Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-08-31
THE PASSING OF
HON. LUTHER BASFORD

Continued from First Page.)
New York company started the sale of
lots to parties who desired to build,
SO that we SOON had quite little viii
lage. At that time there was scarce
~ any farming, the population being
almost entirely miners without
families Among the new corners
were some hard characters, and we
had no civil law to control them.
They all went armed with pistol and
bowie knife to intimidate one another
so we were under the necessity Of
establishing lynch law.
We had a discharged soldier in the
cook room, who stole some property
belonging to one Of our number; so
we thought it time to try lynch law
on him. We took him before justice
of the peace and had jury of six
good men summoned TO try the case,
After hearing the evidence, the yer
dict Of the jurors was that he receive
twelve lashes on the bare back, the
person from whom he stole the goods
to put them on. We took him to a
tree on the bank of the river, tapping
his arms around it, and he received
the twelve lashes as adjudged,
We had but one case of lynching
after that, and that was a man who
was in the habit of whipping his
wife. We could not stand for that,
and begides women were too scarce
amongst us to allow them to be
whipped. We gave him a coat Of
tar and feathers and gave him free
ride on rail. Our lynch law worked
we'll there was no more stealing or
wife beating after that Almost every
man carried a revolver and bowie
knife. For my own part, never
had any use for such weapons.
The next outrage committed was
the murder of Jack Russell by Edward
E. Oliver. There was a shooting
match about mile below town one
Saturday afternoon at the place of a
man named Jacco. Pretty near the
whole town went to it. but as I did
not indulge in that kind of sport
did not go. I was working in the
Denniston house, finishing the inside
carpenter work. l happened to look
out of the window and saw Jack
Russell going by. called to him and
told him not to 60 down that there
less fighting going on. He said to
me that he would stay only couple
of hours and then come home. [
thought no more about it until a
messenger came UP and reported that
Jack Russell was shot by Edward
L. Oliver, and doctor was wanted
as soon as he could get there The
doctor mounted one of my horses, and
/ the other, and we ran them down
there. We found that Jack was dead,
shot through the heart We held an
inquest being one of the jurors
Oliver was taken before a justice of
the peace. examined, commitment
made out, and delivered him over
to the sheriff between twelve and one
o'clock the same night. The murder
was committed about shutdown. He
had his trial the next term Of court.
He was found guilty of murder in the
first degree, and was sentenced to be
hung by the neck until he was dead.
he being the first man hung in Grant
county.
Some years after oliver was hung,
a man by the name Of Brewer was
executed on the gallows for the
murder of DeLasseaux Of Beetown.
Soon after that the law was repealed
and law enacted for impris )nment
for life. instead Of the death penalty,
for murder.
We had plenty Of wild animals
those days to contend with panther.
catamount, wild cat and wolves with
out number 1 had quite a scare with
a panther one night I was stopping
in log cabin alone in the country.
and was awakened by the scream of
panther near my cabin. l raised my
head and discovered that the cabin
door stood wide open, but dare not get
up 70 shut it, and about this time he
gave another scream close to the
cabin. 1t had showed a little that
night, and he walked around the
cabin, making quite a trail. ana
every time he stopped in front of the
door aud looked in. 1 had no gun,
as was no hunter, but he finally left
me unmolested.