USA > Wisconsin > Vernon County > History of Vernon County, Wisconsin, together with sketches of its towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 39
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"The political economy of our National fath- ers is also assuming an enviable standard among the Nations of the earth ; and while all are working so harmonious together, there is left but little room for those who would falsify the
truth of this spirit of progress or throw a stumbling-stone beneath its wheel.
"While we endeavor to lend a helping hand to every movement that has for its object the elevation of the character of mankind, we will steadily endeavor to push on the western reform by advocating the cause of the agriculturist, mechanic, educator, and every member of the great school of religious civilization of the west- ern world. Our pen and midnight lamp shall be agents in recording and testifying to the busy scenes of our prosperous county, so long as the oxen shall low upon the plow-beam, the horse be muzzled in the cornfield, the grating saw and screeching plane of the mechanic keep music to the the touch of our pen, or the merchant's goods hang outside the door to brighten the face of business.
"We hope in the prosecution of our new duty to always be found upon the side of justice, wooing not the smiles of friends, or depreciating the displeasures of foes. Our aim is beyond personal aggrandizement, but the character of mankind in all its capabilities will receive our at- tention. The aged will be honored, the middle- aged respected, and the youth of our country encouraged.
"We have naught to promise our readers in the publication of our sheet, save that as night is opposite of day, and as right is the opposite of wrong, our soul detests the thought of giving to the fathers of families and especially to the youth of our land, a fabric of fictitious novel- lettes, that will destroy their usefulness, and choke the moral sensibilities of the giant mind in embryo, thereby plunging them into the vortex of temptation.
"Now, as we enter upon the first number and volume of our paper, we hope you may all have a pleasant and profitable journey with us to the end of the year."
In some respects, this salutation is unique. On the whole, its peculiarities of diction and thought are of a most unusual cast. As the greeting of an editor to the public in assuming
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the responsibilities of editorship, it is certainly, a novelty.
With the issue of November 6, following, G. W. Wolfe, became associate with O. C. Smith, in editing the Expositor. He lannches his bark upon the sea of journalism, with "A Word Introductory ;" but that " Word" ex- tended over a column in length. This was his peroration :
"Residents of Viroqua and Bad Ax county, 'grow not weary in well doing,' but push along the ball of improvement ; throw aside your sectional strife, for 'a house divided against it- self cannot stand ;' put forth all your energies toward accomplishing and sustaining a high reputation for your county, and you will not only merit, but receive, a rich reward for pos- terity." But, on the 7th of May, 1859, Mr. Wolfe gave notice that with that issue of the paper, his connection with the Expositor ceased. The proprietors, on the 11th of December, 1858. were O. C. Smith, A. F. Smith and Justus Smith ; on the 10th of April this was changed to O. C. and J. Smith.
The name of the paper was changed to the Viroqua Expositor and Bad Ax Reporter, Ang. 27, 1859, and in the next issue, September 3, O. C. and J. Smith appeared as both editors and proprietors. The Bad Ax Reporter was subse- quently dropped. Afterward, G. W. Wolfe again became editor ; but the latter died on the 19th of October, 1862, when the Expositor paid the fellowing graceful tribute to his memory :
"Died, on Sunday morning last, very sud- denly, of apoplexy, G. W. Wolfe, Esq., of this village.
"Mr. Wolfe was just emerging into the prime of life, with an inviting prospect of a useful and honorable future before him. He was near twenty-seven years of age, and was in apparent good health up to the hour of his death. Ile had been attacked twice before with apoplexy, from which he soon recovered, and it was thought by many permanently, but every
moment of life is uncertain. He arose in the morning apparently in good health, drove some cattle from his garden, and returned to the house after an absence of but a few moments, and said he was getting blind. He sat on the side of his bed but a moment when he went into convulsions from the effects of the disease. Before he fully recovered from the attack, he was again convulsed, and so it was repeated the fourth time, and he was dead !
" The announcement of his sudden death startled the community, and they hurried to the house of mourning, but human skill was unavailing ; he has trodden the dark path through the valley and shadow of death, and leaves behind him an affectionate wife and very many relatives and friends who mourn the loss of a kind and affectionate husband, a dutiful and amiable son, a loving brother, and a devoted and faithful friend. We deeply sympathize with all who are called to mourn over the loss of him whom the gifts of earth ean never replace.
"The deceased was born in Athens Co., Ohio, was early educated and learned the print- ing business in his native county. He was editor of this paper for the past year, and was a careful and vigorous writer, as all who read must know.
" He was buried in the village church-yard on Monday last, at 3 o'clock, with Masonie honors."
Mr. Wolfe was succeeded by O. C. Smith as editor. The Expositor was finally merged into the Northwestern Times, the materials having been purchased by J. A. Somerby, of the county treasurer, to whom they had been sold, by Mr. Smith, as appears by the following :
" To the subscribers of the Expositor. Through the courtesy of the Times' editor, I am permitted to say that I have disposed of all my right, title and interest, in the office of the Expositor, and the same now rests in James Lowrie, Esq., county treasurer, who has agreed to complete all my contracts for subscription to
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the Expositor. All those who have paid for subscription will receive a paper to the end of the time for which they have paid, exclusive of the time for which the paper has been stopped. O. C. SMITH."
Thereupon the Northwestern Times pub- lished the following
NOTICE.
" Having purchased of James Lowrie, the Expositor printing office, and the subscription list and all the accounts due to the old proprie- tor of said office for advertising and subscrip- tions, * *
* I wish to give the following notice :
" That the Northwestern Times newspaper will be enlarged to a seven column sheet, with pages two inches longer than those of the Expositor some time during the month of July, and that the price will be increased to $1 50 per annum.
J. A. SOMERBY.
VIROQUA, July 1, 1863."
But the Times was not enlarged until the issue of Aug. 5, 1863. For a while in 1861, the Expositor was published as a semi-weekly. OTHER PAPERS.
In 1871 T. C. Medary commenced the publi- cation of the De Soto Republican, and con- tinued it for one year, when he removed to Lansing, where he published a paper. Ile was an able writer.
In 1872 the De Soto Leader was established. C. L. Ingersoll moved the material from Lan- sing, Iowa, across the river on the ice, and was the founder. He conducted the paper for a time, then sold it to B. J. Castle. Ingersoll was a merchant there, and is still a resident.
B. J. Castle ran the paper for several years, then sold out and removed to Prairie du Chien, where he was proprietor of the Union for some time. He has since moved to Black River Falls, where he still makes his home. He is publishing a paper there ; but, for the past few years, has held a clerkship in one of the State departments at Madison.
Succeeding Castle in charge of the Leader, came G. L. Miller, a lawyer. He still owns the material, although publication has been sus- pended. Others were at times connected with the paper, but merely temporarily.
In 1872 A. L. Ankeny began in Viroqua, the publication of the Wisconsin Independent, con- tinuing it until January, 1876, when he re- moved to Black River Falls. In August, 1875, the Viroqua Vidette was started by Jacob Tenney and Hartwell Allen. At the end of three months, Mr. Tenney retired, leaving Mr. Allen sole proprietor. The Vidette closed its career Nov. 11, 1876. There was now but one paper published in the county, the Vernon County Censor.
VERNON COUNTY HERALD.
The first number of the Vernon County Herald was issued at Viroqua, Feb. 11, 1878, by Jacob Tenney and Hiram Moody, editors and proprietors. Its platform of principles is given to its readers in the following saluta- tory :
"In presenting to the people the first nuni- ber of the Herald, perhaps it is proper to announce some of the principles that will be advocated in its columns. We believe that the time has come when a change should be made in the National administration and the policy pursued by the government, and so believing, we shall use whatever influence we may com- mand to bring about such change. The gov- ernment for many years has been under the control of the wealthy bond-holders, corpora- tions and partisan office-holders, who have influenced legislation for their selfish purposes, to the neglect of the welfare of a large majority of the people.
"The industries of the country have been languishing and dying, and millions of indus- trious people have been suffering from the effects of enforced idleness, while the bond- holder has been adding to his hoarded wealth. Taxation has been unequal, working injustice to a large class of the people. The Nation has
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become subject to the rule of the money power and must seek deliverance through the ballot box. The principles advanced by the green- back party, should they prevail, will, we believe, relieve the people of much of the distress that has been caused by a false policy and misrule."
The terms of the Herald were $1.50 a year. In the first number, the editors seem to have had some idea that the publication of their paper would stir up animosities. They con- soled themselves in this way : " A man cannot expect to publish a newspaper and escape having some enemies. Jesus Christ and George Washington had enemies, and we don't pretend to be better than either of them. In fact, we are willing to admit that they possessed some virtues that we cannot claim." The Herald was discontinued in the early part of Angust, 1880.
VERNON COUNTY LEADER.
The first number of the Vernon county Leader was issued Aug. 20, 1880, by D. W. C. Wilson, as editor and proprietor, he having purchased the presses, printing material and fixtures of the Vernon county Herald. But the Leader is not in any respect a continuation of the Herald. "From our knowledge of Vernon county," says Mr. Wilson, in his salutatory, "we feel confident that its broad and fertile area presents an invit- ing field for newspaper enterprise, and that its industrious, intelligent and enterprising people will award to another paper, the support its merits, as a local newspaper shall justly deserve. With the advent of railroad facilities, of which Vernon county has so long been deprived, the most casual observer cannot fail to note a new and healthy activity in all branches of business, and a corresponding development of the vast resources of one of the best counties of the State.
"To aid and encourage this new activity," continues the editor, "and a full development of the resources of the county, as well as to chron- icle the current events transpiring around us, will be our aim, hoping thereby to furnish such
a paper as will be felt to be a necessity in every household within its borders. Politically, the Leader will be democratic, giving its hearty and unqualified support to the candidates of the party already in the field, and such local candi- dates as may from time to time be selected as its standard bearers.
"While we shall be firm and uncompromis- ing," concludes Mr. Wilson, "in support of the principles and the candidates of the democratic party, we shall cheerfully accord to those op- posed to us politically, the same degree of hon- esty and consistency we ask for ourselves and for those politically in accord with us, and shall treat all opponents with the same degree of courtesy and fairness that we ask for ourselves, appealing to the reason and good judgment of men, rather than to their passions or their prejudices. We have come to Vernon county to stay, and proudly throw our banner to the breeze, soliciting such patronage, and such only, as our conduct and efficiency shall justly merit."
The Leader is still published and is an ably conducted paper. There are, indeed, indica- tions of fun-of genuine humor-in some of Wilson's editorials that stamp him as a genius in that line. It will be difficult to find any- thing more excessively humorous in all the range of American newspaper editorials than the following from his pen, in the issne of Aug. 27, 1880:
"A party has been camping out just on the ontskirts of the pleasant little village of Mel- vina, during a portion of last week, and most of this. The party consisted of the Rev. L. W. Brigham, the genial and popular Universalist clergyman of La Crosse, his wife and son, Miss Hammond, Miss Dudley and Miss Kingsley, of that city, A. Enny and wife, 'By' Wright (the genial and popular conductor of the Viroqua branch) and wife, and Mrs. A. Ellis, of Sparta. "They had a great deal of fun and a pleasant time generally; but they made a serious mistake when they let Wright into the party. They only took one car load of provisions, thinking
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that would be sufficient for a week's camping. The moment 'By' was turned loose among the edibles, they discovered their mistake. The second day's sun went down upon as hungry a crowd as ever sought shelter of a wood, and Elder Brigham and Enny had to start out on a foraging expedition. Chickens and turkeys were roosting high; as they seemed instinctively to dread that crowd. Over hills and through valleys, Enny and the elder plodded nearly all night long, and just at peep of day, come 'the drop' on a couple of old geese, which had the appearance of having stole out under the rail- ing when Noah's shallop was scooting over this portion of the creation. These, they brought into camp.
"Hunger and weariness had done its work upon all the inmates of the camp except Wright; and all save him were in the tightly clasped arms of
"Tired Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep!'
or words to that effect. 'By' was on picket duty; and no sooner did he get sight of the geese, than he claimed the high prerogative of mak- ing a breakfast of them, as a compensation for watching over the sleepers all night. Enny and the elder were too nearly exhausted to enter into a muscular contest, and sank down ex- hausted. The sleepers slept on; and when they awoke, a few seattering feathers were all that told the story of the lost geese, while 'By' sat by the camp-fire looking as portly as an alder- man, and indulging in a sardonic smile as he looked upon the sunken faces of the starving party.
"But for the kind hospitality of Capt. Hunt, who sent to camp a barrel of pork and a load of potatoes, the bleaching bones of the whole party, Wright excepted, would have been whitening beneath the scorching rays of an August sun. Such condnet caused unpleasantness; and Tues- day's afternoon train took Wright on board, af- ter which, the rest of the party went to work and filled up sufficiently to make their clothes fit, and had several days of genuine fun. Elder
Brigham says, it is the last time he will ever undertake to camp out with 'By' Wright, unless he can first get a contract with the United States government to furnish rations, and a company of regnlars to stand guard over them between meals. And still, on general princi- ples, Wright isn't a bad fellow."
De Witt Clinton Wilson was born in Wake- man, Huron Co., Ohio, May 24, 1827. His parents were James Wilson and Amarilla White Wilson, who were Connecticut people. The sub- ject of this sketch received his early education in the common schools of his town. He after- ward attended the Norwalk Seminary one year, and the two succeeding years at Oberlin College, having gone through the Freshman and Sopho- more years. He left school at twenty years of age, going to Indiana, and subsequently return- ing to his native State. At twenty-one, Mr. Wilson was married at Wakeman to Jane Mc- Cumber, of that place. Remaining there two years in farming his father's place, he then moved to McDonough Co., Ill., going into a railroad office, on the Quincy division of the C. B. & Q., railroad, where he remained three years. In consequence of ill health, he then re- moved to Sparta, Monroe Co., Wis., where he soon recovered,-he having at that time a traet of land near by.
Mr. Wilson occupied his land nearly a year. This was in 1859. The next year lie moved into Sparta, when he was elected a jus- tice of the peace, the jurisdiction of the office being then co-extensive with the county. His official business was large-more Incrative than any county office of Monroe county. The war coming on, he was called upon to go abroad through the counties of Monroe, Jackson, Ver- non and La Crosse, to make war speeches. In October, 1861, entered the service as first lieu- tenant of company D, 18th Wisconsin regiment, G. S. Alban, colonel. Lient. Wilson was in the battle of Pittsburg Landing, where he was taken prisoner, remaining such for seven months, when he was exchanged, and returned
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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
to his company and regiment, where he re- mained until March, 1863, when he was made captain of company A, of the 9th Louisiana (colored) regiment, afterwards changed to the United States 47th (colored) regiment.
Capt. Wilson remained with the 47th until Aug. 18, 1864, when he resigned. During the time of his connection with that regiment he commanded the same at the battle of Yazoo City, in connection with Col. Ransom of the 11th Illinois. This was a very severe conflict, resulting in driving the rebels out of the city, and in rescuing Col. Ransom's regiment which had been surrounded and shut up in a fort.
Capt. Wilson reached his home at Sparta about the 1st of September, 1864. The coming winter he was chosen assistant sergeant-at-arms of the Wisconsin Senate. The following winter he represented Monroe Co., Wis., in the As- sembly, and the winters of 1867 and 1868 he represented the ninth senatorial district of his State, composed of the counties of Monroe, Ju- nean and Adams.
Before this date Capt. Wilson had been a regular writer for the Sparta Eagle. Before leaving the Senate, he was employed by the Milwaukee Sentinel to travel as their traveling correspondent during the year 1869. At the
end of that time, he purchased one-half of the Sparta Eagle, which paper he continued to run with two different partners ; and in 1872, purchased the entire office, changing the name of the paper to the Monroe County Republican, making it an independent democratic sheet. That paper he edited nntil 1878, when he sold it to F. A. Brown, and went to Montevideo, Chippewa Co., Minn., where he established the Chippewa County Leader, which he sold on account of his wife's sickness, in 1879.
Capt. Wilson lost his first wife in 1872, at Sparta. He afterward married, in 1873, the widow of Lute A. Taylor, who died in 1880.
After the death of his second wife, Capt. Wilson came to Viroqua and purchased, as already stated the materials of the Herald, and started the Vernon County Leader. Mr. Wil- son has three children-Mrs. Mary Booth, of Wakeman, Ohio; James A. Wilson, telegraph operator,, at Sparta, Wis .; and Miss Frank Wil- son, now at school, at that place. "Capt. De- Witt C. Wilson, editor of the Vernon County Leader," says the Milwaukee Sunday Telegraph, of Aug. 26, 1883, " is one of the ablest and clearest political writers and speakers in the State. His rhetoric is always good ; and his ideas are clear, and his reasoning pointed and able."
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HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE GREAT TORNADO.
Nearly forty years have elapsed since the first white American settler located within the limits of what is now Vernon county. From that date to the present time, there has never been an event of such magnitude-an occur- rence so destructive and far-reaching in its results-within the boundaries of the county, as the great tornado of June 28, 1865. It was a great and overshadowing calamity-particu- larly to the village of Viroqua. It is eighteen years and past, since "death rode upon that sul- phary siroc," but there are numbers still living who have a vivid recollection of the sudden and awful visitation ! Their recitals of what they saw convey to the reader in graphic lan- guage the terrors of that never to be forgotten day.
It is easy to draw from the "Recollections" which follows, an outline of the whole picture. It is this : Suddenly there came on, with little or no warning, a horrible screeching sound ; and, to the westward, as the awe-stricken farmer, a few miles west of Viroqua, looked out upon the scene, there came, asif "upon the lightning's wing," an immense, rolling, whirl- ing, frightfully dark-looking cloud ; and the next instant, almost, a crash ! The wind swept everything in its path along the line between townships 12 and 13, through Viroqua, and a number of miles to the east of the village. In that path, was death and dire destruction such as has seldom been witnessed, in so narrow a space, on this earth. But we let the spectators now tell their stories ; yet the half can never
be told. We begin, however, with the cotem poraneous account of an editor.
I .- BRICK POMEROY'S REPORT, JULY, 1865.
Thursday afternoon we received notice that on Wednesday a storm of wind had swept over a portion of the village of Viroqua, the county-seat of Vernon county, and that several were killed, a large number wounded, and that a large portion of the village was destroyed. At half past six in the afternoon, we started by team, drove to the "Mills" on Coon creck, put up with Andrew Anderson for the night, reach- ing Viroqua at 9 on Friday morning, arriving home Friday afternoon, having in twenty-three hours driven seventy miles and witnessed the most terrible effects of wind we ever saw in this country, the particulars of which we hasten to lay before our readers.
The county of Vernon, until lately Bad Ax, adjoins La Crosse county on the south and southeast. Viroqua, distant thirty-five miles from La Crosse, is the county-seat and contains about 1000 inhabitants. It is a pleasant inland village, on high table land in the center of a valuable farming district largely under cultiva- tion. The village has always been a quiet, steadily prospering place. The buildings not large but in good taste and repair, and es- pecially in the south part of the place, charac- terized by an air of ease and refinement desira- ble to behold.
At 4 o'clock (on the afternoon of June 28, 1865) black clouds rolling heavily in the sky betokened a storm. In a few moments the wind sprang up, and almost immediately could
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be seen coming from the northeast a cloud of wind, rolling at times close to the earth-dust, sticks, etc., filling the air. At the same time, there appeared another cloud of like nature, coming directly toward the village from the acest. The first current was passing to the southwest, and the points or ends met half a mile west of the village, when it seemed as if a mighty strife was going on between millions of invisible spirits in the two currents. People ran for their houses in terror-the whirlwind, with a shriek and a howl, kept on its eastward course, the larger current turning the smaller one back, the two going on together in their work of destruction. In two minutes its fury was spent at Viroqua, and the southern portion of the place (and the most beautiful) was made a seene of wilder and more terrible devastation than we ever witnessed before.
The first house struck was that of William Vought, which was totally destroyed. Before attempting to depict scenes or itemize incidents we give a list of the killed : J. G. Barstow and wife, whose house was erushed like an eggshell aud themselves so injured that they both died in an hour. A three-year-old child of H. G. Weeden was found dead in the ruins of his house, which was demolished. Lydia Gillett was killed while shutting a door. The house was carried some distance and dashed to frag- ments. The wife of Dr. Dean and her daugh- ter, Mrs. Moon, were killed ; Mr. Dean, seri- ously injured. Eliza Derby, a girl twelve years old, was killed ; so, also, two children of James Daniels ; two children of James Cook ; one child of Nelson Rhodes, and Mrs. Good, killed and mutilated.
The following were severely wounded : Mr. and Mrs. Drake and son, Phineas. Mr. Drake is eighty-four, his wife seventy-six, and Phineas thirty-five years of age. We doubt if either of the three are now alive. Mrs. Decker had her thigh broken. John Gardner's wife was se- riously injured. A servant girl working for W S. Purdy was fatally injured. J. M. Bennett
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