History of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Together with sketches of its towns and villages, educational, civil, military and political history; portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens.

              HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
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kegs, one on each side of Lange's dead body. Clear at once returned to his regiment and ac¬ companied it to Chicago, where he was arrested. He fully confessed his guilt and was taken to LaCrosse and placed in jail; but was soon taken to Milwaukee to save him from being hung by Lange's friends. He plead guilty, and was sentenced to the penitentiary for life ; but through some influence he was pardoned in 1880 by Gov. Smith, and is now at large.
At the spring term of court in 1868 the case of State vs. Alonzo Mitcbell and others, evoked a good deal of interest. A lot of young fel¬ lows from Hillsboro and vicinity were arrested at the instance of Julia A. Betts, for taking part and engaging in a charivari. After a a lengthy and exciting trial, the boys were found not guilty. The lady, however, after¬ wards commenced a civil action against the de¬ fendants and recovered damages.
In the spring of 1868 Hon. Romanzo Bunn, of Sparta, Monroe county, was elected judge of the sixth circuit. His term of office began Jan. 1,1869. In 1874 he was re-elected and served until appointed United States district judge, in in 1875, when he resigned the circuit judgeship.
In December, 1868, the grand jury returned Rve indictments against Warren Dennison, who lived at what was called Coon slough, in the town of Bergen, Vernon county. Den¬ nison was an offender. He was charged with horse stealing, and maiiy other criminal acts. In the fall of 1868 deputy sheriff William W. Lowrie, of Newton, went after him on a jus¬ tice's warrant and found him at home ; but he was sitting by the fire covered with blankets and pretended to have the rheumatism so that he could not walk. So he was left upon the promise on his part to come to Viroqua as soon as he was able. But in a day or two suspicions were entertained that he was merely playing a dodge ; so Lowrie went after him again, but the bird had flown. Two or three times during the winter there were reports that Dennison had come back, but  when he was   searched for, it
was found that he was still skulking. Hear¬ ing again that Dennison was at home, Mr. Lowrie and Gates Page, on the 1st of May, 1869, started out to capture him. They found him near home, but when he saw them he started to run toward the river, where he had a skiff, and his pursuers followed. While running, Lowrie fired a shot in the air to warn Dennison to stop. He did so, and turned back on his pursuers, having his hand behind him. Lowrie asked what he had in his hand. Den¬ nison replied, a revolver. Lowrie told him to drop it, which Dennison refused to do. Lowrie then told him of the warrant for his arrest, and in¬ formed him that if he would surrender, he should not be hurt. Dennison refused to surrender, and said that if shooting was the game he could shoot as well as any man, and started toward Page, who levelled his shot gun on him. Then Dennison turned toward Lowrie, revolver in hand, and the two fired at each other about the same instant, although Lowrie was a little too quick for Dennison, his ball hitting the latter in the thigh, and probably disturbing his aim. Dennison did not fall, but was getting ready to shoot again when Page shot him, the load taking effect under the right shoulder. Denni¬ son then dropped his revolver and tried to pick up a sled stake, but failed, falling back with the words "I'm dead." When he fell, Lowrie car¬ ried water to him from the river and washed his face. In a short time he died. A coroner's inquest was held, and after an examination the jury rendered the following verdict : "That the deceased came to his death by a wound from a shot gun in the hands of I. G. Page ; that the killing was justifiable."
The case of State vs. Josiah Dennison for the murder of John Oliver, came before Judge Bunn at the fall term of the circuit court in 1869. The facts of the case, as developed by the evidence, were as follows: There was a dance at John Britt's saloon, Genoa, formerly Bad Ax city, on Christmas eve, 1868, which the Olivers and Dennisons attended.    It seems