History: Greenwood Memories by Smith Miller #3 (1954 Letter)

Contact: Stan
Email: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Miller, Sturdevant, Peterson, Justice

----Source: Greenwood Gleaner (Greenwood, Clark Co., Wis.) (12 Aug 1954)

To: The Greenwood Gleaner
By: Smith H. Miller, La Conner, Wash.

In browsing over the Clark County Centennial booklet my eye became glued to the name of C.L. Sturdevant of Neillsville. There was also a little picture in the same item. That name seemed so familiar to me and while attending to something else right then an associate noted the picture and said, "why that is Major General of the U.S. Army Retired, who was for a while right here in La Conner on certain work and later was identified with the Canal Project in Alaska."

Finally a thought began percolating in my memory of one Claude Sturdevant there in Neillsville, who was an attorney when I was a lad there in Greenwood. So I wrote the General, who is now in Silver Spring Md., to find out what, if any relation he was to Claude Sturdevant, and I now have his letter after months. He writes as follows:

"I am the C.L. Sturdevant referred to. I was born in Neillsville August 1, 1885. The Claude Sturdevant you mention was the son of my Father's first cousin, James Rufus Sturdevant. Claude's father and my father were law partners at Neillsville until his father turned Democrat. At least the partnership was dissolved about that time. I think my father was running for Dist. Attorney at the time or had ambitions in that direction. Although he was elected Attorney General for two terms when old Bob LaFollet was Governor."

Well, this memory percolation disclosed the first law suit I ever witnessed. I think it was the most momentous lawsuit I have ever witnessed. It's simplicity made it so. The courtroom scene, the majestic (Justice of the Peace), and personalities concerned, contributed to a most momentous scene.

The court was held in the store of Mr. Elias Peterson, that was then almost across from the Justice Hardware Store. There was the usual counter, cracker barrel, boxes, one or two benches, poor (tobacco) box, bracket lamps, wood stove and other things peculiar to stores of those days.

It seemed that a small farmer up near Owen had been harassed by a fellow who was apparently trying to pilfer something, but the farmer caught him at it and came out with a shot gun and drove him away. So the fellow brought suit against the rancher and the rancher sent to the big city of Neillsville for his attorney. Claude Sturdevant, I forget who the attorney for the other fellow was. Whoever it was I can't remember if he ever did get a chance to say anything. The show was mostly Claude Sturdevant.

There were about twenty or twenty-five in the crowd all sitting around in anything convenient, counters all filled, as well as barrels and boxes, and benches. Well, Claude made a long impassioned plea for his rancher and all I remember of his plea was when he said, "And this man came out with an old rusty blunder bun and scared him away." That seemed to completely break up the lawsuit for the crowd roared and about the only thing the Justice could do was to acquit the little farmer.

As near as I can remember, this happened about 1895. And as I said in my last article, "places along thos old board sidewalks cry out with stories of lives..."