Monroe County, Wisconsin - Chapter 17: The Soldiees' Monument, 1912

Chapter 17: The Soldiees' Monument

The movement which culminated in the final completion, erection and dedication of the Soldiers' Monument which now stands in North Park originated on the 9th day of August, 1895, when, at a regular meeting of John W. Lynn Post No 30 Grand Army of the Republic, twelve comrades of the Post were unanimously elected a committee to consider whether or not it was feasible or desirable to erect at Sparta a Soldiers' Monument, and if so to consider the ways and means for its accomplishment and report at the next meeting of the Post. This committee consisted of Edwin E. Olin, chairman; Ira A. Hill, David C. Hope, Martin R. Gage, John A. Sholts, Alonzo E. How^ard, William H. Blyton, Charles A. Hunt, Rufus S. Dodge, William P. Meyer, N. J. Kemp and E. W. Babcock This committee met at the office of Tyler & Hill on the 13th day of August and elected Alonzo E. Howard chairman of the committee ; after a careful and thorough discussion, the committee decided that such a monument was desirable and a sub-committee consisting of Martin R. Gage, Rufus S. Dodge, Ira A. Hill and AYilliam P. Meyer were appointed to devise ways and means ; at a ineeting of the committee on August 22nd of the same year, a fair plan for raising funds was proposed by the sub-committee and adopted and reported at the meeting of the Post held on August 23rd, and after some discussion this plan was adopted and the Post added to the committee Comrades DeAYitt C. Beebe and Thomas Hobson.

At the next meeting of the committee the plan which has been outlined was carried out substantially and Ira A. Hill was elected treasurer of the monument fund and sub-committees were appointed for the following purposes : For soliciting among soldiers, among citizens, to visit other posts and interest them; a press committee to publish such matter as in the opinion of the committee would interest the public in the enterprise. Subscription lists were prepared by the secretary and delivered to the solicitors and work was considered then fully organized.

providing the subscriptions adopted including the notes amounted to $2,500. Several notes were made and delivered to the treasurer and cash subscribed and collected and in the treasurer's hands, but in less than the time limited for tlie payment of the notes, interest seemed to wane, and the iund grtw only by the interest on the certificates of deposit at 3 per cent, so that the notes given matured and Avere returned and canceled* as tlie fund at their maturity had not reached the sum of $2,500.

But the project received new light, when, on November Kith. 1897. a "Ladies' Auxiliary" to the post was organized with seventeen charter members; as soon as this organization became strong enough they took up for their special Avork the raising of fuiKls for the proposed monument; they gave socials with tlie usual refreshments and obtained sul)scription blaidvs from the secretary and solicited ;uiil collected funds; slowly and constantly the sum grew, owing to the hard Avork and with the perseverance of these few faithful workers, wliich could not be estimated and without whose work no monument would have been today in existence. After nearly five years of labor by these ladies a meeting was called September 19, 1902, to reorganize the committee for the special active Avork to complete all arrangements and secure the erection of the monument.

A committee Avas appointed to confer Avitli the county board of supervisors Avhich endeaA'ored to iiuluee tlie board to give jiermission to place the monument on the court house grounds, haA'e the county assume permanent care of it and if possible obtain an approi)riation foAvards the expense of its construction, luit these efforts met Avith no success Avhatever. This liaAing provc^l an entire failure the committee ajipealed to the city council of the City of Sparta for aid. The council ordered a special election to be held upon the ])roposition as to the raising of the taxes on taxable property of th'- city of one-half mill on the dollar to aid in the laoniiment fuiul and at this election the citizens of Sparta voted the tax by a large majority ; it was levied and collected with the regnlar taxes of 1904 and amounted to $1,087.21.

The treasurer of the committee, Ira A. Hill, died March 20, 1!)01. and George D. Dunn was elected to fill the vacancy. In order to fulfill the legal requirements under the city appropriation, the mayor appointed Andrew J. Carnahan, William 11. Blyton, A. G. Welker and Wilfred McBride to represent the city on the committee. Plans and specifications were then procured and bids called for to erect tlie monument ; these were invited to be of different kinds of granite with the granite statue of the soldier and also with a copper bronze statue complete with foundation to be placed on a location to be designated by the committee. The successful bidder was Mr. Fred Schlimegan, of Madison, Wisconsin, whose bid was accepted, being one with the specification that the monument was to be of Barre granite, except the centre block for the inscription, which is of Montello granite, and the statue of the soldier which is made of copper bronze. The monument was completed and accepted on December 4th and the contractor settled with and the total cost, including the monument complete, inscription, setting and expense, being about $3,000. The statue of the bronze soldier stands facing the south and on the south side of the face of the monument appears the words "In Memory of Our Nation's Defenders. ' '

This monument was formally dedicated and accepted on the 30th day of May, 1905. Invitations were extended to all parts of the county and an elaborate program was planned and carried out, an extensive part of which was a march to the Woodlawn cemetery in the afternoon, where memorial exercises were held, and then proceeded, to North Park, where with due and appropriate ceremonies the monument was unveiled and formally accepted on behalf of the city by Andrew Carnahan, then president of the city council.

As a fitting ending of this chapter none can better be written than the address by DeWitt C. Beebe, whose untiring efforts had been largely instrumental in the successful completion of this project, whose words, patriotic and full of emotion w^ere delivered with that earnestness which was one of the characteristics of Dr. Beebe, and although this address was short, it had a .profound effect upon the assembled audience. It is as follows : bronzo and dedieate it with M])propriato ceremony to the memory of 'Our Country's Defenders." It seems eminently fitting and ])roi)er that we come directly here for this hallowed purpose from the little silent city over yonder, Avhere we have tenderly strewn fresh, l)eautiful flowers upon the graves where lie our beloved dead. The two occasions seem so tenderly similar in sentiment that they should not be separated. Comrades, we have reason to rejoice that the Great Commander - the God of Battles - has spared our Wwh and health that so many of us are enabled to see this day and this hour. AVe have reason for congratulation that so many wives, widows and daughters of the veterans of the Avar of 1861-65 are also permitted to be here today and enjoy the consummation of their long, persistent, loyal labor, but for which, my friends, Ave avouIcI not be here today for this purpose. The memorial here which we shall unveil and dedicate today is the result of several years' labor and growth, a short sketch of Avhich Avill be giA'en later by Adjutant Howard. Comrades, it will matter A'cry little to us in a few years when Ave shall have been nuistered into that great army over the river Avhether or not SAveet floAvers from loyal, loA'ing hands Avill be strcAvn upon our graves in the springtime of the returning years, or that a memorial has been erected in some beautiful spot to our memory, but the sentiment that is kept burning in the breasts of those Avho folloAV us, Avhich prompts the doing of these offices is of momentous importance, for it is this that makes loyal heroes and a nation invincible in times of danger.

"Sad Avill be the day, and may it never come, Avhen this great American people shall become so absorbed in cold business, crazed in finance, or so drunken Avitli the |)leasures of the day that they shall forget to recognize^ the services of their nation's defenders."

Chaptek Xviii

The Spanish-American war, whih' aeeomplishiug the great result in the freeing of Cuba, annexing of Porto Rico, the Philippines and consequent turning to civilization and education of the l)eople of those tropical regions, did another thing - it gave to the ndlitary authorities of this country the long-needed lesson, which could not be too well learned, that army methods in this young and lusty republic were way behind the times ; demonstrated that in the mobilization, equipping and feeding of troops in the field there was plenty of incompetency, plenty of antiquated red tape methods - and the army began to wake up. For a long period after the civil war, in fact, not really until the Spanish-American war, was there little, if any, attempt to mobilize troops in larger bodies than a regiment for field practice. The experience in the Spanish-American war brought about the iiecessity of frecpient mobilization not only of regular troops, but also national guard organizations, for field maneuvers, and the field maneuvers now held in ditferent parts of the country every other year are the result. ]\Ianeuver camps becanu^ a necessity and the war department began acquiring large tracts of land in different parts of the country for that purpose, under the provisions of various acts of congress.

The State ^Military Reservation at Camp Douglas, so admirably situated and equipped for rifle practice and maneuver ground, had years ago attracted the attention of the officers of the regular army, particularly of the then Department of the Lakes ; and all reports sent the department gave praise to tlie location and natural advantages and ecjuipment provided by the state, it being in almost every case described as one of the finest rifle ranges in the United States. Its fame grew and a number of years ago a department competition was held there, and later two batteries of artillery were sent up from Fort Sheridan for summer practice. The officers of the Department of the Lakes became strongly desirous that the government might acquire the reservation, especially for artillery practice, and offers were made through

Way hack (]ui-iii<i- tiic time when the establishment of a range at Cam{) Douglas was heing considered, the tract of land near what was then the station of LaFayette, in this county, on the Chicago, ^lilwaukee & St. Paul railway, lying principally in the towns of LaFayette and Angelo, was suggested to Gen. C. 1*. ( lijipiiian, then adjutant general of this state, by Col. George Graham, tlien liic i-aptain of Company K. and interested strongly in the establishment of a state camp ground. Owing, however, to the distance from the cities of Tomah and Sparta and to the better railway facilities at Camp Douglas, after looking over both tracts the latter was decided upon and became subsequently the state property.

The idea still o])tained, however, that the LaFayette tract was suitable for military purposes, and attention of the war department was called to it by Congressman John J. Eseli a few years ago. As early as 1897 Col. George Graham again called the attention of the officers of the national guard at a convention in ^Milwaukee to a tract of land lying between Tunnel City and Sparta.

Hon. W. 11. Taft. then secretary of war, in 1906 advocated the establishment of four large military maneuver camps, to be used jointly l)y tlie regular army and the national guard of the several states, one to be located in the east, one in the south, one in the west, and one in the mitldle north. Congressman Escli at that time commenced a movement to locate the northern camp at Camp Douglas, Wis., by the purchase of land adjacent to the AVisconsin Alilitary Reservation. Other sites suggested were in Pennsylvania. Texas and California. None of these large camps projiosed by Secretary Taft had been provided for by congress. I)u1 as incidental thereto ]Mr. Esch was successful in securing an api)ropriation of $150,000 to purchase land adjacent to the military reservation at Cami) Douglas for the use of the regular army and an artillery range, a i)urpose entirely distinct from that of a maneuver camp.

During the ])endency of this legislation a board of regular army engineei- officers, with Gen. A. IL Ernest at its head, visited Cam}) Douglas under orih'rs to make a toi)ograhpical survey, and while in AVisconsin were invited to Sparta, and accompanied by General Boardnuin. Colonel Salsman and Colonel Graham were <lriven over the lands l)etween Sparta and Tuiniel City. General Ernest ill his I'eport to the war department on Camp Douglas, in- eluded a reference to the Sparta site. The summer work of the United States tield artillery is comprised of long practice marches and a target practice. Very few places are available for this latter purpose, and artillery officers during this part were sent over the country looking for location for an artillery range. Maj. Samuel Allen, commanding the artillery at Fort Snelling, Minn., in 1905, while searching for a place for target practice, came to Camp Douglas during the encampment of the Third regiment that year. Adjutant General Boardman suggested to him the availability of the Sparta site, and called Colonel McCoy in consultation, with the result that an invitation was extended to the battalion commanded by Major Allen to go into camp on the McCoy ranch. Colonel JMcCoy having gradually, during a long series of years, acquired title to about 4,000 acres of this land. Major Allen accepted the invitation and the battalion of artillery came from Fort Snelling and camped for sixteen days during the month of September, 1905, testing the various ranges which might be available for artillery practice, and his report upon the possibilities of the Sparta tract called the attention of the war department very strongly to it.

Meanwhile the passage of the appropriation of $150,000.00 proposed by Congressman Esch for the purchase of land near Camp Douglas, caused land owners in that vicinity to raise the price of land from $3.00 an acre to about $30.00, or thereabouts, and the war department found it impossible to deal with them, with the result that the attempt to purchase any land at Camp Douglas ceased and the appropriation remained in the hands of the Avar department unexpended.

This situation brought the attention of the war department back to Sparta and resulted in the sending of a board, consisting of Major Mott and Captain Overton, to report upon the advisability of purchasing lands at Camp Douglas or leasing lands at Sparta. In September of 1907 Battery C from Fort Snelling, under the command of Captain Overton, camped on the McCoy ranch, and was there when the board above mentioned, and of which he was a member, investigated the two sites of Camp Douglas and Sparta. They were accompanied by General Boardman, Colonel Salsman, Colonel McCoy, Major "Williams, and a part of the time by Congressman Esch. After a thorough investigation the board made a report to the war department disapproving of the purchasing of lands at Camp Douglas because of the exorbitant prices demanded, and recommended that the lands at Sparta be leased, but the board did, however, go a step farther

This recommendation to become effective required legislation l)y congress to enable the war department to use the Camp Douglas appropriation at Sparta or so much of the same as might be found necessary to purchase the Sparta site. This again opened the figlit between the people interested in the lands at Camp Douglas and Sparta. Congressman Esch was successful, however, in amending the bill, or law, Avhich had appropriated the $150,000.00 by having the words "Camp Douglas" stricken out and the word "Sparta" inserted, so tliat the appropriation became available for the purchase of this land.

Colonel ]\Ic('oy, during the time that the board of investigation Avas looking upon this site, prepared and presented strong arguments for the purchase of the property. The idea of leasing this land was given up and the war department finally decided to purchase a tract of 7.500 acres, and negotiations were commenced and were pending for some time, it being found that so many of the pieces of land were acquired by tax title transfers that it would he necessary to condemn the lands in order to get a perfect title in the government, and proceedings were inaugurated in 1909 for that purpose.

Through the good work of Congressman Esch and others interested in the matter the department was finally convinced that it would be the best thing to buy the inner tract of 7,500 acres, as it was called, and also to buy an outer tract or rim of land around this of about 7,500 acres more. Eventually negotiations were concluded through the efforts of Judge R. B. McCoy in the summer of 1909 whereby the government became tlie owner of a grand total of 14,206.65 acres, and tlie Sparta maneuver tract became a reality.

In April, 1909, the Avar department announced tlie commencement of artillery practice, and during July and August sent a battalion of regular army officers, consisting of Captains AVilliam Brook, Albany. New York; C. K. Green, Chicago, 111.: AVilliam Cruikshank, Fort Sheridan, 111.; John J. Calerus, of Chicago, together Avith District Passenger Agent AV. AV. AVinton, of the St. Paul company; Trainmaster Ilenrichs, of Alihvaukee. and Roadmaster 1'. IT. Aladden, together Avith Col. R. B. McCoy and ]\Iaj. D. AV. Cheney located the place for the temporary buildings and for the camp grouiuls. The Avhole matter Avas gone OA'er tiioroughly and a maneuver camp selected on the north side of the raihvay tracks, and the artillery camp remained at the location Avhich had been previously occupied by Colonel Allen, near

The Government Military Reservation 179

Temporary galvanized storage buildings were provided for and erected during the summer of 1909. The St. Paul company provided a side track for unloading purposes near the artillery camps, and ran a spur into the maneuver camp grounds and placed there a large amount of side tracks so that troop trains could be handily unloaded. An artesian well was sunk at the maneuver camp ground in the summer of 1910, and a large steel elevated water tank erected and pipes laid to conduct the water throughout the camp grounds. A tank was also erected at the artillery camp which is supplied from the large flowing well, which had been running for several years.

The war department having issued orders for artillery practice, in addition to the regular batteries ordered to Sparta, batteries from the states of Michigan. "Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota were, upon invitation, ordered to Sparta for artillery practice and instruction during the months of August and September.

Three regular batteries of light field artillery, one from Fort Sheridan, one from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and one from Fort Snelling, Minnesota, arrived about the 8th of July, 1909, together with the regimental band of the Fifth artillery from Fort Leavenworth, being Companies E, D and F, of the Fifth artillery, under the command of Captain Cruikshank as camp commander. The camp was named "Camp Robinson" in honor of Colonel Robinson, at one time a resident of the city of Sparta, and the government military reservation known as the "Sparta Maneuver Tract," was duly inaugurated as one of the great military centers for field operations for the army and the national guard. The possibilities of it would seem to be far greater than was originally anticipated ; as the strategic location in the middle west, with the railroad facilities and the large acreage, makes it at once available as a point for the mobilization of large bodies of troops in the time of war and for conducting maneuvers on a larger scale than ever heretofore adopted in time of peace.

On the 13th of July Company A, of the Hospital Corps from Fort Russell, AYyoming, consisting of 120 and ten officers, arrived and went into camp. They were under the command of INIajor Fauntleroy, and the officers of the corps in attendance were ]\Iajor Purpiance, Major Pratton, Captain Whitcomb, Captain Bale, Captain Talbot, Lieutenant Jones, Lieutenant Leary, Lieuisd HISTORY OF :\IOXR0E COUNTY

Soon after the anival of this eonipnny and the army surgeons a new feature to tlie regular army service was inaugurated by the establishment of a School of Instructions for National Guard ]\Iedical Offii-ei's. The school conducted at ('ainp liobinson is one of three held during the year 190!), the other two being at Annapolis, ^Maryland, and California. In previous years the instruction Avhich the National Guard medical officers received was given at the encampments of the state troops by offirci's of tlic regular arni>- detailed for that purpose.

Tlu» present system which l)rings tlic nu^lical officers of tlie various states under the instruction of a fully equijiped hospital corps becomes so evident that there is but little doul)t but tluit the medical school of instructions will, and practically has. become a part of the ])lans of the AVar Department for increasing the efficiency of the National Guard.

The instruction given at this first school consisted in daily lectures given by the regular army surgeons concerning the various phases of practice encountered in connection with the army work. There was also given practical demonstration of field Avork by the members of the hospital corps, and the Avork througliout Avas made as realistic as it Avas possible to luivc it Avithout the actual presence of the Avounded.

The first class of National Guard surgeons arrived on the 15th of July, and consisted of thii-ty-one officers from the states of Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, ]\lississiii]>i and "Wiscon.sin. After thcii- departure another class arrivctl as large. Avas estinuibly from these various states, and remained for another period of ten days, and on the 12th of August, the Company A. of the Hospital Corps returned to its station at Fort Russell, AVyoming.

The Government .Military Reservation 181

ative of the St. Paul Dispatch, about 4:00 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon. August 5th, sent the following message to St. Paul, addressed to Judge Thomas Wilson, the oldest living resident of that city: "This is the first wireless message ever sent into the city of St. Paul, and in appreciation of the many things you have done to make it possible, it has been addressed to you."

The message was received all right in St. Paul and the experiment was pronounced a success. In the history of the reservation the encampment of 1909 was made memorable by a visit of ]\Iaj. Gen. Fred D. Grant, commanding the Department of the Lakes, Avhich occurred on the 26th of August.

The General arrived at Golvin station, which was the name given for the stopping place near the artillery camp, and Avas received by Captain Cruikshank and escorted to the headquarters tent. After breakfast the General was met by Congressman Esch and United States District Attorney George H. Gordon, of LaCrosse, and Maj. D. W. Cheney, of Sparta, and this party was taken by jMaj. Cheney in his automobile for a tour of inspection of the range. During the forenoon the distinguished visitors were shown all of the portion of the tract which could be reached with an auto, and in the afternoon the inspection was continued in an army wagon. The following day the General Avas taken over the more inaccessible portions of the range, including the many hills, on horseback.

His inspection was most complete and at the end of it General Grant expressed himself as highly pleased, and stated that he found it in all respects superior to what it had been represented to him as being, and it Avas reported at this time that the General was in favor of extending the reservation l)y the purchase of additional land up to the amount of 20,000 acres. He afterwards in a rei)ort recommended that the range be converted into a general maneuver tract for all branches of the service, that small arms ranges be installed, and other extensiA'e improA'ements made. The General's visit Avas productive of much good and his report afterAvards resulted in further action by the War Department as to the installing of fixed distance ranges, and early in 1910 in the army operation a bill passed by congress was included the amount of $40,000 for improvements on the military reservation near Sparta, and Avas the first definite step tOAvards the development of the tract for further uses, in accordance with the plans Avhich the War Department then had in a^cav, for it marked the beginning of a settled policy Avith regard to this reservation, and indicated that in the near future the national

And the reasons for asking for these appropriations were submitted to congress by the Secretary of AVar and originally made to the secretary- by J. B. Aleshire, quartermaster general of the Inited States army, and in a part of his recommendation with regard to military posts, has found the following, which is an extract from the same: "Target range, Sparta, AVisconsin : For the construction and equipment of a target range for the field firing of the artillery, cavalry and infantry branches of the United States army and for machine guns, including the construction of a concrete store house, portable railroad and im- ])rovements on camp sites for water and sanitation on land authorized to be acquired near Sparta, ^Monroe county, AVis., as a site for target range, and for all other absolutely necessary expenses in connection herewith, to be immediately available, $40,000." (Note - The foregoing estimate is submitted in view of a report made thereon by Col. R. K. Evans, Twenty-eighth infantry. United States army, which reads in part as follows:)

"Advisability of establishing a range for field-firing on the Sparta reservation for the three arms - artillery, cavalry and infantry - and machine guns: This reservation, on account of its size, 14,000 acres, and the character of the terrain, offers excellent facilities for field firing, in which the fire of artillery and small arms can be worked in combination against moving and disappearing targets at unknown ranges. This kind of field firing is the most advanced stage in the training of modern armies for battle. So far we have not fully equipped a single range for this kind of work, Avliile the other great powers have been busy in this direction for years. Our Small Arms Firing ^Manual, 1909, contemplates this kind of practice, but there is only one range in the United States wliere it is at all practical)le to init it into execution even for rifie and nmchine gun fire, viz., the one near Monterey, California, used by the School of I\Iusketry. ]Moreover, as this range is not owned by the government it is not advisable to spend anything on permanent or extensive improvements or appliances.

"If we are to keep abreast of the standard of progress set by other nations we sliould equip and use other field ranges as soon as possible. The Sparta range has a decided advantage over the one in California in that it is accessible to a much larger population. It might be valuable for the troops in the Department of the Lakes and Dakotas, and for the militia of four or five populous states. In view of the fact that the most important feature of the practical training of modern troops for battle consists in practicing- the combined and supporting fire of infantry and artillery directed against a common objective, it is recommended that an ordinary, standard known-distance target range be established on the Sparta reservation, and also that the necessary appliances be provided for firing at moving and disappearing targets, the most important of the moving and disappearing targets to be arranged to run on light movable railway tracks.

"Light portable railroads are now a recognized part of the necessary transportation equipment of modern armies for war. The leading military powers kept more or less material of this kind in store for war purposes. The Japanese used such roads extensively in Manchuria. Kuroki's march from the Yalu to Mukden would not have been practicable without the DeCauville railroad. AYe read and talk much about the use and value of DeCauville roads in war, but none of our officers have seen one in operation in our territory or know its practical uses and limitations from actual experience.

"It is believed that this range offers an excellent opportunity for acquiring necessary experience in deciding on a type for such railroads, which up to this time is not definitely decided. Should an emergency arise requiring the use of such roads the material on hand at the Sparta range could be immediately shipped to the point required. In order not to lose a year it is necessary that some funds be made available for commencing improvements on this reservation before the adjournment of the present congress. It is believed that at least $40,000 should be appropriated for this purpose. With this sum it is estimated that known-distance range could be equipped with 100 targets, $12,000 ; a storehouse of concrete built, $8,000 ; and the remainder spent on the portable railroad and on improvements on the camj) sites for water and sanitation generally.

"The construction and equipment of this range Avas under consideration by the department prior to the submission of the regular annual estimate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911, but the necessary data for the preparation of this estimate was not at hand in time to permit of its inclusion in the regular estimates. The submission of this supplemental estimate is deemed imperatively necessary in order that funds may be provided for the commencement of this work at the earliest possible date." The foregoing extract from the report of the quartermaster gen- eral of the army outlines the course wliieh is to be pursued in the futui-e in the development of all arms of the service in the army wi1li tlic cxcf^plion of the coast ailillery; and insures the t'Xtciisi\c use to wliicli llii> h\^ reservation will lie put in the future, and that for the tidd work of an army corps.

On -May lilld. lln' War I )epai1 iiicnt issued order Xo. Til, proxidin.u' lor 1lic military work on I lie I'ange for tin- summer. including' maneuvei-s on an extended scale. Early in June Battery V from Fort Sheridan. P>attery K IVom Foi't Sncllin^'. and Battery 1) from Fort Leavenworth arrivetl at the reservation in advance of other troops and engaged in long-distance firing until the l)eginning of maneuvei- field instructions of state troops (luring August. These batteries are all a part of the Fifth Field Artilh'ry, and in addition to them the headquarters field staff and l)and of the .Medical Battalion was also ordered into camp.

Under oi-dei- Ti>. above referred to. the I'ltllowing troops were designated to attend the maneuvers, and arrived about the 1st of August, to-wit : Three troops of the Fourth Uavali-y from Fort Snelling; three troo])s of the 1^'ifteenth Cavalry from Fort Sheridan; headqimrfers and one l)aftery Fifth Artillery from Fort Sheridan; one baffei-y Fifth Ai-fillery from P'ort Sheridan: one battery Fifth Artillery from Fort Leavenworth; headquarters and eleven companies of the Twenty-seventh Infantry from Fort Sheridan: Iiead(|uai-tei's and ele\'en companies of the Twenty-eighth Inlanti-y i'l'om Fort Snelling; one-half of ('om- ])any A. of the llosintal Corps, fi'om 1-^ort Kussell. Wyonnng.

This oi'der required that all infantry troops must maridi at least 200 miles in I'eaching the city of Spai'fa or returning to their station, while the eavali'y and the artillery weiv^ recpiired to nuirch 2.')0 miles. In additioji to the fd)ove troops from the regular army there were ordei-ed to the i'(\servation for artillery practice National Guard batteries from different states as follows: Ohio seven batteries. Indiana three batteries, ^Michigan one battei-y. Illinois fhi-ee batteries, fowa one battery. .Minnesota one battery, AViseonsin one; all of light ai'fillery. None of these organizations brought their own equipments, but for the purposes of instruction they were required to handle the regular arm\- e(pupmen1s of the batteries abovi' designated. This order also provided that to inirticipate in maneuvers several regiments of infantry were ordered to the reservation and arrived at different times during the month of August : AViseonsin sent the First Regiment and the Tenth Battalion, making sixteen companies; Iowa one brigade and three regiments, ]\Iinnesota one regiment.

North Dakota twelve eoinpanies. South Dakotii twelve eouipauies, so that the troops which participated in the maneuvers during this month numbered about 10,000.

The scheme of instruction resembled nearly as ])ossil)le the conditions to Ix- encountered in actual warfare, the ol).iect being to promote the field training of the troops. Accurate topographical maps of the entire reservation had been previously made by the engineering department, and each day during the stay of the troops problems of varied characters were proposed ;iud the solution of them wrought out on the field. Ceremonies Avere cut down to the lowest limit and the actual practice work was pursued with vigor and great benefit to the troops engaged in this maneuver.

This encampment was under the command of Brig. Gen. Walter Howe, and in honor of Capt. Bruce E. McCoy, of Sparta, who with his son, Colonel ]\IcCoy, had been so instrumental in establishing the reservation. General HoAve on the ]st day of August issued an order naming the camp "Cam]) Hruc(^ E. IMcCoy." Captain ]\IcCoy was a captain in the Civil War, and for years was the OAvner of the old Lafayette mill property and of the laud on Avhich the maneuver camp itself Avas located. The folloAving named officers Avere detailed for service at this camp: i\Iaj. Sanmel D. Sturgis, General Stalf Corps; :\Iaj. AValter H. Gorton, Inspector general; Capt. Douglas Settle, counuissary; Lieut. Col. William B. Bannister, Medical Corps; Maj. Thomas C. Goodman, paymaster; Capt. Charles W. Castle, paymaster; ('apt. Dana T. ]\Ierrill, TAventy-eighth Infantry.

During the month of August the range Avas visited by Gen. Robert ShaAV Oliver, Assistant Secretary of War, who gave it a thorough inspection. Governor Carroll, of loAva, also Adsited the maneuver camp on the 19th of August and revicAved the loAva Brigade on the afternoon of the 19th. The maneuvers of 1910 Avere very successful and demonstrated beyond question that this big reserA'ation Avas Avell adapted for the purpose, as the range used by the troops around the maneuver camp did not extend more than four miles, so that there is ample room for the camping of several brigades on different portions of the reservation Avherever Avater may be provided. And the best of Avater is obtained by sinking artesian Avells, from Avhich a fioAV of Avater is obtained at a A^ery moderate depth and easily carried to any distance by piping.

Early in 1910 Lieutenant Gilmore of the regular service Avas detailed as constructing quartermaster and moved to Sparta Avith his family, Avhere he remained during 1910 and up until about

August, 1011. He h;i(l lull charge of the constructing of the rifle range of tlic reservation, for Avlilch an approx)riation of !}>40,000 had been made by congress. The work was very tlioroughly done niid thei-c is now constructed rifle i)its built of concrete with ample stoi'c rooms sunk into tlie embankment of hills, Targets and various supplies, and the range is equipped with something like two hundred of the most modern targets to be procured. A large concrete office building ami storehouse has been constructed, ami the grading and seeding of the tiring points comjileted.

All effort was made to secure the national rifle competition of this range in 1911, and the "War Department was entirely friendly toward the proposition providing the range was in condition for holding such a contest, and a board of officers Avere ordered here early in the summer for the purpose of inspecting and looking the range over thoroughly. They finally decided it would be best not to attempt to hold the competition on the range that year in order to allow the seeding to take root and be in good shape another year.

Through the eflforts of Colonel McCoy the town board of Angelo during the month of January and after considerable contest have laid out a road through the town of Angelo to the range, which Avill shorten the distance from this city considerably, and that road will, undoubtedly, be completed and in good shape for travel by the time this history is published. The only disadvantages have been the poor roads, as they go through sandy country, but with that remedied the great benefit which Avill be received to the citizens of Sparta and the city of Tomah and vicinity, through the purchase of needed supplies, cannot be very well estimated, as the benefit Avill, undoubtedly, grow greater as the ef|nipment on the reservation is perfected. The railroad facilities are now very ample as the North AVestern railway has constructed a spur track leading directly to the rille range, and there is also placed a track constructed liy the St. Paul company to tile same place, and aiiijile sidetrack facilities are in existence at the point where the main storehouse is located. The St. Paul company has constructed a new station known as "McCoy," and built a tasty little depot not far from the artillery camp. The North AVesttM'ii company has also erected a small depot on the line of the Alilwaukee, Sj)arta & North Western Railway (^ompany so that during the existence of maneuvers railroad facilities are now provided for.

indefatigable work of t'ol. R. B. jMcCo.y, which has been mainly instrumental in the establishment of this great enterprise. While interested somewhat personally in some of the land which was bought by the government, yet in addition to that. Colonel McCoy spent a large amount of his time in acquiring options on the entire tract, using a diplomacy and patience which was indeed remarkable, and bringing to a successful conclusion a task whicli looked almost impossible. His energy and perseverance have brought great results, such as only a man of his ability can bring about.

Cttaptkr Xix Joseph M. Morrow

Fitting indeed it is to spread upon these pages the tributes of respect Jind aft'eetion froni his brothers of the legal i)rofession, to tlic itieniory of "Joe" Morrow; for "Joe'' he was. The name was used not in the sense of familiarity, but in that sense which so strongly indieates the friendly respect wliich a good-hearted man i-eceives from his fellows. Tniformly kind, courteous and gentlemanly, mild of manner and speech, yet his personality was one which attracted attention wherever he wenl. His strong face, full of character, his straightforward method of dealing with the mailer in hand, commanded attention and gave weight to those things which in others nuglit have seemed coiiimonplace. Always kind and helpful to Ihi' your.ger members of tlu^ l)ar. a generous opponent in any case, he licld tlie fi'iendship of his fellow attorneys to the end.

Oil Ihe loth of October, IS!*!), at the fall term of the CiiTuit Court, -ludge O. B. AVyman ])residing, memorial exercises were held and the courl adjourned for that day as a mark of respect. A resolution signed by liie members of the bar of ^Monroe county w;is introduced and adopted as follows:

"On motion of llie bar of ]\Ionroe county, the Circuit Court of this county has set apart this day to be devoted to memorial exercises in honor of our deceased brother. Tlon. J. ^\. ^lorrow. formei-ly -Judge of this Circuit.

his (k'atli the members of this bar share with the bar of the state of AVisconsiu a loss that is great, but to us the conipanioiis of his daily life, his death was a sliock and a loss that was irreparable. Stri(d\eii down in the ripe \igor of his intellectual manhood in the noon of his ])rofessional activit.y, and ;it a time when his moral intluence with us, his associates, was most potent for good, for us bis i)lace cannot be filled and our sori'ow is daily renewed.

"We admire in him the industry, learning, wisdom and ability that placed him in the front rank of lawyers of this state. We honor in him as a lawyer and hold up for emulation to those who come after him, an integrity, zeal and devotion to his client's interests that made his good faith beyond suspicion, a professional honor that made his word and his implied obligations better than written stipulations, a courtesy to his associates and antagonists alike that softened any asperities of legal conflict, a sunny temper and genial humor that robbed defeat of its sting and bound closer in friendship his antagonists, and above all, that delicate sense of personal integrity that kept his professional zeal within those limits that hold the gentleman.

"We reverence in his career on the bench in an eminent degree, the cjualities that have adorned th(^ judicial office of this circuit since its organization, reinforced, ripened and broadened by an experience at the bar exceptional in its scope. As an official he brought to the discharge of his duties the same great zeal and alnlity that marked his professional life. As a citizen he had the respect and esteem of all, and his advice was sought in all important afifairs. As a man w'e loved him. Geo. Graham, C. M. Masters, Sev. Button, D. F. Jones, H. C. Spaulding, R. B. Graves, Chris. Maxwell. AVm. B. Naylor, Jr., R. A. Richards. R. B. McCoy, H. C. Altizer, H. B. Clark."

H. AV. Barney, of Mauston, said - "May it please the Court: I have no set speech to make. . Brother Hughes and myself come here to represent Juneau county - one of the counties in the .judicial circuit over which Judge MorroAV presided - at this memorial service. I am here to say that the people and bar of Juneau county entertained the greatest respect for Judge Morrow as a lawyer, a .judge and a man. He had an extensive practice in our county and for more than thirty years he attended nearly, if not all, our terms of the Circuit Court. He attended many cases there in justices' courts. The day before he died, July 27th last, I nu't him in Elroy, where we adjourned several cases over into September - engagements that death prevented him from fulfilling. It seems to us that he belonged to our county as much as he did to this county.

"will be felt in Jiuicau county as keenly as in any locality in the state. Jnneaii coiinly seconds the adoption of memorial presented and endorses all that has been said here today in eulogy of Judge ^Morrow."

Remarks of A. E. Bleekman. of LaCrosse - "]\Iay it i>lease the Court: 1 have not come with a prepared speech for this occasion. Yet if I do not respond to these resolutions and speak somcAvhat of my feelings, I shall be derelict in my duty to the deceased.

"I knew our brother, and I knew him well. I first became acquainted with liim tliirty years ago the coming winter, at the office of the Hon. George Graham, of this l)ar, where I was then a student. He came to Tonuih in tlie interest of a client, Mr. John Maxwell, one of the oldest settlers of the county. I remember that meeting as well as if it were yesterday, even the clothes he wore, for he Avas not a man of the passing hour, hut made an impression upon those he met. He was thou the same mild, gentlemanly, even-tempered nmii he always Avas. I next heard of him at Tunnel City in his professional duties, Avhere, Avheu presented Avitli a decision of our oaa'u Supreme Court, exactly opposite the position he Avas contending for, he arose and gravely asked the court if he Avas going to make a fool of himself because the Supreme Court had - and Avon his ease.

"As the years pased on and our business relations extended, Ave met oftener in the trial of causes and our acquaintance ripened into strong personal friendship. He Avas the soul of honor, aliove euA'y and jealousy, one of the fcAV Avho possess the ability - almost a genius - to surpass and subdue and not have to look doAvn upon the liate of those beloAV. For over eleven years Ave practiced side l>y side Avithout a Avritiug betAveen us. all tlu' interests of our clients and our individual interests resting upon the Avord of each. In all that time he never hesitated - he never forgot liis Avord. AVhen he said lu^ Avould do so and so at such a tinu', that Avas the end of it. and he did it Avithout having to be reminded of his agreement. He h)\ id liis profession and he clierished liis honor. He Avas genial and happy in the labors of that profession and in his intercourse Avitli his felloAvmcu.

"At his otTic(> he Avas industrious, studious and thoughtful in his Avork : ])]ain. kind, just ami consci(Mitious Avith his clients, and at the bar a strong, able, sagacious, courteous and eloquent advocate. I sometimes thought he did not grasp legal ]>ropositions as easily and clearly as some, but required more study and deeper thought to arrive at correct conclusions, Avhich he usually did.

but in the gathering, accumulating, selection and presentation of facts he was a master. He despised technicalities and went to the very merit and root of his cause. As a lawyer he seemed to be a connecting link between the old and the new, possessing the honor, the integrity and the love of the profession which marked the old school lawyer, and he regarded the commercialism, as I have often heard him call it, that seemed to be usurping and taking the place of these high ideas in the new, with disfavor. In his social life he thoroughly believed in a part of that counsel of Polonius to Laertes, 'The friends thou hast and their adoption tried grapple them to thee with hoops of steel,' but he cast to the wind the remainder of that counsel, 'but do not stop to dull thy palm with each new-hatched unfledged comrade,' and few men were nearer and warmer to so many people as he. I know of no other attorney at the bar in this state who, going where he might, alighting from the train where he would, would meet so many warm hearts and have his hand clasped by so many warm hands in kindness, in friendship and in respect as he. And yet all was not sunshine with him. He had his gloomy hours as well as others. I remember well of a time when he and I took the train at the depot here in the morning, went to Kendall, tried a law suit all day and into the night, returning early the next morning to Norwalk, then going by team to Ontario and trying a lawsuit all that day and into the night. AVhen he retired we occupied the same room, with separate beds. In the morning as we were preparing for breakfast he turned to me and said: 'This is a hard life; is it worth living?' And yet no one thought more of his life, enjoyed it or desired to continue it than he.

"I was with him in that memorable contest of Judge Newman's for the Supreme Bench, both before Judge Newman became a candidate and subsequently. I had an opportunity to test his loyalty, fidelity and breadth of mind. He was no mere partisan, although a Democrat. He was as attentive and Avatchful of the interests of his friends as of his own. There are none of us but know how faithful and attentive he was to those dear ones at home, and how, during the later years of his life, he managed his ])usiness affairs when away to reach home as speedily as possibU We know full well how attentively and affectionately he watched over them, and hoAV solicitous he was for their welfare.

"The bar of this state has lost one of its strongest members. Especially is this true of the bar of this district, and at his home, the place where he lived, for he was indeed a loyal Spartan. His death caused us universal sorrow. A half century Avill not pro- ducc nnotlicr wlio will fill the pliirc lie filled. Some of tlie brightest and the luippicst hours of my life have been spent in eonverse with him. As the years roll on and time dims this hour, I expect to live over these hours I passed with him, and say as Burns said:

Remarks of AVyatt II. Graves, of LaCrosse county - "]May it please the Court: The custom in accordance with which we are today assembled, is appropriately and wortliily observed, only when the surviving associates of the tmc whose \irtues are to be commemorated, in a S])irit if candor and truth record their testimony to his worth. It is with feelings of sincere sadness that I come on this occasion to pay humble tribute to the memory of the lamented dead. To me it is a sad and sacred pleasure, but the burden of the duty is nuide lighter by the consciousness that it can be best discharged ])y simple, truthful reference to the character of him in whose honor I would speak. It seems fitting that we should turn from active duties of the hour and pause during tlie all-absor])ing cares of life to pay our respects to one who honored us by his presence as a mend)er of this bar and won our respect and admiration by liis iioble life.

"AVlien the announeement was made that the summons, Aviiich, sooner or later, must come to us all, had called from our midst our friend and brother, Hon. Joseph I\I. ]\Iorrow, it ])rought with it a shock inexpressibly sad. The sun, Avarm and bright, was pouring his flood of life and glory on field and laughing brook, on the aii* was the smell of roses, and in the trees the songs of birds, and all the Avorld was beautiful, when the darkness canu^ - a quick, sudden, endless eclipse, just after no(Uitide. Though we often bend over the bier and look on the face of the dead, yet the de- ])arture of our friends at an unexpected moment shocks us indccil and overwhelms us with sorrow, and when our good and our loved ones die, the memory of their just deeds, like moonbeams on the stormy sea. liglits u|) oui- darkened hearts and lends to the surrounding gloom a beauty so sweet and sad, that we would not if we could dispel the darkness that environs it.

"I hardly know of one whose death could suntU-r mon- or dearer ties: one who could leave so much behind him and a pathway lighted ])y a fairer radiance. A more modest, unassuming man; a finei- iuid a truer gentleman, a better and a nobler friend

I never kneAv. The more I saw and knew of him the more warmly I loved and honored him for his many noble traits. I will not indulge in what might be construed to be fulsome adulation; I Avill speak of him as he actually was. He was in its truest and fullest sense a 'born gentleman.' He was conscientiously and thoroughly honest, honorable and candid in all his dealings and transactions with his fellow men, personally, financially and politically. He won the admiration and respect of his professional brethren by the open fairness of his contests. He attached himself to his client and his cause with a loyalty that knew no shadow of turning. He threw his whole soul into the case on trial. He abandoned no cause when it lacked numbers. He deserted no friend in the minority. He feared no opposition when he believed himself right, and he espoused no cause that he believed unjust. His manliness and fairness not only won clients, but commanded the respect of adversaries, the confidence of judges, and the admiration of the public. He was a wonderful advocate, armed with eloquence so enchanting that jurors became his captives. Always frank and candid, he was utterly free from even the appearance of demagogy. He hated shams and despised pretensions. He never disappointed a friend ; he never ignored an obligation ; he never forfeited a confidence. His will was invincible ; his motives pure. His purposes were definite, but exemplary and lofty. His self-respect was intense ; therefore he strove for justice to others. He sought no mean advantage, being jealous of his own honor.

"When I say, as I do with all my heart, that our dead brother whose life we commemorate today, illustrated this simple but exalted philosophy to which I have made reference, in all his relations to life, I have said everything that need be spoken, even for the lam.ented dead, by the partial lips of sincere affection, and have paid to him the proudest tribute which honest merit ever won from unobsequious homage. He was a model in all the tender relations of domestic life. As a husband he was exemplary - faithful, loving and tenderly devoted to his noble and worthy invalid companion in life. In him the living have lost a kind husband, a tender father and faithful friend; his state a true son, but he has left them that richest of all treasures, a spotless reputation, the memory of earnest deeds well done. This much have

Kemarks of G. AV. AVoodard, of LaCrosse county - "^May it please your honor: But little can be added in commemoration of Judge Joseph ]\Iorrow to what has already been said, but in view of my long acquaintance Avith him it is proper for me, in l)ehalf of the bar of the county of LaCrosse and of the circuit, to join with others in moving the adoption of the memorial which has been read.

"In 1857 I made the acquaintance of ]\Ir. L. AV. Graves, then young, but a leader of the bar of this county, in trial work, and within a year or two thereafter I met i\Ir. IMorroAV, his student, and from that time on we were always firm friends. Among ilie elements entering into the early settlement of this part of the state, one of the strongest and most potent was the intiuence and power of the lawyers who gave tone and character to the bar of the circuit and of the state. Among these were Daniel Reid "Wheeler, Mr. L. AV. Graves, AVilliam Denison, James I. Lyndes, Alonzo Johnson. . Hugh Cameron, Angus Cameron, AVilliam II. Tucker, P^dwin Flint and George Gale. These men were then in the vigor of their maidiood, Avell equipped for their labors, diligent and faithful in their duties, and loyal to the principles and traditions of their profession. Among such men at the bar of this eourt, and contemporaneous with many of them, and as one of them ]\Ir. Morrow (then very young) took his place, and for many years as a trial lawyer was regarded and recognized as one of the ablest and shrewdest who ever practiced in the circuit.

*'AIr. ]\IorroAv became the legal adviser of many business men in this and other connuunitics, and I venture to assert that no man ever went from his office with advice to do anything which when done would reflect on his lionor and integrity, or on the lionor and integrity of the man to whom he gave it. In tlie ]ierformance of his duties as a lawyer he was honest because he believed in it. and not because of policy. The spring of success in liifi work was the perfect control he exercised over his powers, his complete understanding of himself, and his limitations, his minute and thorough perception of cause and effect in the art of trying cases, and his consummate skill in so presenting his case as to hide its defects and make what bore for it conspicuous. He tried a case with the ease of second nature, which makes jurors and courts oblivious to the effort and skill which can produce such effects. lie was successful in his profession because of his knowledge of men, liis tact, his honesty to his client, his fairness to his opponent, and the impression he made that he fully believed, and was sincere in liis belief, that his client should prevail. He was powerful in his profession and never struck a blow without leaving his mark. lie was an acute and sound lawyer. He possessed good common sense. His amiable and unassuming deportment, and his uniform courtesy made him popular and well liked. His kindness and courtesy to all was a part of himself. His industry was most untiring, and his zeal in behalf of his clients deserving of the highest praise. No man was ever found quicker than lie to appreciate merit and to forgive frailty, or palliate a defect. It was part of his nature. His impulses were sympathetic. His temper was good.

"After practicing in the county and circuit courts for more than thirty years, he was called to the bench by the practically unanimous consent of the members of the bar of the circuit. They knew him and recognized his merit. He occupied the bench for a period of about eighteen months, scarcely time to give him an opportunity to show fully what has capabilities as a .judge were, but his judgment was clear and calm, and his decisions gave general satisfaction. As judge he bore in mind the doctrine of Socrates: 'Three things belong to a judge; to hear courteously, consider soberly, and give judgment without partiality.' He was a man of his w^ord and kept it absolutely on all occasions. In his home he developed that highest of human virtues - self-sacrifice - and his devotion to an invalid Avife was touching and beautiful. His first and greatest impulse was sympathy. This displayed itself in a constant solicitude for the comfort of those around him, and in a thousand courtesies adorning his conduct. The work of the advocate is not enduring. It too often perishes with the occasion. Judge Morrow rests from his labors, l)ut his memory will live while the people who knew liim live, and in the hearts of those Avho loved him."

Remarks of D. F. Jones, of Sparta - "May it please the Court : AVhile my acquaintance with Judge Morrow does not extend over as wide a period as many of his professional brethren, it nevertheless covers nearly twenty years of time, and was marked with some degree of intimacy. Comencing as a law student in his office I had unusual opportunity to observe his manners and method as a lawyer, his habits as a man, and his standard of professional ethics and conduct ; and thereafter in the active practice of the law, in almost daily intercourse, both within and without the courtroom, I observed him closely, and he w^as to me a conlOG HISTORY OF .MOXHOK COUNTY staiit inspiration and an object of admiration and esteem. Ilis natnral ability, his skill as an advocate, and his engaging personality ^von him a large clientage and made him easily one of the recognized leaders of the Wisconsin bar. For more than a qnarter of a century his services were in almost constant demand, covering a large field of activity. For many years he -was identified with nearly all imi)ortant litigation in the western AVisconsin courts. It is speaking within bounds to say that during his long career at tiie bar he tried as many, if not more, cases, and tried them as well as any attorney within this state. Ilis presence in an action was a toAver of strength to his client and often brought hope to the despairing, and nerved the arm of the weak. To him life was a legal warfare and the courtroom his chosen field of action. There, amidst the clash of contending reason, he seemed to find his greatest pleasure and made his most enduring fame.

"Though eminently successful in the conduct of civil actions, trying Avith equal facility damage suits for railroad corporations, questions involving the complexities of tax title, and simple action of replevin for personal property; while apparently engaging with equal zest in an argument in the Supreme Court, in a trial to a jury in Circuit Court or a general scramble in justice court, it was as a criminal lawyer he made his greatest reputation. In the practice of the criminal law his triumphs were many, and there his greatest victories Avere won.

it could not be said of him, as AYendcll i'liillips once remarked of Rufus Choate, 'that the murderer, as he sharpened his knife for the fatal blow, first paused to inquire for the health of Rufus Choate,' yet it may be said that many an unfortunate malefactor trembling Avithin the shadoAV of the penitentiary turned to him for helj) and found succor in the hour of need. Paradoxical as it may seem, hoAvever, even as a criminal laAvyer, his reputation rests not so nuich upon the cases he Avon as the cases he lost. And for the same reason, doubtless, given by Justice Ryan to Judge Dixon, in ansAver always sought the highest order of talent. To my mind his principal characteristics Avere fertility of resources, tenacity of purpose, unfailing good nature, and abounding common sense. Though not learned in the bnv. in the sense of the great jurists of the past, and not gifted Avith the charm of eloquence that Avarps the judgment, ravishes the ear, he nevertheless possessed a knoAvledge of legal principles, an intuitive sense of equity, and a mastery of the practice and procedure, born of his enormous experience in the court, that frequently extricated him from desperate situations and snatched victory from the very jaws of defeat. And as he marshalled his reasons and massed his argument, he sometimes seemed overpoweringly eloquent to the opposing counsel in the case.

"His tenacity in the trial of a case is a matter of common knowledge to us all. I can almost see him now, I can almost catch the echo of his voice as he stood before the jury, pleading for the righteousness of his cause. And when he appealed to the court for the exercise of its discretion, or contended for a debatable principle of law, he reminded one of Jacob wrestling with the angel, refusing to let go until he had received the blessing. He evidently proceeded upon the theory that courts, like the kingdom of heaven, were sometimes taken bj^ violence.

"His serene good nature impressed everyone with whom he came in contact. It was the same qualitj^ that endeared Lincoln to the people and was the predominant trait of his character. With charity toward all and malice toward none, he seemed to regard the faults and foibles of his associates with good-natured tolerance, and to pity even while he condemned. His heart was void of envy and hate. We can all recall instances in the trial of cases when the relation between counsel and court was strained to the point of breaking, and the atmosphere of the courtroom surcharged with threatening storms, how by a timely word, a gesture, or a quick repartee, he cleared the air and scattered all ill feeling in a general laugh. Many times have I heard him say that he gave his client his skill and experience, but he gave no man his personal feelings. This principle governed his conduct. His quarrels he left in the courtroom, while his friendship he carried with him everywhere. And thus it happened that when he died his professional brethren felt a sense of personal loss and mourned his death with unfeigned sorrow.

"To some men are given talent, to others genius, but to few is given the saving grace of common sense. This he possessed in an uncommon measure. It marked his words and actions, and gave him broadness of mind and catholicity of spirit. This quality was impressed upon his work as a lawyer, and every case initiated and prosecuted by himself was sure to have elements of merit in law or in fact. It left its mark upon his administration as district attorney of this county, an office he held so many years, and his sound judgment made him not only an ideal prosecuting officer, but the trusted advisor of the county board. It is no disparagement of others to say that his conduct of this office is the standard whereby the people may measure the excellence of his successors and ascertain their worth. This same equality stamped his brief career upon tlic bench, and had lie coiitiimed to enjoy its honors, there is littk' d()id)t that his distinction as a jurist would have rivaknl his fame as an advocate at the bar.

"But he Avas not alone a lawyer. The same qualities that gave his success at the bar made him a conspicuous figure in the field of politics, and for many years he was hioh in the councils of his party. lie was honored Avith the nomination for attorney general, was chairman of its state conventions, and collector of internal revenue. And it is safe to say lliat had his lot been cast with the dominant political party he wonh! have graced the halls of congress and left the impress of his ability upon our national life. As a citizen his life was worthy of emulation. He felt the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, and had a keen sense of civic pride. In all public enterprises making toward the betterment of the people and the progress of his city, county and state, he made his intiuence felt. He served the village as its president, and gave seven years of his time to the schools as a member of the board. He was not above holding the office of supervisor of his ward, and at times sat upon the county board as one of its trusted members. And to his influence in a measure is due the beautiful edifice wherein we connnemorate his virtues this day.

"In this city and county he had passed his life and among his own peo])le he passed away. His name was known to all its people, and by all he was well 1)eloved. His form was a familiar iigure on the streets, and when his death was announced it came as a shock and moistened many a cheek with tears. The community was in mourning, his family in tears, and the shadow of death settled over all like a pall. For of him, as of another 3,000 years ago, could it be said, 'There was sore lamentation for a great man had fallen in our midst that day.'

"The Persian writer Laasi tells the story of three sages - a Greek, an Indian, and a Persian - Avho once discussed before the Persian monarch, the (juestion, 'Of all the evils incident to humanity, which is the greatest?' The Greek answered, 'Old age. o])pressed with poverty.' The Indian said, 'Pain without contentment,' while the Persian answered, bowing low, 'The greatest evil I can imagine, youi- majesty, is tiie couch of death without one gooil deed of life to light the dai'ksome way.' None of these evils were incident in his life. His age was not oppressed Avith poverty. He was not afflicted with jiain and discontent. And knowing him as we do, we may confidently l)elieve that the many noble deeds of his life, unrecorded and nidvUOAvn, made luminous

Remarks by Judge 0. B. AVyman: "In the death of the late Judge Joseph M. ^Morrow the profession has lost a learned, a skillful, a successful and an honest lawyer; the people have lost a prominent citizen and a safe counsellor and an able advocate ; this beautiful city, that he delighted to call his home, whose streets lie traveled for the greater part of his active life, and whose people he loved and served so well, has lost a warm friend, his neighbors have lost a genial associate, an enterprising and leading citizen ; his family has lost a kind and devoted husband and loving and "considerate father; this court has lost one of its prominent practitioners at the bar of justice, an attorney of recognized ability and integrity, possessed of extended experience and of acute legal knowledge and perception, and the sentiments expressed in the memorial presented and in the eulogies pronounced by the gentlemen who have just spoken of his character, life and memory are endorsed by the court. From a professional as well as from the popular standpoint, he was a successful laAvyer.

"The masses usually judge of a lawyer's capability from his ability to make a pleasing address to court and jury, or from his readiness at retort in the trial of cases in the forum of justice. The members of our profession judge of a lawyer's ability not from his use of language alone, but from his knowledge of the law, the great system of jurisprudence that has grown through the centuries past, formed in part from long-established custom and usage, in part from legislative exactments and in part from judicial decisions, for the purpose of guarding and securing the protection of life and property to all the citizens of the commonwealth.

"The profession judge of a lawyer's ability from his knowledge of the intricate rules and precedents of this system by which individual rights are maintained, and wrongs are redressed by his ability to draw correct pleadings, to make briefs, and to properly prepare for the trial of his case, his ability to examine witnesses and direct the testimony towards the controlling issues which determine the decision of the ease at the trial, by his ability to eliminate from his pleadings, and from the testimony, the irrelevant and unimportant elements, and to clearly state and make prominent only the essential facts which pertain to the cause of action or to the defense, by his ability to concentrate his mind, his mental strength and vigor upon the case in hand, so that his client may never sutfer from inadvertance or failure to fully protect his legal rights, by his abilit}'^ to advise his client fully and properly before he engages in litigation, as to his legal riglits and the proper course to secure the same.

"From all these considerations, as well as the ability of the lawyer to make a pleasing address, is he judged by the members of his profession in considering the question of his qualifications, al)ility and success as a practicing attorney, and from all these standpoints it can truly be said that the late Judge Morrow was a capable and successful lawyer. It is a matter of common experience with all attorneys that they do not gain all the cases witli which they are connected. In their contention for their client's cause they may sometimes censure courts and juries when the decision is adverse, still no client has just cause for complaint towards his counsel, when he has done his full duty in the management of the client's case.

"In Judge ]\Iorrow's extended career as a practicing attorney he did not always succeed in gaining his client's contention. Sometimes a client after the trial had ended would have to hear the bars of the prison door grate behind him, and be shut in from freedom of life for a term of years. But such unfortunate clients had the satisfaction of knowing that all legal and honoralile means had been employed for his defense during the trial as conducted by industrious, competent and efficient counsel.

"Sometimes in the defense of civil actions after the legal proceedings were ended, a judgment for damages would be entered against the client for a legal liability shown to exist between the parties, but in such cases the client, if intelligent and fairminded, wellknew that the cause had been ably defended with legal talent and ability of high rank during the litigation of the case and that the facts and law entitled the recovery against him. In the practice of his profession numy legal A'ictories were won by liis untiring industry, his knoAvledge of the law and his wide and extended experience in the trial of cases.

"lie was ever known to be faithful to Iiis client's cause, faithful 1o his client in the office as counselor, faithful to his client and to the court during the trial of the ease, faithful in ni^holding the dignity nnd high standing of the profession of the law. ITo was successful in winning many a legal contest when ojiposed l)y able and eminent counsel, as the court records, the trial courts and our Supreme Court fully shoAV. From a professional point of view, he was truly a successful attorney. He is known to the legal profession and to the entire people oi his extended acquaintance, not only to have been a skilled and successful pvacticing attorney, but he is known to have possessed the judicial temperament, the legal knowledge and ripe experience which, combined, eminently fitted and qualified him to preside over the court of this circuit to the general satisfaction of the entire bar.

"He was quick to grasp the controverted points in issue in the trial of causes as a judicial officer. He was ever kind, courteous and attentive to counsel at the trial of cases during his term upon the bench, and was ever governed by that high sense of honor and fair dealing that marked his career as a lawyer at the bar. He preserved and maintained the dignity and high standing that the court has theretofore long sustained, during the terms of his eminent predecessors upon the bench. He was an honest, conscientious, impartial and worthy judge. He possessed and cultivated the qualities of integrity and industry in the study and practice of his profession, cfualities which, more than any others, marked his success as an attorney at the bar and a judicial officer. It is a mistaken idea, sometimes entertained, that lawyers succeed by tricks and artifice in the practice of their profession.

"The truly successful lawyer is as high above such devising schemes as the noonday sun is high above the horizon. Judge Morrow's marked success in the profession was gained by his continued practice of fair legal methods, by honest, upright dealings with his clients, with opposing counsel, and with the court. Such was liis character, and be has left the rich heritage of an honorable career in the practice of his profession, extending to the day of his death over a third of a century in the courts of this state.

"In his family - ever kind and attentive to a loving wife and an atfectionate daughter. In the church of his choice - a frecpient attendant and attentive member and a liberal supporter. In the city of his chosen home - always among the leaders in advancing popular education, joublic interests and public improvements. He was public spirited on all occasions. He w^atched with pride the erection of this beautiful courthouse. With others, advised with the authorities having the same in charge, and on its completion was master of ceremonies at the formal opening.

"In reply to a remark made to him concerning the substantial manner in which the building was built with fireproof vaults, complete in all their parts and of sufficient capacity to safely keep the records of the county for years to come, he said: 'Yes, this ])nil(lin«r will outlive us all.' The statement is likely true, but "\ve little thontjht then that in so short a time he would be stricken down by the angel of death in the strength of his mature years.

"lie was ever kind and eonsiderati' lowards the unfortunate and his liand was often opened towards the relief of distress. Ilis neighbors and friends in tlie eomnuinity Avhere hi- lived, llic stranger whom he chanced to meet in the pathway of life, all learned to admin> and esteem him foi- his genial social qualities, his kindly good nature, his sympathy for distress and his goodness of heart as a citizen. He will long bo missed by his many friends - there will be a vacant chair at the sessions of this court - and in honor of his memory we here commemorate.

"It is ordered that the memorial presented by the connnittee of the bar be approved and spread ui)on the records of the court. The clerk is requested to present a copj^ of the same to the family of the deceased and to the local press for publication. Further ordered that court be now adjourned in respect to the memory of the late Judge Joseph 'M. ]\forrow."

Romanzo Bunn

Judge Bunn Avas born in Otsego county. New York September 24, 1829. He studied law at Elliottville, New York and was admitted to the bar at that i)lace in 1853. He w^as married in 1854 to Sarah Purely, of Rome, Ncav York, and came to AVisconsin in September of the same year.

He stopped for a few months in the very small new town of Sparta, going from there to Trempeleau county Avhere he entered a quarter section of government land. After living on this claim six months he moved to Galesville, then the county seat. He was elected mend)er of assembly for Trempeleau county in 1850.

In 1861 he formed a law partnership with Carlton E. Rice, an old New York friend. He Avas soon after elected district attorney for Slonroe county, lii 1868 he was elected Circuit «Tudge of the then Sixth Judicial Ciiciut. comprising the counties of ]Monroe, La Crosse, Jackson, Clark, Trempeleau. Buffalo and Vernon, being re-elected in 1874 by unanimous endorsements of the bar of the district. This i)osition he held until 1877 when he was appointed United States District Judge for the AVestern District of AVisconsin, succeeding Janu's C. Hopkins, who died September 8, of that year. He held this position for almost thirty years, retiring January 6, 1005, at the age of seventy-five. During this time a vast amount of important litigation came before him, both in his position of district judge and also as associate justice of the Court of Appeals; his duties in the latter position taking up a considerable portion of his time.

Judge Bunn took a leading position among the federal judges of the country. He occupied the bench during the period when federal jurisprudence was developing, and new and important questions were constantly coming up for decision. His opinions have been widely quoted and followed by the courts of other circuits, and successful appeals were taken from but a small number of his decisions. In the court room he was quick and decisive in his rulings, grasping the true point at issue and giving his decisions on that point alone. At the time of his retirement from the bench. Judge Francis E. Baker of the Court of Appeals said of him: - "He has shown the patience to hear with fulness and impartiality and the comprehension to understand the issues in all their bearings and the wisdom to find the right and the unfaltering honesty to declare and enforce it - not the common honesty that may have regard for what is the best policy, but the fearless honesty 'that dares to be knowingly nnpolitic - these, I take it, are the attributes of a great and just judge."

Judge Bunn was for several years professor of federal jurisprudence in the law school of the University of Wisconsin, and for two years was special lecturer on the same subject in the law department of Northwestern University at Evanston, 111. He was a member of the Madison Literary Club, and frequently contributed to its programs. He was a lover of the English classics and a remarkably strong Shakespearian scholar.