"In 1858, J. S. Conger and wife projected a picnic celebration for their pupils. It was held on the land of A. A. Mott, some thirty rods east of the Congregational Church. The writer addressed the children, giving them an account of the cause of the separation of the United States from the British Crown, with the blessings which had accrued therefrom.

"In 1860, the celebration was held on the public square. E. G. Wheeler was President of the day, J. S. Strong, Marshal, and the Rev. William Lusk, Jr., Chaplain. The Orator was Hon. S. S. Wilkinson, of Prairie du Sac, whose address was regarded as able and patriotic. There were fireworks displayed in the evening.

"In 1864, the Sunday school of the Congregational Church, being the only one then in the village, with a large number of persons from this and other places, accompanied by a band of music, went to a grove near Andrews' mill, in the south part of the town, and celebrated the day. Rev. W. Shumway was Chaplain, and addresses were given by Rev. J. H. Roscoe and the writer. A picnic dinner was spread, and we had an enjoyable time. The whole proceedings were under the charge of J. S. Strong as Marshal, just previous to his lamented death.

"The next celebration was on the public square on the 4th of July, 1870, Joseph Mackey and Rev. W. Lusk giving the addresses. Several illuminated balloons were sent up in the evening.

"In 1874, there was a celebration under the auspices of the Women's Temperance Union of the place. They assembled on the park at 10 A. M. and marched to Ellinwood's Grove, where they were entertained with music and addresses by Revs. M. Bennett, N. Leach, W. Lusk and G. W. Lincoln. Another was held at the same time in Sparks' Woods, where a good number attended.

"In 1875, the 4th of July occurred on Sunday. tion of Capt. A. P. Ellinwood upon the fair grounds. sermons were preached by President J. Bascom of the ardson, of Madison.

The day was celebrated under the direc-
Rev. W. L. Sanders was Chaplain, and
State University, and Rev. Stone Rich-

"In 1876 and 1877, they were under the same auspices, upon the fair grounds, and the Rev. Stone Richardson and Rev. Robert Collyer were the Orators.

"In 1878, the celebration was held on the public square. The expected Orator, Hon. C. Pope, of Black River Falls, being detained by sickness, impromptu addresses were made by Rev. J. W. Bell and H. L. Brown, which were regarded as well adapted to the occasion by the large audience which listened to them.

"The celebrations of 1879 and 1880 took place at Ellinwood's Park."

THE FIRST CRIMINAL TRIAL.

The Rev. S. A. Dwinnell, in one of his numerous sketches, relates the following: "On Sunday, October 5, 1851, two men, by the name of Judson Baxter and William M. Reynolds, from the State of Illinois, came driving into the village with a four-horse team attached to a lumber wagon. It was at 4 o'clock P. M., and just at the time our people were assembling for divine worship in the little schoolhouse on Walnut street. Such a team was quite a novelty at that time in this part of the country-as nearly all the people drove oxen-and it attracted very general attention. Putting up their team at the Reedsburg Hotel, kept by John Clark, they proceeded very soon to Jesse Leach's blacksmith-shop, now the building of George Mead, near the Central House, and got him to work for them, I remember quite well that the click of his hammer was very annoying to the worshipers at the schoolhouse. On Monday noon, the two men started west on the newly opened State road to La Crosse. It was soon discovered that they had paid Leach for his Sunday work, as well as their hotel bill, in counterfeit coin, and that they had stolen a nail hammer and a small vise from Leach's shop. The necessary papers for their arrest, having been made out by E. G. Wheeler, were issued from the office of L. B. Swallow, a Justice of the Peace, and put into the hands of Constable A. F. Leonard. Just as night set in, he, in company with Justice Swallow, set out on foot, to overtake and

arrest the culprits. Arriving at the cabin of Richards brothers, a few miles west of where Ironton now is, and making known their business, they found them ready to join in the pursuit, for they also had received bogus coin from Baxter and Reynolds, in change for a $5 bill, which they had paid them for whisky the day before. After a long search in the darkness, they finally found the men, about midnight, asleep by a fire, under an oak, not far from the prairie in the south part of what is now the town of Woodland. Each of them had a loaded Sharp's rifle and a large knife lying by his side. In accordance with a previous arrangement, two of the company seized the prisoners while the other two bound them with cords before they were fairly awake. Finding no counterfeit coin in their wagon, the officers made a long but unsuccessful search for it in the vicinity, and then, harnessing the team, started for Reedsburg, where they arrived Tuesday afternoon. The prisoners at once dispatched Constable Leonard to Baraboo to summon witnesses, and to engage attorneys for their defense. On Wednesday morning, October 8, W. H. Clark and J. H. Pratt, two of the best criminal lawyers, at that time, in the county, appeared for the defense of the prisoners. There was no one to appear for the prosecution. The District Attorney resided at Prairie du Sac, thirty miles away. Lawyer Wheeler had been called away, and L. G. Sperry, who sometimes took charge of suits before a Justice, was also absent. In this dilemma Mr. Leach came to me, desiring that I would act as prosecuting attorney. I told him that I had never conducted a suit before a Justice in my life, and I did not like to undertake it. He said that there was no other person who could do it, and that, unless I would engage in the work, the prosecution must be abandoned. Under these circumstances, I told him I would do the best I could to convict the prisoners. I first arraigned them for theft-a jury was called, and they were convicted. They appealed the case to the Circuit Court-a young lawyer of Baraboo, by the name of Clark, giving bail for them. The bail was forfeited and Clark was obliged to pay it. They were next arrainged for uttering counterfeit coin. There was no difficulty in proving their paying out the coin which we charged as bogus; but we had trouble in proving it to be spurious. The lawyers for the prisoners got a decision from the Justice that each witness called to give his opinion as to the coin should first swear that he was an expert in the business of detecting counterfeit coin. Among other witnesses, I called J. S. Strong, who testified that he had been accustomed to handling coined money for thirty years and had never had a spurious piece passed upon him yet. As he was unwilling to say that he was an expert, his testimony was rejected. I then called Dr. R. G. Williams, who testified that he was a practical chemist, and that he could test the coin by the use of sulphuric acid. He applied the test in the presence of the court, and pronounced the coin, which had been passed by the prisoners, to be spurious. That point was then conceded by the prisoner's counsel. They then introduced a witness, who swore that he was a partner of George Hiles, of Baraboo, that Baxter and Reynolds purchased goods at their store, on Saturday previous, and that he passed upon them counterfeit coin to the amount which we had proved that they had passed upon others. Upon that testimony, the Justice discharged the prisoners. The trial lasted three days, and nothing was left undone, on the part of the prisoners, in efforts to bribe the witnesses and intimidate the counsel for the Government. The Justice evidently had but little confidence in his own legal ability to act in the premises, and was fearful, that, if he committed the prisoners, he should perpetrate some error whereby he would be liable to a suit for false imprisonment. He therefore made his decision as favorable to them as possible. I was well satisfied with that, my first effort in conducting a suit, but was deeply indignant at the discharge of the prisoners, under the circumstances, and so informed the court. The next day after the discharge of the prisoners, the two Richards brothers brought to this village a bag, containing about a peck of bogus 50 cent pieces made of Babbett metal, which they had found concealed in some brush near where the men were arrested.

A PEN PICTURE.*

"How dear to my heart are the scenes of my childhood,

When fond recollection presents them to view."

It was the 2d of July, 1851, that my childish eyes first saw its towering sand-bank. I well remember following the cow-path that led from Prospect Hill to the edge of the village, and gazing upon the fifteen or twenty houses that composed it. Two of them, Mr. Strong's and Mr. Seeley's (now Mr. Danforth's), were conspicuous on account of their white paint. The others were tinted in various shades by the weather, whose taste seemed to run in the direction of slate color, the front of Squire Wheeler's house having evidently had the most time spent on it.

But what would Reedsburg have been without a Squire Wheeler and Squire Wheeler's unfinished house? It was the dancing-hall of the place. My first entrance into society (which happened to be at a candy-pulling) took place in that same hall. We enjoyed it a great deal more than if we had been in a parlor, for we were not used to parlors. Mrs. Strong-dear woman !-owned the only one there, and that was on the second floor, and only used on great occasions. Her sitting-room, with its "boughten" carpet and big lamp, was quite bewildering to most of us, accustomed to bare or sanded floors and tallow dips.

The Strong mansion, indeed, gave us a glimpse of city life, for it contained kitchen, diningroom and sitting-room, in three separate apartments, while the rest of us combined them all in one, with sometimes a bedroom thrown in. What a pleasure it was when the sewing circle met there, or the sing! I can yet see the merry group that composed them. Young faces—now grown old-bright eyes-now spectacled and dim-and the beautiful old face of our hostess, now lying beneath the sod. How much good one such refined, joyous Christian woman does in the world!.

Another dear spot was the schoolhouse-that little old dwelling opposite Judge Wheeler's. I don't know who occupies it now; but if it is haunted by the ghosts of its former occupants must be a lively place. It was for a long time schoolhouse, lecture-room, town hall and meeting house-the different denominations occupying it once in two or four weeks.

There my good father preached his first discourses; there Elder Conrad sermonized, and Mr. Locke held forth at 4 o'clock. There the first choir was organized. That day "the ment set on the women's side and sang new-fangled tunes that old folks didn't know," as some one reported at the Lyceum the next week-the Lyceum of which L. Gay Sperry was the life!

There the Maternal Association held its annual meetings, where long before the days of Women's Suffrage Conventions, a Mrs. President presided, and Madame Secretary presented a report, with the usual begged-leave permission, while we children and our papas looked on admiringly, feeling, like the newly elected Squire's wife, that it was a great honor to us all.

There, too, was kept the writing-school-the only one worthy to be historic. It was held at night, of course; 'twould have been much less interesting in the day-time. The teacher, a pretentious youth, knew how to use the pen, and often spent the recess-time in sketching scrolls and birds to ornament our copy-books. One night he drew a graceful swan, and just above its outstretched wings inscribed his own initials-A. H. B.,-when a young girl, the merriest of the group, ran up, and glancing at it said: "What's that? Oh, I see, A. H. B.-Goose!" then, ducking her head in her peculiar style, received the shouts of laughter that proclaimed a telling hit. The poor fellow never outlived the name while she stayed in that locality. It stuck to him like wax.

It was from the same building, too, that our first paper was issued. It was during the school of S. J. Brown, if I remember right-than whom we had few better teachers. It was called The Tattler, and did not disgrace its name. It was edited by the scholars, one of each gender being appointed for every paper. Messrs. R. Rork and W. I. Carver, and Mrs. Bellinger, will perhaps remember filling in their turn the chair editorial of that interesting sheet. Then there was our first daguerrean gallery-in that old square house that Mr. Sage commenced to

*By Frances Dwinnell Elliott.

1

build. It was the favorite resort for the young men and maidens; but whether the pictures or the picture-makers possessed the greater attraction, was never satisfactorily settled. Certain it is that "impressions" were made there that have never been effaced. It is pleasant to linger on the past.

THE CEMETERIES.

The first burial in the town was that of the body of a man named Farringtno, who died at the house of Don C. Barry, on Copper Creek. Farrington was in the employ of the Government Surveyor, who was then (1846). subdividing the towns into sections. The body was enclosed in a coffin of rough boards, by Mr. Barry, James W. Babb and Dr. Woodrough, of Prairie du Sac. On the 6th of February, a young man named David D. Howard died at the house of John H. Rork. At that time, David C. Reed gave a tract of land for the burial of the dead, opposite the present residence of Mrs. S. A. Dwinnell, which was used for that purpose five years. In this solemn spot were deposited the bodies of five adults and six children. Upon the completion of the present cemetery, the bodies were removed thither.

On the 20th of June, 1854, the Greenwood Cemetery Association was organized, consisting of S. A. Dwinnell, E. D. Barbour, J. S. Strong, O. H. Perry, W. Bowen, Eber Benedict, J. L. Green, E. W. Young, Volney Spink, A. H. Witherall, L. B. Swallow, H. H. Carver, Daniel Carver and S. H. Chase. On the 5th of August of that year, the Trustees of the association purchased five acres of land for the sum of $40, of S. A. Dwinnell, situated half a mile northeast of the village, and in the autumn the grounds were surveyed and platted by S. J. Brown. Two principal aisles were laid out through the center of the ground at right angles, the remainder of the plat being appropriately laid out in lots and minor avenues. The lots were offered for sale at $2.50 to $4 each, with but few purchasers. The first interments were the bodies of Mrs. Atwater, foster sister of David C. Reed, and her infant child, in the fall of 1854; James Cottington, February 12, 1855, and two children whose names are not remembered. The grounds were consecrated on the 9th of May, 1856, a touching and appropriate address being delivered by Elder Dwinnell.

In May, 1868, the Trustees purchased of Mr. Dwinnell, an additional three acres of land for $150. The grounds were soon platted and the entire eight acres inclosed. A row of maples was planted along the entrance side of the tract, in April, 1869, and the place was otherwise cultivated and beautified. In 1873, there had been 360 burials, of which 189 were of adults.

In May, 1868, the German Lutheran Society purchased of S. A. Dwinnell two acres of land adjoining the Greenwood Cemetery on the south, for the sum of $100, and the first interment was made in November of that year. Among the first burials was the body of D. Schweke, in April following. He was a leader in the society,,and was deeply interested in the purchase of the grounds.

CHAPTER XI.

THE SAUK VILLAGES.

EARLY HISTORY-PRAIRIE DU SAC, OR UPPER SAUK: EARLY SETTLEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT GROWTH-THE OLD COURT HOUSE-THE FIRST STAGING-GENERAL NOTES-THE BRIDGE— POSTOFFICE AND POSTMASTERS-SCHOOLS--MANUFACTURING-HOTELS-SOCIETIES-CHURCHES. SAUK CITY, OR LOWER SAUK: EARLY SETTLEMENT AND GROWTH-CAUSUS CELEBRE-THE OLD MILITARY COMPANY-A MURDER-COMPARATIVE NOTES-GOVERNMENT-HOTELS-MANUFACTORIES-POST OFFICE-THE BRIDGE-PUBLIC SCHOOL-FIRE COMPANY AND FIRES-SOCIE TIES AND CHURCHES-SAUKVILLE, OR MIDDLE SAUK.

This locality, including the above villages, or village and burgs, with their euphonious titles, may be justly called the site of the parent settlement of Sauk County; for here the first emigrants pitched their tents, in 1838 and 1839, and here the first improvements that amounted to anything were made, and for many years these points were a sort of commercial metropolis or center for the entire adjoining county.

When the surveyors for the "Superior City" fiasco came to the old tramping-grounds of Black Hawk, on the bold and imposing bluffs extending along the east bank of the Wisconsin, they beheld spread out before them to the west, as far as their vision could reach beyond the river, one of nature's most beautiful panoramas; a land to them then denied, which gave promise, through the perfection of its natural resources, of a future that would some day become excellent in every detail of civilization, if not celebrated in the annals of history. That condition, then only so dimly foreshadowed, has at last been realized; scarcely half a decade has passed by, and the scenes that then only resounded to the savage cries of wild animals, and the blood-curdling yells of the aborigines, now re-echo the plow-boy's whistle, the faithful call of domestic animals, the constant whir of busy machinery, and the joyous shouts of happy school children, or the laborer's voice.

Forty years ago, the wild flowers bloomed in countless profusion and variety on these prairies, and civilized man had scarcely invaded the precincts of virgin nature; now all is changed; the whole country teems with the fruits of peace and industry, and myriads of houses dot the landscape, the dwellings of happy families. What a marvelous transformation is this, and how seemingly impossible; and yet the country is almost aged already, so precocious has been its development; and very many of those who began the work of taming the wilderness, and thus gave the first impetus to the steps of infant progress, are now no more. Fortunately for them and their successors, history comes to the rescue and furnishes a meed of praise, and perpetuates the record of their efforts and achievements for the instruction and entertainment of their posterity.

When we pause to think that this beautiful country-now completely conquered by the white man's hand, and yielding abundantly the various productions needed to supply the demands of his growth-was but a few short years ago only a haunt for wild beasts and the unrestrained sons of the forest, we can scarcely comprehend the change. Neither can the efforts of those who first invaded the land and turned up the native soil to the sun's mellowing rays be understood by the young of to-day. Only those who have been here from the first, and seen the gradual progress that the passing years have wrought, can fully realize the change and appreciate the struggles and sufferings of nearly half a decade in the past. Then, men here had almost to fight day by day for the barest necessities while they were making homes for themselves and their successors, and paving the way for a future of successful effort, in the work of utilizing nature's resources,