HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY. 
 
in his power; for such has been the experience 
of so many primitive, frontier settlements. But 
in this case there was a tragical departure from 
this rule. McNutt, in 1828, maddened with 
whisky, entered his trading cabin, and without 
any known provocation, deliberately murdered 
his partner, Boner, with an ax; literally chop- 
ping him to pieces. Van Sickle, their interpret- 
er, paralyzed with fear, ran for his life, and 
while fleeing, was shot at repeatedly by McNutt, 
with a rifle. Van Sickle made his way to Blue 
Mound, a settlement about eighteen miles to the 
northwest, and gave information of what had 
occurred. Hardly had he arrived there, when 
McNutt made his appearance, on horseback, and 
delivered himself up, confessing the murder. 
The territory now constituting Green county, 
being at that time a part of the county of Craw- 
ford, with the countyseat at Prairie du Chien, 
McNutt was taken to that place, tried, and ac- 
quitted. This was the first white man killed, 
so far a  is known, in this county. Soon after, 
the few settlers assembled at the trading-house, 
and gave the mangled corpse of Boner as decent 
a burial as circumstances would permit. The 
grave was the first dug for a white settler in the 
county. 
The exact date of the killing of Boner, by 
McNutt, is unknown though it must have been 
in 1828 and before the 7th of July of that year; 
as is seen by the following extract from the 
records of the supervisors of the county of 
Crawford, Wisconsin: 
"TERRITORY OF MICHIGAN, } 
"COUNTY OF CRAWFORD. 
"At a session of the supervisors of the county 
of Crawford, and township of St. Anthony, held 
on the .7th day of July,- 1828, present, John 
Marsh, John Simpson and Dennis Courtois, su- 
pervisors of said township, was presented the 
account of Pierre Lembert of $1.50, which was 
allowed; and Dennis Courtois, account of $1; 
John Simpson, of M; John Marsh, of $1, and 
Joseph Brisbois, of $', which was allowed. 
 
"Upon the representation of the sheriff that 
the prison is insufficient for the safe keeping of 
D. McNutt, a prisoner confined on the charge 
of murder, a request was made to the command- 
ing officer of Fort Crawford to take the pris- 
oner into his custody foy safe keeping. The 
court adjourned until the first Monday in Sep- 
terrber next, at 10 o'clock A. i." 
In 1829 William Deviese built a smelting fur- 
nace near the Sugar River Diggings, which was 
afterwards held and used for some years by two 
men named Kemp and Collins.    Deviese must 
be considered the first permanent settler in 
Green county. The date of his first arrival was 
Aug. 12, 1828. 
In 1830 Andrew Clarno took up a claim in the 
southwestern part of the county, about six miles 
from what is now the city of Monroe, but did 
not settle there until the spring of 1832. 
Around his pioneer home cluster many im- 
portant incidents. Joseph Payne and William 
Wallace became Clarno's neighbors, by erecting 
a cabin near by, and making their home therein. 
Thus a pleasant neighborhood had commenced 
to grow, when, in 18:32, the Black Hawk War 
brought consternation to the little settlement. 
On the 5th of May, 1832, they all left their 
homes in great baste before the approaching In- 
dians. Hardly had they reached a safe distance 
when the smoke of their burning homes arose 
in curling volumes above the tree tops. A few 
hours later and they would have fallen a prey to 
the remorseless hate of the followers of Black 
Hawk. The first sad, dreary night they spent 
on the ground now occupied by the county seat, 
often startled by the whoop of the savage, in 
hourly expectation of falling victims to the 
prowling foe.  Fortunately they were not de- 
tected. In the dim ,gray light of mornin~g they 
hastened away, and arrived at "Hamilton's 
Fort," now Wiota, where they tarried the sec- 
ond night. They then made their way west- 
ward to "Fort Gratiot," where they remained 
in safety until the close of the war. When the 
troubles !bad ceased they returned to) their 
 
152