The grave illness of Hon. Niram H. Withee resulted fatally yesterday morning and a man known and respected throughout the western part of the state, has passed from earth. Although owning a home in La Crosse for many years, he has lived chiefly in Clark county which was his legal place of residence up to the hour of death. Mr. Withee was a citizen of North La Crosse at a time antedating the memory of all except the oldest residents. He came to Wisconsin from Maine in 1852 and located at North La Crosse, where he lived until 1870; in 1868 he was president of the village board. Soon after locating in Clark county he was elected member of the board of supervisors, serving until 1875, when he was elected county treasurer, holding that office until 1879, when he was called to represent the county in the legislature, being re-elected the following year.

The business record of the deceased began in 1857, when he entered into partnership with Franz Braun in the logging business. In 1859 their firm was dissolved and N.H., and Levi Withee and R.M. Mooer organized a partnership. This was succeeded in 1861 by a firm composed of G.H. Hixon, W.W. Crosby and the two Withees. In 1863, Levi Withee and Mr. Crosby went out of the firm, and about 1866 the Hannibal mill was built and A.W. Pettibone became a partner. In 1879, the firm was dissolved, and the Island mill which was among the assets of the firm, became the property of Mr. Withee; he operated it until fire swept it away and in 1882, the Island Mill Lumber company was organized, in which Mr. Withee was one of the leading stockholders, retaining his interest up to the time of his death.

This sketch of his business and public life will show more clearly, perhaps, than has been realized even by intimate friends, the active life deceased has led for the past thirty five years in western Wisconsin. It has been an honest, busy, useful life, deserving of an eulogium at the last and a place in the memory of the people.

Deceased leaves a family consisting of his wife and three sons, the oldest about nineteen years of age. He had one brother living in this city and a brother and sister in Clark county.

The date of the funeral has not yet been fixed.

LA CROSSE DAILY CHRONICLE (La Crosse, Wisconsin), Sunday, 3 July 1887, p.1