USA > Michigan > Clinton County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 54
USA > Michigan > Shiawassee County > History of Shiawassee and Clinton counties, Michigan > Part 54
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The third settler was James E. Rouse, who came in 1851, and occupied upon seetion 11 a place still the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Cramer, whom he left his widow. Rouse cut out his road from Hiram Bennett's iu Duplain to section 11, a distance of two miles and a half, and had for a time upou his farm in the woods a sadly lonesome time. Ile was poor, and made shift to get along only by tedious struggles and much comfortless denial. Mrs. Cramer relates that she passed through a very tedious experience in encountering the cares and vexations of pioneer life. Carrying water from a place a mile away from her home was among the many familiar examples of life in the woods, while howling wolves awakened frequent fears and tested her resolute spirit to the utmost.
Referring to Braley once more, and the sorry time he met in his efforts to pick up a livelihood, it is reealled that he was often compelled to make a journey on foot of twenty miles to St. Charles, where he got a chance to werk for a supply of flour or other provisions, and when he had earned the provisions he had to bring them upon his back to the home where he had been compelled to leave his wife and
* By David Schwartz.
1
RESIDENCE OF E. F. & E. R. BENNETT, FAIRFIELD, MICH.
221
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP.
little ones to tremble in their loneliness while he toiled for something to keep the wolf of starvation from the door. They were frequently so poorly off for something to eat that on more than one occasion they subsisted on nothing but such nutritious roots as they could find in the woods.
THE MUNSON SETTLEMENT.
In the spring of 1853, George B. Munson made a loca- tion in Fairfield upon section 32, where he still resides. At that time the population of the town included just six other families. They were the families of A. S. Braley, on sec- tion 2; Lewis Lockwood, on section 35; James Rouse, on section 11; Henry Higgins, on section 17; Moses Wool, on section 8; and Henry Wool, on section 8. In the spring of 1853 came Alfred Veltman, John Myers, and Henry Stebbins, and in the autumn following, Abadillah Borden and Uriah Squires. The road passing now castward from Mr. Munson's place was then simply underbrushed for three miles, but was not in a condition passable for wagons. The Meridian road was not opened until about two years after, and this, as well as many other highways, was constructed through the medium of " road-bees," at which, on each Saturday, the settlers would gather en masse and work to- gether to improve the means for getting out of and into town. Urged on by their great desire to see the work pushed ahead rapidly they performed effective service, and the result was that ere long they had all the roads they wanted, and moderately good ones at that. Of the settlers mentioned as having been in the town when George B. Munson came in, he is the only one now permanently residing in it, although Henry Wool owns a farm in the town, and resides occasionally upon it.
Mr. Munson brought with him a pair of horses, and it is his recollection that there was at that time no other horse- team in the town, nor had there been but one, which the Wool family brought in and traded off directly after they came. Horse-teams were so scarce, indeed, as late as 1862, that when in that year Roe G. Van Deusen made the town assessment he found but three horse-teams and not more than fifty sheep.
In 1854 settlers began to come in quite rapidly. Alfred Veltman, who has been mentioned as a settler in 1853, came to the town in 1851, put up a cabin on section 35, made a elearing, and put in a erop. He kept bachelor's hall on his place two years, and then going East for his family, came back in 1853 and made a permanent settlement. Upon that place now lives Mrs. Sophia Culver, who was Mr. Veltman's widow. Among the settlers in 1854 were E. F. Bennett, Oscar Darling, Dory Castle, and later Ira Allen, the Brain- ards, Perkins, Moses Leavitt, C. J. Austin, Charles Wait, Wmn. Peck, I. L. Munson, C. G. Munson, John W. Curtis, Orrin Wetherbee, Merrick Rockwell, Ralph Van Densen, E. J. Herrington, and B. W. Darling. Ralph Van Deusen eame in 1854 from Medina Co., Ohio, and in 1856 he was joined by his brother, Roe G. Van Deusen, who came and stopped in town through that summer, working at his trade as carpenter. In 1859 he made a permanent settlement upon the place he now occupies.
Elder Ira Allen, now on section 17, located in Duplain in 1852, and in 1856 moved to his present home, which
was first settled by Henry Higgins. Elder Allen began to preach Baptist sermons shortly after his location in Fair- field, and for the past sixteen years has been pastor of the Baptist Church of Elsie. Upon the Meridian line in Fair- field in 1856, when Allen located, the residents were Ralph Van Deusen, Merrick Rockwell, E. J. Harrington (who built the first framed house in the town), John W. Curtis (who had bought out Henry Wool), George B. Munson, Charles Wait, David Bates, and Moses Wool.
Concerning B. W. Darling, one of the settlers of 1854, there is related a story of his ready wit in an emergency and how he tricked a would-be triekster. " Buck" Dar- ling, as he was known, was one of the town constables, and was one day commissioned verbally to procure the arrest of one Seely, who, it appears, had received an advance of money upon a contract to build a school-house, and who was understood to be contemplating a hurried departure from the town instead of a fulfillment of his contract. When Darling received orders for Seely's arrest he felt sure that if he delayed long enough to procure a warrant in the regular way Seely would be off and out of sight, sinee report bad it that he was even then making ready for flight, and was perhaps that moment on the wing. In the emergency the sight of a "road-warrant" lying near him gave Darling a sudden inspiration, and seizing the road- warrant as if his salvation rested within it, he made off post-haste after Seely. As luck would have it he over- hauled the latter as he was upon the eve of taking a hasty leave of absence, and presenting his doeument so that only the word " warrant" appeared to view, said, "Seely, you can't go just now ; I've a warrant for you, and I rather guess you'll have to go with me." Seely looked at the " warrant" as Darling held it before him, and felt inelined to rebel at an adverse fate that thus left him in the lurch, but he never questioned the genuineness of the document upon which he was captured, and so marched away with his captor. The upshot of the affair was that to avoid a prosecution he made a settlement of the matter at issue, and received his liberty. Not until then was he informed of the trick that had been played upon him, and it is said that upon learu- ing it he became one of the most disgusted men ever heard of in Shiawassee County.
E. F. Bennett, conspicuously identified with town affairs for twenty-five years, came to the township in 1854, directly after Uri Squires, who located in the fall of 1853. An underbrushed road was the only highway which Bennett could use when he moved in, but that condition of things he, with Squires and others, soon improved by introducing " road-bees" and getting roads into such shape that travel thereon was fairly casy.
E. S. Hambleton came from Ohio in May, 1855, to land upon section 28, which was even then a wilderness. His nearest neighbor was Dory C. Castle, who lived a half-mile to the westward. East the neighborhood was a swampy and heavily-wooded region. William Oaks, brother-in-law to Hambleton (subsequently county register of deeds and Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd-Fellows of the State), soon came in and located upon a farm adjoining Hambleton's on the east.
222
HISTORY OF SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
C. D. Searl, also a brother-in-law to Hambleton, came with the latter, and still lives west of the Hambleton place.
W. H. Dunham came with his son, W. C. Dunham, in 1861, and bought one hundred and sixty aeres on section 15. The son made his settlement in 1861, but the elder Dunham deferred his permanent establishment until 1862. Upon the quarter section taken by the Dunhams there had not been a stick cut up to 1861. North, on section 10, was Asa Burbank, who occupied the place soon afterwards bought by Andrew Williams, with whom, in 1865, came to the town also his nephew, Thomas Williams, now living on seetion 15. On section 3, in 1861, were Enos Gay and James Corp, aud on section 1 was W. L. Arnold, upon the place settled earlier by Edward Smith.
Among the later settlers in Fairfield other than such as have already been mentioned may be noted the names of William Warner, William Peck, Eli Chamberlain, Chester Fox, HI. W. Fuller, S. G. Main, C. B. Loyens, J. B. White, and E. W. Washburn.
THE TAX-PAYERS OF 1854.
Fairfield's first assessment-roll, made out for the year 1854, presented the following names of resident tax-payers, with the number of acres owned by each :
Acres.
George B. Munson, sections 29, 32.
121
Henry Stebbins, sections 33, 28 ..
160
John A. Borden, section 28. 40
Uri Squires, section 33 120
E. F. Bennett, sections 28, 33, 34. 120
Moses Leavitt, section 24.
160
Alfred Veltmau, section 35.
160
Lewis Lockwood, section 35. 80
Henry Higgins, section 17
54
James Rouse, section 11 100
Moses Wool, sections 8, 9 80
Aaron Braley, section 2 40
Number of acres assessed 10,138
Value of real estate.
829,694
personal estate. 1,525
THE RESIDENT TAX-PAYERS OF 1855.
Acres.
A. S. Braley, section 2. 40
Meses Wool, sectious 8, 9.
80
James E. Rouse, section 11 100
HI. Higgins, section 17 53
Oscar Darling, section 21 .. 80
80
John Gillam, section 24
80
Levi Mosher, section 24.
40
D. S. Buffingtou, section 24.
40
Warren Wetherbee, section 26
SO
P. F. Balfour, section 26.
10
B. W. Darling, section 27. 100
E. F. Bennett, sections 28, 33, 34 120
D. A. Castle, section 28. 160 J. A. Borden, section 20. SO
William Walrath, section 28 10
William Peck, section 28
40
G. B. Munson, sections 29, 32 120
Henry Stebbins, section 33 160 Charles Wait, sections 32, 33 71
Uri Squires, section 33 120
A. Veltman, section 35 .. 160
L. Lockwood, section 35. 120
J. M. Gifford, section 23 80
Silas Sowle, section 34.
10
THE TREASURER'S REPORT FOR 1854.
The first annual report of the town treasurer, dated Nov. 20, 1854, presented the following :
Dr.
To ...
Cr.
Return of delinquent taxes. $353.53
Town orders.
52.27
Collecting fee 7.64
131.04
$544.48
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION AND CIVIL LIST.
Town 8 north, in range 1 east, was a portion of the township of Middlebury until Jan. 4, 1854, when it was set off by the Board of Supervisors and given separate jurisdiction under the name of Fairfield. The name of Brunswick was sent in, among others, to the supervisors as one desired by many residents of the town, for it was from Brunswick, Ohio, that a majority of the town's early set- tlers came. For some reason of their own, however, the supervisors put aside all the names sent in and adopted the one now borne by the town.
The first town-meeting was held April 3, 1854, in the house of Henry Stebbins, and even at that comparatively late date Fairfield was so thinly populated that but twelve votes were cast, and as there was necessarily but one ticket in the field-the town being Democratic-the election was quickly and easily brought to a conclusion.
The result of the election is given below :
Officers.
Candidates.
Votes.
Supervisor
J. A. Borden **
12
Clerk
Henry Stebbins#
12
Treasurer ..
Henry Higgins#
12
.. Lewis Lockwood#
9
Highway Commissioners
.James E. Rouse#
7
. llenry Higgins
6
.. G. B. Munson.
6
Uri Squires (one year)*
12
Justices of the Peace
G. B. Munson (three years)*
12
A. S. Braley (four years)* 12
.John A. Myers*
5
Constables
James Hall#
11
J. E. Rouse#
Alfred Veltman (oue year) **
12
School Inspectors
Uri Squires (two years)*
Johu A. Borden.
5
Henry Stebbins#
11
Poormasters
Alfred Veltman*
6
.John A. Myers*
5
One hundred and fifty dollars were voted for highways and one hundred and twenty-five dollars for contingent expenses. The pathmasters were A. S. Braley for district No. 1, J. A. Myers for district No. 2, and Uri Squires for district No. 3. Subjoined is a list of the persons chosen annually from 1855 to 1880 to serve as supervisor, clerk, treasurer, and justice of the peace :
Year. Supervisors.
Clerks.
Treasurers.
Justices,
1855. J. A. Borden.
G. B. Munson.
H. Higgius,
A. S. Braley.
1856. “
=
=
=
1. Balfour.
1857. Ira Allen. E. S. Hambleton. D. S. Bartlett.
E. F. Bennett.
1858. «
1859. William Oakes. C. D. Searl.
G. W. Bates.
G. W. Bates.
William Oakes.
1861. Wm. Armour.
1862. R. G. Van Deusen. Chas. Burleson.
=
44
E. F. Bennett.
1863.
C. D. Searl.
44
R. F. Miller.
C. G. Manson.
1865. C. D. Searl. E. F. Bennett.
C. G. Munson.
C. G. Wait.
1866. A. K. Bennett.
J. A. Borden.
R. G. Van Deusen.
1867. R. G. Van Deusen. =
C. Eddy.
E. F. Bennett.
* Elected.
J. W. Curtis.
1860. E. S. llambleton.
William Oakes.
R. G. Van Deusen.
Daniel Butts.
1864.
.. Uri Squires*
7
Alfred Veltman (two years)*
12
6
Samuel Garrison, section 24
Moses Leavitt, section 24
160
$544.48
Balance in treasury
.
RESIDENCE OF ITHIAL L. MUNSON, FAIRFIELD, MICH.
223
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP.
Year. Supervisors. Clerks.
Treasurers.
Justices.
1868. C. Eddy.
S. G. Main.
G. B. Munson.
L. Church.
1869. 4 4
C. Butts.
W. Warner.
C. Munson.
1870. C. D. Searl.
F. F. Robbins.
E. F. Bennett.
H. W. Fuller.
1871. R. G. Van Deusen.
44
R. G. Van Deusen.
1872.
R. H. Van Deusen. 64
E. F. Bennett.
1873. P. Scott.
C. Eddy.
E. W. Washburn. G. B. Manson.
F. Cushman.
1875.
William Warner. E. F Bennett.
1876.
44
=
G. B. Munson.
F. Cushman.
1877.
44
=
=
A. II. Dunham.
C. D. Loyens,
1878.
=
46
64
R. G. Van Densen.
1879. P. Scott.
J. Colby.
G. B. Manson.
C. D. Searl.
1880. E. W. Washburn. R. G. Van Densen.
=
M. S. Hambleton.
Although the first supervisor, J. A. Borden, was a Dem- oerat, the town has been Republican in politics each year since 1855, with the exception of 1873 and 1879.
THE VOTERS OF 1857.
Thirty-two votes were cast in 1857, as follows : Almon Batchelor, Liva Mosher, D. S. Bartlett, Chauncey Searl, Clement Netheway, A. S. Braley, E. F. Bennett, J. W. White, B. W. Darling, John Wetherbee, M. M. Perkins, E. S. Hambleton, Oscar Darling, Alfred Veltman, G. W. Bates, E. Il. Harrington, Moses Wool, J. W. Curtis, A. K. Bennett, G. B. Munson, S. A. Mosher, Edwin Curtis, Mer- rick Roekwell, Ira Allen, Henry Stebbins, Warren Austin, R. Il. Van Deusen, Uri Squires, J. E. Rouse, Ichabod Chase, William Oakes, Warren Wetherbee, John A. Borden.
THE VOTERS OF 1859.
The list of voters first registered in 1859 under the reg- istry law contained the following names : C. J. Austin, Ira. Allen, Warren Austin, A. J. Burleson, A. L. Batchelor, D. S. Bartlett, A. S. Braley, E. F. Bennett, A. K. Bennett, Geo. W. Bates, John A. Borden, Wm. Brainard, Lyman Brainard, P. F. Balfour, A. T. Burbank, E. M. Curtis, Icha- bod Chase, E. B. Chamberlain, Henry Ferris, John Gillam, J. M. Gifford, Enos Gay, P. F. Garrison, Jesse Garrison, E. S. Hambleton, E. H. Harrington, E. B. Harrington, C. D. Loyeus, C. B. Loyens, Geo. B. Munson, I. L. Mun- son, Liva Mosher, Wm. Oakes, Wm. Peck, A. E. Rock- well, James Rouse, Merrick Rockwell, Uri Squires, C. D. Searl, R. H. Van Deusen, Alfred Veltman, Moses Wood, Charles G. Wait, John Wetherbee, William Warner.
HIGHWAYS.
At the first town-meeting, April 3, 1854, the town was divided into three road districts as follows : No. 1 to em- brace the north half of the town; No. 2 to include six sections in the southwestern corner of the town; No. 3 to include six sections and the three fractional sections in the southwestern corner of the town. July 21, 1854, a petition for a road from a point between sections 20 and 29, and running east to the east line of the town, was signed by Henry Higgins, James E. Rouse, Henry Stebbins, John A. Borden, George B. Munson, E. F. Bennett, Uri Squires, Lewis Lockwood, Moses Leavitt, Warren Wetherbee, and I. L. Munson. August 14 and 15, 1854, a road was laid out, beginning at the north- east corner of section 25, and passing on section lines westward to the northwest corner of section 29 on the meridian line. Jan. 15, 1855, a road was laid out from
the southwest corner of section 25 to the southeast corner of the section. Feb. 22, 1855, a petition for a road from the southeast corner of section 36 northward on the town line to the northeast corner of section 1 was signed by Cornelius J. Austin, Lewis Lockwood, J. M. Gifford, P. T. Balfour, D. S. Buffington, J. A. Borden, Henry Stebbins, John Gillam, Alfred Veltman, Samuel I. Garri- son, Moses Leavitt, E. F. Bennett, and Uri Squires.
March 28, 1855, roads were laid as follows : One begin- ning at the southeast corner of section 25, and running thenee to the northeast corner of the seetion ; one begin- ning at the southwest corner of section 35, and running on section lines to the southwest corner of section 23, thence to the southwest corner of section 21, and north to the southwest corner of fractional section 17. May 5, 1855, a road was laid beginning at the west quarter post of section 24, and running thence to the east quarter post of said sec- tion. March 24, 1855, a road beginning at the quarter post on the line between sections 23 and 24, and running thence eastward to the town-line; one, June 30, 1855, be- ginning between sections 5 and 8, and running thence east- ward to the town-line; and one, Jan. 5, 1856, from the quarter post between sections 27 and 34 south, on the quarter line of section 27.
SCHOOLS.
The first school in Fairfield was taught by Elizabeth Borden in 1855. She began the term in Henry Stebbins' house, and finished it in the school-house built that year. In Miss Borden's school there were twelve scholars, and among them was but one boy, Edwin R., son of E. F. Bennett. Presumably, therefore, Edwin was at that time the only male scholar in Fairfield. In 1856 school-houses in districts 2 and 3 were built. Henry Higgins took the contraet for building the house in district No. 3 for seventy- five dollars, and then bargained with some of the residents in the district to put on additional work, they to furnish the lumber. He soon concluded he had made a profitless contract, and indueed R. G. Van Deusen for a bonus of one thousand feet of lumber to take it off his hands.
The annual school report for 1857 showed as follows :
District.
Children.
Attendance.
Months Tanght.
Teachers' Pay.
No. 1 ...
34
26
61
$68
2.
... 32
27
5
50
“ 3.
24
19
6
44
1858.
No. 1
26
28
41
$41
" 2 ..
26
28
54
45.25
“ 3.
22
20
44
40.84
1
20
17
34
33
District No. 1, organized Nov. 7, 1854, was bounded north by sections 15, 16, and 17, west by the meridian line, south by the town-line, and east by sections 35, 26, and 23. No. 2, organized the same day, was bounded north by seetions 13 and 14, west by sections 22, 27, and 34, south by the town-line, and east by the town-line. No. 3 was formed Nov. 3, 1855, and commeneed at the south- west corner of fractional section 17, running thence east to section 14, north on seetion lines to the north town-line, thence west to the meridian line, and thenee south to the
1874. E. W. Washburn. =
₡6
224
HISTORY OF SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
place of beginning. No. 4 was organized June 22, 1858, by dividing district No. I on the quarter line east and west through sections 27, 28, and 29. No 5 was formed Jan. 17, 1860, and No. 6 in October, 1865.
Dee. 15, 1855, rules for the government of the town library were adopted as follows :
1. For a grease spot on a book a fine of twelve and a half cents. If more than one, in the same ratio.
2. A torn leaf, if not torn bad, ten cents.
3. Torn-out leaf, twenty-five cents.
4. If more than one torn out, the price of the book.
5. Corner of leaf turned over, six cents.
6. Ink spots and pencil marks, each six cents.
7. A broken or torn-off cover, fifty cents.
TEACHERS.
To 1860 certificates were issued to teachers as follows :
March 17, 1855 .- Ilarriet E. Borden and Sarah A. Leekenby.
Dee. 7, 1855 .- Ellen C. Beebe.
May 16, 1857 .- Lydia D. Linman.
June 6, 1857 .- Harriet E. Borden.
Nov. 7, 1857 .- Henry C. Ferris, Miss Miriam Wool. Dee. 23, 1857 .- John Wool.
April 5, 1858 .- Sarah Ann Ferris.
April 10, 1858 .- Sophia Burleson.
April 10, 1858 .- Adelia M. Smith,
June 12, 1858 .- Miss Marilla Netheway.
Nov. 6, 1858 .- William II. Sextou.
Nov. 20, 1858 .- Harriet Crow, Loren Shelby.
April 9, 1859 .- Nancy Burleson, Amanda Peck.
May 14, 1859 .- Lydia Rockwell, Harriet E. Borden.
November, 1860 .- Elizabeth Hobbs, Nelson Olmstead, Violetta Chase.
The annual school report for 1879 gave the following details :
Number of districts (whole, 5 ; fractional, 1). 6
Number of children of school age. 201
Average attendance .. 243
Value of school property $3000
Teachers' wages. $851
The school directors for 1879 were A. Southwell, B. W. Gates, Charles Dunham, C. D. Scarl, E. D. Loyens, and R. G. Van Deusen.
RELIGIOUS.
The first sermon preached in Fairfield is supposed to have been the funeral discourse upon the death of Mrs. Lewis Lockwood, delivered by Rev. Mr. Macomber, in the winter of 1854. In the following spring he preached a sermon to the settlers at the house of E. F. Bennett, notice of such intention having been given previously by personal commu- nieation with the settlers in all cases available. Mr. Ma- comber preached but one more sermon in the town, and that, too, at Mr. Bennett's house, and upon both oeea- sions is said to have had deeply interested if not large con- gregations. About that time Rev. Mr. Angell, a Prot- estant Methodist preacher, held services occasionally. There was Methodist preaching in school district No. 1 very soon after the school-house was built, in 1855, and there a Meth- odist Episcopal class was organized after a brief delay. The
class did not, however, flourish as well as it was hoped it might, and although it made a good effort for vigorous life the effort was unavailing. After a brief but uncertain ex- istence it expired.
Fairfield has never been nor is it now prolific in religious organizations, and as to church edifices there have been none erected in the town. A reason for all this is found in the statement that the township is so small that the residents of any part of it find it convenient to reach houses of worship in adjoining townships, and thus, for the uncer- tainties which attend upon the lives of religious societies in small communities, they exchange a membership with sub- stantially-established organizations and an assured system of publie religious services.
A METHODIST EPISCOPAL CLASS,
organized at the Leavitt school-house, about 1869, has sinec then maintained worship with more or less regularity in the same locality. There are now about fourteen mem- bers, who assemble once each fortnight for publie services, conducted at the present time by Rev. Mr. Church, of Mungerville. Sunday-school exercises are held weekly under the direction of Ezra Latimer, superintendent.
A UNITED BRETHREN CLASS
was formed in the Hambleton school-house, in 1878, by Elders Kinnon and Weller, with a membership of six. The class is now on the Saginaw Circuit, in charge of Rev. Mr. Bunday, has preaching once every two weeks, and is led by William Brainard.
FAIRFIELD IN THE REBELLION.
Although organized only in 1854, Fairfield was, never- theless, able to furnish no inconsiderable number of soldiers for the national army during the Rebellion of 1861-65. The military enrollment of the town at the elose of the war was but forty, and precisely that number of men en- tered the service from Fairfield. Of these forty uot one was drafted, and in the contemplation of that circumstance Fairfield's citizens are justly proud. Ten of the forty lost their lives in the service, but of the ten only three were killed in action. The aggregate expenditure for war boun- ties reached the sum of four thousand nine hundred dollars, of which two thousand nine hundred dollars was raised by private subscription. For the Volunteers' Family Relief Fund the county supervisors appropriated for Fairfield, during the four years ending with 1864, the sum of one thousand three hundred and ninety dollars and ninety-two eents.
FATAL ACCIDENTS.
Present recollection recalls but two fatal accidents to citizens of the town within its limits. The first was Ilenry Rockwell, who, while at work upon a highway in 1855, was struck by the falling limb of a tree and almost in- stantly killed.
On the night of Dee. 7, 1878, two young men, named Charles Caul and Peter Keyser, were out hunting rabbits by moonlight, when by some mischance Caul's gun was accidentally discharged, and Keyser being directly in its
RESIDENCE OF G. B. MUNSON, FAIRFIELD MICH.
225
FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP.
range was shot and killed. Caul was taken into custody upon the charge of murder, and taken for examination before Roe G. Van Densen. Esq. There was considerable local interest over the affair, and the examination was attended by a good many people. There was, however, no testimony to show that Keyser's death was the result of anything but accident, and the discharge of Caul ended the matter.
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