USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > Pioneer history of Milwaukee > Part 32
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PERSONAL.
In person Mr. Merrill is in height above the average, being nearly, if not fully, six feet, with a strong, muscular, well knit and well pro- portioned frame, as erect as one of the pines upon his native hills, and is a splendid representative of the best New England type. He has a large head, a high forehead, indicating a brain above the aver- age. He has clear cut features, face oval and full, a large, clear, ex- pressive eye, a florid complexion, and taken as a whole, is as per- fect a specimen of a man as can be found in the west. He is also very athletic, has wonderful powers of endurance, an extremely nervous temperament and a will that knows no such word as yield. He has a strong, powerful voice, speaks quick and very emphatic, (occasionally) his words coming out with a vim seldom heard in or- dinary conversation, and although possessed of a goodly share of what the world call temper, he never allows it to cause him to lose sight of himself for a moment, or of the subject matter under con- sideration. He is too cautious for that, and is always self-poised even when angry. He walks quick, and when on the street alone
* Tradition has it that when the presidency was offered to Mr. Mitchell, that he made its acceptance conditional that he be permitted to appoint his own general manager, stating to the directors that the man whom he should appoint would be S. S. Merrill.
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or traveling in a car, is usually in a study, very reticent and always has sufficient dignity to prevent any attempt at a too close intimacy by any one. He is affable and courteous, unless he has just been in- terviewed by a reporter, but if you have any business with him directly after that he will want you to state it, get through with it and leave, as he will probably not be in a mood just then to waste any time in idle conversation. He is a good judge of human nature, reads a man quick, and if an employee, knows just where to place him, and if that employee is faithful, will never desert or wrong him, for although at times severe he is just always. He is generous to a fault ; neither is there another railroad corporation in the country for whose general manager the employees entertain the respect, and you may as well call it affection, as do those of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul for S. S. Merrill, to a large number of whom he has been a guiding star, and who owe all they have and are to the healthful discipline they have received while under his firm hand.
The secret of Mr. Merrill's wonderful success is largely due to the possession of those qualities, without which no man living could ever run a system of railroads with any credit to himself or safety for the public, (viz :) large comprehensive powers, rapidity of thought, quickness of decision ; and discipline, without these all would soon be chaos. He is a good disciplinarian, and any laxity or disobedience of orders on the part of any employee under him, will be pretty sure to bring the offending head to the block, or if not that a reprimand which the culprit will not soon forget or be very likely to merit a repetition of, if he cares to retain his position. But notwithstanding the rigidity with which he rules his large command, and the severity that he sometimes exercises, he never condemns a man unheard. But when once the fiat has gone forth, it is as a rule, final, as he will retain no one in his employ who needs watching. His success has been something truly wonderful, and his name will go down the page of history as one of the most successful railroad men of the nine- teenth century.
There is no lack of men in this country competent to fill the re- sponsible position of general manager over the different lines of road by which it is traversed, many of whom have already made a good record. There are also many at present performing the duties of
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assistants who will doubtless yet take a high rank in the profession, but out of all this large official corps, the number that could be selected who could fill his place, as he fills it, is comparatively very small.
It is opportunity that developes men. It was opportunity that developed Gen. Grant, W. T. Sherman and Philip H. Sheridan, and it was opportunity that developed Sherburne S. Merrill.
BUILDINGS.
Among the buildings erected this year, business and dwelling, which are, with one exception, yet standing, were the Ludington block, northwest corner of East Water and Wisconsin; the Kirby block, on N. E. cor. East Water and Wisconsin St .; Dr. Miner's build- ing (the present First National bank), Judge Miller's block, northwest corner of Wisconsin and Van Buren streets (now Mrs. Drake's board- ing house,) W. P. Young's block, northeast corner of Wisconsin and Broadway ; the Nazro building and one by P. W. Badgley (now occupied by Ball & Goodrich.)
Hackmen and draymen first licensed this year.
Hamlin & Allen, (Geo. B. Hamlin) grocers, 312 East Water street. Mr. Hamlin was from Buffalo, to which place he afterwards returned. He built a frame dwelling on the northwest corner of Milwaukee and Oneida streets, afterwards the Lansing Bonnell homestead, now the residence of W. H. Wolf. He.also built the brick building on Mason street, known as No. 94.
RICH.
A racy affair occurred in 1851, which we can't let slip with- out mentioning. About 7 P. M., a gentleman was passing by a house in the suburbs, when a dog came out and made hostile demon- strations upon his underpinning, whereupon he shot the stubborn whif- fet. At this the Dutchman who owned the dog accompanied by his vrow gave chase, overhauling him at the corner of Biddle and Milwau- kee Streets, where the suddenly bereaved Teuton cried, "Scthop! scthop ! py tam you shoot mine tog," and was proceeding to whale him when some passers by interfered, upon which the dog killer seeing he was reinforced prepared to turn the tables and whip the Dutchman, and at it they went, the Duchman's vrow, (who was
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along) being bottle holder. The fight was a very exciting one and extended over two blocks, lasting some two hours. At length the spectators (a large crowd of which had collected) got tired of fol- lowing them round, left for home and the last seen of the belligerents, they were in a back yard, on East Water Street, hard at it and for all the writer can say to the contrary are there yet. May the best man win.
LAND SLIDE.
A land slide occurred July 11th, on the corner of Vliet and Seventh, filling four lots north of Vliet. This part of the city was known as the Mill Street hill. The cutting was very deep there.
A CRACK AT BOOTH.
In the Wisconsin of July 12th, we find the following. Some of the ungenerate were always going for him in some way. This is a cut at his beard :
FLOATING FREE SOIL.
A large amount of turf, long grass, reeds, etc., is brought by the high water down the Menomonee River, and launched into the lake. As this is the only chance he is likely to get during the year to come, we would advise the commun- ist editor of the Free Democrat to establish a squatter's claim upon some one of the islands. Who knows-they might drift direct to Beaver Island, and thus re- store the long lost Mormon to his bereaved spiritual wives and associates.
BELLIGERENT.
There was a spicy correspondence between Michael McDermot and A. V. Powers, two civil engineers, in which each tried to make the other out to be an ass, and came very near doing it too.
The correspondence has been omitted, as being too lengthy as well too windy for insertion here. It is sufficient to say that two dic- tionaries and a Latin grammar were used up in the contest.
GRADING.
Wisconsin Street was graded this year from Milwaukee to Jackson, and Milwaukee, Jefferson and Jackson from Mason to Wisconsin, by Jeramiah Healy (yet living). He paying 31/2 cents per yard for all the earth.
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The corner stone of the German Lutheran Church, corner of Division and Broadway, was laid this year, July 15th.
POLITICAL.
The sessions of the common council in 1851 were often spirited, to say the least, with Ed. McGarry, from the Third and Huebsch- mann, from the Second, each like Taurus, at the sight of a red flag, ready to fight every thing that came up. Hubeschmann, in par- ticular, made its meetings anything but a place to enjoy a quiet even- ing. The quarrels over the erection of a new bridge at Cherry Street at the expense of the First and Third Wards, after which the expense of keeping it up should be by general city tax, was a fire brand, and the proposed city watch was another, the discussion of which brought out the following squib, which explains itself. The number of night watchmen was finally fixed at 15, three for each ward :
BLIND OF ONE EYE.
The Commercial censures the two aldermen of the Fourth Ward, who voted against the Watch Ordinance, but has nothing to say against the Third Ward aldermen who defeated the Bridge Ordinance. If the Third Ward will do its share towards keeping up the bridges, the Fourth will not be backward in main- taining the city watch. All the wards have a common interest in both these ordinances, and we trust that by the next session of the board, they will all con- cur in their adoption.
THE JUDICIAL CONTEST.
The judicial contest this year, Hubbell vs. Finch, was signalized by more bitter feeling than had ever been witnessed before at a similar election since the city was founded.
Both the Wisconsin and Sentinel, during the months of July and August, were filled with little else than the bitterest articles against Hubbell and Finch, (particularly Hubbell,) under the different nom-de-plumes of Justice, Candor, Lex Talionis, Agricola, Vindex, Philo-Justice, Mind That Now, Fair-Play, and others, in which the disqualifications of both were made so plain, and their characters so black, (if the writers were to be believed,) that the penitentiary, in place of the Bench, would seem to be the proper place for both.
The principal complaint against Hubbell was on account of the course he pursued in the selection of the jury at the trial of the
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four Irishmen, Edward McGarry, Michael McDermot, Michael Walsh, and Daniel Kennedy, (which will be explained in a commu- nication from Philo-Justice further on,) for assaulting the Methodist Church the previous April, known as the Leahy Riot, and letting a certain attorney (Jas. McAboy) off from the penalty of illegal voting, upon the plea of ignorance of the law, (which was true,) upon which James arose to explain his position in an article in the Wisconsin, after which " Vindex " went for him, and the war of words went on, hot and heavy, until both James and Hubbell got left, and the politi- cal sky began to look a little brighter for Finch, when Booth, who never could keep out of a muss, took a hand in, against McAboy, to which the latter replied in the Wisconsin, of August 22, in his usual dignified and classic style-for James McAboy was a gentle- man of the " auld school "-and as his reply closed Booth out of the ring, I will give it. He (McAboy) first, however, replied to Vindex in a lengthy article, which Vindex answered in the Wisconsin, of the 25th, giving James some " nuts to crack," to which James replied on the 27th, advising Vindex not to eat too many green vegetables, particularly beans, as they were apt to produce wind, (James was some on wind himself,) after which he closes his windy peroration as follows :
As for Booth, I will reply to him by relating the following incident:
" Last winter a poor Irishman was employed by Mr. Booth to chop wood, who used to weep bitterly whenever he saw Mr. Booth come near him. This so troubled Mr. Booth as to cause him to inquire why he wept. 'Oh, sor,' said the poor fellow, ' I niver see you, sor, but I think of an auld he goat that I lost lasht winter; he was the very picture of your honor, in fact, sor, one would almost swear that you were twins .*
The article referred to, written by " Philo-Justice," was as follows: Mr. Editor:
A correspondent of your paper, over the signature of " Justice," of Saturday last, intimates that in the case of the prisoners charged with riot, committed at the Methodist Church last spring, the jury were all Irishmen and Catholics, but two. Though in everything else connected with this disgraceful proceeding he was rigidly correct, in this statement he made a slight error.
* The point of this joke was, that up to that time, and for a long time after- wards, Mr. Booth was the only man in the city who wore his beard at full length as many do to-day.
-
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The facts are as follows: Judge Hubbell, to favor the four Irish defendants, decided that the State could have four peremptory challenges, while the defend- ants could have sixteen. The process of empaneling the jury went on, the State had exhausted their four challenges, when, according to Hubbell's decision, the prosecution must take the "panel" as it then stood. But the game had been played too steep. The jury then stood ten Irish Catholics, ard two Americans, or one American and one German Protestant. Indignation and disgust were wit- nessed in every countenance, even those most interested in the defense were ashamed of the result of the foul farce. All but Judge Hubbell perceived that the iniquity was detected, and when he was reminded that it would not do, that the game was played too steep, he backed down a very little. Onr Methodist fel- low citizens, whose property had been destroyed, and whose sanctuary had been violated, who had taken their wives and children to their house of worship at the usual time, and had seen a brutal band of desperadoes march through their aisles, armed with bludgeons, saw at a glance that they had no chance of justice in the court of Judge Hubbell, and desired to abandon the case. At this juncture, how- ever, Hubbell graciously permitted the state to have four more challenges, and the defence more than an equal number in addition, and by the strictest vigilance the panel was a little modified, and a little only. On the trial and in the charge of the court every incident was seized upon to cast odium and ridicule upon the Methodists, and Protestants in general. And the offenders against whom the proof was clear, beyond a doubt, were let off without even a rebuke. They were all Irishmen and Catholics. Levi Hubbell was a candidate for re-election, and even one of the Catholic clergymen did not hesitate to ridicule the judge for at- tempting to make Catholic votes in that way, and expressed his contempt for the whole farce, and it was a sad commentary on justice.
PHILO JUSTICE,
Evening Wisconsin, September 15, 1851.
This was the most thorough-going article of the whole series and written in answer to one in the Wisconsin of the 13th, signed "Jus- tice" and as has been seen corrected one or two mistakes made in that article. The course of Judge Hubbell in this trial was, as stated by "Philo Justice" a farce, and as for the jurors, I think it will not be denied that during Judge Hubbell's first, and nearly up to the close of his second term, that the jurors were composed, to a large extent of professionals, and of which number the Third ward never failed to furnish their full quota, neither was there any change for the better until becoming sick of it himself he (Hubbell) finally, . so to speak, made a rush for them, telling the sheriff that if he placed any more such men on the jury he would fine him for con-
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tempt (at least such is the tradition) after which there was a change for the better .*
WANTED TO BE A ROUTE AGENT.
The following ludicrous incident is said to have occurred on the day that the judge promulgated this famous order.
One of those old timers, whose source of livelihood had been ma- terially lessened by the judge's sudden change of base, came directly to the office of the Daily News and inquired for Mr. Sharpstein, the senior editor, and was informed by the urbane junior editor (the late Joseph Lathrop) that he was not in, and to the inquiry as to what he wanted, received the following reply : "Well, you see sor, that I have got a dacent living for a few years past, as a juryman, and now I can sit on the jury no more, and I want Mr. Sharpstein (then a prominent Democratic official) to get me the berth of a route agent on the railroad." Can you read? said the astonished Joseph, as he looked the applicant over ; "no sor." Can you write ? "no sor." Well, then how in the devil do you expect to distribute the mail? "Oh, that is all aisy enough," he replied, (in a tone of voice intended to express his contempt for Mr. L's. doubt as to his ability) "all yees have to do is to pitch the letters from one box to the todder." He had no doubt seen the mail distributed on the cars, and sup- posed he could do that as well as any one. How is that for high ? It is needless to say that he was not appointed.
LEGISLATIVE.
The members sent to the legislature in 1851, from Milwaukee were, to the senate : Duncan C. Reed, and Francis Huebschmann. Assembly: Wm. K. Wilson, Chas. E. Jenkins, John L . Doran, Geo. H. Walker, Enoch Chase, Tobias Osborn and Patrick Caverny.
There was great excitement about the kidnapping of a colored boy named Geo. Wells, by some one unknown, who took him on the Arctic to New Buffalo. He was, as far as I know, never recovered.
Wm. A. J. Fuller retired from the Sentinel July 28, 1851.
* The judge is said to have boasted that he owed his second election to that ward. Of the truth of the boast, however, I cannot say, but that he did give the order to the sheriff as stated above, I think there can be no doubt as the files of the Sen- tinel, for that year certainly contained something very like it.
44
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CORRECTION.
It was stated on page 208 that I. E. Cameron died in 1852. This should have read 1850.
A meeting for blowing up the city dads for not building the bridge at Division Street, was held at the Military Hall on Oneida Street, and resulted in the passage of an ordinance, on the 28th, for such a bridge to be, when built, a general city charge.
In contesting the erection of this bridge the Second Ward showed how little they realized what Milwaukee was to be in the near future, contending in their ignorance or selfishness (call it which you please) that they, the citizens of the Second Ward, did not want bridges, and that they considered them a nuisance, etc., and deteriorating to the value of their property. What folly ! The meeting where this resolution was passed was presided over by such men as Jas. H. Phelps, J. Obermann, J. B. Selby, Chas. E. Jenkins, Riley N. Mes- senger, Geo. Abert, A. Whitnall, Cicero Comstock and others. But the meeting at the Military Hall, September Ist, settled all that, and compelled the passage of the ordinance of the 28th, for that, as well as the one at Oneida Street, and the bridge war was in fact ended.
POLITICAL.
A caucus was held September 5th, to choose delegates from the First Ward to the state convention, upon which the Sentinel has the following, upon the result, from.which it was very evident that they voted early if not often :
HEAVY FAILURE.
The firm of Wilson, Volksfreund, Land Reform & Co., which has done an ex- tensive business in the political jobbing line in the First Ward, during a year or two past, failed for a large amount on Thursday evening. The fact transpired at the Democratic caucus to choose a delegate to the state convention. The candi- dates for this post were, William K. Wilson, chief of the Land Reformers, Ernest Hertzberg, of the Volksfreund, and Henry K. White, anti-land reform. The ward had been pretty thoroughly canvassed, for a day or two preceding the meeting, and the caucus was most numerously attended. The vote as declared (after sundry complaints of foul play, etc. ) stood thus : For H. K. White, 447 ; for E. Hertzberg, 186 ; for W. K. Wilson, 39. This is about as dead a break- down as ever befell an aspiring politician.
In the Third Ward Mr. Shaughnessy was elected as the delegate, so that the complete delegation from this city consists of Messrs. H. K. White, C. E. Jen-
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kins, T. Shaughnessy, and C. H. Larkin, all against making the bank question a party issue, and in favor of Don A. J. Upham for governor.
P. S. Since the above was written we notice that Messrs. C. S. Hurley and F. Fratney, district committee for the First Ward, have issued a call for another trial this afternoon, the poll to be kept open from 4 o'clock till 8. The reason for this unusual proceeding is stated by the committee themselves to be, that there were 671 ballots in the hat and only 390 names on the tally-list, whence serious doubts have arisen as to the fairness of the vote.
AN ORDINANCE TO ORGANIZE A SACK COMPANY.
Be it ordained by the mayor and aldermen of the city of Milwaukee, in common council assembled:
SECTION I. There shall be organized a company composed of seventy members, who shall be connected with the fire department, and under the directions of the chief engineer of the fire department in the same manner that other fire companies are, which shall be called sack company No. I, whose duty it shall be to act as a special police at all fires-to take charge of all property which may be exposed or endangered at such fires, and preserve the peace ; and every member of such company at the time of a fire, shall be vested with the powers of a special constable for the purposes aforesaid.
Passed September 13th, 1851.
GEO. II. WALKER, Mayor.
Attest, ALFRED JOHNSON. City Clerk.
MEETING OF SACK COMPANY NO. I.
At a meeting of sack company No. I, held at Goff's hall, J. S. Fillmore chief engineer was called to the chair.
The chair stated the object of the meeting to be for organizing a sack company No. I, pursuant to an ordinance of the common council of the city of Milwaukee.
On motion the following gentlemen were appointed a committee to draft a con- stitution and by-laws for the regulation of the company, and report to the meet- ing on Saturday evening next : W. A. Prentiss, Wms. Lee, A. Harris, G. Shoyer, W. J. Whaling and Joel Hood.
On motion of Mr. G. Shoyer, Mr. Joel Hood was elected acting foreman of the company, to hold his office until the company was permanently organized.
On motion of Mr. A. Harris, the following persons were unanimously elected members of sack company No. I, and were requested to report themselves to the acting foreman, and attend the special meeting to be held in the common council room on Saturday evening next, at ? o'clock :
E. Hathaway, W. P. Lynde, W. A. Prentiss, A. Mitchell, Joel Hood, W. E. Cramer, S. J. Van Vechten, L. Blossom, B. Throop, W. S. Wells, A. Lienhart, I. A. Hopkins, Wms. Lee, L. W. Weeks, E. Warner, J. P. McGregor, H. G. Goff, N. Ludington, A. Finch, D. Wells, C. D. Davis, J. Furlong, P. W. Badg-
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ley, E. B. Dickerman, S. Marshall, E. D. Holton, J. R. Treat, Gabriel Shoyer, WV. B. Hibbard, E. Cramer, John Webb, S. B. Davis, T. P. Williams, W. A. Hawkins, F. Inbusch, E. Wiesner, J. Layton, A. Elebracht, Joshua Hathaway, A. H. Bielfeld, John White, George H. Walker, S. P. Coon, C. Comstock, Lyndsey Ward, J. W. Medberry, Byron Kilbourn, J. A. Hoover, John Bradford, I. A. Lapham, Robert Bradford, J. A. Phelps, H. Ludington, C. E. Jenkins, James Ludington, J. B. Selby, A. Sweet, Dr. Brown, L. L. Lee, C. Hepp, George F. Austin, E. Starr, W. B. Walton, E. Worthington, Elisha Eldred, C. Wall, James H. Rogers, W. P. Flanders, H. K. White, John Hustis, J. S. Hewitt, W. J. Whaling, D. Ferguson, A. L. Kane, J. Bellange, J. A. Noonan, Lester Sexton, A. Harris, John Wing, Anson Eldred, W. If. Byron, James Kneeland.
On motion of Wms. Lee, the meeting adjourned, to meet at common council room, on Saturday evening next, at 7 o'clock.
J. S. FILLMORE, Chairman. Milwaukee, Sept. 16, 1851. FIRE DEPARTMENT NOTICE.
A special meeting of sack company No. I, will be held at the council room, on Saturday evening next, at 7 o'clock. The members of the company are requested to be present, as the officers for the ensuing year are to be elected by the com- pany.
JOEL HOOD, Acting Foreman.
City papers copy and send bill to the chief engineer.
THE RUNNERS AT THE STEAMBOAT LANDING.
The Sentinel of Sept. 19, has a very severe article upon this world- wide nuisance, but it did no good, and it probably never will. The hacks, cabs and carriages, at such places as well as at the railroad depots, are a necessity and if the drivers are a little rough at times, it is not to be wondered at. If all these things are an evil, they are certainly a necessary one, and editors even, must put up with it.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE COURT HOUSE SQUARE.
The undersigned aldermen of the First ward, intend to proceed forthwith to improve the court house square, and also construct a cistern on the east side of said square, to be supplied with water from the cathedral, the cistern is for fire purpose only. Also (if sufficient encouragement is given by the inhabitants) to enclose the square with a good fence, gravel the walks and plant shade tree.
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