Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1913-07-31

known or respected Henry, L learned,
was at church where / believe he was
leader of the choir. My parents were
not at homo, but / immediat lily res-
lized that the store should forthwith
be fittingly decorated. / FASTENED TO
the church where | found Cowles and
upon making known my GRAND he
returned to the store where with the
writer's assistance, draped it's front
| with many bolts of somber hued
fabrics. When the sad news had been
excitedly whispered about, services
were quickly suspended and the event
was the one topic of discussion in Bar
aboo as, of course, it became through
out the entire nation and the civil
lied world, where the telegraph pene-
| trated.
The Old Stage Coaches
A far less melancholy and tragic
| episode was that of the old stage
coaches. This was, should say, about
1859. Who, among the boys who
p lrticipstedsin that famous escapade,
may ever forget? Be it known, there
were some fifteen or twenty antiq ue,
superanuated Concord stage coaches
which had been one after another
placed, so to speak, in dry dock and
out OF commission, having outlived
their further transportstional useful
ness, and thus they were housed in a
raj bling series of sheds, just back
of the present city hall. We young
chaps, the day after Fourth of July
celebration, conceived the idea of dec
Grating Oak street with the delapi-
tated vehicles. Some of the chariots,
I remember, bore euphonious names
such as "Argosy', "Prairie Queen,
"Western Monarch, etc. Those who
remember the one-time resplen dent
coaches, gorgeous beyond the dreams
Of Ringing circus creation, will re-
call that they were integers connecting
Baraboo with relatively near by points
of the outside world, such as Madison,
Mazomanie, Portage, Kilbourn City,
ETC., as the ST. Paul road was pushed
further northwestward on the La
Crosse division, or westward on
the Mississippi river division. OF
still more ancient history, James
vile was point of departure, and
I remember right we'll taking pass
age thence by coach with my
parents enroute from Pennsylvania, as
also, on another occasion from Por-
tae, and vet later on, from Kilbourn.
Distinctly recall the beautiful flower
strewn, virgin prairie extending
almost from GAINESVILLE to Madison.
But to return to those Concord
stage coaches! It was long after mid
night when we scamps. AS expeditions
~ and as quietly as possible, hauled
forth Q score of the nondescript vehi-
cles from their moorings, TO the West
ern hotel street corner, and thence
made an imposing string Of them,
reaching almost to the present post
office site and q fine spectacle they
presented early next morning! Not
many of the citizens of Baraboo were
aware that such anti-deluvian chariots
were in existence, much less that they
| were right here in Baraboo. The
general establishment, therefore, may
well be imagined. What opportunities
were lost in their destruction, shortly
after this, their last public appearance,
for securing matchless, museum an
tiques! But soon trouble-our trou-
ble-began. Somehow the ci y
officials, and many of the older and
more staid, law-abiding citizens, did
not take kindly to such deviltry, and
public resentment was quite general,
while diligent efforts were at once
put forth to apprehend the several jl-
venile malefactors involved in the
disgracefui escapade.
Paid the Damages.
Among those concerned in this ex-
plot of truly undignified character,