Good morning, Whitewater
There are no public meetings scheduled in the city today. Surprising, really, yet apparently true. Not even a single committee or commission? Even a tiny task force?
It’s an odd anniversary in Wisconsin history, as the Wisconsin Historical Society observes that in 1842 there was a shooting in the Wisconsin territorial legislature:
On this date the Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin met in Madison, only to be interrupted by the shooting of one member by another. The legislature was debating the appointment of Enos S. Baker for sheriff of Grant County when Charles Arndt made a sarcastic remark about Baker’s colleague, James Vineyard. After an uproar, adjournment was declared and when Arndt approached Vineyard’s desk, a fight broke out during which Vineyard drew his revolver and shot Arndt. [Source: Badger Saints and Sinners by Fred L. Holmes]
So, what happened to Vineyard, the shooter? He benefitted from the incident, as the Wisconsin Historical Society notes:
Pioneer settler, lead miner, politician, b. Kentucky. He moved to the Wisconsin area in 1827, settling near Platteville, where for a number of years he engaged in lead mining and prospecting. A Democrat, Vineyard was a member of the upper house of the territorial legislature (1836-1842), and in 1842 gained notoriety when he shot and killed Charles Arndt (q.v.) during a bitter argument on the council floor. Vineyard was tried for manslaughter, was defended by Moses M. Strong (q.v.), and was subsequently acquitted of the slaying. The incident is described at length in in the Wisconsin Magazine of History vol. 5, no. 3 (March 1922): 264-283.
Despite this incident, he maintained his popularity in the lead region, was a delegate to the first state constitutional convention (1846), and was state assemblyman (1849). In 1850 he followed the Gold Rush to California, later served in the California legislature, and remained in that state until his death. Wis. Mag. Hist., 5; K. W. Duckett, Frontiersman of Fortune: M. M. Strong . . . Madison, 1955]; J. R. Berryman, ed., Bench and Bar of Wis. (2 vols., Chicago, 1898); M. M. Quaife, ed., Convention of 1846 (Madison, 1919).
I am not sure what this means for the Whitewater Common Council. Perhaps, just perhaps, debate has been too tame, too polite, too deferential, and too cerebral.