Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1912-11-14
RARE OLD Gun
COMES To LIGHT

LIE IoLIUWIuS nave recently come
into posse ssion of the Sank County
Historical society:
+. A. Niles of LaValle gives the iron
stock of an old handmade gun. He
says it was made by Frederick Doree
who came into this country about 1885
and located in the town of Summit,
Juneau county. In order to protect
his cabin from Indians lie placed the
gun so IL would go off and frighten
them. A hole was bored in a stump
and projecting piece below, serving
as pivot, was placed in the hole.
A ring and strings were attached 10
the gun, the strings being tied to
stakes some distance away. When the
strings were disturbed the gun would
swing about on the pivot in the
direction of the Indian or whatever
might cause the disturbance, and dis
charge. Mr.. Niles says that more than
once he saved himself from molesta-
ton by means of the device. 1t is a
crude affair and deserves a place
among the curios of the society. Mr..
Niles says Doree made other guns
among which was a machine gun
which would shoot number of times
1t was operated by means of crank
and is now in Mansion. DoTee was a
blacksmith and once worked in Bara.
boo and he remem bers him when a
boy, Doree then. being about fifty. He
died about 1885. !.
Howard Potter gives two copies of
the Farmers Forum published at
Merrimack by Or. A. Martin, One is
dated April Z, 1894, and the other is
Nov. Is, 1895.
James Jefferson, Jr. gives pair of
spurs which he wore while with the
rough riders in the Cuban invasion
during the Standardization war
Edgar Butterfeid' loans piece of
copper ore weighing II pounds found
ON Camp street between Sixth and
Seventh while excavat1ng at a depth
of three feet AS generally known
these pieces Of copper found in this
region are from the Lake Superior
region. During the glacial epoch they
were picked up by the moving ice and
brought to Southern Wisconsin. The
piece found by Mr.. Batterfield shows
plainly where the ore had been
ground against rocks az, 1t gradually
moved this way. One, side has been
purity cut away by the hard rubbing
it received many, many years ago.
Joseph Johnson, curator of the
museum, give "grub stake" used to
fasten RATS together when taken down
the Wisconsin river. The stake was
found on a sand bar at Newport and
is nearly four feet long The stake
was thrust point upward through the
lower board and the other boards with
holes in them were put on the stake
one by one. This held the lumber to-
gether. The stake is accompanied by
an object which looks like maui and
was probably used for driving the
stakes. They are relics of the Wiscon-
sin river rafting days.
Frank Billiard gives stone axe.
He also contributes a war picture
taken February 3, 1864. when Go. A,
10Th Wis, had it's headquarters at
Evans Mills, near Newbern, North
Carolina. The old southern plantation
home with the union soldiers stand.
ing about, is shown.
Mrs. E. w. Keyes of Madison gives
Vol. and Vol. Ill of Smiths His
tory of Wisconsin published in 1854.
The author at one time was attorney
general of the state and prominent
among the pioneers. Vol. Ii was
never printed. Copies are now rare
and the society is very fortunate in
coming into possession of these
volumes. They were portion of the
extensive library of the late Postmas-
ter Keyes of Madison and bear the
owners signature. Judge Keyes was
known to many in Sank county and
his wife has kindly remembered the
Sank county society with these two
volumes.