Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-05-12

Like ali mining towns of 70 years
ago, Potosi was badly afflicted by
tough characters. These were not
necessarily wholly bad; they were ad-
venturous and though less. Then
there were some real criminals, men
who made a living by any means,
except honest toll. OF the tough,
James D. Morga, commonly called
"Jim Crow was good example.
Jim" seemed to have love for
adventure. He would not steal; he
would not shoot an antagonist, with
out giving him chance for his life;
but he was looking for trouble the
most of the time. OF the real
criminal class there was gang of
half a dozen, we'll organized and
desperate. They had an eye on one
of the richest claims in the
"diggings" at Snake Hollow.
This rich digging belonged to a
company of men known as Moor &
Watson, and they had been notified
that the gang proposed to jump"
their claim. In order to get matters
upon a more equable basis, this firm
gave to Jim Crow an interest in their
mining claim,-an interest known in
those days as Fighting" interest.
That is, Jim Crow was to have an
interest in the proceeds of the mine,
if he would turn in and help to
defend it against the gang of claim
jumpers. =
No sooner had jim got his interest
in the mine than he went on guard.
A representative of the gang called
on him and attempted to parley, but
Jim gave him orders to take the trail
down the hill and neither look to the
sides nor backward, which admonition
he followed. Then later on, six
members of the gang started to visit
jim, but he told them to go back the
way they came. And they went, for
no man in that section was more
respected, and none more feared,
than James D. Morga, the jim Grow
of this story.
And the matter did not end here.
The gang seemed determined to get
that rich mine of Moor & Watson.
They knew there was no show. so
long as jim Crow lived. A few days
later, three of the gang, Bill Cooley,
Jake Derrick and Lindsey Evans,
met Jim at a drinking house in the
village and asked him to have a
drink. He evidently suspected moth
ing, and went to the bar and tOuk his
grog. But, no sooner was this done
than two of the roughs left the
saloon, and Evans, who wore cloak,
drew a pistol and shot jim Grow
through the heart. He died i'm
mediately.
Then the three desperadoes fled OF
horses that were held in waiting for
them at the door of the saloon. They
were afterward arrested, but on hear
ing were let go. q proceeding that
showed how powerful the gang was
in the community. Afterward, Nell
son Dewey, then a citizen of Lancas-
ter, afterward the first governor of
Wisconsin, caused a warrant to be
issued for the three and when they
were arrested they were taken to
Prairie Gu Chen and placed in Jail.
There was no Jail IL Grant county
then.
Afterward, the three were ad-
mitted to bail, but the matter had
caused so much excitementand resent
ment, that a vigilance committee
was organized of men from all parts
of the county-men who had some
regard for the law-and the gang
was given a stated time in which to
settle their affairs and get out. They
got out, and just in time, for the
committee, 200 strong, rode into
Potosi after them. But the MIssis-
sippi river was then between the COM
mittee and the gang.
Several men, more or less promi-