Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-07-15
REWARD FOR KINDNESS
Sheriff Watson Arrested for Allowing
Prisoners To Quench Thirst.

Harry Gribble, the Boscobel
youth confined in county Jail on
charge of burglary, made state
ments last Thursday to Sheriff Wat
son and Dist. Atty. Brown incrim-
mating Francis Highlands and
Geo. Clark, two companions resid
ing north of Boscobe1 in Crawford
county, as being connected with
him in his thieving operations.
Justice Wheeler accor dinghy
issued warrants for arrest of the
accused and Sheriff Watson went
after them forthwith The boys
were apprehended and placed under
arrest and the officer started for
Lancaster with them. In the con-
veyance besides the prisoners and
the sheriff was a liveryman and
upon arriving at the Boscobel
brewery the quartette stopped to OBJ
tam a glass of beer. Before allow
ing the young men to partake OF
the amber fluid the sheriff was in
formed by them that they were in
the habit Of drinking and upon this
assertion they were permitted to
imbibe in a single ''snitt." The
party proceeded to Fennimore and
then came to Lancaster.
When in the sheriff's residence,
Gribble, the accuser, was summoned
and the trio engaged in a wordy
conversation. Investigation result
ed in establishing the fact that the
two boys from Crawford county had
been falsely accused and that they
possessed no knowledge whatever
of the crime. They were promptly
discharged from custody, the sheriff
paying their expense money home.
Another epoch in the story was
enacted on the following day. The
boys upon arrival home told the
story Of their trip and incidentally
spoke of the brewery episode. Eli
sha Highlands, uncle OF one OF the
boys, saw chance to cause Grant
county's sheriff some trouble and
Immediately hied himself to Bosco-
bel where he obtained learned (0
counsel and before Justice Gilman
swore out warrant for the officers
arrest charging him with furnish
ing Intoxicating liquor to prisoners.
Geo. Wicken, town constable
thirsting for glory, was given the
document and came to Lancaster.
Sheriff Watson submitted to the ar
rest with grace and returned with
the constable to BOscObel. The
sheriff's friends there had not been
idle in the mean time, however,
knowing that the action was actuat-
ed by spite only, and instituted
habeas corpus proceedings immedi-
ately before Court Commissioner
w. E. Howe. Papers were served
upon the constable and he reluctant
ly released the sheriff from custody
but not until warm argument
had taken place.
The habeas corpus proceedings
were made out returnable before
Court Commissioner Brennan here
and Sheriff Watson returned. The
matter was heard Friday afternoon,
Atty. Ed M. Lowry appearing for
defendant and Dist Atty. Brown for
the state. The grounds for the
habeas corpus proceedings were
found to be well taken, circuit court
being in session and the sheriff being
an officer of the court could not be
arrested or placed in custody, by
Commissioner Brennan and the
sheriff was once more released.
In order to forestaH any further
trouble in the matter, G. w. Bur-
rows made complaints against the
sheriff, charging him with the same
offense, Marshal Budworth again
arrested him and before Justice
Shimmin he plead guilty to the
charge and was find 81 and costs
and discharged. Thus ended the
farce.