Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1921-07-07
GIVING OF PICTURE AT MADISON RECALLS THE
TRAGEDY In THE LIFE CT MRS WATERMAN AT
ONE TIME CONNECTED WITH THE CLIFF HOUSE
(By o. D. BrandenDurg.)

At Madison Major F. w. Oakley has
turned over to Dean II. L. Russell for
the agricultural department of the
university life size sleeps head in
oil painted by Bernard I. Outward
1817-1902) and given by him to Mrs.
Alice Whiting Waterman, who with
P. B. Parsons owned and operated the
Cliff House at Devils lake in the '70's,
some 40 odd years ago. Mr.. Durward
often was at the Cliff house and pre-
scented to Mrs. Waterman the paint
ing as memento of his regard The
incident of Major Oakley passing the
picture ON to- Dean Russell is interest
ing because of other circumstances.
It chiefly was Mrs. Waterman's
savings of a lifetime that went into
the reconstruction of the Cliff House,
RACED about 16 years ago; for into
that venture she lost her ALL Now at
Madison she sleeps in Confederate
rest" among 139 soldier boys from
Dixie who died as prisoners of war
at Camp Randall, now the university
athletic field There was something
of mystery about Mrs. Waterman,
gentle lady of obvious refinement.
Not much is known of her even by
Major and Mrs. Oakley, her most de-
voted friends for many years and at
whose home as a welcome but de-
pendent guest she passed in ease the
last fourteen years of her life. It is
known, however, that she was born
at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Oct. Is,
1920. There she lived till ten years
of age when she went to New York
with her parents. She was married
early to Charles Waterman Of New
York. Right there ends her known
martial history, although she admitted
to being widowed early, her husband
losing his life in steamboat explo-
sion. Financial vicissitudes ensued
and she, who had been reared in lux
ury was under the necessity of max
ing her own living. Exactly when she
came west is not clear, but for eleven
years she was matron of the old
Briggs house, Chicago, serving later
at Milwaukee in a like capacity in the
Newhall house of tragic memory In
1868 she was in Madison, matron at
the Villas house, owned by Judge L.
B. Villas, father of Col. William F..
Villas, perhaps Wisconsin's most dis
tinguished son. There she was
thrown into association with Mr.. Par
sons, manager of the Villas house. To-
gether they rebuilt and refurnished
the Cliff House, she supplying the
$4,000 or $4,000 and by
there two it was operated for several
but at increasing loss and
it all ended at last by the property
being taken over by Judge Villas un
der foreclosure; when Capt. w. P.
Pearl was placed in charge and con-
Quoted it till its final closing in 1904
Mrs. Waterman, now nearly impoy-
erished, went tc live with the Oakleys
in 1888 and was member of their
household for fourteen years or I'M
til her death. They Der anne acquaint-
ed with her while boarding at Villas
house.
In 1852 many confederates were
captured at Island No. 10 and we're
up the Mississippi river
to Prairie du Chen, then to Madison.
In the spring, within three months,
April, May and June of 1868, 139
died of malarial fever and Other all
terrible mortality. or these
victims 10 belonged to the First
Alabama regiment, one to the First