HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY. 
 
The cool air of a November night had the 
effect of cooling his wrath somewhat, and he 
stopped quietly in the house the rest of the 
night. 
"It would not do to pass over the history of 
Exeter, without mentioning Tom Welch and 
his wife, well known as Mother Welch. They 
came to Exeter some time about the year 1835. 
They farmed some and kept tavern some. The 
old lady would would go with an ox team to 
Milwaukee or Galena; she was well known at 
both places. When the store keepers saw her 
coming they would say: 'There comes Mother 
Welch, we must put up our goods about double 
so we can stand it to be beat down.' They 
used to keep their whisky hid from each other, 
and when a mutual friend happened to come 
there, unless' he looked out sharp between the 
two treating him he would be made drunk. 
Michael Welch, brother to Thomas, left Exeter 
some time about 1848 or 1849. A year or two 
ago I heard a man say he had seen him in Cali- 
fornia. He was keeping 'bach.' 
"In 1845 a Swiss settlement was started at 
New Glarus. Soon after coming there, Christo- 
pher Martin, of Monroe, was passing through 
the place and called up the crowd and treated. 
He noticed the people gathered in a little group 
and looked at him from time to time, talking 
amongst themselves;pretty soon he treated again, 
their curiosity was so aroused that one of the 
group constituting himself spokes man for the 
rest, walked up to Mr. Martin and asked him: 
'Bees you von politic man?' 'No, 'says Mr. 
Martin. At this the man seemed astonished 
and exclaimed: 'Vell vat for you treat us then?' 
showing by this that politicians had already 
been tampering with them. The Swiss were very 
shrew in business matters, especially in buying 
cows. Shortly after they came to New Glarus, 
one of them came over to Mr. Ross' to buy a 
cow. Mr. Streiff came along as interpreter. 
They seemed to fix their attention on a rather 
inferior cow, examining her very attentively. 
They asked her price, and after looking at her 
 
some time, Mr. Streiff turned around and point- 
ing to his best cow asked him in a careless man- 
ner what her price was. Mr. Ross named a sum 
a good deal less than he would have been will- 
ing to take for her had he supposed they 
actually wanted to buy her. 'Vell,' says Mr. 
Streiff,'dis man vill take-this cow' pointing to the 
good one. Mr. Ross would not go back on his 
word and let them have his best cow, but de- 
clared they would never catch him napping 
again. Whilst I am    speaking of Leonard 
Ross, I will mention what I should have written 
before. Not only does his widow live at the 
old place, but his three sons-Milton, William 
and Leonard, live near there. There was a 
fourth son, Otis, but he was killed before Peters- 
burg. He belonged to th6 37th regiment. Milton, 
the eldestand William,served three years in the 
8th regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, 
company H, and had the good fortune to get home 
alive, though Milton lost an eye in his country's 
service. I should be much to blame if I failed 
to mention 'old Ball,' a favorite horse of the 
captain's. Mr. Ross and old Ball were one and 
inseparable, as much as was Judge Irvin and 
his horse, Pedro. Ball was a large bay horse 
eighteen hands high, and well proportioned. 
lie had a white stripe in his face, which gave 
him his name. He was very high spirited and 
a horse of uncommon intelligence. Every old 
settler in Green county will remember him. 
Although a heavy horse, he was a speedy trav- 
eler. Mr. Ross at one time was in Monroe on 
bnsiness; and receiving news of his wife's ill- 
ness, he rode him home (twenty miles) in two 
hours, without injuring him in the least. 
"I cannot refrain from relating one anecdote 
of Charlie George, an old settler in Exeter. At 
one time a Mormon preacher was holding forth 
at the Ross school house, and in his discourse 
he urged upon the people the necessity of watch- 
fulness; and bringing over the word 'watch' 
very often, old Charlie took him at his word, 
and getting up, started for the door, remarking 
 
847