Judge Bell Incidents: Fooled the Austrian Brothers
October 30, 2025
Collected & edited by Amorin Mello
This is the third post in a series featuring The Ashland News items about La Pointe’s infamous Judge John William Bell, written mainly by his son-in-law George Francis Thomas née Gilbert Fayette Thomas a.k.a G.F.T. In today’s post we explore stories about real estate transactions negotiated between Judge Bell and Julius Austrian.
… continued from King No More.
The Ashland News
Wednesday, January 11, 1888, Page 5
STORIES OF JUDGE BELL
HOW HE FOOLED THE AUSTRIAN BROTHERS IN A LAND DEAL.
“Incidents in the life of Judge John W. Bell. – A Half Century in Old La Pointe – by Geo. Francis Thomas.”
Such is the proposed title to a forth-coming historical work which will prove wonderfully interesting, especially to the older residents in this vicinity. The author begins with the year 1835, when the brig “John Jacob Astor,” the first vessel built upon the shores of Lake Superior, first cast her anchor in the bay at La Pointe, and ends with the death of the old pioneer, John W. Bell, which occurred but a few days since. In speaking of the pioneer the author says:
“From the day that Mr. Bell stepped ashore at La Pointe from ‘The Astor,’ June 23, 1835, to the day of his death, he was a character possessing a most positive individuality; and it was not until his later years, and then when he had become financially distressed, that his wonderful spirit became at all broken; but even then he was never known to as a favor.”
The old judge, or “Squire” as he was usually called, was always ready to relate some incident of early days in which he was usually a participant. There are also a great many equally interesting incidents related by others, where the old judge would not justify his telling the story himself. The author says:
Detail from Julius Austrian’s 1854 Plan of the Town of La Pointe with Judge Bell’s Block 35 and four small Lots.
~ Wisconsin Historical Society
“[…] except a small portion in the North West Corner claimed and enclosed by Edwin Connor, and so much of the South West Corner as is claimed by P. B. Vanderventer, and the enclosure of Barboo & Meletle in the South East Corner”
“The old man always liked to have things done on the square, so when Julius Austrian was platting the village of La Pointe and proposed to Mr. Bell to give him the block he already occupied for a nominal consideration, Mr. Bell insisted that his block, number thirty-five, be exactly square – all the four streets crossing at right angles. A square block or lot was quite a novelty where each squatter’s garden-patch had been fenced in and called a lot, regardless of street lines or quantity of land.”
Memoirs of Doodooshaaboo: Joseph Austrian’s Time at La Pointe 1851-52 (Pt. 2)
“Our blind brother Marx Austrian with brother Julius’ assistance at that time, preempted 160 acres of land near Bayfield from La Point, complying with preemption laws. He built a small log house living there with his wife. One night during their first winter in their new house, there was a knock at the door, and when opened they were confronted by a number of Indians, who were evidently under the influence of liquor and who swinging their tomahawks vigorously, making all sorts of threatening demands. An old Indian who knew Marx interceded and enabled him and his wife to escape without injury who thoroughly scared fled panic stricken in the dark about two miles at night, over the ice, on the Bay which was covered with a foot of snow to La Point for safety. The poor woman having the hazardous task of leading her blind husband over this long and difficult road, not to come back again and glad to escape with their lives and thus abandoning their right of preemption. This place was later on platted and is now known as the Bayfield Addition.”
Mr. Bell was an acute judge of human nature, and made it an invariable rule to deal with his fellowmen according to each one’s individual peculiarity. Before Bayfield was located, or in fact thought of as a town site, a Hebrew by the name of Marx Austrian pre-empted the 126 acres of land now known as Austrian’s clearing, and which adjoins Bayfield on the south. After a short residence upon the claim Mr. Austrian’s family became sick, and in order that proper care might be given them they were compelled to move to La Pointe, where a physician could be had. A speculator, noticing the apparent irregularity, tried to jump the claim. The case was taken to Superior for trial, and Mr. Bell, being the only available witness, the Austrian brothers and Louis Leopold proposed to give him a one-fourth interest in the land as compensation for making the trip to Superior. Mr. Bell accordingly accompanied the party, to Superior, and on arriving at the hotel as was his custom, he immediately began to make himself at home with the guests of the house, most of whom he was well acquainted with. At length when the case was called, Mr. Bell seemed so entirely unconcerned that he was urged to come forward by some one of the interested parties; but Mr. Bell carelessly said,
“Oh! I believe I will not attend court today.”
Julius Austrian
~ Madeline Island Museum
The Austrians wildly expostulated, and at last agreed to pay all the old “Judge’s” expenses for the trip, besides giving him a one-fourth interest in the 126 acres of land. This brought him all right and Marx Austrian gained his point. A few years later, when the town of Bayfield was laid out by the Hon. Henry M. Rice, the Austrians, Julius and Marx, concluded that they ought to buy back the one-fourth interest in the 126 acres held by “Squire” Bell, and accordingly Julius approached him on the subject. Mr. Bell was a man of few words and no give-in to his dictum. He told Austrian that $1,000 would buy his interest if taken by noon the next day. Austrian claimed the price was exorbitant but finally went off to get the cash. on the morrow at noon, or a few minutes before, Austrian called on Bell and said he could only give him $800. Mr Bell insisted on $1,000, which Julius Austrian finally agreed to pay;
“but,” says Mr. Bell, “now you are too late. It is fully a minute past the time which I specified, now I will not take less than $1,250, and that must be forthcoming within two hours from now.”
Hannah Leopold Austrian
~ Madeline Island Museum.
This time Austrian kept away, thinking Mr. Bell would go back to his $1,000 offer if he did not seem too anxious. In that Mr. Austrian misjudged his man, for when Austrian again approached the “squire” his price was $1,500 spot cash. Things now looked dubious to the Austrians, a conference was held with Mrs. Hannah Austrian and together they raised $1,300, all the cash which was available at that moment. This they handed over to Mr. Bell with a sight due bill for $200, secured by a deposit of all Mrs. Austrian’s jewels, including her diamond earrings. They got back the one quarter interest in the 126 acres, and they have paid taxes on it ever since, yet the whole is hardly worth now what the quarter cost them.
“This recalls an incident back in ’61 or ’62,” said one of the jurymen at a recent trial in this city. “It was a case against a trader who was accused of selling whiskey to an Indian. The jury was drawn, and after hearing the evidence they retired to a back room to determine on a verdict. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. At six o’clock the jury was about evenly divided. About midnight, after continuous balloting, the vote stood ten for acquittal and two for conviction. There was no fire in the room, and it was very cold. The ten jurors who stood for acquittal made one final request to the other two to vote with them, but they persistently refused. The ten then got a long pine board and laying it across two stools proceeded to play an interesting game of freeze-out. About two o’clock one of the two came over on the other side and joined the rest in the game of freezing out the other juror. At three o’clock in the morning he gave up.”
Chequamegon History 