USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > Pioneer history of Milwaukee > Part 22
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
In person Mr. Cary is stoutly built, has a good sound constitution, and a well balanced head. His face is large, round and full, with a slightly florid complexion. He has a strong voice, speaks very deliberately and very distinctly, and unless joking, (which he does occasionally,) always means just what he says. He walks slowly, in fact he never does anything in a hurry, is very careful what he says, is very methodical in his business and makes few mistakes. He has a wonderful memory-few men in the city have as good. His circle of acquaintance is very large, with a few only of whom he is very intimate. To the others he is polite and social, but nothing more. Had he been educated for a lawyer he would doubtless have worn the "judicial ermine" early in life, as he certainly has a fine legal mind and one that grasps all the points in a case with a clearness that always makes the successful judge. He is fond of mirth, and can if he will be very sarcastic.
The writer's acquaintance with Mr. Cary began in 1853, since which time he has never lost sight of him. In political faith he is a Republican, but not a politician. In religious faith a liberal. His
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habits of life are regular, his word is good as the gold, and few are the men in Milwaukee who can show a cleaner if as clean a business record as can Charles J. Cary.
The City Hotel was run for a while this year by H. W. Gunnison and C. H. H. Papendike.
GREAT STORM.
On February 21, occurred the worst storm of the season. It was accompanied by a wind that blew down half the signs in the city and quite a large number of chimneys. It was a fearful night.
HATS AND CAPS.
There was a new hat and cap store opened this year at 366 East Water Street by Geo. P. Gifford and S. A. Ellithrope.
A DISGRACEFUL RIOT.
JOHN B. SMITH'S HOUSE ATTACKED BY A MOB.
A disgraceful riot occurred in Milwaukee on the evening of the 4th of March, 1850, which cast a stigma for a long time upon our fair fame as a law and order loving community. It was the natural sequence of the liquor traffic combined with the efforts made by the Democratic leaders to keep control of the foreign vote. A law had been passed the previous winter, approved February 8, 1850, (or rather the law of 1849 amended) through the instrumentality (mainly) of Hon. John B. Smith, of this senatorial district-known in after years as the Graham law-which contained a provision mak- ing the vendor of liquor liable (personally) for all damage that might follow to persons or state from the act of any one while under its in- fluence.
The passage of this law produced great excitement among the Germans who were very sensitive upon the temperance question, and culminated, as stated, in an attack upon the residence of Mr. Smith, in which considerable damage was done to his furniture and dwell- ing, after which the mob (consisting of some three hundred in num- ber) dispersed. Those of our citizens friendly to this law, were of course, highly indignant at this outrage, and no little discussion was had upon the subject. Is is proper and just, however, to state that the mass of the Germans were as indignant as were the native
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Americans, and were defended by Mr. Chas. Brandiker in a very able letter published in the Wisconsin of the 6th, in which he com- mented somewhat severely upon the course pursued by the daily Volksfreund, which was replied to by Messrs. Fratney and Herz- burg (editors) in the Wisconsin of the 8th, in which reply, although they expressed great indignation at the outrage, yet had no sym- pathy for Mr. Smith, who they pretended to consider a dangerous man. They might just as well have said that they were glad, as to have said what they did. But the indignation of the law and order portion of the community was up to fever heat, and a call was made in the Wisconsin of the 21st, signed by over 1200 of the best citizens, including many ladies, for a mass meeting on the 22d, at the Free Congregational Church (then standing where the central fire station now does) and headed
THE CRISIS HAS COME-SHALL THE LAW BE SUSTAINED ?
Fellow Citizens:
A crisis has arrived. Our city has been disgraced by a mob. The property of one of our citizens has been destroyed by lawless violence, the rioters go unpun- ished, and no decided expression has yet been made of the strong feeling that exists in the community against this outrage.
A public meeting, headed by the Mayor and sanctioned at least by one of the aldermen,* has condemned Senator Smith, the object of mob violence, for his agency in procuring the passage of this law, and censured the Legislature of Wis. consin for acting (as they say) in opposition to the expressed wishes of the citizens of Milwaukee, but recommend no measure for the vindication of the law, or for bringing the rioters to punishment.
In view of these facts, we, the undersigned, invite our fellow citizens, without distinction of party, or sex, to meet at the Frec Congregational Church, on Friday evening, March 22, to express our disapprobation of the late mob, and to discuss and act upon the question of sustaining the amended act in relation the sale of intoxicating liquors.
In pursuance of this call, the meeting was held at the Free Church to discuss the question, at which an attempt was made by Jas. B. Cross, a leading anti-temperance and Democratic politician of that day, to get control of it, by nominating the Mayor, D. A. J. Upham, as Chairman, who upon taking the chair, although there was a decided objection made to his doing so, made a few brief remarks,
* This meeting was at the Military Hall, on the 11th of March.
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the substance of which was, that although not in sympathy with the objects of the meeting, yet, if it was thought he could be of any use in allaying the excitement, he was willing to serve, but at the same time must not be held responsible for any opinions expressed by the meeting, as in all such meetings a majority might differ from him in opinion upon matters that were likely to come before it. At the close of this little speech, Hon. John E. Cameron and Alanson Sweet were appointed Vice Presidents, and Chas. F. Bode and Dun- can E. Cameron (all Democrats), Secretaries.
This done, a committee, consisting of J. B. Cross, Frederick Fratney, Michael Walsh, Moritz Schoeffler, and A. W. Stark,* were appointed to draft resolutions expressive of the sense of this meeting, which of course, as is usual on such occasions, were already pre- pared, and upon the attempt being made to read them the row commenced and continued for nearly four hours, during which Mr. Cross, as chairman of the committee, attempted and in part suc- ceeded in reading the following
PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTIONS.
WHEREAS, The fundamental principles of government are founded upon and upheld by the laws of the land, which laws are enacted for the protection of every citizen, however humble. AND, WHEREAS, The safety and peace of every com- munity depends upon the power and efficiency of these laws, and their proper administration. AND, WHEREAS, Every citizen, for his own safety and protection, has a deep interest in the administration of the laws, and is bound by the strong- est obligation to respect and uphold the same. Therefore,
Resolved, That we heartily respond to the call of the friends of law and order in the City of Milwaukee.
That we are opposed to all mobs, riots, and unlawful assemblies, of what kind and nature soever, that have a tendency directly or indirectly to endanger the public peace, and raise feuds and jealousies among the people, whether the avowed object of such assemblies be lawful or otherwise.
That we abhor and detest mobocracy in every shape and form, as well in spirit and feeling as in open acts and deeds. That the recent outrage committed upon the property of Hon. J. B. Smith, is an open violation of the laws of the land, and deserving not only the frowns, the censure and the just indignation of an injured community, but also the severest penalties of the law.
That we believe that our citizens generally, without distinction of nationality, party, or sect, are a peaceable, orderly, labor loving, and law abiding people.
* The one eye.
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That they respect the powers that be, admire our free institutions, cheerfully con- tribute to the support of the government, and strive to live in strict conformity with the laws of the land.
That we approve of the measures taken and the course pursued by our Mayor, the UfoN. D. A. J. UPHAM, in his endeavor, in concert with the Common Council and police of the city, to ferret out and bring to justice the guilty authors of the late outrage committed upon the property of Hon. John B. Smith. That we are confident that the course pursued and the measures adopted, under all the circum- stances, are the best, the wisest, and the most judicious, that could possibly have been adopted, in order to effect the object in view, and justly entitle them (i. e.) the Mayor and police, to the confidence and esteem of the public.
These resolutions were declared adopted by the mayor, but the people were not to be put down so easily, and the row continued until near midnight, during which several were badly hurt, and one August Philip, who kept a saloon at that time on Market Square, called Hell (and it was rightly named) and who wore a very long beard, was seized by that appendage by Samuel Wells, now a resi- dent of California,* who by straightening out his arm caused Philip to face to the right about, in which position he marched him to the door giving him a kick in the rear every two or three steps in order to hasten his movements, where with one that made Philip think a billy goat had butted him, sent him flying down the steps into the street.t Shortly after which the balance of the rioters, fearing that a similar exit awaited them, left, and the meeting was reorganized by the election of Ed. D. Holton, president, Jas. H. Paine vice- president, and Herbert Reed secretary, after which the following resolutions were read and adopted :
*Mr. Wells was in Milwaukee in 1883, and had a good laugh over this affair at the Free Church.
+This man Philip, who no doubt, many yet living can remember, was a bad citizen. He was a short, dumpy little chap, with very crooked legs. He was broad shouldered, had a large head, covered with a thick matt of coarse brown hair, and a pair of eyes, that from the excessive use of stimulants, looked like a couple of mahogany door knobs. His mouth, which was toothless, or nearly so, was very wide and when open, would have fooled a kingfisher. He was just the man to run such a place as " Hell," which was the sign over his door. He was also a prominent fireman under the old volunteer system, and took great pride in appearing in uniform on review days. He was lost on the Lady Elgin, and when asked by a comrade, just as the boat was going down, who found him seated at a lable in the cabin, with a glass of beer in his hand, to get a door or something and try to save himself, his reply was, " Nein, I never gets so goot a chance to die mit mein uniform on again, und I goes down mit der poat." And he did, but I have often laughed when thinking of the ridiculous figure he made the night when Samuel Wells put him out of the old Free Church, it was a rich scene.
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WHEREAS, On the evening of Monday, March 4th, a large number of persons as sembled on Market Square from where they marched in a riotous manner through the streets and attacked with lawless violence the dwelling of one of our citizens.
AND WHEREAS, all such riotous demonstrations are dangerous to society, and subversive of true liberty, and deserve the severest reprobation ; Therefore,
Resolved, That we decidedly disapprove and condemn the late mob, and deem those, whether present or absent, who aided, encouraged or connived at it, by word or deed, as guilty of a high offense against the public welfare.
ANI), WHEREAS, The active members of the late meeting at the Military Hall, over which the Mayor of the city presided, was composed in great part of the same persons who either committed, or connived at the rict, and have, as we believe, a design to overawe the friends of law and good order. Therefore,
Resolved, That we sincerely regret that such a meeting should have had the countenance of the Mayor as the presiding officer, and the aid of an alderman* in framing the resolutions, the tendency of which was (notwithstanding their pro- fessions of regard for law and order) to excite the rioters to further exhibitions of mobocratic violence.
AND, WHEREAS, We have good reasons to believe that the dealers in intoxica- ting liquors and their friends instigated the late riot-
Resolved, That we see in this disgraceful and cowardly act of violence a new and forcible proof of the evil nature of the liquor traffic, and of the necessity and wisdom of the law making the liquor dealers responsible to the community and individuals for the results of their business, and we pledge ourselves to use our influence to sustain and enforce this law.
Resolved, That it is the duty of our city authorities to rebuke the mob spirit, and to adopt the most decided and effectnal measures to bring the offenders to justice, and that any relaxation of the fulfilment of this duty, from consideration of political office, or business, will invite a repetition of violence, and may bring our city the bad eminence of being the mob city of the west.
Resolved, That the charge made against the Hon. John B. Smith, of disregard- ing the petition of his constituents, in relation to the law regulating the sale of intoxicating drinks, is untrue. t
Resolved, That the Hon. John B. Smith, our Senator, in advocating and voting for the law repealing all authority granted the Common Council to give license for the sale of intoxicating drinks, and holding the dealers thereof responsible for the evils of their traffic, shows a moral courage and devotion to principle that should secure to him the confidence and support of every good citizen.
Resolved, 'That our brethren from foreign lands, who came here to find a refuge
* Huebschmann.
+ One of the charges made against Mr. Smith by the liquor party was, that he refused to present their petitions, which charge was most emphatically denied in the Wisconsin, of March 6, and further than that, that no such petitions were ever sent him by any one during the session of the Legislature.
3º
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from the tyranny of despotic governments, are welcome to homes amongst us, and to all the rights and immunities of our institutions. But we must insist that in return for all these privileges they shall in common with ourselves refrain from all disorderly and riotous conduct. .
Which, having been adopted, a committee consisting of S. M. Booth, Jas. H. Paine, Dr. Jas. Douglas, John M. Medbery, and Asahel Finch, Jr., were appointed to report resolutions, at a meeting to be held at the same place, on Monday next, the 23d, at 10 A. M. And at which meeting the committee reported the following :
WHEREAS, At a meeting held at this place last evening, pursuant to a call signed by over twelve hundred of our peace loving citizens, it was interrupted by the riotous conduct of a small number of persons present, we deem it proper and due to ourselves, and to the cause of law and order, to express an opinion in relation to said conduct, its cause and its perpetrators. Therefore,
Resolved, That this meeting disclaim any desire to express itself harshly, or vindictively, whatever may have been the provocation, against any person or per- sons, in regard to their conduct or the cause they espoused ; but we feel bound to declare that it was self evident to all present that there was a preconcerted arrangement on the part of persons opposed to the objects of the meeting to take its organization out of the hands of its friends. That the chief conspirators in this movement were Jas. B. Cross and D. A. J. Upham, Mayor of the city, and that the last named gentleman made himself the most prominent in the disturb- ance that ensued. That it is the opinion of this meeting, that the Mayor, Mr. D. A. J. Upham, had it entirely in his power to have preserved order, had he but set the example himself, instead of which he was the most persistent among the rioters, and instead of endeavoring to preserve order, as the Mayor of a city is expected to do, as he ought to do, and as he is by his oath bound to do, he led the way, in disregard of all these obligations, in promoting the violation of order and law, and therefore his conduct deserves the severest reprehension from an aggrieved, insulted and outraged community.
Resolved, That we accept the issue of law or no law, order or disorder, the government of reason or the government of brute force, which has been tendered us by the Mayor, and his mobs, and we pledge ourselves to maintain the rights of property, of free speech, and the supremacy of the law against the assaults of the rioters, at all hazards.
On motion, a committee, consisting of S. M. Booth, J. P. Greves, M. Densmore, Dr. Douglas, Jas. H. Paine, L. Kennedy, Edwin Palmer, A. Finch, Jr., Herbert Reed, J. P. Stebbins, J. McDugald, Williams Lee, and G. B. Boyd, were appointed to make a full report, at a meeting to be held on the 26th, of the proceedings at the meet-
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ing of the 22d, which report occupied two columns in the Wiseonsin, and in which the action of the Mayor,* as well of Mr. J. B. Cross, was commented upon in no honied words. A resolution was also offered and adopted, that the Common Council demand the resigna- tion of the Mayor, of his office as such, after which the meeting adjourned.
ED. D. HOLTON, President.
JAS. H. PAINE, Vice President. HERBERT REED, Secretary.
This, as far as the public were concerned, ended this exciting af- fair, the natural sequence of the deep rooted jealousy of the Ger- mans against what they considered the encroachments of the ad- vocates of temperance upon their liberties, kept alive by the aid of a few such men as Jas. B. Cross, who if he had any one virtue more prominent than another, that virtue certainly was not temper- ance. He had an eye for a seat in congress and saw no way to ob- tain it except by the aid of the foreign vote; hence his course. Mr. Upham also, at that time, had his eye fixed upon the guber- natorial chair, and perhaps let his ambition to some extent cloud his better judgment. Neither can it be truthfully said that the gentle- men who were prominent upon the other side were wholly free from guile or prejudice, a trait that all of us have to a much greater ex- tent than we are willing to admit. How aptly the words of Scot- land's bard apply to all of us :
Oh wad some power the giftie gie' us To see oursels as ithers see us ! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, And foolish notion !
Two lengthy and bitter articles from Mr. Cross, that were replied to by Mr. Holton, closed the discussion and peace once more cast
*It cannot be denied that the course pursued by Mayor Upham in this matter was exceedingly partisan and unfair. His strong prejudices against every thing not Democratic led him to do things that in after years he regretted. He was very ambitious and as a politician very aggressive. The Democrats at that time were in full possession of the government and acted upon the assumption (at least in this city) that the Whigs or temperance party had no rights that they were bound to respect, and they did not. D. A. J. Upham was at heart a kind man and a good citizen, but his party affiliations were too strong to be set aside, and he would vote the Democratic ticket every time and often, no doubt, against his better judgment.
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her white mantle over us. 1 have often thought, however, when looking back to that night, how perfectly inconsistent the course pursued by Mayor Upham was, particularly as he was the chairman of the great temperance meeting held May, 1849, in the Metho- dist Church on Spring Street, and was to all appearance at that time in full sympathy with it, but as both he and Mr. Cross have gone to the better land, it is proper and just that we cast the broad mantle of Christian charity over their actions.
FIRE.
A fire broke out in the small frame dwelling on the southeast cor- ner of Mason and Jackson Streets, where the Noonan homestead now stands, then the residence of the late Thos. J. Noyes, March 4, 1850, during which the effect such an occasion will have on some people, was illustrated in the following manner : The day was quite warm, so much so as to cause the snow, some eight inches in depth, (that had fallen the day previous) to melt rapidly, rendering it some- what difficult to haul the engines to the fire-which was on the roof -and as there was no wind it was soon extinguished with snow- balls. This did not, however, deter a few excited individuals from going up stairs, kicking out the window and lifting a mahogany bureau, filled with linen, into the opening and send it spinning to the ground with such force as to cause it to split from end to end, and spill its contents into the snow. After which they walked deliber- ately down stairs and departed, feeling perfectly satisfied apparently with their good luck in being able to do some damage if the house did not burn. I have, when passing there, often thought of that scene, and how completely demoralized some people are at the cry of fire. I can see those fools now as they sweat and panted in their efforts to demolish that bureau, and they succeeded.
We had a second snow storm on the 6th, after which it was very cold.
THE KENOSHA WAR .- A HUMOROUS SKETCH.
War has been one of the principal industries of the human race* since its advent upon this planet of ours, until the present time.
*l'erhaps inhuman would be more appropriate.
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Some, like those inaugurated by Hannibal the Carthaginian, Cæsar the Roman, Alexander the Macedonian, Xerxes the Persian, Cyrus the Assyrian, and other distinguished military pugilists of ancient times as well as those of Napoleon Bonaparte of more modern, were for conquest alone, while others like the Trojan, were all on account of a woman, and if history is true a disreputable woman at that. In all of which the cruelties inflicted, the sufferings in- dured, the bravery exhibited, by the troops engaged, as well as the glory acquired by the commanders have become a matter of history. Even the Black Hawk wår, (brought about in order to settle a land title) during which it was claimed that several serious accidents occurred, and taking place in our own times, has been immortalized by Wisconsin's only real bard Egbert Herring Smith in a poem of 300 pages, more or less, (I think a little less) entitled Ma-Ka-Tai- Me-She-Kia-Kiac, in which it is stated that Black Hawk lost his case, but the valor displayed, the dangers incurred, the sufferings en- dured, as well as the glory won in the Kenosha War has never yet been fully emblazoned upon the pages of history.
This war, which the writer will now proceed to describe, grew out of a dispute between the farmers of Kenosha Country and one Champion I. Hutchinson, as to the ownership of some wheat stored in his warehouse, for which they held his receipts and who was af- tempting to defraud them out of it by placing it upon a vessel and running it off, and as this wheat was nearly all that many of them had out of which to raise money, of course it caused a great excite- ment, and finally a riot, the principal rioter or riotess being an Irish widdy by the name of O'Neil, who depended upon the sale of her wheat to raise money wherewith to pay for her land, and who made it so hot for the local officers who were attempting to deliver it to the vessel, several of them being honored with a black eye by the plucky little woman, and whose persistence finally compelled them to call upon the U. S. marshal, the late Leicester H. Cotton, for troops, who made a requisition upon the old Milwaukee City Guards, Capt. John McManman, an Irish military company then stationed in the Third ward, and the Washington Guards, Capt. David George, composed of Germans and at that time performing garrison duty in the First ward, to go to the seat of war and help to fight the
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farmers, both of which responded to the call, although in some instances a little reluctantly,* and were marched to the steamer the Sam Ward to the tune of the " Girl I Left behind Me," armed and equipped for the fight, and the steamer sped away for Kenosha where upon her arrival they were kept from effecting a landing for a short time, (the same as was Gen. Geo. B. McClellan from taking Arling- ton Heights from the rebels during the late unpleasantness) by an improvised cannon formed from a section of stovepipe placed upon the forewheels of a wagon and manned by a few of the Kenosha firemen, one of whom was our well known fellow citizen William L. Hinsdale, who, with match fuse in hand, stood gallantly at his post ready to sink the boat if necessary, while in full view upon the shore, as a support for the improvised battery, could be seen the serried ranks of the Kenosha infantry composed of boys between the age of seven and nine years, armed with broomsticks, pieces of lath and other dangerous weapons, and the outlook appeared squally for the guards, so much so as to cause several of them to call upon the bogus artillerymen not to fire, as they (the guards) were the friends of the farmers.
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