Jefferson County, Wisconsin - The whole text, 1879 (part 13 of 28)

His father, Levi Wolcott, a person well known to the early settlers, was born in Weath- ?rsfield. Conn. Being of an adventurous disposition, he went to Ohio, and remained there until liis mother died. After the death of Mr. Wolcott's mother, his father and himself came to Wisconsin to seek their fortunes. It was rather a risky undertaking for an old gentleman si.xty years of age to try his luck in a trackless wilderness, without friends and destitute of property, there to suffer tiie hardships and privations incident to pioneer life. In the spring of 1836, they came as far as Chicago. At that time, this flourishing metropolis was only a small village of some twenty-five houses and shanties, which were built on a low, flat piece of prairie. They stayed there over night, and in the morning, started up Lake Michigan for Milwaukee. Arriving there, they found it to be a small place with not more than twelve shanties, which were built close to the lake. Solomon Juneau kept a small warehouse near the edge of the lake, where provisions and furs were stored, that he had obtained from the Indians. The site on which Milwaukee is now located was marshy and swampy, a good portion of it, also, being covered with tamarack trees. It was a good place to hunt muskrat and ducks, but the small colony that then lived there never imagined it would be a point of such commercial interest and value 'as it now is.

After staying is Milwaukee one day, they came west as far as Prairieville. This was a desolate-looking place, with only one house to cheer the traveler on his lonely way. Nothing but trees was visible on all sides, and to any one not accustomed to traveling through forests, progress in any direction seemed almost impracticable. From Prairieville, they went a short distance south on the Fox River, where they made a claim and built a shanty. Here they lived during the summer of 1836, spending a good portion of their time in hunting and fishing. There was a large number of Indians living in this section, as wigwams were the only tenements on both sides of Fox River. Mr. Wolcott recollected distinctly that one old Indian had his wigwam pitched very close to where their shanty was situated. This old Indian had a boy about his age (seven years) and size. To please the old folks, the boys were called out on numerous occasions to run races and wrestle together. The Indian boy would generally beat Sylvester in the chase, but in wrestling they stood about even. These sports delighted the old people immensely, and they gave to the relator the health, nerve and muscle necessary to endure the hardships, in liis youthful days, of a wild and uncultivated country. The Indians, although numerous in this section, were always friendly, and the few white settlers who found an abode among them dealt and traded, without fear of being molested.

After living on the Fox River during the summer, they left this place late in the fall of 1836, on a visit to Indiana. They remained away some six months, but, on returning, they found, to their great astonishment, that a stranger had come to Prairieville, and had jumped their claim. He occupied their shanty, and, although they protested against his holding it, they were obliged to seek " fiesh fields and pastures new." From there they went fiirther west, until they reached Rock River at Johnson's Rapids, now known as Watertown. On reaching their destination, they found one double log house standing where the late Peter Kelly's building is now situated on First street. They reached Johnson's Rapids on the 12th day of May, 1837. About this time, Mr. George Goodhue built the first saw-mill that was used in the settlement. Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting provisions to keep the men at work, as the nearest market place where these supplies could be had was Beloit. Finding it difficult to carry on any traffic between the new settlement and the then village of Beloit, Mr. Luther A. Cole, at the head of a number of industrious men, began tlie work of laying out a roadway to Milwaukee. After this road was opened, obtaining provisions was not so difficult an undertaking as it had been.

Before leaving Prairieville, however, in the spring of 18.37, a little incident happened that Mr. Wolcott related. A horse belonging to his father had suddenly disappeared and was lost in the woods. He went to look for it, leaving Mr. W. in the care of one of the settlers. As he remained away longer than he expected, and fearing that he had met with some accident, Mr. W. started to look for him. In following a track that led to a river, it was impossible for him to continue the search without crossing it, so he went into the water thinking to ford across, but the current was running so rapidly at the time that he, in search of his father, was carried down the stream at a furious rate. Being able to swim, he managed to keep his head above the water until he got hold of a cluster of willows and crawled out.

When Mr. Wolcott and his father reached the old log hut on Johnson's Rapids, the men that occupied it were in a most pitiable condition. Starvation for several days was staring them in the face. All they had to eat was the fish they could catch below the dam, and these were eaten without salt. Pork and potatoes in those days were considered luxuries. The former was usually cut up in slices and placed on the stove to roast. After remaining at the Rapids a short time, they went a few miles south along the river, until they reached an old Indian clearing by the side of a beautiful lake. This lake at that time was clear and lim])id. They made a claim at this point and ever since this sheet of water has been known as Wolcott's Lake. In getting provisions from Milwaukee, they encountered great difficulty. The roads, as a general rule, were almost impassable. No single team would dare go to Milwaukee unattended by considerable help. The settlers used to go in groups, so that whenever any of the wagons happened to get mired, all hands would unite to extricate it. If a team starting from Jolinson's Rapids could go to Milwaukee and bring back two barrels of flour and one of pork and a few other light articles in a week's time, it was considered doing well. In 1838, a great many settlers came and located on Rock River. It was thought then that the river would soon become navigable and be a great water-course. It was expected that a canal would be constructed to connect Lake Michigan with tlie head-waters of the river a few miles below the Rapids. The Government appropriated a tract of land for the purpose, but the project was soon abandoned, and, in 1842, the land was placed in the market. Among the first settlers along the river were Mr. Chadwick, A. Boomer, David Temple, Oliver Bennett, John Fitzgei'ald, Mr. Cushman, Mr. Grey, Samuel Harmison, Marks Doestrander, Dudley Little, Timothy Powell, Isaac Har-' mison, Mr. Phillips and Mr. Bushnel.

In 1839, the settlers began to raise some grain, consisting chiefly of corn and wheat. They were quite successful in this pursuit, but to get it ground was a hard task, as they were obliged to go to Beloit. There was not a board or shingle used to build the settlers' houses. Some of them had no floors, but instead, pieces of timber called puncheon were placed on the ground to answer in place of floors. Roofs were made of bark peeled from trees, with chimneys running up from them made of sticks plastered together with clay. Forty years ago, mails were carried on horseback, traveling done by stage, and shipping done by water. There has also been a marvelous change in agricultural and mechanical pursuits. The pioneers of this county were made up, generally, of young, healthy and robust men, who were not afraid to face danger or to endure hardships to obtain free and good homes. But they are fast passing away, and in a short time it will be diflicult to find any of the old pioneers that settled here in 1837 or in 1838.

In the spring of 1837, the family of James Rogan was added to the population of the settlement, also several young bachelors. Among the latter were Amasa Hyland, Luther A. Cole, John W. Cole, John Richards, Silas W. Newcomb, Calvin M. Boughton, William M. Dennis and Peter V. Brown. In the month of May, of that year, George J. Goodhue built a double saw-mill and put a dam across Rock River, the first ever built on that stream, either in Wisconsin or Illinois. The mill was ready for work in December following and began to turn out lumber. In 1841, James Rogan erected another saw-mill on the west side of the river, which was, in the fall of 1812, purchased by Cole, Bailey & Co., who, in 1843, built what was long known as the " old yellow grist-mill." The population at that time numbered about two hundred, and the site of the present city of Watertown was laid out in blocks and lots, Milo Jones, still living, a resident of Fort Atkinson, being the surveyor. It might be stated here, the claim is made in Watertown that the first death in the county occurred near that place, in January, 1837, being that of Thomas Bass, thus contradicting the generally accepted belief that E. Foster, Sr., who died near Fort Atkinson, October 10, 1837, was the first to depart this life in Jefferson County. It seems that Bass, together with Charles Seaton and Ezra Doliver, while on a "lark," took refuge in a log house which stood near the present site of Doering's Mill. While there, Ba?s accidentally fell into the fire, receiving injuries which caused his death in a short time. This, unless successfully contradicted, disposes of the question finally. A coffin from hewn pieces of basswood was prepared and the remains interred a short distance from where the old schoolhouse stood in 1853, the prayer on that occasion being oflered by William Brayton, of Aztalan. Rumors that his death was caused by violence being circulated, a Coroner from Milwaukee caused the remains to be disinterred and an inquest to be held. At its conclusion, Doliver and Seaton were arrested and taken to Milwaukee, where they were tried and acquitted.

Fokt Atkinson

The settlement of Hebron and Fort Atkinson are intimately associated, that of the latter following the former only by a few months. According to one account, the first settlement was not made there until about October, 1836, when Dwight Foster, brotlier of Alvin Foster, upon the solicitation of the " Rock River Claim Company," came from Milwaukee, accompanied by David Bartlett and William Pritchard, and selected a spot eight miles west of Bark River Mill, near the old fort - Pritchard and Bartlett remaining to build a cabin while Foster i-eturned to Milwaukee, for his family.

Mr. Foster, in his account, places the arrival of himself and companions at the fort at an earlier date, for he states that the erection of the cabin was cpramenced on the 2d of September, 1836. He was formerly from Madison County, N. Y., whence he departed in May, 1836, and i)roceeded to Oswego, where he embarked on a schooner for Milwaukee, arriving at his destination in June. Having secui'ed comfortable quarters for his family at that point, he canvassed the country for a place to locate, and, after spending considerable time in viewing lands, decided to settle at Fort Atkinson. At the date above mentioned (September 2), he commenced building a log cabin on the east side of Rock River, a short distance above the fort. When the work on the cabin was well underway, he returned to Milwaukee for his family, which consisted of his wife and a child three years old (now Mrs. C. Southwell, of Milwaukee). He left that city on the 2d of November, 1836, accompanied by Aaron Rankin, for his home in the wilderness. Their progress was slow, however. The first night out the company lodged near Prairieville (now Waukesha) in a shanty owned and occupied by Mr. Walton ; the second day Muckawanago was reached and Mr. Ranus, a resident of that settlement, ofliciated as host ; the third day they arrived at Troy, and on the fourth day night overtook them on Rock Prairie, where they were obliged to encamp, supperless and without shelter. Mr. Foster was taken sick that night and the outlook was decidedly gloomy. The following morning, they resumed their journey, and during the day arrived at .Janesville, where Mr. Foster was compelled by sickness to take to his bed. He recovered, however, sufficiently to continue the trip on the ne.xt day, but, in attempting to strike the army trail, became bewildered in the prairie fog and wandered about until noon. The day was dark and gloomy, and at night they halted at Otter Creek, where one of their horses f^ll down in the harness completely e.xhausted. That evening, Rankin shot a prairie chicken, which, with some potatoes purchased at Janesville, constituted their supper. It soon commenced raining in torrents, and, to add to their discomfort, the horses wandered off, and considerable time was lost in searching for their whereabouts. They were secured and the coinjjany kept on, reaching their cabin at 2 o'clock the same day, which had been completed and was then occupied by Pritchard and Bartlett. On reaching home, Mr. Foster learned that two yoke of oxen belonging to him had strayed and were not to be found. Flour and pork began to be scarce and he dispatched Bartlett to Milwaukee for supplies, which he failed to obtain. Luckily, he had a barrel of flour at Prairieville, which Bartlett went for and obtained, freighting the same to Rock River, three miles above the fort, on a crotched stick of timber drawn by o.xen. Tlie river at that time was covered by ice not sufficiently strong to bear any considerable weight, and Bartlett followed the stream down to its junction with Bark River, where, by felling a tree and the help of a canoe, he succeeded in getting over, leaving the flour and oxen on the opposite side. The next day, Mr. Foster, with the assistance of Bartlett and Rankin, drew the barrel on the ice, which had become stronger, and, after getting it into the river a number of times, at last got it housed in the cabin. His wife and daughter were the first white women and the first white family domiciled in the county of Jefferson.

The excitement produced in the Eastern States by the settlements in Wisconsin was great, and many, hearing of the success of their former neighbors and others, hastened to avail themselves of the opportunities afforded for fortune and distinction in the Northwest. Fort Atkinson receive<l accessions at intervals during the years immeiliately succeeding its settlement, and among those who came were the families of Edwin N. and Alvin Foster, Rufus C. Dodge and family, the Winslows, the Finches, the Crane boys, E. Foster, Sr., and wife, Calvin West, E. Kinney, Charles Rockwell, and Aaron Allen and family, with numerous others who have left no record of their experiances.

E. Foster, Sr., died October 10, 1837, and was buried on the hill to the east of the settlement, Charles Rockwell reading the funeral service of the Episcopal Church at his interment. His death is recorded as the first to take place in the county, but. as has been stated, that of Thomas Bass, near Watcrtown. in January, 1837, claims precedence.

The first birth in the county occurred at Fort Atkinson, as also did the first marriage, the former being E. J., a son of E. N. Foster, and the latter the marriage of William Pritchard.

Mrs. Mary Turner, a pioneer lady, relates her experiences and observations in Jefferson County about Fort Atkinson, during the days when modes of life were rude and the surroundings anything but pleasant. Her contribution was published in the Jefterson Banner of June 10, 1875, in which she says: " We came to W^isconsin in tlie fall of 184;'); stayed in Bark River woods, now called Hebron, through the winter, and then, one bright morning in 1846, we took our few household goods on one wagon, and two yoke of oxen, started for our fann at Oakland Center, purchased the fall before, but which I had never seen. As the wagon went trundling on throuirh the woods, I remember the road was very roufrh, and so, with mv babe in my arms, I ])referred walking most of tlie way. And here let me say I was not unmindful of the grandeur and beauty of the forest of that early time. The old trees that had swung their naked branches in the wintry winds, were then putting out their garments of loving green ; and theti there were sudden scamperings among the dry leaves, and squirrels bounded past and darted up the trees and cliattered from the boughs as if they expected us in hot pursuit. The songs of the birds had that peculiar musical melody known only to the woods. And then, for the first time, I saw the spring flowers of Wisconsin. They looked so fresh, peeping from their beds of dry leaves, tliat I often turned aside to pluck them ; and, as I did so, I was reminded of Eastern friends that had hunted with me the first spring flowers of York State, in my girlhood. Taking it altogether, that walk was not an unpleasant one. After some three or four hours' travel^ we came to a marsh - I know I could not find that path to-day - and as I saw the feet of the cattle sink deep into the mire, I gave one look over that marsh, and it seemed almost as dangerous as i voyage across the ocean. We had gone but a few rods when down went our wagon clear to the bubs in mud on one side ; I was quickly off on the other, and stood by the cattle while my husband ran back to the nearest house for assistance. He soon made his appearance with a man - I think his name was Huzzy - and never shall I forget the broad, honest faces of his cattle and their sinewy limbs ; with their united strength, our wagon was soon out. I did .not dare trust myself on a seat so dangerous again, so, with my babe in my arms, I skipped from log to log, crossed the marsh, and took a seat on the hard land on the other side. As I sat there, watching the team slowly coming up, I was not at all discouraged with the prospects of coming West, for I thought we should go back in a few years, rolling in wealth. Such is the illusion 3f youth.

" There was a beautiful haze hung over Wisconsin that day, and, as I sat there, a band of little gophers came and played around me. I had never seen one of these animals before, and ;heir peculiar striped and spotted backs excited my curiosity ; I remember thinking they were a iind of calico chipmunk, and could almost touch them with my hand. I thought, at the time, ;hey were not familiar with the human face and knew no fear; and I think so still, for I have lever seen any so tame since. At length my husband drew up, and said there was a little village ust beyond, where we would stop and refresh the cattle. I told him the hot sun had made me a little ;ick and faint and I did not care for a very substantial meal, but he might purchase a few crackers uul a little cheese, if they had them. I again took a seat upon the wagon, and it seemed an ncredible short space of time when lo ! the little village burst upon our view. And it was a ittle village in every sense of the word, I can tell you - the present village of Fort Atkinson. 3ur team drew up in front of Uncle Dwight Foster's tavern, and, though I had never seen lim, his name had become a household word in Bark River woods, and a stranger at that time vould have thought everyone had an " Uncle Dwight," as he was familiarly called, all the counry round. I went in, and I never shall forget how clean Mrs. Foster's kitchen was. And here et it be known, that it is my mission to tell everything that happened that day, just as I remem- )er it now. Mrs. Foster was making dried-apple pies and seasoning them with nutmeg, and the iroma was very pleasant. She was flitting back and forth from her pantry to her oven, as busy , LS a bee. There was a man and his wife boarding there, and their eldest child, a little girl, eemed to be a privileged character. She was hopping and jumping, and running hither and roil, all over the house. I took a seat in the dining-room, and presently Uncle Dwiglit appeared vith the crackers and cheese, which he handed to me with a kindly word. I remember thinking it the time I had never seen so genial a countenance before, and I know I never have since. He Vint, and I was left alone, when, all at once, that little girl came bounding up, and, child-like, vith one sweep of her little hand, deposited almost all of ray crackers and cheese into her little ipron, and off she went into the bar-room. Here, then, was a dilemma. 1 did not like to rise and bllow, so I was about consoling myself with my loss, when Uncle Dwight saw them in her apron. :Ie opened the door again and his genial countenance beamed in upon me. He seemed to com- )rehend the situation at once, and he said, " Here, my young lady, you are a little out of your iphere," and he immediately brought in another plate of crackers and cheese. As I sat there, mjoying my lunch, I cast my eyes out into the kitchen, where Uncle Dwight's daughter, Celestia, vas seated rather lazily in her chair, and, with scissors, thimble, needle and thread, preparing to Iress a doll for this same little girl. She measured for waist and sleeves and then for a skirt, )ut she somehow seemed to think the task of putting them together too laborious when once cut. Vll at once a bright thought seemed to strike her. She cut a piece of cloth perfectly round, hen she clipped two little holes for arms and one for the head, then drew the piece on over the lead of the doll, poked the arms through, tied a string around the waist, and that doll was dressed n a jiffy. She took it by the head and handed it to the little girl, saying, " Here, I have worked ill I am going to for you to-day." How many, many times since that day, when my own little ;irl.s have been playing around the floor with their dolls, have I dressed them after Celestia's eamless method - and never have I so dressed one but I thought of her. She seemed a child of some seven or eiglit summers, at that time. She wore the same countenance then that she wears to-day, and the same good heart was beating in her bosom. She is now the wife of Mr. South- Well, of Fort Atkinson.

" At length the cattle were brought around and I again took a seat in the wagon. Uncle Dwight came out and gave me a kind word of cheer, and we soon found ourselves nearing Rock River bridge. I remember thinking it a very frail and flimsy concern. It had no railing on either side ; it was not much like the noble structure that spans that river to-day. I remember thinking as we neared it, ' now we must drive exactly in the center or those boards will tip up,' and when the feet of the cattle struck the bridge I thought. ' now if they should crowd as cattle sometimes do, there will be no room for either ox, and oif we shall go.' But notwithstanding all my foolish fears, we crossed that bridge in safety, and there was nothing happened worthy of note until we had gone about five miles on our journey, and were nearing the farms of James and Jerod Crane. The shades of night were gathering around us, and the cattle that had started out so spry and willing in the morning, now seemed weary and worn, as they moved with a slow and measured tread. We were congratulating ourselves that we were almost at the end of our journey, when down went the wagon again up to the hubs in mud. Presently James and Jerod appeared upon the scene with tlieir cattle. There are many of the old settlers of to-day who will remember that gay, laughing, fun-loving Jerod. It took them some time to get the wagon out of that monstrous mud-hole. Jerod laughingly said, ' there is no sense in a man that will settle in the road when the land is so cheap in Wisconsin.' I thought I would walk along and let the team overtake me, but in passing the house of Mrs. James Crane, she stood in the door and hniled me with a polite 'good morning.' It looked so inviting there, and she seemed so friendly with all, that I turned aside and for the first time entered her house. She seemed overjoyed with the prospect of a new neighbor. She brought new milk for my babe, and she and James oftered us the hospitality of their house for the night, but we were young and ambitious then and determined to reach our destination that night. So I again took a seat upon the wagon, and when our team drew up in front of our log house at Oakland Center, the people that were stopping there for a few days were all in bed and sound asleep. Shades of Robert Bonner! think of that, ye fast ones. From Hebron to Oakland Center, from dewy morn 'till pitch-black night, a distance of about fifteen miles. They soon roused themselves from their slumbers, however, and we were kindly received, and I think our dreams were pleasant.

" And here I would like to tell something of our seven years in Oakland. I could tell of the foot-paths running through the meadows, where we went to and fro in getting acquainted with our new neighbors. I could tell of sickness, sorrow and death ; for troubles we had, and severe ones. I could tell how our kind neighbors came from over the fields, and closed the eyes and folded the iiands (so kindly and so lovingly) over the bosoms of our dead ones. I could tell of a spring of pure cold water that boiled and bubbled near our door, and from it ran a tiny brook, and all day long the little waves danced and sung, and I thought they had such a joyous flow. But the summer after our great sorrow, as I sat in mylow cabin door, the little waves seemed to sigh, and sob, and gurgle, and murmur as they bounded on over the pebbles, and every night there would come a mourning dove and set himself down by the little brook and seem to sing to us of our lost ones. In speaking of my neighbors of that earlj' day. I cannot forbear mentioning one name - Levi Franciscoe's wife of Oakland, and I think it is not saying too much when I say no better woman lives. Yes, Ester, ' We have been friends together, in sunshine and in shade.' " was first visited for a place of settlement by Timothy Johnson and Thomas Brayton, on the 31st of October, 1836. The latter left "his home in the State of New York for the Far West, as it was then called, September 2, 1836. After attending to the shipping of his household effects, from Sackett's Harbor and Lewiston, he came overland to Michigan City, where himself and family took passage on the schooner Martin Van Buren for Milwaukee. A

Stress of weather obliged the craft to land at Chicago, where she was run into and sunk, Mr. Brayton continuing his journey to Milwaukee by land, arriving there on the 12th or l-ith of October of the same year. There he left his family, and with Walter Hyer, N. F. Hyer, Timothy Johnson and Reuben Keene, started for Rock River on the 26th of that month. After five days "tramping" through the Indian trails, Messrs. Brayton and Johnson reached the "Ancient City," the balance of the party, with all the horses, having left them on the 30th of October, while the twain made their way up Rock River in a canoe to where a company of men were splitting rails, to procure provisions. Having obtained some flour, and remaining with the woodmen over night. Brayton and Johnson left them at the break of day and paddled their canoe to a point on the Crawfish where they were to meet their comrades, but which, owing to some unexplained reason, they failed to do. After spending a day or more in exploring the country and making claims, the company returneil to Milwaukee, and, upon completing preparations therefor, once more set out upon their trip to Aztalan re-enforced by William Brayton, Stephen Fletcher, the Rev. J. F. Ostrander and others, and reaching their objective point at the end of seven days' journey. Thomas Brayton's house, fitted up for the accommodation of visitors, landlookers, pleasure or hunting parties, was built of logs in the rough, being 16x20 feet in dimensions, furnished with a " deal table " brought from the East, two or three benches, and chairs made on the spot with such tools as an ax, a draw-shave, auger and jack-knife, some with backs but more without. The bedsteads were erected in the corners of the house by boring holes in the logs at the proper width and length for the beds, into which rails were forced, while the vacant corners were supplied with upright pos.ts reaching to the roof on which the end and side rails were supported. Mr. Brayton's family arrived in Aztalan on the 1st of July, 1837, being the third family in the county, though Capt. Masters had a daughter who kept house for him as did Reuben Keene, and Mrs. B. lived four months in her new home without seeing a white woman - Miss Keene excepted.

In the following June, Frederick Laudit, George Hebard, Henry Edwards, James Edwards and tiie fomily of Stephen Fletcher settled there. During the fall, there was a number of additional arrivals, including James L. Manville and his family. B. B. Chambers and wife came West in the spring of 1838. She made a claim to lands which was disputed by Thomas Brayton and others, who, after a warm contest with the madame, were compelled to acquiesce in her demands. It seems that she was a woman who dared to maintain her rights, or fancied rights. in defiance of opposition. Her husband, it i^ said, at one time was accustomed to collect into his cabin the vagrant Indians who always assemble about a new settlement, and, dosing them with fire-water, render the interior of the home himself and wife occupied utterly uninhabitable. She commanded him to desist, to which he paid no attention, and, upon a repetition of the offense, she stopped up the chimney from the roof, thereby smoking the interlopers, together with her liusband, out into the field, and refusing him admission to the domestic hearth until he pledged himself to reform.

Public worship was established in Aztalan in 1837, and, in the spring following, a Baptist Church was organized north of the settlement, presided over by Elder Mathews. During his pastorate, and in the spring of 1838, Reuben Keenes' three children - Ephraim, Delia and Phcebe - were baptized in Crawfish River, in the presence of the settlers and a tribe of Indians. In the same spring, Aztaline, daughter of Alfred Brayton, was born, and is claimed to have been the first girl born in that vicinity. It might be stated that the first cows imported into that section were brought about the same time by Jeremiah Brayton, who procured them at Janesville and drove them home, the envied though admired of his neighbors. When that gentleman, with his family and a party of settlers, were en route to Aztalan, they reached Concord after dark and took possession of a cabin occupied by three bachelor brothers named Sacia. The emigrants made their supper on potatoes, and slept on the floor, the bachelor hosts keeping guard through the silent watches of the night, standing barefoot in the corners of the cabin, nearly paralyzed with amazement at the presence of women in their stronghold.

When the pioneer invoice of settlers arrived at the "ancient city" and joined issue for thi possession of claims, J. F. Ostrander, Thomas Brayton and N. F. Hyer looked the ground ovei and selected an entire section of land for educational purposes. This incident of civilization wai to he promoted through the agency of a school, the chief feature of the curriculum of wliicl should be a course of "manual labor," with the Rev. Mr. Ostrander as President, Faculty anc Dean. Before arrangements had been completed, N. P. Hawks put in his claim to a quarter section of the land to be devoted to educational purposes, and, before the projectors of the enter prise were aware of the progress that had been made in perfecting title, he had nearly completer his cabin. When this fact was brought to the notice of the "Trustees, ' one of the Fosters accompanied by James Paine, N. F. Hyer, Henry Pellet, and others, visited the intruder's fielc of operations, and proceeded to demolish his castle. While thus occupied. Hawks appeare( upon the scene, armed with a ponderous horse-pistol, and, arresting the quartette, marched then before Alvin Foster, who held them to appear before the Circuit Court at Milwaukee. Theii appearance was never entered, but Hawks remained in undisturbed possession of " Seminary Hill," which has thus far been denied occupation by the advocates of a school to be devoted t( science and manual labor.

Among the settlers who established themselves in Aztalan Township previous to 1840 there were Harvey Foster, Thomas Brayton, Jeremiah Brayton, William Brayton, James L Thayer, Captain of the steamer built at Aztalan by N. P. Hawks, in 18oU ; James Paine, H H. Sedgwick, J. F. Ostrander, D. Pellet, Henry Pellet, Judge Hyer, George Hyer, Samue Hosley, H. L. Foster, James L. Manville, John C. Starkweather, Harvey Smith, N. P. Hawks Dr. Delafield, B. B. Chambers, J. M. Brown (who built the stone mill now owned by Richan Hooper, on the road between Lake Mills and Milford) Benjamin Baldwin, David Ingram Reuben Keene, George Hebard, Benjamin Babcock, Frederick Launt, Capt. Keyes, and others

In those days, the settlers experienced the utmost difficulty in procuring the neces.saries o life, there being a time when Reuben Keene's family existed for three weeks on bull-pouts am sheepheads caught in the river. Flour was obtained at the mills in Beloit, Oconomowoc. Rock ford. 111., and elsewhere, and, as liquor was a luxury equally as difficult of procuration temperance, as a rule, prevailed. One day, when Capt. Keyes had obtained a quantity o flour from Thomas Brayton, he started for home, and, to save time and distance, attempted t( ford the river. By some means, he miscalculated the depth, and, almost before he was awan of it, he walked into a quicksand and narrowly escaped drowning, his flour dissolving into noth ingness. When he realized the calamity which had overtaken him, he sat down on the bank am sought consolation in tears. The hardships they endured or were compelled to endure, wouh appall the stoutest heart of to-day.

L.Ake Mills

Next in. order of settlement, according to date, was Lake Mills, at which point, on what ii now known as "Rock Lake," a settlement was begun early in 1837. How early the initiators measures looking to the establishment of a home in this immediate section of the country wen undertaken, is not of record. The first authentic account of any being made locates them, as tc time, in May of that year, and E. L. Atwood and brother, with Jacob Gause, as the adven turous pilgrims. Tiiey came from Massachusetts in 1836, and became of the number o ambitious claim-seekers to be found about that time frequenting the highways and by-ways o the future enterprising " Cream City," and as soon as they had possessed themselves entirely o the object of their visit, which was hitherto vested in Royal Tyler, began to make such improve ments of their domain as were in harmony with comfort, if devoid of the luxury, to be seen on theii " claims " by the casual observer of to-day. These consisted of a block-house, which was completed in the fall, and shielded them from the winter's cold, as also the potatoes they harvestec as their winter's store. Early in the following spring new settlers were added to the futun village. In the summer, Mr. Atwood's sisters came on from Milwaukee, and, beaming upor the settlement like a glint of sunlight across the patJiway of benighted wanderings, added { charm to the wilderness, rich in its emerald foliage theretofore unknown. In the fall, and when the forests were freighted witli badges of mourning, not fresh flowers, and the dying year followed the song of the lark and the ruin of tlie rainbow, more settlers came and made for themselves an habitation and a name. These consisted of the parents of Mr. Atwood, their brothers and E. L. Atwood and family, with Capt. Joseph Keyes, who too was accompanied by his family. The latter appreciating the value of the water-power, began its improvement; and, during the year 1839, commenced the building of a mill, which was completed and began operations before winter set in. George Farmer and wife, who had gone West with Capt. Keyes, returned to Herkimer Co.. N. Y., after they had seen the infant settlement struggle into vitality and strength ; and thus was Lake Mills Township to-day a cultivated, fruitful and wealthy factor of the county first inhabited.

The first marriage in the township was that celebrated between Royal Phelps and Rosaline Colton, in .January, 1839. Mrs. John Atwood's was the first death, occurring in November, 1845 ; and William Henry Atwood, son of E. L. and Sarah Atwood, the first birth of which there has been any record kept.

The settlement of Jefferson Township is accredited to Rodney J. Currier and Andrew Lansing, who came into the county from the East in December, 1836. and located at a point on the northwest quarter of Section 10, where they erected a log cabin. Claims to territory in the township had been made prior to this, and Timothy Johnson averred that he had become a resident thereof in the February jirevious ; but the settlement perfected by Currier and Lansing is generally believed to have been the first permanently established. They enjoyed the same experience recorded of others who ventured into the wilds of the West, and though they are rapidly becoming mere traditions, there are some of the witnesses left yet, who will recall the incidents in those days occurring. The provisions of the settlers were obtained from Milwaukee, where $30 was paid per barrel'for pork, $15 for flour and $1G each for transportation.

The next permanent settler was Capt. Robert Masters. This gentleman left Milwaukee in December, 1836, in company with N. F. Hyer, James L. Thayer, John Jones, George Hyer and Mr. Van Deven, to take a trip to Rock River for the purpose of making a claim. The company reached Rock River about the 24th of the same month, and proceeded thence to where Aztalan now stands. He passed Christmas with Lomira Brayton, and then, accompanied by Mr. Thayer and two other men, went over to Johnson's Creek. The day following, he drove dowrt the Crawfish to its junction with Rock River, near which Mr. Masters marked his claim to the land upon which he subsequently resided. The party then continued on their return to Milwaukee, taking Fort Atkinson and Bark River en route, arriving home about the last of December.

On New Year's Day, 18-37, Capt. Masters, with his son Eugene, John Jones and a hired man, began his second trip to Jefferson. The company reached Prairieville at dark, wiiere they passed the night, and where they fell in with Maj. Meacham, who was supplied with an abundance of whisky, through the agency of which the night was passed at least pleasantly. Capt. Masters reached his claim about the 4th of January, and at once began the erection of a shanty, which was finished and a fire kindled on the night of the second day. About the 7th of January, Capt. Masters went to Bark River afjter a part of his family ; on hi& return, was accompanied by his two boys and daughter Evaline, who was the first white woman to settle in Jeft'erson.

Enoch G. Darling came in August, 1837. He was a native of Vermont, but becoming; affected with the prevailing Western fever, started toward that favored region, arriving at Chicago in 1832, where he erected the second frame building in the present city by the lake. In. 1835, he went to Milwaukee, where he put up the first storehouse and tavern, remaining thereuntil February, 1837, when he visited Rock River, as the agent of the Rock River Claim Company, charged with the work of building a saw-mill, which was then in process of constructior* on Bark River, and where he put up the first frame building in the county.

During this season, Mr. Darling built a boat, and, in the month of August as above stated, removed with his family by the way of Rock and Bark Rivers to the place where Jefferson now stands, his being the first boat ever floated by a white man on Rock River in Wisconsin.

Mr. Rufus C. Dodge, at present residing a short distance west of Fort Atkinson, landed a1 Milwaukee on the 1st day of August, 183G, from Augusta, Oneida Co., N. Y. " After a few days' stay," in tliat future city of wealth, he says, " Alvin Foster, David Sargent and mysel; started for Bark River on foot, our baggage being packed on one horse. There was no roac from Prairieville to Bark River but an Indian trail, nor a shanty on the route or at the latter named place. Our lodgings were the best we could find under some large oak. I made but i short stay before returning to Milwaukee after my effects, with the intention of working fori company which was about to build a saw-mill at Bark River. On the trip from Milwaukee t( Bark River, with an ox team, we cut our road thi-ough in four days, a distance of forty-five miles The most of the way, however, needed but little cutting, it being openings and prairie. Aftei reaching Bark River, we left our team on the east side, crossed over to camp ourselves agair under an old oak, and, while as comfortable as we could be, the wolves laid claim to our bag gage on the other side of the river, distant some six or eight rods from camp, and, for want o something better, pretty nearly devoured my blacksmith's bellows. At this time, the 'neares family was at Prairieville on one side and Janesville on the other. * * * * ^

" The next February," he continues, " I left for the East for my family and returnee them about the 1st of July, 1837, coming through with teams, finding no grains thii side of Chicago, and the teams nearly dead, when I moved with Alvin Foster into a log housi on the west bank of Rock River, in the town of Jefferson, my family being the sixth in th( house.

" Aside from whom lived in that house, there were only four or five families in town : non( where the village of Jefferson now stands. The next March, I moved on to my farm, where ] now live, in the southwestern part of Jefferson. My nearest neighbor at this time on the wes was one at the lakes near Madison, some twenty-five miles distant ; and f3r two years after mj first arrival in the county, there was not a family in the whole body of timber east of the river except at Bark River and Piperville, since Ixonia. That part of Jefferson lying west of th( river was rapidly settled, principally by the people from the States of New York and Vermont That part lying east of the river, being heavily timbered, settled slower and principally by Germans, excepting the village, which is settled by Americans."

By gradual steps, will it thus be seen, were the several townships composing the countj of Jefferson settled. There were other settlements attempted and effected, notably among th( latter, Johnson's Creek, all of which are treated in their proper places. Thrift, industry anc enterprise have attended all these small beginnings, until to-day the wilderness of half a century ago is a garden smiling with plenty, affording happiness not only to the rich but the poor, and indubitable evidence of the character of a people who have been trusted in many high offices and critical enterprises, and found faithful in all.

Ixonia, the extreme northeast of Jefferson County townships, was first settled in February 1838, by Benjamin Piper, wlio came with his family at that date, and established them on s farm in the center of the present village of Ixonia. In June, 1835, Mr. Piper left Erie County. N. Y., for the Far West, and arrived in Milwaukee about the 1st of July following, where he put up for the night at the house of a man named Chase, who resided at the mouth of the river, The next day he visited the city, which at that time contained five or six frame dwellings, s small tavern, fifteen or twenty log cabins, and one or two groceries. The land in the vicinity o: Milwaukee was not surveyed at that time, except a fractional section where the city now stands, but the buildings were generally filled every evening by people who had come for the purpose of claiming land. Many of them made money by selling claims to people who were unfortunate in arriving in town after claims had been made, and, as Mr. Piper was one of these, he was compelled to go five miles back of town before he was able to procure a pie(!e of land that had not been taken up.

In the following spring, he went after his family, returning in July and settling upon his claim, where they remained until the spring of 1837, when he determined to visit the Rock River country, and accordingly started thither in the month of June. He first visited Watertown, where he found a few log huts, inhabited by settlers, all strong in the faith of seeing that vicinity the head-waters of steamboat navigation within a few years. Encouraged by such flattering prospects, and being well pleased with the country, he concluded to make a claim on the river above Johnson's Rapids, and returned home. In September and October of that year, he revisited his claim, in company with his two sons, Harrison and Elijah, and built two log cabins, one for old Mr. Adams, the other for himself. In December, he again came out, this time in company with his son Samuel, finished his house, and, having disposed of his Milwaukee property, thereafter was recognized as the first settler in Ixonia. The town was included in Watei'town for two or three years, when Towns 7 and 8, in Range 16, were set oif into a separate town by the name of Union. These were again divided, and Town 7 called Concord, Town 8 I.xonia.

Incidents Of Pioneer Life

The county history would be incomplete was not some reference made to the thousand and one accidents and incidents which attended .its settlement. The hardships they encountered would terrify the modern type of the pioneer; but the "discussions " they had with want, the elements, the savages and other incidents, as also their " 'scapes by flood and field," were the peculiar concomitants to civilization in a country where, theretofore, savagery, if not uncondoned barbarism had prevailed. Supplementary to these annoyances, was the difiiculty e.xperienced in procuring the necessaries of life, and the cost thereof, which was, in some instancesextravagant beyond comparison with the choicest luxuries of the present day.

No better idea of the prices of commodities can be given, than by citing, among other facts, that two strangers out prospecting, in the spring of 1837, paid Mrs. Robert Masters $1 per peck for oats. At that period, everything was in proportion. Pork was $21 and flour $41 per barrel. Oxen were $150 a yoke, and cows .§40 per head. As one of the old settlers remarked to the historian, " those days were not as perfect as a day in June."

Wolves, Indians And Trials

But if comforts were scarce and luxuries unknown, wolves and Indians were plenty. The latter were not specially dangerous, but wolves would often come up to within a few feet of the cabin doors, and steal the settlers' pigs and hens. During the winter of 1841, while Benjamin Piper was making his way home from Watertown, one moonlight night, he perceived a large gray wolf crossing the path immediately in front of him. Pretty soon another wolf crossed his way, and, skulking into a clump of bushes, began a blood-curdling howling. This was kept up until Mr. Piper reached the clearing opposite his house, when a special Providence scared his harassers off, and he escaped injury.

A similar experience befell the Rev. J. F. Ostrander while making a trip from Aztalan to Milwaukee in 1837. He had crossed Rock River on a raft, and followed one trail after another until he struck into a deer's trail which led into a thicket of bushes. Night was upon him, and gathering a lot of bark, he pitched his quarters in a felled treetop, first starting up a fire to dry his wet clothes and thaw his frozen boots. He soon discovered that he was surrounded by a pack of lank, lean, savage and hungry-looking wolves, who made night hideous, and reduced the unfortunate besieged to a condition of apprehension and discomfort, in comparison with which his previous experiences had been, as it were, days of innocent happiness. He had r.n gun witli him, but having heard of tlie mortal fear possessed by the brutes for fire, he caught up first one brand and tlien another, cutting all manner of circles with them, capering about as actively as a dancing Dervishce, and accompanying the exercise with such yells that the wolves were put to flight, and he escaped to Pratt's tavern.

The Indians, though not as fierce, were equally annoying, and sources of constant wrong and solicitude to the settlers lest they should rob them of every portable article available for home consumption or utility. One day, while Dwight Foster was approaching his house with a ritlc thrown over his shoulder, he discovered a number of Indians about a flour barrel, from which one of them was 'distributing the contents. Upon seeing Mr. Foster, the party of thieve; escaped to their canoes, into which they jumped and were soon out of reach. The next day. the head man of the tribe visited Mr. F., and explaining that the act of the day before had noi only been condemned by the tribe, but had entailed punishment on the guilty parties, asked hire to smoke the pipe of peace, and bury the occurrence from memory. This was done, and Mr, Foster was never troubled again.

After getting to housekeeping, the same gentleman experienced the utmost difficulty in obtaining provisions. lie had sent to Milwaukee after a lot, but, before its arrival, he was obliged to depend on his rifle for his daily sup])lies for the family. In this emergency, even thai recourse was uncertain ; but, on a lucky trip to the woods, it had supplied him with a coon, and it was not until the family was in the act of picking its last bones, on Christmas Eve, that tht long looked-for provisions arrived.

In the fall of 183-5, Mr. Burnett and Mr. Clyman left Milwaukee for Rock River. In about a week, Clyman returned, having been woundeil by the Indians, and reported Burnett tc have been killed. On receipt of this news, Enoch G. Darling, with ten or twelve others, lefl Milwaukee with guns and knapsacks to' find the body of Burnett and chastise the Indians. They pursued as far as the )ilace where Mayvillc now stands, where they found the Indian camp where Burnett was killed, but no trace of the body, and, being unable to eff'ect its discovery, returned to Milwaukee.

In the spring of 1836, the first post office in the county was established at Aztalan, and. there being no mail route to accommodate it, George Ilyer was authorized by the Postmaster at Milwaukee to carry the mail through. It was a heavy responsibility - a small leathern pocket, such as is now used for way bills, containing two letters and a half-dozen papers, secured as became a United States mail bag - and, with this charge Mr. Hyer mounted his pony, and took the trail for Rock River. The first day, he reached Prairieville, the second night he passed at Rock River Mills, and. the third day. having in crossing a creek mistaken a deer run for the trail, he passed the nii?ht in the woods, reaching Rock River the next morninj; at the cabin of Capt. Masters, where he was ferried across in a canoe by the Captain's daughter, his pony swimming after, thus conferring upon a female the honor of ferrying the first mail across Rock River, lie reached Aztalan the same day, and the important event of overhauling the "pouch" was performed in the presence of the whole settlement, who individually enjoyed the privilege of looking at the letters, the papers being regarded as common property.

The first steamer to ripple the placid waters of the cheerful Crawfish and jump the rapid.* of Rock River, was that constructed by Capt. N. P. Hawks at Aztalan in 1839. During that season, the craft was launched and completed, and, under the pilotage of James L. Thayer, who, with his "gallant crew," proceeded in the direction of Jeff"erson, where, upon the boat's arrival, it was intended that the "merry maidens and the tar" would dream the happy hours away in worshiping at the shrine of Terpsichore. Thither sped the gallant craft until she had reached a place on the river a short distance above the objective point and nearly opposite the present Harvey Foster farm, when "rocks" in the river summarily checked her further advance, and there it remained until the cattle from adjoining " openings" were yoked up and these obstacles removed. The boat then continued to Jeft'erson, where a previously arranged programme was concluded, when she proceeded to the Mississippi, and for many years, according to report, breasted the angry waves of this inland sea.

The first ground broken for agricultural purposes in Jefferson is generally accredited to Jauies Paine and Squire Brayton. Robert Masters, about the year 1837, procured a set of irons made for a breaking plow, at Milwaukee. Not knowing any one near that settlement Avho knew how to "wood " the plow, he procured the services of a man near Prairieville to do the job, for which he paid him a bagatelle of $11 ; or rather he paid $7 and got trusted for $7, for which the laborer trusts him yet. While Capt. Masters was gone to the lakes, Mr. Paine and Squire Brayton borrowed the "' tool," and thus was lost to the gentleman to whom the honor was exclusively due, the privilege he so dearly coveted.

Historical Facts

Tiie first road constructed in the county is said to have been that from Watertown to Jefferson, Timothy Johnson, Philander Baldwin, Reeve Griswold and Charles Seaton being the builders, in the summer of 1836.

Judge Irvin is stated to have been the first Presiding Judge in the County ; Dr. Lucius I. Barber the first Clerk, and E. N. Foster the first Sheriff.

Squire Brayton is the first Justice the County Records note as having taken the oath of office as Justice of the Peace ; though it is a well-known fact that Alvin Foster officiated in that capacity previous to 1839.

Tlie first suit mentioned in the files is an action of replevin, instituted in June, and tried at the November term of the Circuit Court, 1839.

County Roster

Sheriff. - E. N. Foster, from 1843 to 181.5; L. A. Colo, to 1847 ; Royal Tyler, to 1849; Enieas D. Masters, to 1851 ; James Manville, to 1853 ; Austin Kellogg, to 1855 ; Joseph Giles, to 1857 ; Edward Rankin, to 1859 ; Joseph Giles, to 1861 ; H. Smith, to 1863 ; George Tiucks, to 1865; C. K. Zimmerman, to 1867 ; Joseph Giles, to 1869; Austin Kellogg, to 1871 ; Ernest Schwellenbach, to 1873; Ernest Off, elected in 1872, served one year, when the office was vacated by his death, when Joseph Giles was appointed his successor, and at the ensuing election was chosen Sheriff, remaining in office two years, being succeeded by the election of Earl Newton, who remained in office until 1879, when Alonzo Brown, the present officer, was awarded the certificate.

OUrk of the Circuit Court. - J. A. Hadley, from 1849 to 1851, the first election for this office of which there is any record ; H. F.' Pelton, to 1853 ; W. H. Besley, to 1855 ; H. F. Pelton, to 1857 ; S. T. Clothier, to 1861, having served two terms ; D. Ostrander, to 1863 ; John C. Kelley, to 1865, re-elected and remaining in office until 1867, when he was succeeded by P. N. VVaterbury, who served four terms, ending in 1875 ; D. E. Baker, to 1877, re-elected, but died on July 1, 1877, and P. N. Waterbury appointed to the vacancy thereby created, remaining in office until the election and qualification of C. F. Krebs, the present incumbent.

Register of Deeds. - Robert Masters, the first Register of Deeds who qualified in Jefferson County, was elected in September, 1839, and served until 1842, when he was succeeded by

County Treasurer. - E. C. Montague, elected in September, 1839, took his office in January, 1840, re-elected the two succeeding terms, serving until January 1, 1843, and was followed by E. G. Darling, who served until January 1, 1845; R. J. Currier, 1845; G. F. Markley, 1846; Andrew Lansing, 1847; William Lanphear, 1848; George Dow, elected under the State law for two years, but was removed, and J. W. Ostrander elected in 1840, holding office until January, 1851, when Myron Smitli (lualifiod as his successor ; Daniel Howell, 1853 ; Nelson Fryer, 1855 ; William Sanborn, 1857 ; D. F. Jones, 1859 ; W. Grant, 1861 ; S. Burns, 1863; W. S. Greene, 1865; Edmund Sweeney, 1867; John Malloy, 1869; W. A. Greene, 1871; George Foster. 1873; Frederick Buchholtz, 1875; Gideon Ives, 1877; W. C. Waldo, 1879.

District Attorney. - No officer serving during the Territorial government of the county. The first officer elected after the admission of the State was Daniel Dodge, who took his office 1, 1849, and served two j-ears, when he was succeeded by William Dutcher, January 1, 1851, who was re-elected and continued in office until January 1. 1855 ; L. B. Caswell, 1855 to 1857 ; Daniel Hall, to 1859 ; Harlow Pease, to 1861 ; Hiram Barber, to 1863; Myron B. Williams, to 1867 ; D. F. AVeymouth, to 1869 ; Myron B. Williams, to 1873 ; N. Steinaker, to 1875 ; W. H. Rogers, to 1877, re-elected; A. G. Steiner, present incumbent.

Surveyor. - The first Surveyor under territorial law was Milo Jones, elected in September, 1839, and continuing in office until January 1, 1845; L. P. Drake, 1845-46; Harvey Sanborn, 1847 ; J. W. Ostrander, 1848 : Levi P. Drake, elected under State Law, serving from January 1, 1849. until January 1, 1851 ; Alonzo AVing, to 1853, re-elected : A. H. AA'aldo, to 1857 ; L. P. Gilbert, to 1859, re-elected; C. P. Goodrich, 1861-63; H. Steger, to 1865. reelected; C. P. Goodrich, to 1869; K. P. Clark, to 1871, re-elected, and serving until 1877; J. D. Waterbury, elected, but failing to qualify, C. P. Goodrich was elected by the County Board to fill the unexpired term ending January 1, 1879, when he was succeeded by K. P. Clark, present Surveyor.

Members of the General Assembly. - Lucius I. Barber and James Sutherland, from 1840 to 1842 ; Robert Masters, 1843-44 ; Noah Phelps. 1845 : Mark Clapp, AVilliam M. Dennis and Noah Phelps, 1846 ; James Giddings, 1847 ; Levi P. Drake and Horace D. Patch, elected to the special session, convened October 27, 1847, re-elected to the terra of 1848. Members of the Assembly after the admission of AA'^isconsin into the Union - AA'ales Emmons, Peter H. Turner and Davenport Rood, 1848; Benjamin Nute, Jarvis K. Pike and AA'illiam H. Johnson, 1849; Abraham Vanderpool, Austin Kellogg and Alva Stewart, 1850; Alonzo AA^ing, Patrick Rogan and S. F. Clothier, 1851 ; Thomas R. Mott, A. H. Van Norstrand and Jacob Skinner, 1852 ; P. Rogan, .lames H. Ostrander, D. J. Powers, AA^ AA'^. AA^oodman and J. E. Holmes, 1853 ; C. J. Bell, D. L. Morrison, D. Reed, AA'. Eustis and Theodore Barnhardt, 1854 ; P.

Rogan, John Gibb, A. H. Van Norstrand, J. G. Merriam and Willard Grant, 1855 ; D. L. Morrison, W. Chappell, W. W. Woodman, H. C. Drake and D. Reed, 1856 ; Elatus M. Aspinwall, J. F. Ostrander, W. Chappell, W. M. Morse and K. P. Clark, 1857 ; Miles Holmes, G. C. Smith, P. Rogan, John Gibb and Harlow Pease, 1858 ; K. J. Craig, G. C. Smith, L. A. Cole, F. Wagner and S. J. Conklin, 1859 ; N. Horton, C. H. G. Hamraerquist, H. Smith, H. H. Winter and J. Sutton, 1860 ; J. D. Petrie, H. B. Willard, T. Prentiss, S. Hoyes and S. M. Cone, 1861 ; P. Rogan, W. S. Greene, W. W. Reed and J. B. Crosby, 1862 ; Emil Rothe, N. S. Greene, L. B. Caswell and J. M. Bingham, 1863 ; Robert Hass, A. B. Smith, Joseph Powers and James M. Bingham, 1864; Jonathan Piper, Gardner Spoor, Alanson Pike and W. P. Forsyth, 1865 ; P. Rogan, John Mosher, W. W. Reed and Henry Harnden, 1866 ; Thomas Shinnick, G. H. Bryant, VV. W. Reed and J. D. Petrie, 1867 ; Henry S. Howell, C. P. Goodrich, Jonas Folts and F. G. L. Struve, 1868; John Rutledge, S. J. Conklin, J. Winslow and J. M. Bingham, 1869; Daniel Hall, C. H. Phillips, R. H. Tousley and J. M. Bingham, 1870; Daniel Hall, W. L. Hoskins, N. Fryer and H. J. Ball, 1871 ; Daniel Hall, W. L. Hoskins and L. B. Caswell, 1872; Patrick Devy, C. H. Steinfort and J. W. Ostrander, 1878; Charles Becknal, Austin Kellogg and L. B. Caswell, 1874 ; Christian Mayer, Austin Kellogg and J. W. Osti'ander, 1875; Thomas Shinnick, Charles H. Phillips and David W.Curtis, 1876; Hezekiah Flinn, Charles H. Phillips and Adolf Scheuber, 1877 ; Hiram J. Ball, John D. Bullock and Hezekiah Flinn, 1878; J. W. Ostrander, John D. Bullock and Hezekiah Flinn, 1879.

Senators. - Ebenezer Brigham, 1838 ; Daniel S. Sutherland, 1839-40 ; Ebenezer Brigham, 1841-42 ; Lucius I. Barber, 1843-44 ; John Catlin, 1845-46 ; John E. Holmes, 1847-48. The first session of the State Legislature was convened on Monday, June 5, 1848, at which and thereafter the county of Jefferson was represented by the following Senators and Members of the General Assembly: William M. Dennis, 1848; James Giddings, 18.50; Alva Stewart, 1852; Daniel Howell, 1854 ; S. W. Barnes, 1856 ; William Chappell and Samuel C. Bean, in 1858, when the county formed a part of two Senatorial districts and so continued until 1862 ; William Chappell and E. D. Masters, 1859 ; Charles R. Gill and E. D. Masters, 1860 ; Charles R. Gill and E. Montgomery, 1861 ; E. Montgomery, 1862 ; J. D. Clapp, 1863-64 ; S. W. Budlong, 1865-6C; G. T. Thorn, 1867-68; W. W. Woodman, 1869-72; W. S. Greene, 1873-74; W. W. Reed, 1875-78 ; November, 1878, Charles H. Phillips elected, died January following before the Legislature convened. At a special election held January 20, 1879, J. B. Bennett, the present incumbent, elected.

Commissioners under the Territorial Government. - John A. Chadwick, D. Little and John Richards, 1839; John C. Gilman, John Richards and William Sacia, 1840; Robert Masters, John Richards and M. R. Clapp, 1841, when the office was changed to Supervisor.

Assessors. - D. W. Kellogg, J. Crane and Benjamin Nute, 1839 ; D. W. Kellogg, G. P. Marston and S. D. Stiles, 1840 ; George Hebard, Milo Jones and D. W. Kellogg, 1841.

Members of the First Constitutional Convention. - Patrick Rogan, Theodore Prentiss, Aaron Rankin, Elihu Atwood, Samuel T. Clothier, Peter H. Turner and George Hyer.

County Buildings

Court House. - During the days when Wisconsin was under Territorial government, court held in the Jefferson House, also in the second story of Sanborn's building on Main street, where tlie Sawyer House is now located. The last session was convened in this building in the spring of 1842, and the building itself was partially destroyed by fire on St. Patrick's Day, 1876, but ha.s since been rebuilt and reconstructed and is now known as the Sawyer House.

On January 6, 1842, William Sanborn closed a contract with Robert Masters, John Richards and M. 11. Clapp, Commissioners of Jeft'erson County, for the erection of a Court House, Jail and Sheriff's residence, on the public square. Mr. Sanborn employed George Crist and Daniel N. Miller to get out the timber and construct the building. These parties occupied the fall and winter of 1842 in preparing the material, and, early in that year, began to put it in place. This was completed during the spring of the same year, and, in June following, the frame of the Court House, which has since been occupied for judicial purposes, was raised, the same put under cover and sided up ready for the carpenters, the contractors receiving pay for their services in town lots. Immediately upon the completion of this preliminary work, the interior was put in order and made ready for occupation by Davenport Rood. The dimensions of the building were 30.x4tj feet, containing a court room on the second floor, the first floor being used for county offices and jury rooms, and cost §3, "00, which was paid in full on January 4, 1844, by the transfer on that day of eighty acres of ground in the northeast fractional quarter of Section 11 to William Sanborn by Asa F. Snell, Benjamin Piper, M. Jones, John Richards, W. H. Lanphoar, John Fuller and A. E. Horton, members of the Board of Supervisors.

The building was increased in size by the addition of a building to the east front of twentyfive feet in 1861, since when no further improvements or additions have been made.

The Jail was built during the year the construction of the Court House was commenced. It was composed of logs, and occupied a lot in the southeast corner of the public sipiare. It was small for the purpose, containing two cells, and adjoined the Sherift"s house, which faced to the north, both of which improvements were put up and placed in order for occupancy by Crist k Miller. This served the purpose for which it was erected until 18.50, when the building was pulled down and a brick edifice erected in its place by Waldo & Yanderpool, contractors, which was destroyed by fire in June, 1874. In July, the Board of Supervisors closed a contract with Charles Stoppcnbach for the building and equipment of the present jail and Sheriff's residence, for the sum of §12,000. But changes were made in the original plans, and improvements were added until, when the work was accepted by the County Board on the 4th of January, 1875. the cost thereof footed up a total of §18,000. It is a massive brick, two and one-half stories high, containing ample accommodations for the Sheriff s office and residence, as also for jail purposes, and is a source of pride to the city of which it is an attractive ornament.

The Reijisters Office, together with the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, is contained in a one-story, fire-proof brick building on the public square, north of the Court House The Register's Office was first located in a frame building on Main street, erected by George Crist for Alonzo Wing (the same building at present adjoining the Post Office on the south I, in 1842. This was partially destroyed by fire on the 18th of February, 1845, and the Register of Deeds ran the gantlet of various unoccupied buildings until the completion of that now in use, which was accomplished in 1851, by Waldo & Yanderpool, when it was taken possession of by the county, whose representatives still claim title by occupation.

The Poor House. - In the early days of Jefferson, poverty was attended with industry and municipal aid in providing for the care of the distressed and afflicted was rarely invoked. As the settlement increased in size and importance, and the protection of the unfortunate poor became a necessity, means had to be provided in their behalf. At first they were taken care of at public expense : then the system of caring for the poor by town organization obtained, and continued until the county was charged with their support by legislative enactment. This latter system has been in force, with one exception, since 1854, or thereabouts, the exception being during the year 1877, when the town system w.as revived, lasting, however, but six months. The present County Poor House property was provided for at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors, convened in the latter part of 1854, or early in 1855, at which a committee, of which the late Capt. E. D. Masters was chairman, was appointed and empowered to purchase land and erect suitable buildings for the poor of Jefferson County. Acting upon these instructions, the committee purchased eighty acres of the present farm, located a mile west of the city from Capt. Musters, for $4,000. In 1855, they commenced the erection of buildings, which were completed the same year and occupied in 1856. At that time the premises were 30x50, and ample for the accommodation of the county's wards. In 1863, the North Addition was completed by George Crist at a cost of $1,000, and, in 1868, the accommodations were still further increased, and the buildings raised another story. In the same year, twenty acres of ground were added to the farm, from the Copeland property adjoining, at a cost of $1,000. In 1872, the South Addition was built by George Crist, Jr., for which §2, 500' was paid, since which date the premises have not been enlarged. There are at the present writing (1879), a total of fifty-seven inmates deriving their sustenance from the county, twenty-eight of whom are insane, for the protection of which class of dependents ample facilities were provided for in the addition built in 1872.

The institution is supported partly from appropriations made by the county authorities, and partly by the productions of the farm, which, for the year 1879, aggregated 1,500 bushels of grain, 400 of potatoes, and the usual complement of vegetables. The annual expense involved in the care of the county poor is stated at about .$3,000. The buildings, grounds and immediate supervision of the inmates is under the control of a Superintendent, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, and the following named gentlemen have thus f;ir been honored with public confidence : James Barr, E. D. Masters, George Trucks, Christopher Grimm, John Whelan, David Baker and George Trucks, the present official.

Criminal Causes

The criminal records of Jefferson County have been comparatively free from the commission of felonies; especially is this true of murder. Though the crime has shocked the communitv at long intervals, and though the Schneeff, Borchardt and Murman murders are remembered with horror, there has been a singular absence of crime in Jefferson County, which argues well, not only for the peace, property and industry of the inhabitants, but also for the administration of justice and the enforcement of the law.

The first murder which occurred in the county, according to information derived from sources that should be reliable, took place during the fall of 1848, in the immediate vicinity of Fort Atkinson, an Indian being the aggressor, upon whom the penalty of death was inflicted at once, and who, with his victim, became subjects for the scalpel of surgeons, who have since attained to eminence in the practice of the profession.

At the time indicated, a number of savages, as the sequel showed, the opposite of gentle, belonging either to the Winnebagoes or Pottawatomies, en route from the timber to Black Hawk Island, halted at Fort Atkinson. At that season of the year, they were engaged in the collection of winter stores, a portion of which they levied tribute for at the island, and they tarried at Fort Atkinson for the procuration of ammunition and edibles. While thus engaged, two of the tribe became intoxicated, and in that condition proceeded to the lake. The savages dined at Fort Atkinson, and their festivities being prolonged to an unreasonible hour, it was not until 2 o'clock that they got once more under way. Everything remained harmonious, as is reported, until the murderers reached a point on Milo Jones' farm, about two miles below the city, opposite the farm of Aaron Rankin, where, to adopt the graphically expressive descriptive language employed by the narrator, "the fun began," consisting of tantalizing annoyances directed by a young buck toward one of the inebriated warriors. This pi-ocured an altercation, which resulted in blows and struggles, during which one of the aborigines drew a knife and plunged the keen blade into the neck of his antagonist, severed the spinal column, producing paralj'sis and causing almost instant death.

The victim fell in his tracks and while suffering the pangs of dissolution, his assassin, realizing the extent of the crime committed, sought safety in flight.

A brother of the dead buck, who had watched the battle from afar, when he comprehended the fiital issue, took up the gage of deatli which had been thrown down, and pursued the fugitive, knife in hand, to avenge the calamity which had been put upon his wigwam. The fleeing murderer increased his speed and, succeeding in reaching the river bank first, essayed to increase his chances of escape by crossing the stream in a canoe which lay moored in a lagoon that abutted into the shore.

But lie had counted without results, for a canoe adjoined that he had seized, into which the avenging Nemesis sprang, when began a race between life and death in which the grim visitor, as the future realized to those who witnessed it, had the call against the field, for the pursuer struck shallow water as the boat of the fleeing assassin imbedded its prow in the opposite bank. The race was again resumed when both had gained terra firma, and, after a brief spurt, the murderer was run to cover on the farm of Aaron Rankin, and the brother's death avenged by the brother who had survived to pursue and thus adjudicate the 'aw.

No sooner had the rigor of death affixed its seal upon the inanimate forms of those whobut a moment before had rejoiced in a plenitude of life and health and strength, than the cause of science asserted its supremacy and claimed the bodies for anatomical demonstrations. The physicians above referred to secured their possession, and, hiding them in the loft of a barn, kept them from view until the excitement attendant upon the tragedy and the subsequent events connected therewith had been to .some extent dissipated.

When the excitement had in a measure subsided, and the tribe to which the defunct Indians belonged sought the whereabouts of the bodies and found them not, the mourning over their mysterious disappearance was more vociferous, if less pronounced, than could have been the rejoicing over ninety and nine Indians who crossed not the pathway of the destroyer. Tlie mourners would not be comforted with the assurance that they had not been disturbed by the pale-faces, nor with the suggestion that an enemy had done this, but. constituting themselves advocates, jury and Court, instituted the strictest examination into all fiicts bearing upon their disappearance, as also the secret places wherein it might be possible for them to be kept from view. But all to no purpose ; hidden beneath the hay, they eluded the closest scrutiny and escaped detection. The Indians, after exhausting every remedy cunning could devise or demand suggest, continued their trip to the happy hunting-grounds, supposititiously on Black Hawk Island, accompanied by the fraternal avenger, while the Indians dead became subjects for medical colleges, and, with the memory of their deeds, have long been consigned to the tomb of the Capulets - forgetfulness.

Early in the spring of 1868, Adolph Schnepf was murdered on his farm in the town of Watertown. The first rumor concerning the bloody aff^iir was that Schnepf had been missing from his home for several days, and this led a neighbor, named Clark, to make an investigation. Mr. Clark certainly had well-founded suspicions, and going to the spot where a large " log heap " had but recently been burned by Mr. Schnepf and his son, and where the missing man liad last been seen, an examination of the ashes revealed pieces of charred bones, suspender buckles and metal pants buttons. Slierifl' Joseph Giles was apprised of the fact, and young Schnepf was placed under arrest and taken to Watertown. The excitement was very great in the community, and threats of lynching were freely made. On this account, preliminary examination was waived, and the prisoner was hurried to Jefferson, where he was confined in the County Jail. He was indicted by the Grand Jury, and at the September term of court, an aflidavit was filed by his counsel, asking for a change of venue, on the ground that a fair and impartial trial could not be had in Jefferson County. The request was granted, and the trial held at Portage City, lasting nine days, and resulting in the acquittal of young Schnepf The arguments of counsel for the defense were based upon the testimony of Prof Carr, of Madison, who gave it as his opinion that a human body could not be completely consumed by fire in the short space of time elapsing between the burning of the log pile and the discovery of bones, buttons and buckles by Mr. Clark ; and also upon the testimony of a Mrs. Kniesel, who swore that she saw the deceased three days after the revelations of the mysterious ash heap. During the trial, one of the chief witnesses on the part of the prosecution hanged himself, and this was seized upon by the defense, who set up the plea, by inference, that the suicide was the real mur- -derer. Counsel for defense were Hon. II. S. Orton, Henry Mulberger and Myron B. Williams ; District Attorney Weymouth was assisted by Col. G. F. Thorn.

In December, 1874, the people of Jefferson County were again shocked by another bloody murder in the town of Watertown, the victim being a man named Borchardt. In the evening of the day the murder was committed, Borchardt's step-daughter, Johannah, went to the house of the murdered man's son, Charles, about one and a half miles south of the paternal roof, and told him that "a stranger had hit the old man on the head," and that he was very sick. The son notified the neighbors, who went to the house and found the old man on a lounge, dead. Otficers were sent for, who came in company with a Justice and two physicians. A post-mortem examination was held, revealing the fact that Borchardt had come to his death by three blows upon the head, inflicted with a blunt instrument. A search of the premises was made, and a hammer, covered with blood, was found. The evidence pointed very strongly to certain members of the family as the perpetrators of the crime, and, accordingly, Mrs. Borchardt and her daughter, Wilhelmina, were taken into custody, and brought before Justice C. M. Ducasse, of Watertown, who held the mother for trial and discharged the girl. A few days later. District Attorney Steinaker visited the scene of the murder, made a thorough investigation of the premises and closely questioned the occupants. Ho discovered evidence, in his opinion, implicating the girl, Wilhelmina, and she was arrested and brought before Capt. Nelson Bruett, of Jefferson, and by him held without bail to appear at the February term of the Circuit Court. A joint information was entered by District Attorney Rogers (who had just come into office) against both the mother and daughter, and they were brought to trial. While in prison, Wilhelmina wrote a letter to her sister Johannah, of which the following is a synopsis : " You have always sworn against me and mother, and if you persist in doing so, mother will tell the whole story. You know a stranger came in and struck the old man; that we had nothing to do with it.'' The prosecution insisted that if the prisoners were guilty, it was murder in the first degree, and the jury so found. After a motion for a new trial, which was denied, both were sentenced to Waupun for life. The counsel for defense were Daniel Hall and C. H. Gardner. The District Attorney was assisted by Harlow Pease and N. Steinaker. Borchai-dt was a drunken and quarrelsome individual, and it is believed that his death resulted from an encounter with his wife and daughter.

Late on Sunday afternoon, December 16, 1877, the city of Fort Atkinson was thrown into a fever of excitement by the announcement that the body of a man had been found on the line of the railroad to Jefferson, the victim of a brutal murder. The body was found by A. Allen, lying near a brush heap in a grove a few rods west of the railroad track, and about opposite the cemetery. The body was described as that of a stranger, of medium height, dark hair, complexion, whiskers and eyes, and indicating his occupation by his general make-up and appearance to be that of a laborer. His bundle of clothes was scattered about over the ground, and on his person was found $1.41 in cash, together with a paper on which was written " Milwaukee avenue 341, J. Christianson." From investigations in Chicago, the man's name was supposed to have been John Murman, as such a man left Chicago on foot a few weeks before in company with a companion named William Anderson, and came to Wisconsin, as they said, to cut Christmas trees, since which time nothing had been heard from them. His companion, William Anderson, was supposed to have been the person who committed the murder. The body of the deceased was covered over with brush, and the remains of a camp-fire were near by. He was evidently killed with an ax, and it was thought to have been the result of a quarrel.

Investigation was at once begun and additional facts were brought to light which fully established the identity of the murdered man as Chas. Peterson, brother of a Mrs. Christiansen who resided at 341 Milwaukee avenue, in the city of Chicago. That lady, upon being interrogated,

Stated to Sheriff Newton, of Jefferson, that Peterson left her house on Tuesday. December 11, 1877, to come to Fort Atkinson, where lie hoped to obtain employment. When he left he had '?20 in cash in his possession; and, further, that he was a steady, hard-working, inoffensive man, who was not addicted to the use of liquor, and had not, so far as she knew, an enemy in the world.

The investigation was continued ; the inquest held, but beyond the discovery of blankets, and some clothing supposed to have belonged to the murdered man, notlung definite was ascertained to locate the crime, until the 29th of December, 1877, when a young man by the name of Charles Whitney, living at Kaukauna, Outagamie County, confessed to a Mr. Rice with whom he was living, that he was an accomplice in the murder of Peterson. lie afterward relateii the same story to Sheriff Leinan, of that county, by whom he was arrested and confined. Word was sent to Sheriff Newton, who went to Appleton and brought him to Jefferson on the following Monday. When arrested, he had on the boots belonging to the murdered man. He also gave information concerning one Ed. Eckart. whom he alleged was the instigator of the deed. Armed with the necessary authority, Sherifl' Newton proceeded to Outagamie and arrested the man Eckart, whom he found seven miles from Appleton in the woods, engaged with a gang of men in getting out stave bolts. He was arrested and brought to Jefferson and safely lodged in jail on Tuesday.

He was represented as a young man apparently about twenty years of age, whose parents resided in the vicinity of Fort .Atkinson, and were boweil down to the earth with the weight of their affliction. The self-convicted murderer had passed most of his time in the northern part of the State, where he had led a reckless life, visiting Fort Atkinson the spring previous to the murder, where he was for a short time employed in the furniture factory. His story was substantially as follows : After leaving Fort Atkinson some tin^e in the summer of 1877, he went to Pittsburgh, Penn., where he fell in with this man Eckart, with whom he took a tramp to Little Rock, Ark. Thence they turned northward, working their way along. On the night of the 12th of December, they met Peterson on the railroad between Milton and Janesville. Peterson asked the way to Green Bay. Whitney told him to follow the track and it would lead him to that place. Eckart and himself then came on, and when they reached Koshkonong they got aboard of the night train which arrives at Fort Atkinson at 10 o'clock. Here they were put off the train, but wenf^orth of town a half-mile, where they stopped, kindled a fire, and after taking some boards from the fence, lay down. About 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning, Peterson came along and, seeing the fire, came to them and lay down to sleep. Whitney states he was awakened by Eckart, who pointing to the sleeping man, said, -- I am going to shoot him." To this, -Whitney said, " Oh, don't I" Eckart made no farther reply, but drew his revolver and fired at Peterson's head. Peterson screamed " Oh I Oh I" and, springing to his feet, started to run. Eckart then tripped him down upon his face, shot him again in the head, and placing one hand on the back of Peterson's neck, held him down, while, with the other, he pointed the pistol at Whitney, and ordered him to strike Peterson with a hatchet, or he would kill him. Impelled by terror, Whitney states he struck Peterson one blow on the back of the head, and then threw down the instrument, declaring he would not strike another blow. At this, Eckart took up the hatchet and struck the victim a number of blows. They then dragged the body to the brush heap and left him covered with brush. When asked how it came that Peterson was found outside of the brush heap, he said he could not tell ; that when they left him he was groaning, and if he got out, it must have been by his own struggles. Whitney farther stated that, after the murder, Eckart took Peterson's boots, blankets, a pair of pants, a pocket looking-glass, coat and a shirt. He docs not remember seeing any money. They then started north on the track and, at the culvert near Cobb Creek, they secreted the blankets, shirt and several other articles. Eckart forced Whitney to travel ahead, threatening him with death if he turned back. On their arrival at Kaukauna, Whitney stopped with Mr. Rice: but the memory of the terrible deed he had witnessed, filled him with horror and remorse, until, as he expressed it, "I could see the murdered man in his sleep." Driven by this feeling, he at last made the confession. When Eckart was arrested, he stoutly denied any part in the murder: but the ftvct that he had on a blue coat behinging to Peterson, phiced his guilt beyond a doubt. He had a very bad, brutal appearance, and looked, as if by nature and education both, he was well fitted for such a deed. The murder, the circumstances attending it, the actors in the bloody tragedy, one of whom is a son of one of Fort Atkinson's respected citizens, all conspired to make a chapter in crime, the like of which has never been duplicated in this section of the State.

An information for murder was filed by the District Attorney on the 11th of February, 1878, to which defendants, when arraigned on the following day, pleaded not guilty, and issue being joined, the trial was proceeded with, beginning on the 'Jth of April and continuing five days. Hon. David W. Small presided ; W. H. Rogers, of Fort Atkinson, prosecuting, and Harlow Pease, of Watertown, defending. Whitney turned States' evidence against Eckart, and upon the stand stated more particularly the facts connected with the commission of the crime. After detailing his acquaintance with Eckart, his roamings and the coming of Peterson to the camp Eckart and witness liad prepared, near where the body was found, he continued, that : " In the night Eckart woke me and told me he was going to shoot Peterson. I told him not to, but he would not listen to me, and Eckart went over to where Peterson was sleeping, put his loaded revolver to Peterson's ear and fired. Peterson put his hand up and said, ' Oh,' and then Eckart fired again right back of the ear. Then Peterson began raising up, and Eckart shot him again in about the same place, and then Peterson got up on his knees, and Eckart shot his revolver right into his eye. And then the man got to his feet, and Eckart threw him down and jumped on his back, and put his left hand on the back of his neck, and cocked his revolver with the other, and then told me to strike Peterson with the hatchet, and I didn't move as quick as he thought I ought to, and he asked me if I was coming, and so I had to come, and so I struck liim about four times with the back of the hatchet on his head. Then Eckart got off him, and Peterson got up and staggered against a tree, and Eckart told me to strike him again., I told him, no, I had struck him all I was going to. And tlien Eckart went up and struck him with the edge of the hatchet by the tree, and then when he had him down he cut him three more times witli the hatchet, and then he pulled oft' the man's boots, and took a piece of tobacco out of his pocket, and then heaped a pile of brush over his body." Whitney further testifies that he and Eckart then started on, taking with them some of the clothing and blankets of Peterson,- and went up north as far as Appleton, where they parted.

The manner in which tlie witness detailed his e.xtraordinary statement on the witness stand strongly impressed the jury with its entire truthfulness. All the circumstances, moreover, corroborated his evidence. The body of Peterson was exhumed, and, on a more careful examination, the physicians found the bullets in several places in his head, as stated by Whitney. They were fired from a small kind of revolver, and would not of themselves have produced death. But the strongest evidence of the guilt of Eckart was his own conduct and course of action upon the trial. Throughout the entire proceedings, he manifested the most entire indifference, and even refused to avail himself of his right and privilege to take the witness stand in his own belialf, and deny the fearful charges made against him by Whitney.

After being summed up by the respective counsel, the case was given to the jury, under a clear and impartial charge by the Court, and. after a brief deliberation, they returned a verdict of guilty.

A motion for new trial was made by counsel for defendant, but denied, and on Saturday, the 13th of April, sentence was pronounced. His Honor, upon the prisoner's being presented for final action, asked him if he had anything to say, to which he responded, "No," and Judge Small thereupon commented briefly upon the leading features of the most wanton, deliberate and atrocious murder ever kno\yn, and tending to an entire absence in the defendant of the ordinary sensibilities of humanity. Nothing remained for the Court but to impose the penalty prescribed by the law of the land, which was as follows : " The sentence of the Court and the law is that you, Edward Eckart, be imprisoned, at hard labor, in the State Prison of this State,