Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-10-31
Down the Main TroDeled
Road and on Some By-Pdths
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEKl

VI LAST w EEhI
| condition. After they had built well,
they went away and the children enjoy
the land Of their fathers. The mothers
were heroic companions In the early
struggle for subsistence. Thos Jerman
and Thos Sandwich still live to tell the
story of the early struggle. ALI these
people had faith that God who had been
with them when tossed on the waves in
sailing vessels. would still guide them
while building new homes In the new
west. They built q house Of worship;
1t was dedicated to God; there they as
sembied to hear the story of the cross;
there is the last resting place or the
dead: there In the church wedding rites,
confirmation and blessings.
Still further to the west | call for Per-
~ Curtis and ask where ia his dwelling
No answer. Farther on the home of
John Parkinson who died in Oregon.
Hardly Tewalt, who overlanded to Ore
gon and sleeps there, while Solomon Te-
wal, longing for the old home neighbors,
returned to the scenes or his young LIFE
and still lives. Just beyond was the
homes Of California johnson, . then
Loucks and Wakefield. They were pio-
neers, when life was q struggle for COM
mon necessities. They build log houses,
improved farms; then the call came and
they disappeared from the ranks of the
living. Still farther west by the mound,
a hardy people located sixty years ago
the Sterlings, Clarks. Bailey and Lat
shaw. The Sterlings, Bailey, the second
sheriff, and Frank CLARK are no more
VIM. Clark, once sheriff, is In an Iowa
insane asylum; Calvin Clark lives In
Minnesota.
l recall these names Of the primitive
builders Of fifty and more years ago.
Without exceptions they were kind to
me when q youth clerking at Bads.y,
their trading place. Their purchases
were the necessities, their wants few.
California johnson and Nash were
men Of great strength and inclined to
combativeness. Occasionally they would
meet at Badsx with Munyon and DENIM
son, two men like Goliath Of old; also
with well developed bumps Of destruc-
ton. They were, undoubtedly. four
men Of greatest strength and physical
DEVELOPMENT ever In the county and cap
able Of great endurance. A few gallons
Of whiskey each put their dynamos in
motion. They clashed on few occa-
sions, which was an example of the ir-
resistable against an immovable body.
Peaceful and quiet when separated and
no stimulating drink. under influence
Of intoxicants the red flag was before
them and an occasional bout with
strokes like thunder-b bolts, was the town
talk for weeks thereafter. Nash and
Johnson died few years later; DENIM
son was shot by Sheriff Lowrie and Nun
yon died in Colorado Thus ended four
men of kindly nature, whom God had
given strength to tear asunder the lions
jaws or pull down pillars, but when on
the warpath their muscles would swell
TO enormous size. their eyes flashed IRE;
they were the personihcation Of all that
Ia terrible in man when aroused, yet
calm when the storm passed and no ene-
my in sight. johnson was one Of the
earliest Norsk adventures to land in
California to search for gold; Nash came
from Norway TO Sterling, Muryon and
Dennison were products Of the MuskiI1g-
dom.
In reviewing the past, locking back
ward more than fifty ysars. hope no
one Of the early pioneers have bsen over
looked &. "a. r