Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-05-30

In the ante-be1lum days in West
Point township, in Columbia county,
a place of more than ordinary inter
est was the Morgan farm" situated
on section nine, the owner of which
Sam Morgan-was a resident of Indi-
ana. A little log hut was built among
the Indian mounds near the center of
the farm and occupied by a single
man by the name of Jarvis, as renter
Of the land.
My first recollection Uf this farm
was eft one fall, when my mother was
employed by Jarvis to fry 1he ham and
eggs, boil the potatoes and coffee,
and prepare dinner for Jarvis thresh
ing crew. OF course | went with her
When we arrived at the hut early in
the morning, no one was visible eX-
>cept Jarvis, but Sundry kicks by him
at heap of straw on the bare earth
in one corner Of the interior brought
forth Hank Wendell, a fanky, raw
boned youth, all dressed except head
and feet. and whose long black hair
being decorated with an abundance
| of straw, gave him very startling ap-
pearanUe to my youthful mind.
The ThreShing outfit soon arrived
and began operation, the wheat being
put in u rail pen lined with straw
that is d major portion of it, but it is
safe to say enough was, blown into the
strawpf1e and wasted to supply the
average family with -four for a year,
lider the Hoover $3.50 program.
A little later a frame house was
built on tire highway to the river, and
was occupied for several years by
Barney SChutz. A long, low range of
log stables was also built, an interior
history Of which was the cause Of
much speculation on the part Of the
neighbOrs Barney was a sOn-in-faW
Of Sam Walker, of the school section,
and was very versatile chap, being
capable of performing any stunt frona
masticating pig tail twist and dane
ing the CUBA" to acquiring valuable
property suddenly.
For years it was MorganTs custom
to bring up from indiana, in the fall
string of dilap1dated horsefesh,
which he snapped to the gu1leless
settlers for fat cattle to be placed on
the Chicago market on his return.
My eldest sister was a great lover OF ,
Ia0 Sh
whoever was coming at once on catch
ing sight of the team And so it
happened one day when she came
suddenly upon Barney Schultz leading
a fine gray gelding through the woods
near the river, she knew it was none
of Morgan's stock, and so quite natur-
ally inquired whom it belonged to and !
where it came from. Barney told her
it was one he had bought. The news
of Barney's new colt soon spread, and
it appeared to be just the news that
some people were waiting to hear, :,
for the next night, about midnight,
the deputy sheriff from Lodi, armed .
with a warrant for the apprehension !
Of Barney. came to our house in the I
midst of a fierce. rainstorm, to get !
George NJ. Humphrey, school teach
er from Lodi, who was boarding with
us, to assist in the arrest. The party
started on horseback, and as they
were passing the house Of Sam Walk
er, his big black dog rushed out, and
frightened Humphreys horse, which
ran and threw Humphrey, breaking
his shoulder blade. He was returned
to our house and a doctor set the
broken member, one Of my mothers
bed sheets being torn up for band
ages. Humphrey afterward served as
captain of Co. H, second infantry, in
the War of the Rebellion, married
Mary Riley, of Lodi, and settled, after
the war, at Beatrice, Nebr., where, as
an attorney, he was held high in the /
esteem of that commonwealth until
his death.
Rarney Schultz escaned with a light