When James O'Neill came to Neillsville in 1873 to visit
his Uncle James, the cities founder, his uncle persuaded
him to remain. James received a BA from Cornell
University and a law degree from Albany Law School.
For a time he practiced law alone, then partnered with
H.W. Sheldon, Joseph Morley and then Spencer Marsh.
He was appointed District Attorney for Clark County in
1887 and then re-elected in 1888. In 1890 and 1892 he
was the Republican candidate for State Attorney
General. In 1897 James O'Neill was elected to the bench
of the Seventeenth Circuit Court where he served until
1922. One of his cases that received nationwide notoriety
was the first-degree murder trial of Mrs. Caroline Krueger
and her two sons. Leslie and Frank Krueger were evading
the draft. In a hail of gunfire with U.S. Government Agents Click on image to enlarge
and local law enforcement, Agent Harry Jensen was killed.
Both boys were found guilty of murder. The O'Neill house was constructed in the Italianate style but has incurred modifications since the structure served as the community's hospital from 1931 to 1954. In 1954 Memorial Hospital was built and the O'Neill house continued to be used as a nursing home until 1963 when construction commenced on a new nursing home. The structure has since returned to a private residence and has had it's Victorian characteristics restored.
EL – The structure is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
LR – The structure is on the Local Historic Register
NR – The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
