History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 40

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042

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Kellogg & Bardeen frequently appeared in court as attorneys, but Gen. J. A. Kellogg, too, died after a few years' practice with his partner Bardeen, who then associated himself with W. H. Mylrea, who came to Wausau from Kilbourn City. E. L. Bump, who had been elected as district attorney of Marathon county, removed from here soon after the expiration of his .term to form a partnership with E. L. Brown of Waupaca, later went to Merrill, and later still came back to Wausau, where he associated himself with A. L. Kreutzer, after the latter was admitted, which firm soon became prominent.

Neal Brown who came to Wausau in 1880, was slowly working up his way, and was followed by L. A. Pradt, and both with Mr. C. S. Gilbert and some others who soon dropped out, formed the Wausau Law and Land Asso- ciation which took the lead in legal business ( Neal Brown and L. A. Pradt attending to the legal work, and C. S. Gilbert to the real estate of the firm), after Silverthorn and Hurley had sort of withdrawn from general practice after 1890. The bar from 1874 to 1890 was exceptionally strong with W. C. Silverthorn, M. A. Hurley, C. V. Bardeen, and later T. C. Ryan. Neal Brown, E. L. Bump. and L. A. Pradt, all in actual practice, but the one whose whole time to the exclusion of everything else and without any vaca- tion, was taken up with his practice, more so than the other one, was M. A. Hurley. Lawyers, no more than other professional men, love comparisons, but among the lawyers of the old Marathon county bar, he, if any one, like A. G. Thurman in the Senate, might well be called the noblest Roman of them all.

His whole life was devoted to his jealous mistress, the law. No man served her more faithfully. He never was a candidate for public office, not even taking much part in a political canvass, but as a lawyer he was not only the peer of any one, but as to the amount of work done he had no equal.

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Usually pitted against Judge Cate in jury trials, there was no point to be overlooked, no circumstance forgotten, no defective pleading to confound either one or the other.

W. C. Silverthorn shared with his partner the burden of the firm and in the success of the same, but his'term as senator, and his canvass for member of Congress and later for attorney-general of the state, necessarily threw the biggest share of the work on M. A. Hurley, who seemed to thrive on work. never looked tired or fagged.

It is not often that the supreme court of this state compliments attorneys in their decisions; rather exceedingly of rare occurrence, hardly ever going to the extent of giving the attorney's name. In the very important case of Comstock et al., vs. Willard et al., 58 Wis. 579, a case which M. A. Hurley argued in the supreme court against such eminent attorneys as William F. Vilas and I. C. Sloan, that court at the close of their opinion said: "In sim- ple justice to Mr. Hurley, the eminent counsel for appellants, we may well say that he presented his side of the case with great ability and zeal."

After 1890 the firm's real estate in Hurley and their mining property took much of their time, and they slowly drew out of general practice, which opened a way for younger lawyers like C. V. Bardeen and Neal Brown to forge ahead. C. V. Bardeen was not very eager for jury trial practice; he preferred to leave this sort of work for his associates. His work was in the office, in the preparation of cases, in getting the law applicable to the case, in presenting it to the trial and supreme court, leaving the argument to the jury to his associates, and often even the examination of the witnesses.

Before going to the bench, however, he probably felt the necessity or at least the propriety of impressing the bar with his capacity and ability for that sort of work, and being associated in his last case with Gabe Bouk, the celebrated Oshkosh lawyer, he examined every witness, plaintiffs as well as defendants, he being on the defense, and his manner of examination was a revelation to the whole bar. He was cool, always self-poised, temperate and courteous at all times, and it was his cross examination which won his client's case, the result being a verdict against his client, but for only such a small amount (case being for breach of contract) as would have been con- ceded without suit.

When upon the bench, he showed himself familiar not only with the law, which was expected, of course, but with the rules of evidence and of practice to an extent not expected of one who like him had shown no predilection for jury trial practice.

Of the lawyers who were in the profession in these days, most have gone

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to the final judgment seat, and others have engaged in other vocations which took them out of general practice.

Judge Silverthorn has voluntarily retired after serving ten years on the bench; so has M. A. Hurley who has not lost, however, his interest in legal tournaments, and frequently attends court and enjoys to see a case well tried. W. H. Mylrea embarked in real estate, in land and lumbering soon after his term of attorney-general expired. Neal Brown took the lead, sec- onded by L. A. Pradt, and for some years was considered the Achilles of the bar, but he, too, saw other fields more profitable, and in a sense more impor- tant than legal practice, and devoted his talents to the combination of smaller capitalists for the uniting in large industrial enterprises, which bore fruit in the erection of the Rothschield paper mills, the Wausau street railway, and other enterprises, and he is now out of practice.

So is A. L. Kreutzer as president of the Wisconsin Valley Trust Com- pany. L. A. Pradt spent eight years in Washington as assistant attorney- general of the United States, and then returned to his desk in the law and land association, where he has charge of the important legal business arising out of the laws regulating public utilities and new legislation relating to water powers. He may be said to be the only attorney of the older set still in actual practice. In addition he has a large practice before the court of claims at Washington.

Louis Marchetti as judge of the municipal court cannot practice law and has enough to do to administer it; and the same may be said of Clyde L. Warren, the county judge. Charles F. Eldred, John Livermoor, Charles H. Mueller, Alexander Craven, and E. B. Lord and others have gone to the land from which there is no return, and so has Joseph Coates, who came after 1900.

G. D. Jones, who entered the firm of Silverthorn, Hurley & Ryan as fourth partner in 1886, did much of the office work of the firm, and after practicing a few years in courts, was probably the first of the Wausau attor- neys to see the great future of this and northern counties after railroads had traversed the territory and the mines on the Gogebic range were opened. Under his lead Wausau lumbermen began to interest themselves jointly in larger enterprises, and instead of moving singly often at cross purposes, he was instrumental in uniting their strength in making combined efforts to form new industrial enterprises, and by his own personal effort sought to settle the vacant farming lands with industrious settlers, in which he was highly successful. It is mainly through his work that large areas of the farm lands in Marathon county, which lie vacant and unused and idle, are

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settled upon by thrifty and intelligent farmers. This work took himn out of law practice generally ever since 1895.

Of the younger set, now becoming the older set, coming after 1890, C. B. Bird is the unquestioned leader. Like M. A. Hurley he was never look- ing for political preferment, sort of independent (if such a thing is possible for a person having opinions of his own) and inheriting a legal mind from his father, Col. George W. Bird, lately deceased, which he broadened and strengthened by undeviating devotion to study. He is as conversant with the law as any lawyer in the state, perfectly at home in every court, state or federal. In the last decade from 1900 hardly an important case was tried, whether it originated in this circuit or came in from other circuits, but what he was connected with either as attorney of record or as counsel.

Others not quite so long in practice, but having made a record of which any attorney might be proud, are Franklin E. Bump, son of E. L. Bump, M. B. Rosenberry and Fred. Genrich. They all belong to the second genera- tion of lawyers of Marathon county; now in actual practice. F. Genrich divides with L. A. Pradt the large practice of the Law and Land Association, of which both are members or partners.

H. H. Manson has not been in court as often as he might well have been since his terms as district attorney expired, in which office he made a fine record, he having allowed his political predilections to interfere somewhat with his practice, having given four years to the service of the Democratic party as chairman to the state committee.

Of the youngest set appearing on the stage since 1900, F. P. Regner was elected three times as district attorney, in which office he made a good record, and with his partner, O. Ringle, established an enviable practice. The bar of Marathon county is a large one, but the majority came after 1900 and are all young men, starting out in practice in Wausau, or coming here soon after their graduation, and they have hardly had time to make a great record for themselves, although every one has more or less work in actual practice. It takes a longer time in the profession of the law to become a shining mark than in any other one, especially among so many old prac- titioners, but it can be truthfully said that each and every one is able to take care of the interests of their clients and is faithful to their cause, and they are men of character and integrity. No one can say what the future may bring forth, but there is no doubt that these young lawyers will in time and when opportunity comes, make their mark in their honorable profession and will fully come up to the high standard of the profession set by their seniors.

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The following is a copy of the roll of attorneys of the Marathon county circuit court with dates of their admission to practice :

Orlaf Anderson; date of admission, December 8, 1903; admission to county bar, February 18, 1904.

C. B. Bird; date of admission, June 18, 1891 ; admission to county bar, March, 1892.

Neal Brown; date of admission, September, 1880; admission to county bar, September, 1880.

F. E. Bump; date of admission, June 24, 1896; admission to county bar, July 25, 1896.

Craig Connor; date of admission, June 12, 1912; admission to county bar, February, 1913.

C. T. Edgar; date of admission, July 25, 1910; admission to county bar, August 26, 1910.

John P. Ford; date of admission, June 22, 1910; admission to county bar, August 19, 1910.

F. W. Genrich; date of admission, December 2, 1899: admission to county bar, January 3, 1900.

E. P. Gorman; date of admission, June 17, 1908; admission to county bar, July 16, 1908.

W. G. Hadow; date of admission, June, 1912; admission to county bar, February, 1913.

H. B. Huntington; date of admission, November, 1879; admission to county bar, November, 1879.

M. A. Hurley; date of admission, October, 1869; admission to county bar, April, 1873.

P. L. Halsey ; date of admission, June 24, 1896; admission to county bar, February 7, 191I.

G. N. Heinemann; date of admission, December 20, 1895; admission to county bar, May 2, 1898.

G. D. Jones; date of admission, July, 1886; admission to county bar, July, 1886.

A. L. Kreutzer: date of admission, January, 1890; admission to county bar, January, 1890.

George Leicht; date of admission, June 21, 19II; admission to county bar, January 19, 19II.

Frank J. Markus; date of admission, February 21, 19II; admission to county bar, January 19, 1912.

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HISTORY OF MARATHON COUNTY

H. H. Manson; date of admission, June 19, 1897; admission to county bar, June 21, 1897.

Louis Marchetti; date of admission, October 17, 1879; admission to county bar, October 17, 1879.

W. H. Mylrea ; admitted in 1881 ; admission to county bar, 1883.

John Okoneski; date of admission, June 23, 1900; admission to county bar, July 20, 1900.

L. A. Pradt; date of admission, September, 1881; admission to county bar, September, 1881.

A. W. Prehn; date of admission, July 2, 1909; admission to county bar, July 2, 1909.

R. E. Puchner; date of admission, June 22, 1910; admission to county bar, December, 1910.

F. P. Regner; date of admission, June 23, 1901; admission to county bar, September 9, 1901.

O. Ringle; date of admission, June 23, 1901; admission to county bar, September 9, 1901.

D. E. Riordan; date of admission, August, 1892; admission to county bar, February, 1913.

M. B. Rosenberry; date of admission, June, 1893; admission to county bar, August 1, 1893.

Thomas C. Ryan; date of admission, June, 1901; admission to county bar, February, 1913.

P. J. Riley; date of admission, June 23, 1909; admission to county bar, January 28, 1910.

W. C. Silverthorn; date of admission, November, 1863; admission to county bar, April, 1864.

Brayton E. Smith; date of admission, May 25, 1906; admission to county bar, May 31, 1906.

P. F. Stone; date of admission, March 16, 1912; admission to county bar, August 28, 1912.

M. W. Sweet; date of admission, December 27, 1906; admission to county bar, December 27, 1906.

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Medical Profession-Physicians in Practice in 1912-St. Mary's Hos- pital-The Profession of Dentistry-Dentists in Practice in 1912-Mc- Indoe Park-The Public Library-Hotels.

THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

The first physician to cure the ills to which human flesh is heir, was Dr. I. E. Thayer, a duly licensed physician and surgeon, who came to Wau- sau in 1850, or even somewhat earlier, and for some time lived in a house on the forty-acre tract which is now the Kickbusch farm north of the fair ground.

He did not reside long on the farm, which at that time, however, was wild and unimproved land altogether. He remained here until the end of the fifties, or somewhat later, and then removed to practice in Berlin and Ripon. Towards the end of the decade between 1850-60, W. A. Gordon who studied under Doctor Thayer and then graduated from a medical col- lege, came back to Wausau to practice his profession; but soon sold his drug store and went West. Meanwhile Dr. D. B. Wylie had come to Wausau to practice and engage in lumbering.

In the decade from 1860 to 1870 Doctors Wylie, T. Smith, Harriet Wylie ( for women and children more particular), and W. H. Searles were in gen- eral practice, besides some others whose stay was but short; in the decade from 1870 to 1880 the above named were all still practicing, but Dr. A. T. Koch, S. G. Higgins, and Win. Wylie had come. In the next ten years Drs. D. Sauerhering, A. J. Rosenberry, A. W. Trevitt, and Dr. Margaret Trevitt, J. E. Garry and L. R. Bugbeen arrived and soon afterwards Drs. David La Count, D. T. Jones, and W. C. Dickens.

Wausau was a good field for medical practice, because up until 1890 it sort of monopolized the medical practice in the county, there being no medical practitioners in any of the small villages, except in the village on the "line," and the country practice was as large at least as the city practice.

J. A. Rosenberry quit practice on account of bad health, and died lately, and his brother, H. L. Rosenberry, who took over his practice died at Wau-

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sau not long afterwards. It is not claimed that the above contains all the names of the practicing physicians, nor that the time of their coming to Wau- sau is exactly correct. Many have died, some have removed; of the physi- cians now in Wausau, the following are the longest in practice here in point of time : A. T. Koch and D. Sauerhering.

PHYSICIANS IN PRACTICE IN 1912.

Addleman, Irving M., office, No. 8 Livingston Block.

Brown, Almon L., office, 315 Third street.

Bryant, Jesse R., office, 520 Third street, No. 2.

Bugbee, George R., office, 526 Jackson street. Collins, Frank E., office, 606 Third street, No. 8 and 9.

Dickens, Willard C., office, 501 Third street. Frawley, Ray M., office, 315 Third street. Friend, Leopold J., office, 512 Third street.

Green, William A., office, 530 Third street, No. I. Hickey, Robert E., office, 311 Third street. Jones, David T., office, 506 Third street.

Jones, Richard WV., office, 301 Third street. Koch, Albert T., office, 208 Third street. Ladwig, Walter A., office, 301 Third street.

La Plount, Ovid W., office, 217 Third street.

Macaulay, Evan M., office, 606 Third street, No. 4.

Nichols, Forest C., office, 220 Third street. Quade, Emil B., office, 120 Clarke street. Rosenberry, Abraham B., office, 521 Third street. Roy, Emile, office, 308 Scott street. Sauerhering, Douglas, office, 301 Third street.

Schlegel, Herman T., office, 501 Third street.

Smith, Joseph F., office, 423 Fourth street. Smith, Seth M. B., office, 517 Third street. Spencer, Leonard E., office, 606 Third street. Thielke, Gustav A., office, 309 Jackson street. Trevitt, A. W., office, 618 Third street.

Trevitt, Margaret, office, 618 Third street. Whitehead, Harriet A., office, 606 Third street. Zilisch, William E., office, Livingston Block No. 4. Willard, Lee M., office, 520 Third street.

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ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL.

A good hospital not conducted on mercenary lines, is a blessing to every · community. It can be truthfully said that the St. Mary's is such a hospital. Its only aim is to help the sick and afflicted, to give them the best of care and nursing at nominal cost.

It was built with due regard to sanitation from its inception; it has all the facilities which modern medical and surgical science requires; its location is the most practical from a sanitary point of view, and its beautiful sur- roundings cannot help but cheer the heart of the patients and thereby assist recovery. It is located on an elevation on the northeast of the city near the city limits, on what was formerly R. E. Parcher's farm, having towards the east the wooded crest of the hill, and on the west a fine view over the river, the fields and farms on the western hills, and with the large amount of real estate owned by the hospital, it will never be crowded for breathing space.

Every physician and surgeon in good standing has access to the hospital and may treat his patients there, the hospital authorities only supervising the nursing and necessary order. Needless to say that every patient is welcome and that all receive the same care without regard to financial ability or differ- ence in faith or sect.

The Sisters of the Divine Saviour who conduct the hospital perform their unremitting toil in obedience to Him who said "whatever ye do unto the humblest or lowest among ye, ye have done unto me"; to them all patients look alike, who see in them only the sick who need their care, and who must be restored to health, if good attention and nursing and medical or surgical care can accomplish that result.

To be helpful is their only ambition. The reputation of the hospital and the attending physicians has spread far beyond Marathon county, and often patients come from a great distance for admission.

The value of the building and ground is easily $65,000; there are now thirty-five private rooms and six wards.

The superintendent of the hospital is Rev. Sister Liboria, Order of the Divine Saviour.

Another hospital under the name of "General Hospital" is located on Third street, in charge of and conducted by Dr. Emile Roy.

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HISTORY OF MARATHON COUNTY

THE PROFESSION OF DENTISTRY.

The science of dentistry is a comparatively new one, and can hardly be said to have existed up to the end of the first half of the last century. The remedy for a sore tooth was extraction, which was considered to be within the sphere of the surgeon and his assistants. In large cities on the old .con- tinent, where hospitals existed and yet exist, in charge of clerical orders, there was always one or another of the brotherhood who extracted teeth free of charge, the instrument used being generally the "key," so called, an instru- ment of torture, as all older people will remember on whom it was used. It has gone out of use entirely. Of course there were no dentists here for many years, the settlement antedating the science of dentistry.

A dentist, a Mr. Hoffmann, practicing in Stevens Point, came up here usually three or four times a year, taking a room or rooms in the Forest House for a week at a time to cure dental disorders. When he ceased to make regular trips to Wausau, a dentist from Portage City took up his prac- tice, until J. C. Bennett established himself at Wausau in the year 1878.

Having acquired a good practice, he gave himself up to drink, and when in 1880 E. L. Hogle from Stevens Point came to open dental offices, Bennett walked in Hogle's office one day and fired a shot at him from a shotgun, which killed Hogle instantly. On the first trial held in Wausau, Bennett was convicted of murder in the first degree, but the verdict was set aside by the supreme court, and on a second trial in La Crosse Bennett was acquitted. The defense in both trials was insanity, delirium tremens. After his acquittal Bennett moved to Pennsylvania and died lately.

Soon after this occurrence Dr. Edward E. Lawrence appeared, soon fol- lowed by Doctor Conlin, and Lawrence removed after a practice of three years, leaving Doctor Conlin here as the oldest practicing dentist, and next in point of practice here is Doctor Douglas. The profession is now worthily represented by the following :

DENTISTS IN PRACTICE IN 1912.

Anderson, Gilbert C .; office, 220 Third street.

Chubbuck, Charles W. : office, 517 Third street. Conlin, Bernh. H. : office, 508 Third street. Joslin, Frank; office, Livingston Block, No. 2. Kolter, Jacob H .; office, 520 Third street.

Lawrence, William T .; office, 517 Third street.

Lemke, August H .; office, 312 First avenue South.

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Lyon, Russell; office, 423 Fourth street.

McKahan, James E. ; office, Livingston Block, No. 8.

Miller, Fred. S .; office, 519 Third street, No. 8.

Powell, Frank J .; office, 410 Third street.

Riebe, Paul A .; office, 206 Third street.

Siebecker, William D. : office, 520 Third street, Nos. 5-6.

Stockwell, John D .; office, 311 Third street.

Thackray, Irving B. ; office, 307 Third street.

Wausau Dentists, The; office, 318 Third street.

MCINDOE PARK.

When Walter D. McIndoe brought his young wife, Catherine H., nee Taylor, from St. Louis in this pinery in 1847 and had built his modest home, he indicated by that act that this place was to be his future home for all time to come, and that he had confidence in the future growth of this place and this part of the state.

There were at that time not more than five or six women here, and they themselves and their husbands considered their abode here as merely tempo- rary. It was different with McIndoe, whose work in organizing the county and town has been mentioned on other pages in this book. He died on his homestead in July, 1872, which his widow occupied until her death on the 12th day of March, 1901. By her last will she gave a part of the homestead to a niece, and another part to a nephew.

Walter Alexander, who had spent his younger years and until his mar- riage with his uncle and aunt on the same homestead, from a feeling of love and piety, desiring to erect a memorial for them, reminding future gen- erations of the founder of Wausau, purchased the property from them and dedicated it as a park for public use under the name of McIndoe Park, allow- ing, however, the erection of the public library building.

In order to bring the park out to Washington street, the corner lot was bought by the library board with money raised by subscription, and was added thereto, which enabled the city to straighten out ( which at that point was not a laid out or platted street) Washington street and remove the unsightly omnibus barn which extended across the sidewalk, narrowing the street and shutting out the view to the bridge and to the island, which wonderfully improved the looks of the street. Later the city bought the Lemke wagon shop with the strip of land on which it stood, thus bringing the west line of the land of the park as donated out to Washington street.

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McIndoe Park is a beautiful place right in the center of the city, and small though as it is, for a "park," still is the only public place in the heart thereof, owned by the city. McIndoe Park is a lasting memento of the origin of this city on that very spot, when for a hundred miles in every direc- tion there was wilderness, and that civilization took its roots on that place.

This gift of Walter Alexander is highly appreciated now and will be more so, as time recedes, and will link his name as the donor together with that of his uncle, W. D. McIndoe, the pioneer and founder of Wausau.

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History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 40

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1042

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042