Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1914-03-19
OLDEST RESIDENT
NOW IN BARABOO
Civil War Veteran Leads
Simple Life at His
Home Here.
WESLEY BARTON AT Sc
He Once Assisted a
Black Boy Out of
Bondage
WESLEY BARTON AT SG

Baraboo's oldest citizen now is Wes-
ley Barton, colored, q native OF Illi~
nois, the father of ten children and
the last of his family save one daugh-
ter, his youngest, graceful slip, who
tenderly watches over her aged parent
IN their little homeOn Eighth avenue.
Mr.. Barton was once guilty of an act
which easily might have cost him his
life. He helped negro boy to csc ape
from bondage. 1t happened this way:
Barton, with his wife andItive sons,
was on the eve of moving to Wiscon-
sin from Madison county, Illinois,
ten miles from st. Louis, when q
TREND came secretly TO him and said:
"I'm hiding runaway from Mis-
souri,. You just take him along north
as one of your boys. Will your" OF
course Barton would though it was a
criminal ottense, harshly punishable,
TO aid in the escape of slave. So the
ooy, a ten-year-old lad, was smuggled
in with Barton's dusky brood and the
whole party came slowly wsggoning
all the way to Wisconsin, and beyond.
This was in 1866. "We camped one
light right out there on the river
bank, said Mr.. Barton, pointing over
toward the site where some day the
great Ochsner hospital is to be located
OR is it, alas, ever TO be a reality?
The BartoEs went on to Bad Axe
county, now Vernon; and for long
years prosperously cultivated q farm,
4he locality of which even to this day
IS known as Barton Corners. Both
Barton and his slave protege went to
he civil war and when that sad
tragedy was over, the one returned to
BadSAXe,s he other became a successful
land owner near Sparta, LII. Finally,
IN 1868, came the "hop crash"-so-
calle1 honey sweet rnined the CROP
and Barton, like thousands of others.
found himself in financial straits. The
farm went eventually, and In due
time, 20-odd years ago, Barton brought
The remnant of his once big family to
Baraboo. In this state five other
children had been added to the group
that immigrated in ante hellum days,
but gradually, as time sped on, they
began to drop off, the good mother
with them, till now, to the venerable
sire alone is left the slender, gentle
daughter, the solace of his declining
days.
Mr.. Barton was born in 1918, while
yet Napoleon Bonoparte was raging
vainly at his stern clptors on ST.
Helena. He "never" was in bondage.
Sand none of the family was so fab
as | know" said he wit / obvious
pride as he comfortably vibrated
dizable quid to the other side. sJerry
Rusk was sheriff when | moved to
Bad Axe" he mused reminiscently,
"and o, how he liked to romp with
chilrun in tn street or anywhah. He
sho was ready for 'em any time, and
when any of 'em met him theh was
un | tall you. Law, l nevah saw
slch man FIR boys and gals. He'd
play leapfrOag any time or let tn
cnilrun pile all ovah 'im."
Then there was prodigious scramb-
ing behind the plastered wall at the
old mans back. "Jes sqaoils," he
explained complacentIy "theh live in
dar an sometimes maik a pow'ful
fuss" Several big burr oaks in 'front.'
afford fine alternative place for their
frolickings.
Barton comes dow to wn occasional
ly. "Tatks me two houahs to go an
come" said he. "I'm not much good
any mo-" Yet he hears well and the
Daily News in his hand promised
that he was reading when interrupted
by callers. He genuinely enjoys to-
oacco and his So years seem to prove
that, however harmful to the human
system may be the weed Ioccidized, its
rude masceration in good old demo-
cratic style is not fiipp antly to be con-
denned because of devitalizlng results.
By means of fortunate pension and
the help of an industrious, dutiful
daughter, just now busily sewing on
spangled costumes for the Ringlings,
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