Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1925-11-26

+ MISUNDERSTANDING chapters In
early Dane county history and thrill
! ling episodes from the wild west Of
I scouting days were recalled in the
death recently of Lawrence L. Ket-
chum, a recent resident Of Madison
and one tine chief engineer in the
state capitol. A boyhood school
mate of the late Robert NJ. LaFol-
lette in Primrose, he later became
associated with such famous 'front.'
Ter heroes as Buffalo Bill, Generals
Custer and Crook, wild Bill HI
cox, and others, and drove a Dead
wood stage when dime-novel stor-
les were a reality.
Mr.. Ketchum died at the home of
his daughter, Mrs. R. G. Rouzer, in
Keyser, w. V, at the age of 70.
He and his twin brother, Loren,
now living at Baraboo, were born
Dec. 23, 1853, in La Grange county,
Ind, sons of Stephen and Asenath
! (Whitney) Ketchum. In 1855 the
family moved to Iroquis county, ILL.,,
and in the fall Of 1856 to Primrose,
Dane county, whore the LaFollettes
Britts, and other Indiana families
had already settled.
! Stephen Ketchum had preceded
the family to Primrose, where he
had bought farm and put up a
crop of wheat and hay.
Father Is Killed
Returning for his family, he rode
back 100 miles to his old Indiana
home on a business mission. On
the way back he was killed by the
kick of horse. Before dying he
left a message urging his wife to
move on to the new home. Not un
til week afterward did the family
learn of his death. This Spartan
mother, whose ancestors had cross
ed to England with William the
Conqueror brayely set out for her
new frontier home with seven or
phaned children. They travelled
all the way to Primrose In big
spike wagon, so-caled because it
was pulled by one horse leading,
followed by two oxen behind The
leading horse was the old mare on
which the father had ridden to his
death.
They also drove along some cows
to sell to their neighbors in Prim-
rose, where cows we're scarce and
for which they received about SIS
each. Here Mrs. Ketchum sue
cessfully conducted her frontier
farm and reared her children to ma
turity. The La Follettes lived a
half mile away and the children of
the families attended school to-
gether. The story Of the Ketehum
family is a pioneer tale teeming
with more than usual hardships and
adventure. In the great tornado
Of May %, 1878, all the buildings
on the Primrose farm were blown
away and Mrs. Ketchum then sold
the place and moved to Madison
where she later died.
TWO Sons In War
When the Civil war broke out
two Of the sons enlisted. One of
them, George Ketchum, died at
Camp Randall Feb. %, 1855, and
now sleeps under a fallen stone in
a neglected Primrose burial
ground An older brother, Edwin
S. Ketchum, served i'll the 23d Wis
: consin regiment and died i'll Colo
rado some years ago. After the
war he was a school teacher for sew
eral years.
In 1868 at the age Of Is, Law
renee ketchum became a mail car
/, rier between Madison and Benz,
: Green county, via Verona Mt Yer
non, and Primrose, distance Of
some forty miles lie continued in
: this work until 1870 when he decid
ed TO take Horace Greeley's advice
and 90 west In company with Will
liam 7. La Toilette, a brother of.
: Wisconsin's later senator, he went
: to Clay countk Neb., where Mr.. La
Z Toilette, recently back from the
war, had homesteaded quarter
section of land
Meets Buffalo Bill
IN the fall and winter of 1901 he
hunted and trapped, killing many