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.

              182
HISTORY OF VERNON COUNTY.
town of Liberty collected and threatened to lynch the prisoner, so strong was the circum- ^stantial evidence against him. But they were prevailed upon to desist. One strong point made by the prosecution was, that Downie's gun had been missing for several weeks prior to the shooting and this gun was found under a log near by where the man who did do the shooting stood. But Larry proved an alibi to the complete satisfaction of the jury, and was therefore acquitted. The fact as to who was the criminal is still shrouded in mystery.
Hon. Alfred William Newsman was elected judge of the sixth judicial circuit, to succeed Judge Bunn, in the fall of 1875, and is the pres¬ ent incumbent. Judge Newman was born in Durham, Greene Co., N. Y., April 5, 1834. His parents resided on a farm near the village, where Judge Newman remained until he was twenty years of age, engaged in agricultural pursuits during the summer, and attending school in the winter. In 1854 he entered Hamilton College, from which he graduated in 1857, and continued the study of law, which he had commenced while in college. On the 8th of December, 1857, the judge was examined at Albany and admitted to the bar, and in Janu¬ ary, 1858, he came west, settling in Kewaunee Co., Wis. Two months later he removed to Trempealeau, where he has since lived. He held various local offices and was State senator prior to his election to the circuit bench.
The case of State vs. Nancy C. Wiseman for assault with intent to kill, came before the cir¬ cuit court of Vernon county, at the November term, 1878. It was really the termination of a series of occurrences which had before this received the attention of the district attorney. It seems that a single woman named Mary J. Sneed, living in the town of Stark, became the mother of a child, which she swore upon Mr. Wiseman, th^ husband of the defendant in the case in question. Bastardy proceedings were commenced against Wiseman, and he fled the State.   A compromise was effected with the in¬
jured woman, by mortgaging one-half of Wise¬ man's farm for $600, and the proceedings were abandoned. When the pay-day of the mortgage came Mrs. Wiseman had concluded that her hus¬ band was not guilty,and refused to pay the same. The parties came to Viroqua, and counsel was secured. Mrs. Wiseman's attorney found that her defense was untenable, and it was accord¬ ingly abandoned. When she found that the money must be paid, she seemed to go into a perfect frenzy. Seeing the author of her troubles, as she thought Mary Sneed to be, she followed her into a store, where some trading was being done. While Mary Sneed was talk¬ ing to a clerk, Mrs. Wiseman rushed up, and drawing a revolver pointed it at the girl's head and pulled the trigger! As good fortune would have it, the clerk threw up Mrs. Wiseman's hand and wrenched the weapon from her grasp before it was discharged. Mrs. Wiseman was at once arrested, and was tried for assault with intent to kill; but the jury acquitted her on the ground of insanity. The mortgage was fore¬ closed, and thus the case was finally settled. The attorneys were H. P. Proctor, of Viroqua, for the prosecution, and C. M. Butt, of the same place, and Morrow & Masters, of Sparta, for the defense.
Another murder trial engaged the attention of the circuit court and the interest of all Ver¬ non county, at the spring term, 1880. It was that of the State vs. Carl Olson for man¬ slaughter. The case was ably conducted by H. P. Procter, district attorney, for the State, and Butt & Graves for the defense. Carl Olson kept a shoe shop at Westaby, a few miles north of Viroqua. One night during the winter pre¬ ceding the trial, a number of persons, among whom was Ole A. Johnson, gathered at Olson's shop, and a quarrel arose, during which Olson ordered some of the others out of his shop. During a fight which ensued Johnson received two blows upon the head, one of which pene¬ trated the skull, and the wound had the ap¬ pearance  of having %een inflicted with a ham-