HISTORY OF THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY - CHAPTER 18


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Faithful Record of all Important Events, Incidents, and
Circumstances that have Transpired in the Valley of the
Chippewa from its Earliest Settlement by White People,
Indian Treaties, Organization of the Territory and State;
Also of the Counties Embracing the Valley, Senatorial,
Assembly and Congressional Districts, and a Brief
Biographical Sketch of the Most Prominent Persons in the
Settlement of the Valley. BY Thomas E. Randall 1875.  Free
Press Print.  Eau Claire, Wisconsin

CHAPTER 18

Individuals are integral parts of a vast whole, and
corresponding to the rise and fall of nations, of dynasties,
in the history of the world, may be reckoned the rise,
progress, and decay of influential organizations in larger
communities, and a revolution or the downfall of a dynasty
in a State are not more legitimately the subjects of history
than the failure of a long established mercantile of
manufacturing establishment in a city or country; although
younger, more energetic, or more fortunate men may succeed
in their places and positions in both instances, a kind of
mournful interest attaches to those who once filled so
important a place in the affairs of the this life but who
must now subside into obscurity.

At the close of chapter sixteen, it was stated that the
officers of the company know as the Chippewa Falls Lumber
Company, which had succeeded H.S. Allen and Company met at
some place in Illinois and divided up the summer's earnings;
it would be nearer the mark to say that some of the officers
had been dividing the avails of their operations through the
entire summer, as fast as the lumber could be converted into
money; the result was, nothing for the creditors or for the
stockholders, but the men were careful to take themselves
out of harm's way, if their creditors or an exasperated
community should choose to seek redress. But for Mr. Allen
and Mr. Galloway, whose families were here, and who, have
been members of the old firm, because of special objects of
attachment by their old creditors, but their devoirs were
paid by proxy, and the U.S. Marshall made it his especial
business to hunt these two men down for several weeks, with
a warrant of arrest, as though they had been guilty of some
crime. And even the men whose wages remained unpaid,
threatened violence to their persons, under the mistaken
idea that large sums had been concealed, and it was with
great difficulty that they could be satisfied to the
contrary.

Before spring, however, these difficulties were amicably
adjusted, and the entire property was surrendered to
creditors, Andrew Gregg, an eminent lawyer, who had lately
settled at the Falls, was appointed receiver by Judge
Miller, of the United States District Court; the mill and
fixtures were leased to Adin Randall, of Eau Claire, and as
no freshet or other mishap occurred, was enabled to pay the
rent, although times were so hard that there was a little or
no profit in any lumbering operations.

But the depression of the lumbering interests was not
without its benefits, as it induced great numbers of
operators to resort to farming and in the fall of 1858
Chippewa County shipped the first wheat - about seventeen
thousand bushel. It was handled in the interest of H.S.
Allen, but not in his name, and was worth there forty-five
to fifty cents a bushel; this marked a new era in the
business operations of the country, and although the home
marked caused by the various lumber industries has been
immense, the county had shipped more or less wheat nearly
every year since.

A few noteworthy incidents have been omitted. A fatal
accident occurred in the hay-meadow on O'Neil's creek, where
the two brothers, George and Edward Warren, nephews of Mr.
Warren, previously mentioned in these pages, were at work
haying; the latter with a rifle in his hands, was passing
through a thicket, by some means the trigger was caught by a
twig, discharging the contents into his body in the region
of his heart. He lived a few hours, and was greatly mourned,
being highly respected by all who knew him.

In 1851 an incident occurred to the writer that may interest
some reader. It happened at Frenchtown. I was running some
cribs of square timber over the falls, and, as usual, the
boys drank pretty freely, and being a little 'set up,' one
of them took it into his head that he must go home right
away - he lived in Illinois -- and must have a settlement
then and there. I asked him to defer it until the last crib
was over, when quick as thought he caught up a loaded
shotgun and discharged the contents at me, the shot taking
effect in and just above both knees, shattering the left
knee-pan pretty badly, and inflicting seriously wounds in
the fleshy part of the right thigh. I was facing and
hastening towards him with a view to wrench the death-
dealing instrument from him when it was discharged, and if
the aim had been a few inches higher, some pen besides mine
must have written the history of this valley.

As it was Mrs. Demarie had be on my feet again and attending
to my business in six weeks, but, my family being in
Illinois, it seemed a very long, weary time. It was about
this time that a party of Sioux warriors came up into this
neighborhood, and after skulking around back of French town
awhile, succeeded in killing old Jack, a superannuated
Indian, who lived mostly in the Demarie family, and was very
much esteemed. For a while the little community was in a
state of perfect terror, but the cowardly perpetrators were
as much alarmed as the others for they fled so precipitately
that they slipped the halters from the heads of their ponies
where they fastened them, and I saw several that had been
gathered by white persons. Another party of Chippewas were
surprised and shot near Dunnville, the same year, but in the
summer of 1857 the Chippewas made two Sioux braves bite the
dust near the same locality, their heads cut off and set on
poles, their faces, 'ghastly grinning' by the road, where it
crosses Rock Run, in the town of Wheaton. Some time in the
string of this year an unfortunate homicide took place in
Frenchtown, which created a good deal of excitement and
consideration for the offenders. William Wylie enlisted in
the same New York regiment with Fred Bussy, was in every
battle from the siege of Vera Cruz to the surrender of the
city of Mexico, a brave soldier and a great favorite with
his comrades wherever he was; he came on the river in 1849,
and some years after married a Miss Warner, to whom he
appeared to be very much attached, and very jealous of other
men's attentions to her. One evening she was passing near a
saloon, some fellow in liquor accosted her in terms deemed
too familiar, and having heard her statement, Wylie the next
morning sought the offender, and at one blow with a billet
of wood crushed the skull of his victim, causing death in a
few hours. Wylie surrendered himself to the authorities, was
duly presented to a grand jury at the next ensuing term of
the Circuit Court, but that conscientious body refused to
find sufficient cause to indict him, and the ermine brow of
Judge Fuller grew black with righteous indignation at the
announcement, and calling this august branch of his court
before him, gave them such a reprimand as they, if living,
feel tingling their ears yet. An examination of the case was
subsequently had before a justice of the peace and the
offender bound over, but on some pretext a habeas corpus was
issued by Judge Mead, of Eau Claire, who released the bonds
so that Wylie was now free, and he soon took himself to
parts unknown. But by what right this astute Judge issued
such a writ is a question for 'men eminent in the law,' as
the author of Waverly says.

On April 30, 1857 Andrew Seitz was murdered by Charles
Nethers, two Germans who occupied a room over the Receiver's
office, on Eau Claire Street. A dispute about a small amount
of money, while both were in liquor, led to the fatal deed;
the offender being armed with a dirk-knife, inflicted a stab
in the left side of the lower part of the abdomen. At the
June term of the Circuit Court following, Nether was
indicted and tried, but the jury disagreeing he was
convicted of manslaughter in the third degree at the next
term. He was sentenced by Judge S.S.N. Fuller to four years
and twenty days at hard labor in the penitentiary; Bartlett
and Mulks for the State. A Meggett for the prisoner - Eau
Claire Free Press of December 20, 1857.

A member of the legal profession, who had practiced in the
courts convened in this valley since the organization of
this district, would undoubtedly find data for much legal
disquisition, and many laughable incidents might be told,
and one occurs to me that may interest the readers, if not
told in legal phraseology. It was while grand juries were in
vogue in this State, and when the terms for Chippewa County
were in January and July. It was the winter term, twenty-
three grand jurors, good men and true, had answered to their
names, had learned the history of juries from the days of
Alfred down, the vast conservative power and influences of
grand juries, form the learned judge, heard his charge, 'to
present no man through fear, favor, or affection," and sworn
to present all who were guilty of such and such offences,
including bribery and every attempt of men in official
positions to receive bribes or compound felonies; and having
been properly locked up in a room, well guarded by a
resolute executive functionary, they commenced their onerous
deliberation, and then and there making inquest for the body
and people of Chippewa County, ascertained that the District
Attorney, the man whom the people in their collective wisdom
had chosen to prosecute offenders and draw up indictments
against those whose conduct was contrary to the peace and
dignity of the State, was the man, the moral, and criminal
turpitude of whose offending made it incumbent on that
illustrious body to present him to the court for illegally
and feloniously accepting a bribe and compounding felony, to
the great detriment of the people of the said County of
Chippewa, and contrary to the peace and dignity of the
State. His Honor was therefore requested to send a good
lawyer to that well-guarded room, to embody the result of
their investigations as disclosed by the evidence into an
indictment, charging him with heinous crimes and
misdemeanors, that he might answer before the law he had
sworn to help execute, in that he had received sums of money
amounting to one hundred and fifty dollars, from a certain
German arrested for assault with intent to kill, held to
bail before a justice's court, and released through the
interposition of this District Attorney, on the payment of
the sum aforesaid to himself, and for his personal benefit.
Such were the fact disclosed by the evidence before the
jury, a stated by their foreman, when called before his
honor to explain the cause of so strange of a request; the
party implicated being present, who, of all the members of
that bar, most shared his Honor's confidence. Here was a
dilemma; no member of the legal profession in that court
could be prevailed on to draw such an indictment, but how
was he to satisfy that grand jury. He was equal to the
occasion, however; and after the confusion of the moment had
passed, delivered himself of the following peroration:
"Gentlemen of the Grand Jury, we read in the Bible, 'Blessed
are the peacemakers.' This man is a peacemaker; he made
peace between the injured man and the wrong-doer by paying
him fifty dollars out of the one hundred and fifty, and now
they are good friends, and if for mediatorial services and
influence he received the hundred, it is all right. The
officer will attend you to your room. Sheriff, adjourn the
court."

The mill property at the Falls continued in receivers until
1862, leased to different parties, the last being Henry
Coleman, a practical mill man, who had been employed as
foreman under the old regime, and who assisted the new firm
of Pound and Halbert, who this year bought the entire
property, mill, lots, pineland, and personal property. The
firm commenced business at a very opportune moment when
property was low, and advances caused by the war a better
currency, with favorable seasons and close attention to
business, enabled them to rise at once to an enviable
position in the business community.

Schools and Churches

The first district school organized in Chippewa County under
the legal provision was in the town of Lafayette, in the
fall of 1855, and Miss Irene Drake has the honor of teaching
the first school. In the succeeding winter, 1855-6, a public
school house had been commenced by remained unfinished; the
school was opened in a private house. The school system in
this State has been revised and improved since that time,
and its provisions better understood by the people. But, at
the time and in that little district, the people were so
tenacious or their ancient customs and old notions, that the
proposition to levy a tax to build a schoolhouse was
strenuously opposed, not withstanding there was a large
amount of non-resident lands on which the assessment would
fall. "Where we came from," said these patriotic citizens,
"the house was always built by private contributions," but
school districts got bravely over those old fogy ideas, as
many a speculator owning wild lands there can testify

The first house erected in the village of Chippewa Falls of
district purposes was built in 1857; was quite a spacious
building, and frequently occupied for religious services by
various denominations too feeble to have a house of their
own.

The Presbyterian Church was completed in 1857, and the
Reverend Bradley Phillips was invited to become its pastor.

The Catholic Church was commenced the same year, and after a
hard struggle and many delays, completed n 1859, since which
time its pulpit has been well sustained.