Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1921-07-13

A@' @AdOoCy was dlOLllSI early
arrival to the Potosi lead mines, COM
ing here in 1889. He entered into the
mercantile business with Benjamin
= Woods in 1849 A year or two
thereafter, Woods and Massey entered
into partnership with Scion L. Lang
worthy and opened up large whole
sale and retail general store under
the firm name of S. l.. LangWorthy
and Co. This firm did an immense
business during it's career supplying
goods of all kinds to merchants and
other tradesmen throughout the coun-
ty. In early days two families in Du-
buque known as Massey and Smith got
into dispute over a mining prospect
and according to the customs Of those
days there was some shooting. A
young woman shot one of the Smiths
though not killing him. Henry L.
Massey was party in this feud and
was determined to get the life of the
elder Smith, which he eventually did
Meeting the old man in Galena he
deliberately shot him down, Smith
was unarmed and was trying to get
away from Massey when killed. AS
there was little law and justice in
those days, Massey in some manner
escaped punishment for the crime he
committed. In 1849 he went to Cali
fOrnia and after a couple Of years
there he returned to Potosi and con-
tinued to live here to the time of his
death. He entered section 35, town 3
range 3, Potosi and subdivided the
section into lots, disposing of the
same to settlers. He was the owner
of much other land and property in
Potosi and Dubuque at the time OF
his death was wealthy man. Not
withstanding his wealth, he was un-
popular with the masses, he was over
bearing, and had no sympathy for the
poor. BY chance he was elected to
the Wisconsin assembly in 1861 as q
republican. His election was a sur
prise to the people of Potosi. He
always boarded at the City Hotel in
Potosi In the sixties William T. En-
nor was landlord of the hotel, and
died as such, Massey married the
widow Ennor and at his death she
became possessor of his wealth, nc
children were born to the union
Prior to, or after his marriage he
bought the G. K. Lord homestead from
w G.. elise and also purchased the
d. A. Mckenzie one story brick dwell
ling and the William Page two story
brick dwelling, both of which he tore
down and removed the materials tC
the Lord place and built a handsome
two story residence in which he and
his wife and her children continued
to reside to the time of his death.
William Hooker came to the mines
in 1888. He was carpenter by
trade and worked on many of the early
day buildings of POtosi. He was q
kind and inoffensive man and as
honest as a human could be. After
residing in Potosi for upward OF
forty years he went to Indiana where
he had sister residing, and there
died.
Greene Berry Brent came from Ken
lucky in 1910. He was a sport, and
a young man of fine appearance. He
was made a constable in early days
and it is related that at one time he
had a warrant for the arrest OF
man over in the British Hollow min
ing camp. Arriving there he found
that his man was down in shaft AND
when ordered to come out of the shaft
he refused to do so. Brent was deter
mined to make the arrest, and he
ordered the windlasman to lower
him. down in the shaft to make the ar
rest, was a dangerous undertaking
as the man below had every advant-
age of the constable if he wanted tC
resist arrest. Brent, however brought
his man to the top and took him be-
fore the Justice. He opened up sa'
loon in building little below Lang,
worthys store, and being very popu
lar at that time, he did thriving
business. Upon a night before st
Patrick's Day, Brent and others II
the saloon made an effigy of st. Pat
rick and suspended it from limb Of
a large elm tree that stood III front
of Michael Grogan's tailor shop, anC
opposite the City Hotel. On the morn
ing of ST. Patrick's day the effigy was
plainly in view 1t caused consider
able mirth with some people, but the
Irish people of the village were VI
in arms and they were joined by
others who came from the country tC
attend Mass, there was much 1ndlgna-
ton among the Irish people, anc
Brent was as loud as any in denounc-
ing the perpetrators of the shameful
act. Having an eye to business. Brent
got a ladder and went up the tree
and amid cheers of the Irish, he cut
down the effigy. This act OF his made
him a hero and there was stampede
for his saloon and freely spent a lot