gen
erations of human beings. The
deep, unfathomable silence of the
forest is unbroken, save by the bark
of the fox squirrel as he quarrels
with his mate over the possession of
a ripe walnut, or the shrlll cry of the
blue Jay as he drops an acorn into a
knot hole 1t is lovely October
day and the sun, now far down in
the west, casts its molten flames of
light down through the creamy at
mosphere of an Indian summer sky,
down through the many openings in
the leaves and branches of the old
walnut until they break in sllvery
showers of light at our feet.
The tree of which [ am writing
stood at the east end Of cOulee or
natural water-course, then heavily
timbered, and through which tiny
rivulet flowed downward to the prai-
RE that lays between what is some
times called the Stetson ridge and
the strip of timber which borders
Pike, more properly designated as
the Kenosha river. The timber IN
the c0ulee or water-Course just men
toned, has been cut down and most
of it carried off by Mr. William Stet-
son, the present owner, and the little
r1vulet, once protected by the forest
shade, no longer exists.
Lower sinks the sun until the base
of the old walnut is in the shadow,
but flashes of sunlight stream through
the upper branches, and if you will
look through one of the glints of
light, you can see the wild honey
bees coming in from the prairie to
the east and southeast, where they
have been loading themselves with
honey gathered from the brilliant
hued prairie flowers that have re-
manned untouched by the early frost.
Presently you hear sound like the
breaking of a twig, and looking up
the little rivulet to where it seems to
disappear in bed Of moss, you can
see the antlers of a deer. He has
been visiting his lady love and has
sought the brook that runs almost at
your feet to quenCh his thirst. He
has the wind in his favor, and with
loud snort he losses up his pronged
head and scents the tainted air. One
leap carries him across the brook;
two more like that will take him
from our sight, but he never makes
them. You hear a low whistle and
see the startled buck pause almost in
mid-air = woodland statue of
matchless grace-and then from a
clump of hazel bushes to your right
you see bolt Of fame leap out, a
puff of smoke raises above the bush
es, followed by the sharp, whip-like
crack of rifle, and the buck,
plunging into the air, falls heavily
upon his side with a bullet hole
through his shoulders. The rifle
man who fired the shot steps out of
the bushes and lowering the butt of
his rifle to the ground, commences to
load He is white man about %
years of age, slightly over six feet in
height, with form SO we'll proper
toned that you would say, after a
casual glance, that his height is not
thor, fro fn,A ..,n1on II.