Nebraska Historical Society - Forgotten Books

NEBRASKA

HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PROCEEDINGS AND COLLECTIONS .

S E CON D S E RIE S

Vo lume I.

PUBLISH ED BY THE SOCIETY

LINCOLN , NE BRASK A

1894-95

TABLE OF CONTENTS .

H ISTORICAL PAPERS m oss

Part of the Making of a S tate A . MACMURPH Y ,

The Ll fe of Governor Burt— CLYDE B . A ITCH ISON,

Remin iscences of E arly Days— H on . B . J . JOH N SON ,

Fre ight ing in 1866 a Letter ,

Early Nebraska Curren cy and Per Cap ita Circulat ionH ENRY W . Y ATE S ,

Mun icipa l Government in N ebraskal

V ICTORROSEWATER, 76—87

The Sold iers’ Free H omestead Co lony , Gibbon

S . C. BASSETT , 87—102

The Effect of Early Legislation Upon the Courts of

N ebraska— H ON . T. M . MARQUETTE ,

Wanagz’

Olowa/z [f z’

n— L . W . COLBY ,

Remin iscences of the Th ird Judicial Distr ict

JUDGE E . W AK ELEY ,150

— 163

Fre ighting Across the pla ins in 1856

MOSE S H . SYDE NH AM ,1 64

—184

S ome F inancial Fa l lac ies among the Early P ioneersof N ebraska— H ON . J . STERLING MORTON

PROCEEDINGS OF TH E SOCIETY , 1893- 1895 ,

LIST OF MEM B ERS ,

CONSTITUT ION AND B Y -LAWS ,

APPROPRIATION S ,1883

- 1895 ,

LIST OF DONATION S ,

NOTE S ,

NECROLOGY ,

INDEX ,

195—2 10

2 10—2 28

2 29—236

236—24 1

24 1

242—247

50-

56 , 1 19- 1 28 ,

190—192

57-64 ,

185- 189

249- 264

PROCEEDINGS ANDCOLLECTIONS

OF TH E

N E B RA S Pi A

8tate Historiea SOGie ty

ISSU E D Q U A RT E R L Y

FIFTY CENTS AT LINCOLN . NE BR FIFTEEN CENTSEEE EE EEE EEE EEE EE EEEE

Nebraska State Historical Soc ie ty

O F F IC E R S

H ON . J . STERLING MORTON,Presi den t

,

H ON . R. W . FURNAS , F i rst Vi ce Presi den t.JUDGE S . B . POUND

,S econd. Vi ce Presi den t,

H ON . C. H . GERE,Treasurer ,

PROF . HOWARDW . CALDWELL , S emetary,

AMOS BARRETT, Li bra ri an ,

d o m M IT T E E S

Publi ca ti on : TH E S ECRETARY,S . L . GE ISTH ARDT

,

and S . D. 0051 .

Obi tua ri es: R. W . FURNAS , GEO . L . MILLER,

and \V. H . E LLER .

Program: TH E SECRETARY,J . L . \VE B STER

,

and J M . WOOLWORTH .

Li bra ry : J AY AMOS BARRETT,MRS . S . B . POUND

,

and J . H . CANFIELD.

Nebraska Ci tV

Brown vi lleLin coln

Lin coln

L in coln

Lincoln


#M _ h m “VOL I No . 1 S E COND 5 1511115

HISTORICAL PAPERS .

PART OF TH E MAK ING OF A GREAT STATE .

.)OIIX A . MAC MLIRI’H Y .

“M

I am aware t hat t h ere i s con s i d erab l e o f th e ego i nth i s s to ry , bu t I h ave t r i ed to wr i te i t i n th e th i rd pe rso nand fa i l ed . I am no t good at that , and i t requ i res t oomuch exp l anat i on . I n fac t , th e change i n myse l f hasbeen so great , and i n every oth e r phase o f th e scen e so

i mmense,that i t is rea l l y ano th e r pe rson si mply l ook i ng

back and pu t t i ng th e p resen t man in t h e p l ace o f the boyo f twen ty . I have t r i ed to e ffac e my presen t se l f and go

back th i rty years and desc r ibe th i ngs j ust as t hey lookedth en ,

~ —and I hope to tak e you al l w i t h me for a sho rtspace o f t ime .

I n a s t ree t i n N ew Yo rk Ci ty t hat w as th en a grea tthorough fare to B rooklyn , i n 1856 , t h e re was a ve ryrespectab l e d ry goods s to re . The propr i e to r i n th at fa raway day dw el t ove r his sto re , as many o the rs d i d i n theheart o f N ew York . I t w as the re I fi rst hea rd o f Ne

b raska . Sa id p ropr i e to r , a re la t ive , h ad bee n in th e hab i t

each fal l Of so rt i ng up a l o t o f s tock a l i t t l e passe a t

4 NEBRASKA STATE H I STOR I CAL S OC IETY .

home , and tak ing i t ou t west to se l l to th e w i ld andwoo l ly

,though these peop l e were far eas t o f us now .

That fa l l h e went away west to S t . Lou i s,and when he

came home he was fu l l o f a wonder fu l man he had metthere , a Dr . Thompson , and o f a wonder fu l cou n try st i l lfu rth e r from c iv i l i z at i o n , o f wh i ch the sa i d Thompson anda New York synd i cate owned an i n tegra l part , to -w i t , onehal f a town s i t e , way up th e M i s sou r i r i ve r above Omaha ,

and i n th e Te rr i t o ry o f N ebraska ; and Thompson was su reand my re l at ive w as su re , t h at i f we wou ld on ly go th e rei n th e spr i ng we wou ld i n a sh ort space o f t ime becomevery wea l thy , and i n th e cou rse o f a few years beimportan t and h igh ly honored c i t i z ens o f t he new rea lm ,

perhaps get to be congressman or even gove rnorflw he n

i t became a sta te . Noth i ng was ta l ked o f i n the parl o rsabove that l i t t l e sto re that w i n te r bu t N ebraska , the new ,

th e glo r i ous coun t ry , where to l i ve was a p l easu re . o reve n i f we d i ed , a j oy to be bu r i ed th e re i n . Thompsonhad fu rn ished p lats , maps and pr ices , and my fr i end v is

ited t he great Mogu l i n“fal l St ree t , who was fu rn i sh i ngthe money to some , and whose

“Company

”

owned hal fthe town s i t e , and re tu rned from that V i s i t more ce rta i nthan eve r that N ebraska was th e l and to go t o , and ou rfu tu re w orld ly p rospects wou ld be assu red fo reve r , and soi t w as . Wel l , to be short , a l i t t l e party o f New Yorke rswas made up , and we were a l l to sta rt i n March fo r S t .

Lou is and the West .The very l ots we were to have were p icked ou t ont he map and the sect i o n and numbe r o f th e l and we w e reto p reempt adjo in ingr th e town s i te . What magi c th e rew as i n that word town s i te ! - \Ne had a lways supposed asi t e fo r a town , th e land o f a v i l lage , was owned by agreat many peopl e , a thousand . at l east . and we hadn eve r even owned a l ot ; bu t th is whole sf/zm/z

'

oi z hadbeen owned by on ly fo ii r peopl e , and now the great NewYork Company ,

o f w h ich we we re a part , had bough t hal fth e place and we were to be part ow ners o f that , th e

H I STOR I CA L PAPERS .5,

whol e owners,each male a t l east , o f 160 ac res o f Unc l e

Sam’

s good l and fo r a lmos t n o th i ng .

I te l l you that w as a r i c h w i n te r ! We were a'

happyc rowd ; from c l e rks and paupe rs we had become landedand c i ty pmp r ie tors , and were on t he h igh road to heal t h ,

weal th , and happ i n ess . Our th i ngs we re pack ed w i thmuch adv i ce , as to what to take and what to l eave , frompeop l e who kn ew noth i ng at a l l abou t it , bu t th en youknow how that i s you rse lves . We were to ge t fi na l supp l i e s i n S t . Lou i s , as th e k i nd o f th i ngs needed were be tte r and cheape r the re than i n N ew Yo rk . Thompsonwarned us ove r and ove r no t to ge t t oo much , not

“tol umber up , because t h i s town had be en se t t l ed i n th esummer o f 1856 ; t here we re fou r s to res th e re , and fi ftee nhouses ; no w i ld e rness , no troubl e to get th i ngs . 50 abou tthe fi rst o f Apr i l , 1857 . we fou nd ou rse l ves at th e o l d Plante rs

’

House i n S t . Lou i s , busy pack i ng up th e fina l t raps ,sh i pp i ng a saw m i l l , and wa i t i ng fo r th e boat to sta rt . Whata p l easan t p l ac e the Plan te rs

’

was th e n ! To us , anyway ,wi th i t s w ide ve rand as , and gen i a l peop l e , eve ry on eready to h e l p us a long to our p ra i r i e h eaven .

The steamboat ‘ fi nally l e ft , bu t ou r party rema i n ed aday , and we re to overtake i t by ra i l at Leavenwo rth .

Th i s was i n th e days o f th e Kansas -Nebraska t roub l es , o fwh i ch we kn ew l i t t l e , and I have sa i d noth i ng abou t them_as you can read th em now fo r you rse lves . We arr ived atLeavenworth i n th e even i ng , and the boat was to be the rei n t he mo rn i ng ; t h e hote l was j u s t bu i l t— not fin ished ,

t h e l and lo rd sa id eve ry room was fu l l , bu t we cou l d s l eepon the b i l l i a rd tab les i n t h e basement , and he wou ld

“eatus somehow .

Good bye , o ld As to r H ouse , New York , and o ld Plante rs

’

, S t . Lou i s !

Wh i l e th ese arrangemen ts were mak i ng,I heard a

no i se ou ts i de , and boy- l i ke , rushed to the door to see

what was the mat te r . Two men we re u s i ng hard wo rds,

they c losed a momen t , t h e pop o f a p i sto l was heard , and

6 NE BRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL S OCI ETY .

one d ropped over,

—sho t dead . I t was th e o ld t roub l e

, at

Yankee” and a Vi rg in i an qu arre l i ng over th e s l ave ryquest i on , and i t w as the Vi rg in i an th at l ay i n th e gu tte r !

H e was a fi ne l ook i ng , b lack eyed you ng fe l l ow , and hisl ong ha i r st reamed ove r th e cu rb stone as d i d th e b loodfrom h i s wound . It was t he fi rst man I had ever seenk i l l ed i n co ld b lood

,an d I fe l t a

‘

wfu l ly abou t it ; cou l d not

get ove r the s i gh t fo r seve ra l days .

ON BOARD TH E o’

MAHA .

That was th e name o f ou r boat , an d sh e was l oadedt o th e gun nels , as th ey say , wi t h passengers and fre igh t .

In fac t , all t he state rooms , be rths , and cosy p laces weretaken for th e women and ch i ld ren , and men w i thfam i l i es

,th e ru sh to Kansas , Nebraska and fu rthe r was

so enormou s that sp r ing . We young u nmarr i ed fe l l owsh ad to s l eep on the deck on bl anke ts , matt resses, e tc sothat I early began to know what rough i ng i t” meant .And now began t h e n ew l i fe i n earn est The l ong

,

l a zy,neve r - to ~ be - fo rgo tt en boat r i d e on th e Muddy M i s

sou r i ,” anoth e r ph ase o f l i fe that has passed away ; th e

sw i r l i ng ,tumbl i ng ,

c l ay - co l o red r ive r , - so u t te rly u n l i ke

any wate rs we had eve r seen ; who o f east ern b i rth w i l lever fo rge t t h e i r fi rst s igh t o f th e M issou r i R iver ? I t

w as years a fte r be fo re I read Mark Twa i n ’s descr i p t i ono f a p i l o t

’

s l i fe , bu t th e ve ry same po i n ts arose i n mym ind the n ; I had sa i l ed o n th e H udson , i n th e bays abou tNew York , on th e ocean , bu t the re were a lways fi xedl a ndmarks t o s tee r by , someth ing that stayed there , or thecompass and chart ; bu t he re w i t hou t e i th e r , how thatp i l o t eve r fou nd , o r kep t th e chan ne l , w as a myste ry fo rmany days, and not who l ly e l u c i dated yet . I n fac t , hed id n

’

t a lways, and somet imes s tru ck a sandbar . Manydays en su ed w i th no th i ng to do excep t watch the eve rchangi ng scen ery , u n less you p layed cards, and many d id ,

apparen t ly day and n i gh t . Two famous gambl ers wereaboard , and w hen th ey s l ept th e eye

“o f man knew not .

HI STOR I CAL PAPERS .

a

The r i ve r was h igh ,fo r t hat was th e sp r i ng a ft e r t he

great sn ow ; we cou ld no t ru n a l l n igh t , and o ften t i ed upto a co ttonwood t ree

,apparen t ly i n th e m idd l e o f th e

r i ve r,o r aga i n o n some sh elv i ng beach , wi th wh i t e , c l ean

sand,and th e boys wou ld get ou t th e re and ru n races in

t h e moon l igh t fo r tobacco and“s i ch . The wood -yards ,

and th e i nhabi t an ts th at gath ered th ere , were a lways asou rce o f wonde r , and at t im es o f sport . The regu la rfight be tween th e Capta i n and th e owner o f th e yard ove rth e p r i c e o f wood

,o ften end i ng in You go t o H — ll,

wou l d make a horse l augh i f i t cou ld be reported nowphonet i cal ly ; and when we d id stop to

“wood up , especially at n igh t fa l l i t was a nove l scen e . A fte r th e Capta i n and the wood -yard man go t th rough swear i ng , th emates and th e deck hands began ; and such oat hs , aecom

pan ied by blows , and th reate n i ngs wi t hou t number ! Talkabou t c l o th ing a man w i th cu rse s , as w i th a garmen t !

Why,t hese fe l l ows fu rn i shed mater i a l e nough fo r an

u lst e r , rubbe r pon cha , Marqu ee t e n t , and a spare su i t fo rSu nday .

“Come now , t h ere ! l i v e ly now with th at wood !

Rol l i t in ! Are you as l eep ou tth ere you You tumbl e u p now

,

l i ve ly ! A l l aboard ! and w i t h a j e rk th e p lank wasyanked in ,

somet imes l e av ing th e l ast man i n th e r i ve r tobe hau l ed ou t by h i s comrades . We had no l abo r u n i o nsth en . I wonde r what work i ng men wou ld say now

,at

be i ng cu rsed and st ru ck an hou r at a t ime ; bu t th ey d id notseem to m i nd i t grew fat and danced th e J uba over it .

The boat was so c rowded tha t i t w as hard to get anyth i ng to eat , and a t remendous ru sh was made fo r fi rstp l aces at t h e tabl e . An hou r be fo re th e be l l rang wefo rmed i n a l ong row and pat i en t ly wa i ted ; bu t th en wehad n oth i ng e l se to do . And th e tab l e ! non e o f you rl i tt l e , square , fou r at a t ime s tands , but th e l engt h o f th een t i re c ab i n . No l i t t l e sn i ppy d i sh es o f th i s and that onthe s i d e , bu t great immense roasts , and stews and bro i l s ,and the Capta i n i n a l l t h e grandeu r o f p r im eva l au tho r i ty ,

8 NEBRASKA STATE H I STOR ICAL socmfl“.stood at the head o f th e tab l e , w i t h a kn i fe as l ong asyou r arm , and be

‘

cu t and he ca rved as he p leased,bu t

was ve ry po l i t e w i t h his mou th , as t o what part you wou ldhave , etc . A b ig fat s t eward stood beh i nd h im

,t o h and

h im th i ngs, t h e da rk ey boys t ro t ted down the l ong tabl ew i th h eap ing p l ates . j u i cy ! Fat ! Those we re d i nn erswhen you go t at t hem once !At one po i n t a typ ica l fro n t i e rsman came aboard

, j imBr idger , a man who had seen I nd ians— yea , k i l l ed them !How we gathe red arou nd h im and stared ! H e had abu l l e t h o l e i n h i s hat j u s t above th e ha i r , and I had noi dea the n that su ch a ho l e cou ld be made in any otherway than when th e man

’

s hat was on h i s h ead .

The l and i ngs”

at towns were as u n ique as th ewood -ups ,

”

bu t I have no space he re to desc r ibe t hem ,

fo r we must h u rry u p or we shal l n ever ge t to Nebraska .

I n Kansas we saw cannon mou n ted on the b luffs atsevera l po i n ts . Our boat was not hal ted , bu t seve ralh ad been . At one p lace on ly were we searc hed . A committe e came aboard ; th ey d id not ask us to say caow or“to hum ,

”

nor l i ft ou r baggage fo r r i fles . I t happenedthat n ear ly a l l o u r peop l e were go i ng t o Nebraska , or

S i oux Ci ty , and we we re passed w i thou t fu r ther t roub l e .

Above S t . J oe , M issou r i , we found few wood yards ,and had to cu t ou r own wood . The passengers wou ld goou t and hel p , to k i l l t im e , and make t ime , fo r th ey wan tedto get th ere

”bad . The New Yorke rs wou ld t ry to make

fu n o f the l o ng , l ank M i s sou r i ans that came to th e l andi ngs . At on e p l ace th ey had t eased a gree n l ook ing chapcon s iderably . A fte r th e Capta i n had shou ted“A l laboard

,an d th ey we re pu l l i ng th e gang pl ank in , he sa id

to Charl ey Porte r ,“Go t any te rbacke r ?

”

Yes , sa idCharl ey , hand i ng ou t a fu l l p l ug o f fine natu ra l l ea f tw ist .The M issou r i an took ou t a s ix - i n ch j ack kn i fe and cu t offon e th i rd o f th e p lug . Hold i ng i t u p he sa id ,

“That ’s te rbacker enough fo r any man , a i n

’

t i t “I shou l d th ink i tw as,

”

sa i d Char l ey ,

“Wel l you tak e i t , sa id t he nat i ve ,

H ISTOR ICA L PA PERS . Q

bi t i ng a huge chu nk o ff the two - th i rds in h is hand and

c ramm i ng th e rest i n his sh i rt as he j umped ashore .

And so we p l owed ou r way upward , ou r numbers

th i n n i ng a l i t t l e at Ru l o , B rownv i l l e , Nebraska Ci ty andoth e r p laces

,u n t i l we reached Omaha . Here th e re w as

qu i te an exodus .

Our party d id no t go ashore , and a l l I remember o fOmaha at that t i me w as a long sand r idge away ou twhe re th e r i ve r i s now , wi t h two cot tonwood shan t i es ,sa l oon s , and a sc rubby old co ttonwood t re e . One shan tyhad a s ign , The Last Chance , that mean t t i l l you got toS iou x Ci ty , and was th e fi rst t im e I had eve r seen that s ign .

The two gamble rs , who were go i ng fu rth er , i nv i tedevery one asho re to tak e suthin ; as t hey had won al lth e l oose change aboard , t hey cou l d we l l a ffo rd to , and Ith i nk fi fty , at l eas t , must have fo l l owed them to th e cot

tonw ood bar .We we re abou t th ree weeks from S t . Lou is t o Omaha ,and ove r a week more i n ge t t i ng to Decatu r , ou r famous

t own s i te ; and now we were rea l ly i n N ebraska andbeg i n n i ng to he l p make a state . What a quee r l ook i ngp lace i t was ! A more heart broken and d i l ap id at ed se to f tende rfee t n eve r pu t hoo f ashore , t h an we were th enext day a ft e r the boa t was gone and we were l e ft fa i r lya l on e m i l es from nowhere and nobody to home .

I n s tead o f fou r sto res , th e re were two l og t rad i ng posts ,owned by Frenchmen , who hated

“vent re b l eu Yankees ,”and as fo r th e fi ftee n houses , the re wasn

’

t su ch a th i ng aswhat we had been accu stomed to cal l a house i n t he p l ace .

The long , co l d w i nte r had d r i ven a l l bu t a few o f th ei nhab i tan t s o f t h e fal l be fo re away , and we came near having t o s l eep on the p ra i r i e t h e fi rst n igh t . None o f th i s part icular party were accus tomed to hard ou tdoo r labo r , andhad neve r see n a cou n t ry be fo re where the re was not agood tavern handy at n igh t and a warm break fast readycooked the next morn i ng . Our compl i cat i o ns , annoyauces , and exper i ences wou ld fi ll a vo lume , bu t you have

to NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL socmw .

nearly a l l been th ere and I must ru sh on to desc r ibeth i ngs o f a more l ocal n atu re .

How we packed a smal l frame house.(made i n S t .

Lou i s) , from th e r i ve r banks on ou r backs and se t i tu p fo r th e on ly woman i n t he c rowd

,and how we l i ved on

a barre l o f eggs, and o f potatoes, th at some member hadthough t fu l ly bough t from the boat

,a fte r see ing th e town

s i te ,”u n t i l anoth er s teamboat came a long ; how th e res t

o f us sl ep t i n a log cab i n w i t h a d i r t roo f ,’

and got wetwhen i t d i d ra i n

,and how part o f th e saw m i l l h ad bee n

l e ft beh ind i n S t . Lou i s , and t h e re w as noth i ng to do bu tst ak e ou t c l a ims

, and p l ay euch re , a new game to us ,

must be l e ft fo r“anothe r s to ry . I am anx i ous to wr i t ea few words o f a phase o f earl y N ebraska that c an not bereprod uced .

Imag i ne us sto red away in co t to n wo od shant i es hast i ly const ru cted , dug- ou ts

,l og cab i n s

,and a few se t t l e rs

com ing i n from t i m e to time , t o add t o ou r numbers , andbr i ng word from th e ou ts i d e w or ld . For our ma i ls cameonce a week to Ash ton

,I owa

,and had to be sen t fo r

,so

th at i t was o ft en a fo rt n igh t be tween t i mes . Stak ing ou tc l a ims

,won der ing what we shou l d do by and by when

ou r money gave ou t , and whether the coun t ry wou ld p ro?

duce anyth i ng i f i t w e re p l anted , mak ing acqua i n tancew i th th e I nd i ans , whofla t te ned th e i r noses aga inst t h ew i ndows o f th e cab in , and scared ou r on ly woman a lmos tto death

,fo rmed ou r ch i e f occu pat i ons fo r th e fi rst month

o r so .

I n th ose days I had j e t b l ack ha i r,and soon su nbu rned

dark er th an many a hal f b reed . Th i s , I th i nk ,took“Old

7 )

Lumbar s fancy , so one day he ha i l ed me and sa id i nsubstance :“You young man

,got good ed -yu c - a -shun , you

don’

t l ook l ik e Yankee,how you l i ke to come wi th me i n

my st ore ? I nj u n paymen t come soon , you keep mybooks , l ea rn In j u n t rade .

” I was on ly too glad to agre e ,and th e

.

next morn i ng took my p l ace beh i nd th e rudecou nte r o f a l i t t l e l og t rad i ng p ost and began ano ther

H I STOR ICAL PAPERS . I I

ch apte r o f l i fe st i l l mo re st range and more at var i ancew i th my prev i ou s be l ongi

ngs . Whi l e th e l i t t l e town grew ,

a few fam i l i e s came i n ,some pra i r i e was broke ,

th e town company made a few improvemen ts, and webegan i n odd ways to assume the du t i es o f c i t i z ensh i p ina n ew cou n t ry

,t h i s ch ro n i c l e w i l l tu rn t o th e do i ngs o f

st i l l o lde r set t l e rs th an any o f us i n N ebrask a .

TH E ABOR IGINE S .

The Omaha I nd i an s had bare ly been removed frombe low Omaha to the i r p resen t rese rvat i on i n th e fal l o f

and as no arrangemen ts were made fo r postt raders

,and no wh i te men al lowed on th e rese rvat io n

othe r than the agen t and h i s emp loyees , t h e two Frenchmen

,Sarpy and Lambe rt , and on e Amer i can , Chase , had

estab l i sh ed sto res o r“posts ,” as they cal l ed them ,j u s t

ove r th e l i n e in Decatu r . The even t o f th e yea r , t h epayment

,was da i l y expected . Did you eve r see an

I nd i an paymen t in al l i t s gl o ry ? I guess not . Fortythousand do l l ars i n go l d was d i s t r ibu ted pe r cap i t a amongth e heads o f fam i l i es

,and a lmost eve ry do l l a r o f i t was

spen t w i th i n fou r days from the t im e i t l e ft th e Un i t edStates agen t

’

s hands —in t h is way : th e o ld t ime regu la rt rade rs had t rust ed th e I nd ians t h rough th e fa l l andwi nte r

,and were a l l ow ed to go to th e paymaste r

’

s tab l eand co l l e ct th e i r accoun ts

,as each ta l l red man sta lked by

and go t h is gold p iecesf and to th e honor o f both part i esthere was se ldom a d i spu ted accou n t , t hough the bookkeep i ng had been o f th e rudest k i nd on bo th s i des . Th isd im i n i sh ed th e fo rty thou sand dol l a rs woe fu l ly . In add i t i o n

,

hal f a doz en temporary traders mos tl y from Cou nc i l B lu ffs ,

fo r t h e Omaha merchants had not caugh t on to th e I nd i ant rade ye t , ru shed up at paymen t t i me , p i tch ed the i r t en tsi n th e ne ighborhood

, and d iv ided th e rema i nder o f t hefo rty thousand do l l ars w i th t he“regu la rs , much to t he i rPursuan t b0 the t reaty of March 16 1854. S ee Treat ies concluded by the Umted States

of Amemca W1th Fol e1go Nat 1ons and Ind ian Tribes 1850 1855 ( Boston p . 135 — ED

N E BRASKA STATE HISTOR I CAL SOCIETY .

d isgust , and so st rong was the r iva l ry that i t o ften seemedas i f b l ood must flow to set t l e t h e d i spu tes . Th i rty-s i xyears ago the ‘

Nebraska I nd i an w as a much more pr im i t ivec reatu re than now : h i s con tac t w i th the M i - e - tonga

,o the r

t han French t rade rs . had been l i m i ted . H e had n eve rseen so much money i n th e world be fo re , he had never hadso much as h i s share o f th e fo rty thou sand do l l a rs amou n tedto , i n a l l his l o ng o r short l i fe . Su rrou nded by t raders , whoseten t s gl i t t e red w i th th e th ings h e had not , bu t wanted ,

and thoughth e need ed , do you wonder that i n th ree daysh i s money w as a l l go ne , and h e aga i n l i ved on c red i t u n t i ln ex t paymen t ? S /zemoéemmz o f the p resen t day are frequen t l y n o w i se r . For th ree d ays and n igh ts we neve rtook ou r c l o th es o ff nor s l ept , except stand i ng cat -naps bytu rns, and at th e e nd o f that t i me the re w as bu t l i t t l emoney l e ft among the Omahas , an d bu t few goods o n th eshe lves o f t h e t rade rs . B lankets , st roud i ng fo r pet t i coat s ,bu tche r kn ives , gu ns . powder , l ead , sugar , coffee , tabac ,hatchets , beads , l ook i ng glasses , Hin ts , pa i n ts fo r t hepe rson o r to co lo r robes , ve rm i l l i on be i ng th e favor i t e .flou r and bacon , were among the pr i nc i pa l a rt i c l es so ld .

As a cu r i os i ty I ment i on that at that t i me the I nd i an swere per fec t ly c razy fo r fresh bee f , fesm ; th e ou ts i d et rade rs always brough t i n a lo t o f cat t l e on th e hoo f , sometough ones too , bu t they were al l so ld by th e t ime paymen t

‘

was ove r , and the I nd i ans l i t e ra l ly go rged th emse lves onit . Fresh ve n i son w as nowhere by th e s ide o f wh i t eman

’

s bee f . Anoth e r fa l l acy : l earn ed men te l l us sa l t isesse nt i a l to human hea l th and happ i ness ; i t i s a fact ,t h ese I nd i ans wou ld no t eat sa l t , t h ey wou ld spew andspu t te r and c ry s /z zz , fim z /m, sc/m-ka .

w (bad , verybad) , i f by ch ance th ey go t any i n the i r mou th s .Duri ng paymen t t ime these t rade rs , and eve rybodye l se abou t th e p l ace were w ide awake and sobe r as aj udge ; bu t a ft e r i t was al l ove r . th e I nd i ans gone back toth e i r rese rve , th e money d i sposed of, they were ap t totake a b ig sp re e to make up fo r t he days and n igh ts o f

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

4 NEBRASKA STATE H I STOR I CAL SOCIETY .

rea l va l u e , i t seems queer to me to l ook back and th i nkth at I t ook part in su ch a t rade by barte r

,fo r i n th e i n te r

val be tween payments a l arge part o f ou r business‘

w as i nfu rs

,robes and sk i ns . We got a great many bu ffal o robes ,

yet,and beave r , m ink , otte r , fox , and now and t hen a

bear sk i n o r a si l v er grey wo l f . An te lope , deer and e lksk i ns w e re p l e n ty , and each had i ts barte r p r i c e i n flou r ,sugar

, co ffe e , meat o r what Mr . I nd i an wan ted . We ve r

ifi ed th e o l d say ing th at a“p i n t 's a pou nd th e worldrou nd ,

fo r th e t rad e pr i c e o f many sk i n s was a p in t t i ncup fu l l o f such and su ch goods . Towards spr ing hal f th ep l ace w ou ld be p i l ed to th e ce i l i ng w i th pe l t r i es , and

'

youcou l d smell t h at o ld l og cab in fo r m i l es down the bottom ,

when the doo r w as open and t he w i nd r i gh t . N ice p l aceto sl e ep , eh ? bu t that is noth ing when you ge t used to i t .

Among othe r cu r ious i n c i d en t s t h at summer I t ookpart in an I nd ian fu n e ra l ; on e o f th e ch i e fs d i ed , and i tseems h e had made Decatu r p rom ise to bu ry h im j ustl i k e a wh i te man , and t h e o l d Commodore t r i ed h is bestas you w i l l se e . A p i ne coffi n was made by the town carp e n te r , sta i ned bl ack and pu t in a lumbe r wagon .

Seve ral o f us w en t a l ong to se e how t h i ngs wou ld go , andto make i t l ook l i ke a wh i te man

’

s p rocess i on . we d roveu p on t h e rese rve , and fou nd th e tepee where the ch i e fl ay , easi l y e no ugh by t he howl i ng , and en te red . Ev iden tly t h e re w as a d iv is i o n i n th e fam i ly abou t th e man ne r o fce l ebrat i ng the obsequ i es ; afte r t h e ground w as st rewnw i th gut te rals, ugh

’

s, and th e Commodore had emphasi z

ed h i s Op i n i o n w i t h w o rds , that are i n the p raye r -book ,

bu t no t in th e w ay h e u sed th em ,t hey mot i oned us to go

ahead . W’e l a i d the co rpse i n the coffi n face up , bu t that

w ou ld n'

t do ; th e squaws tu rned h im over face down . Wetr i ed to na i l the l i d on , and that wou ldn

’

t do . We p icked1t u p and carr i ed i t t o th e grave as much l i ke wh i te menas we cou l d . The grave w as dug down abou t th ree fee t ,much w i d e r than th e co ffi n ,

t hen an o ffset , and a pl ace

the S i z e o f th e coffin was dug some th ree fee t deepe r .

H I STOR I CAL PAPERS . 15

We lowe red th e body , th e coffi n s t i l l open ; and h is

fam i ly i nsi s te d on pu t t i ng i n a n umber o f h i s pe rsona lbe l ong i ngs on top and abou t t h e body . I t is so manyyears ago I wi l l no t att empt to give th em accu rate ly , bu ta bow and arrows , food ,

t obacco,a k n i fe . and a med i c i n e

bag were among the l o t . The l i d wou ld not go down , o fcou rse

,and was l e ft o n top o f th e debr i s , and some d i rt

th rown ove r i t . Decatu r the n read th e Ep iscopa l bu r i a lse rv i ce , and we al l j o i n ed i n when poss ib l e . Th is parts eemed to p l ease th e I nd i ans ve ry much . They a fte rwards s e t u p p i eces o f wood l i k e ra ft e rs from the o ffse t ,abou t th ree fee t above th e grou nd to t he po i n t , and the ncove red that w i t h b ru sh an d d i rt , mak ing a mound thatcan be see n a long way o ff. Much m igh t be and has bee nwr i t ten o f th e Amer i can I nd i an , o f h i s cou nc i l fi re s ,

his

med i c i ne dan ces , e tc . , and much o f i t l a t te r ly is t rash .

A man or woman comes ou t he re from Wash i ngton o rth e eas t

,st ays a summer on a rese rvat i on , goes back and

wr i tes a book on th e I nd i ans,a good dea l o f wh i ch is

u t te r ly wort h l ess as h isto ry . I t i s h a rde r eve ry day towr i te i n t e l l igen t ly of t h e re a l I nd i an . There i s so muchthat is veneered on to h im

,now ,

by resi d ence wi t h th ewh i t e man th at th e o r ig i n a l t i mbe r i s a lmost un re cog n i zabl e . Ishall never regre t that I had th e c han ce to se e

and assoc i at e w i t h th i s race wh i le th ey w e re much n eare rrea l abor igi n es tha n at p resen t . The human m i nd w o rkspre t ty mu ch t he sam e way i n th e savage and th e c iv i l i z ed ;t he mot ives are very s i m i l a r th e w o rl d ov e r . You w ou l dhard ly hnd an Omaha today tha t wou l d sta nd in fron t o fth e agent o r i n te rp re te r

,and beat his breasts and say ,

“B igI nj u n , me , fou r squaw ,

heap scal p , p l e n ty ho rses , ni e ch i e fOmaha .

”

And ye t I have hea rd j us t t h at , and in a cou nc i l e ach one wou ld ar i se wal k rou n d th e c i rc l e , and rec i t eh i s s tand i ng and reco rd 111 t h e t r i be . I t is not the cust omnow , wi th I nd i ans . At a wh i te man

'

s pow-w ow he re in

Li nco l n j us t a fte r th e e l ec t i on ,I obse rved th at ou r you 119;

ch i e fs , our Webs te r and ou r Estabrook and o th e rs , d i d

I6 NEBRASKA STATE H I STOR I CAL SOCIETY .

no t beat thei r breasts ; th ey d id n ot walk arou nd the c i rc l eand s tep be fo re th e head man ; bu t acco rd ingr to a p r i n tedprogram they al l i n tu rn arose , bowed to th e cha i rman ,and then se t fo rth i n th e best Amer i can th ey knew

,wh a t

each one had done fo r h is coun t ry , h i s c i ty , and h i s t r i b e ;and be fo re th ey go t t h rough you u navo i dably had theidea that th ey must be pre t ty b ig fe l l ows _at home . Andeach and eve rv on e an nou nced in a loud vo ice th e n am eo f h i s t r i be ,— i t was“Republ i can .

” W here i n does t h i sd i ffe r m ate r i a l ly i n mot i ve o r mach i n e ry from an anc i e n tW i gwam conclave D

The I nd i ans h ave been d iv i ded respec t i ve ly i n to th e fishi ng and hu nt i ng t r ib es and th e co rn or c rop -grow i ng t r ibes ,

o r by ano th er au th o r i ty t h e cano e an d boat I n d i ans o f th eeast , and th e ho rse o r r id i ng I nd i ans o f t h e p l a i ns . J ustn ow when we are h ea r i ng so much o f th e Sandw i ch I s l anders

,t h e i r early cust oms and moral i ty , i t m ay be remem

be red that o f al l savage rac es , t he No rth Amer i can I n d i a nwo rsh i pped o ne great i nv i s i b l e God

,t h e Grea t Sp i r i t ove r

a l l . H e n eve r bow ed down to i do l s ; an d a l l h i s to ry bea rstest i mony t ha t th ey na tu ra l ly we re a brave and v i rtu ou srace , whereve r u n corrup ted by the M ie tonga . For th erest , t hey w e r e j u st l i k e wh i tes , some very remarkablecharac te rs

,and some very wo rth l ess I nd i ans ; some exceed

ingly t ru t h fu l , proud o f th e i r n ame and charact er , and

some too m ean to desp i se .

We trusted many for h und reds o f d o l l a rs s i x month s o ra year -even a ft e r t h e r i gh t to go to th e pay—t ab l e andco l l ec t w as i n te rd i c ted — and se ldom w as an accou n t l os tor demed . There a re good I nd i ans al i v e , or the re werew he n I k new them . I hope t he expe r iment o f mak i ngth em so l d i e rs wi l l no t be aba ndon ed w i thou t th e fu l l es tt r i a l . Slaves you can neve r make o f them , bu t so l d i e rsyou may , and i t is in harmony w i t h th e i r race . the i r con

d it ions , and fo rme r su rrou nd i ngs .

11mm BACK .

And now t o ou r l i t t l e co l ony a few momen ts aga i n and I


am done . That w as an i dea l summer ; i t was th e pu rest d emocracy I eve r saw ; no man was above h i s n e ighbo r , moneymade no d i ffe re nce fo r few had much , and t hose t hat hadcou ld not buy th e th i ngs most va l uabl e , v i z : — hel p anda i d phys i ca l ly , a good tempe r , t h e facu l ty o f ass ist i ng topass th e t im e , o r th e ab i l i ty t o do some th i ng i n behal f o ft he genera l we l fare . I t was the go lden age o f ho sp i t ali ty ,fo r th e l atch st r i ng o f eve ry cab i n h u ng ou ts i d e . Withou tan offi ce r o f t he l aw i n ou r commun i ty , and no knowncode o r wr i tt e n l aw , we l ived a season i n wh i c h th ere w as

no c r ime comm i tted , and no t h e ft pe rm i tt ed . We madeour own l aws and obeyed them .

The bones o f e lk , an te l ope , dee r and bu ffal o werenumerou s on th e pra i r i e . I t s eems to me as i f every fo r tyac res must have had at l eas t o n e sk e l e to n o r a po rt i o n o ft h e rema i ns o f th ese an ima ls . The heavy snow o f th ew i n te r o f 1856— 7 wor e t he smal l game ou t , o r th ey s tarved ,

and th e I nd i ans and what wh i t e hu n te rs th e re were , caugh tth em i n d r i fts and cu t th e i r t h roa t s by thou sands fo r t he i rsk i ns . Bu ffa l o sku l ls co u l d be p icked u p read i ly , and th e i r“wal lows” and t ra i l s were deep and many . The grassw i the red and dr i ed up i n summer , and i t was a greatques t i o n i f th i s p ra i r i e so i l was good fo r anyth i ng . Th ismay sou nd foo l i s h now ; bu t when you reflect th a t we hadneve r see n any l and no t natu ra l ly cove red w i t h sto nes andt rees , and o f a d i ffe re n t co l o r and fo rmat i on , i t w i l l n o tseem so r i d i cu l ou s . We drove te n m i l es i n a l umbe rwagon to see wheat grow ing on th e bot tom . A man hadh al f an ac re fe nced i n rou nd h i s h ouse , and the wheat wasrea l ly grow i ng I A l l stock w as tu rned loose on th e p ra i r i e ,and cou ld roam westw ard as fa r as i t p l e ased . Ou r da i lyregre t was t hat we had no t s tock e nough to eat u p t h egrass that wen t t o was te , as we though t . An o ld fr i e n dcame from the eas t to see m e , and when h e re t u rn ed , h eto l d eve rybody fo r mon ths ,

“Greates t co u n t ry Why .

J ohn took me in a buggy ove r a hu nd red m i l es and th ewheels neve r s t ruck a s to n e and you can p low a m i le11

’ithout turning round. Th i nk o f that l

18 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

Speak i ng o f p l ow i ng fu rrow . I n 1858 o r’

59 , Dav id L .

Co l l i e r got an ac t p assed by th e l egi s l atu re for a roadfrom Decatu r to West Po i n t and Co lumbus and to havea deep fu rrow p lowed . S . Decatu r , J. E . Wi lson , and C.

Dunn were the Comm issi o ne rs ,1 and the work w as don e

i n th e summer o f’

6o , as far as West Po i n t , and i t savedmany a p i lgr im from be i ng los t . That w as a furrow 30

mi l es l ong w i thou t t u rn i ng rou nd . Th ink o f fo l l ow i ng afu rrow now across oth e rw i se t rack l ess p ra i r i e ; but th e o l d“fu rrow road” was a grea t i n st i tu t i on i n i t s day .

By th e way i t h as o ft e n bee n a sou rce o f wonder whatbec ame o f a l l t h e snakes a few years l ate r . I n 1857 youcou ld not wa lk ou t in any d i rec t i o n w i thou t see i ng o r h eari ng a rat t l e r— Massasauga x B ig b low snakesabou nded . Weneve r opened the stab l e door morn i ngs wi t hou t c are fu l lyl ook i ng to see that h i s snakesh i p w as not cu rl ed up iri th el i tt e r ready to st r i ke . Two o f us k i l l e d fo rty i n o ne a fte rnoon . One Fou rth o f J u ly we p i c n i cked on th e Reservat i on . J u s t as a c l ean c lo th was sp read on th e grass fo rth e d i sh es

,a he rce rat t l e was heard i n th e cen tre , and the

l ad i es tumbl ed backward i n affr igh t , wh i l e Decatu r c l ubbed a te n year old shake - ta i l t o death , Bu l l -snakesc rawl ed u p th e l ogs o f a cab i n to a bed - room wi ndow , and

cu rl ed rou nd the bed -post t o th e ho rro r o f a mai de n l adywho woke up one morn i ng to gree t su ch a v i s i to r !Ano the r l ady was m ix i ng dough , when a snake d roppedfrom a scan t l ing in to the ' bread - t rough . The fi rs t th ingi n l ay i ng ou t th e fou ndat i on o f a new cab i n was to mowhal f an ac re o f grass ,

c l os e , rou nd the s i t e , so we cou ld se et h e snakes . They seemed ub i qu i tou s . An odd gen i uskept a pe t bu l l -snake arou nd the house ; wou ld not l e t t h ewomen or ch i ld ren k i l l i t ;— sa i d i t caugh t fl i es and toadsand hu rt nobody . The snake had a ho l e u nde r th e l ogs ,and wou l d o n ly come ou t when th e o ld man was abou t

1 Sec Te 1 1'

1tor1al Law s, S 1xt11 Sess1on , 128- 129. Law dates from J an . 10, 1860.

—ED.

H I STOR I CAL PAPERS . Ir)

the p lace . One day Mr . Snake crawled ou t and st re tched h imse l f i n th e su n j ust u nd er the rock e rs o f a cha i r .

The o ld w oman came i n t i red , pushed her sun -bon ne tup , th rew herse l f i n th e cha i r , and l eaned back heavy .

There was a squash , a h i ss , a muss and th e o ld man’

s pe tw as gone fo rever .Where d id th ey al l go to ? Ask th e ph i l osoph er who

has accou n ted for th e grasshoppers .

\WH I SKEY .

A l ong w i th snakes natu ra l ly comes wh iskey . I t w as

near ly as fr e e as water . I t on ly cos t e igh tee n to twen tycen ts a gal lo n i n S t . Lou is, and the re were no l icensel aws

,no rest r i c t i o n o n any o n e se l l i ng i t o r giv i ng i t away

,

no soc i e ty bans,noth i ng bu t you r own good sense o f r igh t

and th e st re ngth o f you r co nst i t u t i on t o p reven t d r i nk

ing any amoun t o f th e stu ff . An o ld fe l l ow l i ved i n a l ogcab i n hal f way to Ash to n , —

a keg o f wh iskey and a t i n cup

stood i n the corne r , a lways fre e ; i f t h e o l d man wasn’

t home ,al l you had to do w as t o h e l p you rse l f . On t h e road eve ryon e ca rr i ed a j ug or a bot t l e

,fo r th e snakes were real ly

bad,you know .

I d id an odd th i ng o nce . Whi l e the t emperan ce exc i teme n t w as a t i ts h e igh t i n t h is State , many argumen tswere made regard i ng rest r i c t i on s on se l l i ng l i quo r , andmany d ispu tes as to whethe r men w ou ld d r i nk more i f i twas ch eap and p l en ty , o r no rest r i c t i o n l ega l o r o th e rwiseon its use . I happened to th i nk o f th e cond i t i o ns sur

rou nd i ng th is ear ly N ebraska co l ony in t h i s respec t , andI wrote down one hu nd red names o f thos e I had know nth ere o r u p and down the r ive r

,exposed to th e same sta te

o f a ffa i rs, and then t raced th e i r caree rs ou t as fa r as poss ib l e , t o see t h e e ffec t s in a fte r l i fe o f the l i c ense and

l ibe rty o f the i r earl i e r port i o n . Here i s t he resu l t :

Out o f the one hu nd red pe rso ns,twen ty -e igh t were dead

w he n I made the figures, e igh t we re l os t , bu t I had aknowl edge o f them for some years a fter th e date named ,

20 NEBRASKA STATE H I STOR ICAL SOCIETY .

o r u p to m i dd l e age , when th e i r hab i ts wou ld be fixed ;and i n th e whol e l o t , as fa r as I kept t rack , on ly s ix cou l dhave been sa i d to be hard dr i nkers i n a ft e r l i fe . Tw o o fthese had great fam i ly t roub l es that m igh t have d r iventhem to dr i nk ; t h ree mo re st ra igh tened up and are l i v i ngo r h ave d i ed sober men ; a few more may have shorten edth e i r l ives

,o r at one t ime i nj u red th e i r bus i n ess p rospect s

,

bu t on ly one cou ld be sa i d to have made a compl e te andto ta l wreck o f h i mse l f o n accou n t o f d r i nk i ng o r o the rv i ces . Though most ly young men then , s eve ra l we rem idd l e aged and brough t the i r d r i nk i ng hab i ts w i t h th em .

Two o f th ese sobered up a lmost en t i re ly be fo re th ey d i ed .

S o fa r as I can asce rta i n , not one w as eve r u nde r t h e bano f th e l aw fo r any v i c e o r c r i me . I do not k now as thesefigure s h ave any va l u e ; on ly , th at o f t h e Decatu r l o tp rope r I had to take eve ry man the re w as at th e t i me , andthere cou l d be no p i ck i ng and choosi ng to make a show i ngon e way or anothe r .Some years a fte r I came across th e n ames aga i n

,and i t

st ru ck me to u se th em for a to ta l ly diffe re n t s e t o f factso r th eor i es , as you may choose to cal l i t . Out o f t h i s o nehu ndred , s i x were m i no rs . O ne poo r fe l l ow comm i t tedsu i c i de

,one l ives i n San D i ego , Cal , i n th e te l ephone bus

iness, one i s i n ra i l road work i n Ch i cago , one d i ed ass i s tan t postmaste r o f Omaha , on e took an I nd ia n w i fe andbecame a t rade r and U . S . in te rp re te r among theOmahas ; his so n i s a l awyer u p coun t ry now . Seven tyfou r I ca l l my own group ; th at is , th ey be longed to th eDecatu r co lo ny proper ; s i x teen came to Omaha , and l iveor have d i ed the re ; t e n scat te red ou t on farms a l ong theroad o r abou t Tekama ; two are a t West Po in t . Of t h eon e hu ndred , one d i ed mayor o f Cou nc i l B l u ffs , t here w as

one congressman from Nebraska , on e te rr i to r i a l l eg i s l ato r , and one Un i ted States senato r . Two have been onthe d i st r i c t bench , fou r tu rned ou t good doc to rs , fou rwere l awyers , i n c l ud i ng the two j udges , and two wereed i to rs, one at l eas t o f whom

‘ became qu i t e famous .


22 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL socm‘

rv.

t h e same ; those that s tu ck by the i r fi rst l ove , or wanderedback east aga i n , are l e ft e i t her poor o r w i t h a moderateamou n t o f t h i s worl d

’

s pe l f . F i fty -n i n e l i ve i n the Statenow . or have d i ed here ; th e res t are scat tered to th e fou rw i nds o f the earth .

One cu r iou s c i rcumstan c e a fr i end not iced : o f th een t i re number that came to Decatu r in

’

57-8, th ose who

brough t any money w i th th em le ft th e town or d i ed the rebroke , t hose who came w i th n o money w ere th e on ly ones

who ever made any there .

Few o f th i s part i cu l ar party came here to farm,bu t i t is

a fac t t hat o f t hose who scatte red ou t a long th e road orth e bottoms and became fa rm ers , eve ry o ne gai ned acompetency , and a good home to l i ve o r d i e in ; and someafte r a numbe r of y ears o f su ccess fu l fa rm i ng moved totown

,became bankers o r l arge s tock -deal e rs and are

r i ch to -day . I t was en t i re ly o f t h ose who t r i ed somemechan ica l emp loymen t , or d r i ft ed i n to c l e rksh i ps , o rpol i t i cs

,th a t represen t th e poo re r on es ; bear th is i n m i nd

whe n any on e says that farm i ng don’

t pay . How someo f ou r Omaha fr i e nds made money i s easy to be seen .

The or ig i n a l town and fe rry company at Decatu r were :Pete r A . Sarpy

,B . R. Fol som , Juo . B . Fol som ,

— J o nes o fN ew York

,Enos Lowe o f Omaha , Toot l e and J ackson ,

Hel lman,T . H . H i nman and H eman Glass . Nowadays

t h e natu ra l money -maker st r ik es fo r a s t ree t car l i n e andan e l ec t r i c o r gas franch i se ; t hen th e th ing to freez e o n tow as th e town and fe rry p r iv i l ege,and th e men who owneda good fe rry o n th e M issou r i i n an early day had abonan za equal to a gas fac to ry now .

111 th i s t i me , s i l ve r has been at a prem i um , gold at 240 ;greenbacks t r i umphan t . Wheat , a bushe l on th eba nks o f t he M issou r i ; corn , a bush e l for feed and

for seed ; and aga i n s i lve r at a d i scou n t , gold and

greenbacks w o rth a dol l a r , one hund red cen ts, no more ,no l ess ,

w heat as l ow as th i rty-hy e cen ts , and I havebu rned bushels o f co rn at 15, I2V.

! and even as l ow as 10

HI STORICAL PAPERS . 23

Cents a bushe l . I have seen land go beggi ng at pe racre ; and se l l fo r thousands o f do l l a rs pe r ac re , o r hund reds pe r fron t foo t . Fre igh ts have been 3 t o 5 cents apound fo r a d istance o f 100 m iles

ho r l ess , and at a cen t

pe r to n pe r m i l e . A man and team have earn ed tope r day ; and have worked at per day o f l ong

hou rs .

I n th ese th i r ty odd years t here has been a low tar i ff,a

moderate tar i ff and a ve ry h igh tar i ff , and yet some mengot poo r and some r i ch al l t h e t ime . The co nst i t u t i o nand fundamen ta l l aw s h ave been abou t th e same

,so tha t

we must con c l u de that no change o f mere l aws , no tar i ff ,no part icu la r k i nd o f cu rrency can make al l th e peop l er i c h a l l th e t ime ; nor can th ey make them al l poo r a l l t h et i me , bu t u nde r any l aws and any cond i t i on s

,some are

bou nd to be r ich part o f the t ime, and some poo r part o f

t h e t im e .

A man ’s own exert i o ns and h i s e nv i ronmen t s c reate hissuccess o r non - su ccess. These stu rdy , earl i e r se t t l e rs t hathave succeeded and made th i s broad p ra i r i e b l ossom as arose

,who so lved th e p robl em whethe r Neb raska wou ld

grow wheat and co rn and fru i t , d i d not ho l l e r”

fo r thegove rnmen t to he lp make th e grass grow , abol i sh snakes ,o r even r i d them o f the bugs and grasshoppe rs . Theyd id no t ask to have w hea t made a do l l a r a bu she l by sta tu te , and ye t th ey are here , many o f th em ,

“sassy ,” fat andhearty

,l i v i ng i n th e i r ow n homes w i t h mon ey in th e bank

,

and t he i r ch i ld ren grow i ng up abou t them i n peace and

p l en ty . It is a l ate r o r n ewe r ed i t i o n who seem d isposedto tu rn , l i ke wards o f th e nat i on , to th e Great Fathe r atWash ington fo r eve ryth i ng . and who seem to th i n k tha ta gove rnment (wh i ch shou ld be t hemse lves) , can make u pfo r sh i ft l e ssn ess , i gno rance , bad investmen ts , o r even th el osses and de fects resu l t i ng from natu ra l causes —by

s i mp ly pass i ng o r“repeal i ng” a l aw . The best , t he t ruestfu nc t i on o f a w ise gove rnment is to p ro tec t l i fe andp roperty , t o see that a l l a re equa l u nde r th e law ,

24 NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL socmrv‘.

that eve ry man, gets wh at h e real l y earns—~ and“hands o ff” as far as th e res t goes . The great l aw o f

supp ly and demand , as ou r p res i de nt h ere has so o ftensa id ,

fix es th e p r i c e o f produ ce and stock and w i l l regu l at efre igh t rates in th e end . I t det e rm i n es th e va lu e o f you rmoney , and no l egi s l at i ve , no r j u dge -made l aw can eve rsubdue o r al te r th i s fac t . and i t i s abou t th e on ly rea lso l i d fact th at Adam Sm i th o r any o th e r po l i t i ca l econom ist l a i d down

,t hat has t ho rough ly stood th e test . of“

f/w z‘z

'

mes.

L’

ENVO I .

Fri ends , perh aps I h ave wear i ed you . Let us say th i sto c l ose : wh i l e I have not been o f t h e most l u cky o r fo rtunate o f these ear ly cen tu r i ons , I have seen a great s tat egrow up be fo re my eyes , made ou t o f n oth i ng — bu t d i rt ,bra i ns and work . None o f us w i l l ever see the l i k e aga i n .

I t cannot be dup l i cated now o r perhaps ever ; no t th atth ere w i l l be no new states a fte r us, bu t th e same cond it i ons w ill not p reva i l . I t w i l l tak e t ime , money , art ificial

resou rces t o make th e states t hat a re to come . Th is i st h e las t stat e where natu re l a i d herse l f ou t to fu rn i sh ac l imate , so i l , and su rrou nd i ngs

,where i n th e sons o f men

cou ld make homes w i th th e l eas t to i l , t he l eas t expend i tu reo f e i the r t i me o r p re -created weal th . Of no fu tu re s ta te ,j u s t as i t l i es ou t doo rs , wi thou t art ifi cial a i d , wi l l i t aga i nbe sa i d :“Tick l e the l and w i th a hoe and th e c rop l aughsto th e harves t .

” Glad am I that I had some smal l part i nth e mak i ng o f such a state

,and whateve r fo r tu ne has i n

sto re fo r me , I shal l rest i n pat i e n ce , con ten t in t hat , u n t i lI am v i s i ted by the Ex term i nato r o f d e l igh ts , and th eSeparato r o f compan i ons.

Oma/za , [J an 12 f/z , 1893 .

HI STOR ICAL PAPERS . 25

TH E L IFE OF GOVERNOR BURT .

One o f th e strongest i n fluences o n th e des t i ny o f Ne

braska w as negat ive i n charac te r— t h e d eath o f t he fi rstGove rno r o f t h e Te rr i to ry

,Fran c i s Bu rt . What h i s influ

en ce o n the Terr i to ry wou ld have been had h e l i ved , andwhat i t was in ~ his death ,

were equal , bu t th e two werei n d i amet r i ca l oppos i t i o n . H i s l i fe w as fu l l o f i n te res t ,and h is pathe t i c deat h p roved a t u rn i ng po i nt i n t h e h i sto ry o f Neb raska . Notw i ths tand ing these fac ts

,t o -day he

i s l ess k nown by the peop l e o f t h i s Commonwea l t h th anany o the r Governo r o f th e S tate o r Terr i t o ry .

Th is i s t he resu l t o f var i ou s cau ses . Natu ra l ly no tmany o f ou r presen t c i t i z e ns were acqu a i n ted w i th th efi rst Governo r o f th e Terr i to ry . Less than a fo rt n igh t o nNeb raska so i l , bu t l i t t l e was known o f h im by th e fewthousands then i n th e Terr i t o ry . H i s home was i n o ne o ft h e far Sou t h A t l an t i c S ta tes

,a sect i o n wh i ch fu rn i shed

bu t few em igran ts who knew h im be fo re h e was sen t toth e fro n t i e r Te rr i to ry whose execu t iv e o thee h e was no tp e rm i t ted to reta i n .

Franc i s Bu rt,Governo r o f Nebraska , fi rst saw th e l igh t

o f day on th e 13th o f J anuary , 1807 , on h i s fa the r’

s p l an tat i o n i n E dge field Dist r i c t , Sou th Ca ro l i na . H e cou ldt race h i s pa te rna l a ncest ry back to t h e earl i est se tt l e rs i nV i rg i n i a . H is fathe r , al so named Franc i s , a fte r d i s t i n

guishing h imse l f i n t he Revo lu t i o n as a co l on i a l so l d i e r ,se t t l ed i n E dge fie ld ,

and wh i l e engaged as a p lan te r the re ,was seve ra l t i mes chose n to rep resen t h i s d i s t r i c t i n t hes tate Senate . The mothe r o f th e fu tu re Governo r wasKathe r i ne M i l es , a l i n ea l desc endan t o f some FrenchHugueno ts who we re d r i ven t o Sou t h Caro l i na by t h e per

26 NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL soc i ETV.

secut ions wh ich fo l l owed the revocat i o n o f the Ed ict ofNantes . Of you ng Franc is

’

five broth ers , t h e e ld es t d i ed1n mfa ncy ; t h ree chose med i c i n e as th e i r p ro fess i o n , and

one the l aw . What became o f h i s th ree s i st e rs i s n o tapparen t .Whi l e F rank , or t he you ng Franc is, was st i l l at an ear lyage , the Bu rt fam i ly removed to Pendl e ton , Sou th Carol i n a and there th e hy e boys took advan tage o f th e edu cat ional opportu n i t i e s o ffe red by Pend le ton Academy .

Frank d i d not graduat e , bu t seems to have been a d i l igen ts tudent subsequ en t to his scho last i c career ; fo r i t w as sa i do f h im that“Few men i n th e State had a bett e r k nowledge o f th e Engl ish l anguage , or spoke i t wi t h more correctn ess o r pu r i ty . W hen r i pen i ng i n to man hood , hedeve loped a command i ng figure ; and ye t t here wasb l ended w i th h i s d ign i ty a grace o f man ne r and th e frankn ess and suav i ty wh i ch p roduce that at t rac t i ve charac te rc al l ed magnet i c .

Abou t th e t im e h e l e ft schoo l , he en te red th e othee o fH on . Warren R. Dav is as a l aw stu dent

,and there

acqu i red th e rud iments o f the p ro fessi o n he had chosen .

I n 183 1 , he marr i ed th e e l des t daugh ter o f George AbbotH al l o f Char l eston , an att ract ive , cu l tu red woman , wi th ast rong pe rsonal i ty , wel l fi t ted to be th e w i fe o f a man l i keBu rt . Th i s marr i age w as b lessed w i th e igh t ch i ld ren .

Frank , t h e o ldes t so n , d i ed at an ear ly age wh i l e ast uden t i n his fathe r

’

s o thee . Arm i s tead , the second ,named a fte r a favor i t e bro the r o f h i s fath er

,adopted t he

p ro fess i o n o f med i c i n e . At t he commencement o f t h ec iv i l war . he e n l i s te d in t h e Con fede rate army , and lostan arm in one o f th e bat t l es be fo re Richmond . The th i rdson , George Abbot , o r Frank as he was cal l ed a fte r t h ed eath o f h i s o lde r bro th e r

,is st i l l engaged in farm i ng .

Fou r daughters marr i ed,Georg eana becom i ng Mrs . \/Vi l

l i am H . Dawson ; Harr i et , Mrs . I) . M . Young ; J oanna ,Mrs . George Roberts ; and Mary , Mrs. Wil li am A . J ohnston . Kathe r i n e never marr i ed

,bu t devotes h er l i fe to

111310 11 1011. PAPERS . 87

works o f chari ty , and is known a l l ove r Georg i a as S iste r Kathe r i n e , th e head o f an Ep i scopal home fo ro rphaned gi r ls , o rig i na l ly fou nded fo r daugh ters o f Confederate vete rans .

A fte r p rac t i c i ng l aw in Pi cken s fo r fi ve years, Bu rtretu rn ed to Pend l e to n , a beau t i fu l l y s i t u ated town towh i ch h e was most t ende rly at tached by h i s early re col

l ec t i o ns . Burt seems to have bee n a natu ra l l eade r o fmen . \/Vhile i n P i ckens , he was chose n a member o f t h efamous conve n t io n o f 1832 , and took an act ive part i nfo rmu l at i ng that short - l i ved doct r i n e o f nullifi cat ion ,

wh ich c reated so much o f a se nsat i o n at th e t ime . H e

th e n was bu t twen ty -hy e years o f age , and fo r twentyyears se rved almost u n i n t er rupted ly as a membe r o f o n ebranch o r o th e r o f t h e s tat e assembly . From 1847 t o1851 , he ed i ted th e Pend/efon M essenger , one o f the o ldt ime Democrat i c week l i es , and h i s j ou rnal i s t i c l i fe doubtl ess w idened h i s acqua i n tance and gave h i m much p romine nce and influe nce . I n 1844, t h e l eg i s l a tu re i n j o i n t sess i on e l e c ted h im stat e t reasu re r for a term o f fou r years .

H e rec e i ved e igh ty -e igh t vo tes ou t o f a hu nd red on j o i n tba l l o t , and fou r years a ft e r th e te rm i nat i o n o f h i s occu

pancy o f th i s offi ce he sat as a de l egat e i n th e const itu

t ional co nven t i o n o f 1852 . Th is conven t i o n and i ts dut i esended , h i s home d ist r ic t on ce mo re e lec ted h im repre

sen tat ive ; and i t was wh i l e se rv i ng i n th i s capac i ty thatPres i den t P i e rce

,a month a fte r h i s i naugu rat ion i n 1853 ,

o ffe red Mr . Bu rt t h e pos i t i o n o f Th i rd Aud i to r o f t h eTreasu ry . The pro ffe r was accepted

, and Bu rt’

s l o ngoffi c ial l i fe i n h i s n at ive s tate was ended .

As Th i rd Aud i to r o f th e Treasu ry,he was a dec ided

su ccess . The contemporary j ou rnals u n i ted i n p ra i s i ngh im al i k e fo r his e ffi cie ncy , and fo r the frank fearl essnessh e d isp l ayed i n th e d i scha rge o f h is du t i es . When heassumed the o thee , he found the departmen t i n a demo r

ali z ed cond i t i on . The work had been bad ly neglec t ed,

and i t w as p red i ct ed that five years wou ld be necessary to

28 NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

compl et e what h i s p redecessors had l e ft unfin ished.

A l th ough head o f th e bu reau fo r l ess than a year and aha l f , at th e t ime o f h i s res ignat i on to take u p th e du t i eso f Governo r o f Nebraska Terr i to ry , he had accompl i sh edal l t ha t t hose who p reced ed h im had l e ft u ndon e . H e

had over a hundred c l e rks i n h i s o thee , many o f th em h i spo l i t i c a l opponen ts. bu t th e e nergy he i n fused i n to h i sd epart ment made al l his subo rd i n ates devoted ly at tachedto h im .

Aud i to r B u rt’

s dec i s i o ns o n a number o f hue l ega lqu est i o n s pres en ted to h im wh i le i n t h e Treasu ry a re sa i dto have saved th e gove rnment hu ndred s o f thou sands o fdo l l ars . On e i n stan ce o f h i s v ig i l anc e i s reco rded . I n1839 , th e Legisl a tu re o f t h e Te rr i to ry o f F lor i da i ssu edo ne hu ndred bonds o f th e va lu e o f each , a t test edby the s ignatu re o f th e go ve rno r , th e sec re ta ry , and thet reasu re r o f t h e Te rr i to ry . F ive o f these were sto l e n byan ass i s tan t quarte rmaste r , and t he Terr i to r i a l offi cialsi ssu ed hy e add i t i o nal bOnds t o rep l ace t he o nes fe l on iously t ake n . The th i e f fo rged th e name o f th e Gove rnor to th e bonds

,and nego t i at ed them , t he sec reta ry

and t reasu rer havmg al ready s1gned th e s to l e n secu r i t i es .

Three years l ate r , i n 1842 , t he fact o f th e th e ft was madeknown to th e Treasu ry departmen t at Wash ington , and ac lose watch kep t fo r th e bon ds fo r some t ime a fte r Congress o rdered th e redempt i on o f the i ssu e , bu t gradual lythey were fo rgott e n . Twelve years la te r , in t h e begi nn i ng o f Bu rt

’

s serv i ce as Aud i to r , a Bank ing hou se atN ew Orl ean s p resented one o f th e bond s fo r paymen t .I t was pa i d w i thou t quest i on . Late r , two more wereo ffe red

,and when re fe rred to th e Th i rd Aud i to r fo r

approva l , h i s susp i c i ons were arou sed . Correspondencew i th th e Governor o f F lo r i da showed that the bonds i nquest i o n actu a l ly were the on es sto l en by Co lone l A rmst ro ng fi ftee n years be fo re ; t he i r paymen t was re fused ,

and th e pr i n c i pa l and i n te res t o f the one p rev iously redeemed were recovered o f the Lou i s i ana bank .


30 NE BRASKA STATE H I STOR I CAL SOCI ETY .

l arge part o f t h e Lous ian a pu rchase northwest o f M i ssou r ian d I owa . The pet i t i o n s t o Congress we re ignored so l e

ly on th e grou nd o f th e insuffi c ien t popu l a t i o n and th ealmost u n exp lored cond i t i o n o f th e cou n t ry wh ich i t w as

t hu s p roposed to fo rm i n to a Terr i to ry . A fte r t h e w i ld,

westward ru sh o f’

49 , t h e deve lopemen t o f th i s sec t i o nw as give n a wonder fu l i mpetus, and se t t l e rs mu l t i p l i eda l ong the r ive rs and on th e p ra i r i e s , whose so i l th e d i s

couraged gold - s eekers fo r th e fi rst t i me d iscove red to becapab l e o f a certa i n d egree o f cu l t ivat i on . Then thed emands for th e organ i zat i on o f a Trans-M issou r i te rr ito ry met w i th a sl igh t ly be t te r recep t i on . The cou n tryw as bette r known and more t h i ck ly set t l ed ,

al t hough wi tht ru th i t w as al leged that the I nd i an l aws o f th e t i me prohib ited any bu t l i censed t raders from ventu r i ng on th erese rvat i ons .

I n December,1852 , Represen tat ive Wi l l a rd P. Hal l o f

M issou r i i n t roduced a b i l l fo r t h e organ i zat i o n o f th e“Terr i tory o f th e Plat te , wh i ch w as re fe rred to the Commit tee o n Terr i to r i es . I n February o f th e fo l l ow i ng year ,Represen tat i ve Wi l l i am A. Ri chardson o f th e comm i t te ere po rted a subst i tu t e , a b i l l fo r t he o rgan i zat i o n o f th eTe rr i to ry o f Nebraska , th e change i n th e b i l l be i ngmai n ly i n t h e name . For the fi rst t im e , the quest i o n o fs l avery w as dragged i n to th e d i scussi o n o f t he Trans -M issou r i cou n try ; a sto rmy sess i on o f th e whol e hou se c l osedw i th a recommendat i on that th e b i l l be rej ec t ed , bu t bysome means i ts fr i ends ra l l i ed suffic ie n tly t o save th e b i l lfrom de feat a t t hat stage . Desp i te the b i t te r Opposi t i ono f th e Sou thern members ,

t he b i l l passed the house by avote o f more than two to o ne . I n th e Senate , i t m et ad i ffe re n t fate . A fte r be i ng re fe rred ~ to th e Comm i t te e onTe rri to r i es,

i t was not aga in“brough t be fo re th e Senatefo r d iscussi on . A fu t i l e a t tempt was made on th e l ast( l av o f the sess i o n bu t one ,

to take u p th e measu re fo rcons i de rat i on and ac t i on , and on th e succeed i ng day , t heo ne p reced i ng the i naugu rat i on o f Frank l i n Pi erc e as

H I STOR I CAL PA PERS . 3 1

Pres id en t , the b i l l w as tab l ed and k i l l ed fo r th e few hou rsthat rema i ned o f th e th i r ty - second Congress .

Congress d i d not assembl e fo r the th i rty - th i rd sessi o nu n t i l t h e fo l l ow i ng December . I n t he i nt e r im th eN ebraska ques t i o n grew in t o a p robl em o f n at i o na limpo rtance

,and o ne wh i ch th reaten ed to d i sso l ve th e

Un io n be fo re a peaceabl e se t t l emen t cou ld be made .

Pres id en t P i e rce i n h i s m essag e to Congress exp ressedth e hope th at th e comprom ise measu res o f 1850 m igh thave fo reve r qu i e ted th e s l ave ry d iscu ss i on . But Senato rAugustu s Dodge o f I owa had

‘

a l ready i n t rodu ced a b i l lfo r t he o rgan i z a t i on o f th e Terr i to ry o f N ebraska , andth i s measu re w as dest i n ed to keep al i ve and make moreb i t te r the s t ruggl e wh i ch P i erc e had hoped and de te rm ined shou ld cease . A month l ate r t he bad fee l i ng w as

intensifi ed by a spec i a l report so amend i ng th e b i l l t hatno doub t was l e ft th a t th e adm i n i s t ra t i o n l ooked u ponth e M i ssou r i comprom ise as h av i ng been superseded byt he acts o f 1850 re l at i ve to th e te rms o f adm iss i o n o fCalifo rn ia i n to th e Un i on . A gene ra l sensat i o n fo l l owed .

The cond i t i o ns were sudden ly changed,and many who

had champ ioned th e measu re now became i ts most imp lacabl e foes . The p roposi t i on w as so audac i ou s , so u tt e rlyrepugnan t to th e conv i c t i o ns o f th e a lmost u nan imousNorth , th a t i t soon widened th e al ready dangerous breachbetween tha t sect i o n and t h e Sou t h . Bu t the b i l l waspassed , o r rather a H ouse B i l l i d en t i ca l w i t h th e Senatemeasu re , and the i nd ignat i on o f th e North w h i ch fo l l owedw as on ly equal ed by the exu l tat i o n o f th e Sou t h . Thepopu la r fee l i ng is a lmost in c red ib l e t o o ne no t an ac tua lco temporary . Conven t i ons ,

town -meet ings . s tate l egisl at u res denou nced th e repea l o f t he M issou r i comprom ise . The roste r o f t h e congressmen who voted o n th ep reva i l i ng s i d e was pr in ted i n North ern pape rs su rrounded by black mou rn i ng borde rs . Douglas had hopedthat th e Kansas—Nebraska b i l l m igh t w i n h i m enoughpopu lar i ty t o e l evate h im to th e Pres i dency ; now he had

32 NEBRASKA STATE H I STOR I CAL SOCIETY .

no po l i t i ca l fr i e nds i n N ew Engl and and the M idd leStates . H e cou l d have t rave l ed , he sa id a few yearsl ate r

,from Boston to Ch i cago by th e l igh t o f h i s own

bu rn i ng e fii g ie s. I n 1858, bu t two o f th e Nort he rn con

g ressme n who vo ted fo r th e b i l l were re tu rn ed to Congress . The Democrat i c party was more than dec imatedi n th e North ; i t was an n i h i l a ted .

Wi th th e popu lar m i n d i n such a fren z i ed state as th is ,

Pres i d en t P i e rce had far from an easy task i n th e sel ect i o n o f Governo rs fo r th e n ew Terr i t o r i es . Man afterm an was sen t from Wash ington to K ansas

,and res igned

i n the hope lessness o f despa i r . With N ebraska , th et roub l e that P ie rce apprehended d id no t occu r . Kansasw as o f easy access to th e s l ave sta tes ; Nebraska was bordered by a free state . Kansas was se tt l ed by th e sk i rmishe rs o f the oppos i ng part i es ; Nebraska by the abol i t i onists exc l us i ve ly . Kansas , th ey thought , w as b l essed w i t h amore sa l ubr i ous c l i mate ; t h e A fr i can s l ave cou ld notp rosper on t he more fr ig i d p ra i r i es o f Nebraska . I nKansas

,s l ave ry was bat tli ng on i ts own g rou nd ; i n Ne

braska its champ i on s were compel l ed to y ie l d be fo re th est ruggl e fo r sup remacy began . Bu t th e probab i l i ty i st hat P i e rce looked fo rward to more o f a conflict thanoccu rred , and i t is reasonab l e t o su ppose th at i n choos i nga Governo r fo r N ebraska , he appo in t ed th e man he su pposed to be mos t capab l e o f reconc i l ing the warr i ng e l emen ts . I n nom i nat i ng Bu rt , he was influe nced by th reemot i ves : Bu rt

’

s pub l i c l i fe as a state and fede ra l offi ce rhad conv i nced th e Pres i den t that his Th i rd Aud i to r possessed a ra re amoun t o f execu t i ve ab i l i ty and i n eve ry wayw as fi tted fo r th e pos i t i o n o f Governor . H e was a Sou the rne r and as th e Sou th had w on th e recen t bat t l e , i ts cand id ates were to be g ive n th e pre fe rence . Aga i n , Presi d en tP i erce and Mr . Bu rt were warm personal and po l i t ica lfr i e nds . Pi e rce was anx i ous to promote h i s fr i e nd s i n te rests ,and Bu rt cons i s t e n t ly be l i eved that h e was capabl e o f fi llingthe office o f Governor w i t h c red i t t o h imse l f and to th e

H ISTORICAL PAPERS . 33

Pres i den t who appomted h im . I t i s sa id that Mr . Pie rce

had abou t de c i d ed that Bu rt was to be sen t t o K ansas ,

but someth i ng i n ter fe red , and N ebraska was ass igned

h im .

A fte r be i ng comm iss i on ed Governo r , Mr . Bu rt immedi

at e ly l e ft fo r h i s home i n Pend l eto n to compl e te arr angements fo r h i s fam i ly

’

s com fo rt . Every c l e rk in th e offi ce

o f t he Th i rd Aud i to r si gned a memor i a l cou ched i nexpress ive l anguage , sign i fy i ng s i n c ere regret at th e separat i o n abou t to take p lace , congratu l at i ng Bu rt upo nrece iv i ng Th i s mark o f th e d i st i ngu i sh ed approva l o f thePres i den t and Senate , and the c i t i z en s o f th e Terr i to ryand its th i rty -hy e t housand red i n hab i tan ts u po n be i ngp rov i d i ng w i th a Governo r possess i ng adm i n ist rat iv eta l en t i n su ch an em i nen t d egree , whom they be l i evedwou ld p rove a“k i nd fath e r , a t ru e fr i end , a sa fe gu i deand cou nse l lo r .Gove rnor Bu rt

’

s rep ly was te rse and man ly . I sha l lgo ou t to cast my lo t among the p i oneers o f N ebraska asone o f th em , t o a i d i n deve lop i ng th e resou rces o f t h e Te rr itory , and to share th e i r d es t i ny , he sa id .

“Determ i nedto do j ust i c e and fear not , I sha l l u se every e ffo r t to i ngra ftu po n th e i n s t i tu t i o ns o f t h e Terr i to ry the pr i n c i p l es o f se l fgovernmen t and const i tu t i ona l l ibe rty

,and i f I sh al l b e

a i ded , as I t ru st I sha l l be ,by the peop l e

,I flatt e r myse l f

t hat I sha l l b e abl e to mee t any diffi cult ies t hat l i e i n myway , and to remove any prej ud i ce o f a sec t i o na l cha racte rthat may ex i s t aga i n s t me .

”

On th e 1 1 th o f Sep tember , Governor Bu rt l e ft Pend leton fo r h i s n ew fi e ld o f work i n N ebraska , tak ing w i thh im h i s son A rm istead , Mr . J o nes , Mr J ames Doyl e

,M r .

Symmes , and o th e rs o f h i s n e ighbors w ho w ished to se t

t l e w i t h h im i n th e n ew Terr i to ry . No man was eve rfavored w i t h br igh te r p rospect s . H e had at last reacheda p l ac e where , beyond a shadow o f doubt , had h e beenspared h i s l i fe , h i s ene rgy and ta l en t w ou l d h ave w o n h imfame

'

and fo rtu n e . Few men i n th e Stat e had m ore pe r


sonal fr i ends than he to regret t h e necessary separat i o nwh i l e congratu l at i ng h im on h i s p romot i on .

The Jou rney from Sou th Caro l i n a to N ebraska at thatear ly day w as at t ended by i nconven i en ces wh i ch nowre l ated seem almost exaggerated . Th is year more part icularly was the j ou rn ey diffi cult . For some reason

,th e

water in al l weste rn s t reams was so l ow that n av igat i o nwas i mpossi b l e save i n th e l a rgest r i ve rs . Trave l for acons id e rabl e d i s tan ce was ou t o f th e qu est i on i n o th ert han a c i rcu i t ou s rou te . From Pend le to n th e party p roce eded a short d i stan ce by pr ivat e conveyance , t h en byru de stage and by the pr im i t i ve ra i l roads

,by At hens ,

Mar i e t ta . Chattanooga , Nashv i l l e , to Lou i sv i l l e , fo r huhdreds o f m i l es ove r a rough road

,i n th e crudes t o f con

veyance s, th rough a dry , dus ty l imestone cou n try , dr i nki ng water so supersatu rated w i th ca l c i um compoundsthat non e bu t a nat i ve cou l d u se i t and th r ive . Anothe rrough j ou rn ey by ra i l and stage from Lou isv i l l e to S t .

Lou i s , by way o f Ch i c ago , fo l l owed . At S t . Lou 1s .u nab l e to p roceed farth e r

,Bu rt ca l l ed a phys i c i an , and

spen t severa l days in bed . Impat i en t to resume the j ou rn ey , perhaps he pushed on be fo re h e had suffic ie n tlyrecove red . But s t i l l t he re m igh t h ave bee n a chan ce fo rh is recove ry un t i l h e l anded from the s teamer at S t . Joseph and began t he t r i p to N ebraska Ci ty . A rough , j o l ting hack was th e bes t th e cou n t ry affo rded , and fromNebraska Ci ty to Bel l evu e , a common p ra i r i e wagon hadto suffice . How the o the rs o f t he party su rv ived th ej ou rn ey i t i s a lmost imposs ib l e to say . Govern or Bu rtw as so exhaust ed t hat on reach ing Fathe r H am i l ton

’

s

Presbyter i an M iss i o n H ouse , he immed i ate ly re t i red toth e bed from wh ich he neve r arose .

The ch i e f i n t e res ts o f a l a rge part o f th e i nh ab i t an ts o fth e Terr i to ry cen te red i n the se l e ct i o n o f th e Cap i ta l , fo ras th ey r igh t ly supposed . on its se l ec t i on depended thefo rtu nes o f th e numerous town -s i t e owners o f t h e t ime .

The compet i t i o n was keen, and many a now fo rgo tt e n


ham le t se r i ou s ly u rged i ts p re tens ions . The i r fu tur e w asen t i re ly at Bu rt

’

s d isposal , fo r t h e o rgan i c ac t au thor i z edth e governo r to se l ec t th e meet ing p lace fo r th e fi rs t se s

s i o n o f th e l eg isl a tu re,and the re th e Cap i ta l wou l d

rema i n u n t i l a more su i tab l e p lace cou l d be agreed upon .

Burt’

s hea l th demanded that h e be kep t in a cond i t i o n o fabso lu te repose , bu t t he i mportu n i t i es o f th e specu lato rsa l l owed h im no res t . I might a lmost say h e w as worr i ed to death , wro te Fathe r H am i l ton ,

“I feared th e consequ en ces from th e fi rst , bu t cau t i on was o f no ava i l totho se who hoped to get r i ch by his dec i d i ng accord i ng toth e i r w i shes . The Governo r

’

s end was see n rap i d lyapproach i ng , and sho rt ly a fte r m id n i gh t o n th e morn ingo f th e 18111 o f October , 1854, he cal l ed h i s o l d fr i endDoyl e to h i s s i de , and gave h im a few d i rec t i o ns as to h i sp r i vate matte rs . H e asked fo r Fathe r H am i l ton , spokewi t h h im fo r a few moments , and th en , wh i l e t h e fr i e ndswho accompan i ed h im on the fata l j ou rn ey c l u ste redarou nd , he qu i et ly passed away .

A l l w as t h rown i n to con fu s i o n in th e Terr i to ry , bu tSec re tary Gum ing assumed th e Governo rsh ip , and o rgani z ed governmen t su ffe red no i n te rm iss i o n . The towns i te boomers d i d not l ong cease th e i r c l amor on accoun to f t h e deat h o f th e man to whom they had been so se rv i l e .

Cuming now hav ing the powe r Bu rt had possessed , t o h i mth e i r i mportu n i t i e s were d i rec ted . I t was soon fou nd tha tt he V i ews he ld by Burt and t hose o f Cuming were en t i re l yd i ffe re n t . Cuming l o cated th e cap i to l at O 1n aha , a rbitra ~

r i ly , and perhaps on ly be cause Omaha w as abl e to ou tb i di t s compet i to rs . What Governo r Bu r t w ou ld have don eis p rob l emat ica l , bu t one who knew h im best posi t i ve l yasse rts th at i t w as h is i n te n t i o n to ca l l a co nven t i o n at th eM iss i on at Be l l evu e , to inv i te a l l t h e con testan t s to p rese n tthe i r c la ims , and t he n to l ocat e th e temporary Cap i tal a tsome po i n t i n th e i n te r i o r where i t m igh t rema in th e sea to f gove rnmen t fo r as l ong a t ime as poss ib l e . Fu rthe rmore it Can be confiden t ly asse rted that had su ch a con


ven t ion bee n h e ld , th e se nt imen t o f the i n h ab i ta nts o f th eTerr i to ry wou ld have been fou nd st rongly opposed to th elocat i o n o f the Cap i ta l at Omaha

,and an almost equ al

oppos i t i o n wou ld have devel oped to an in t er i o r s i t e be i ngsel ec ted . Probab ly Bel l evu e wou l d have bee n the p l acese l ec ted . Bu t wi th Bu rt as Governor

,by no comb i nat i o n

o f influe nce s can we conce i ve o f Omaha be ingr th e fi rstTerr i t o r i a l Cap i ta l .The Cap i ta l was l ocated at Omaha , howeve r , and

t h ereby the h i s to ry o f the Terr i t o ry and State o f Nebraskaarb i t rar i l y ch anged from what wou ld have occu rred i n th en atu ra l cou rse o f even ts . To Omaha as th e seat o fgovernment , a l l em igrat i on was d i rec ted , al l en te rpr isescen t ered . I ts p romot e rs fou nd th emse lves p rospect iv em i l l i on a i res , made so by an i nvestmen t i n a fewacres o f wh at th ey pu rchased as t i l l ab l e l and . I n t hep rest ige and repu tat i o n ga i n ed by Omaha , i t s l a t e r iva l swere fo rgo t te n . There th e Un i on Pac ifi c i n l ate r yearsc ross ed th e M issou r i , and there sp rang up the met ropo l i so f th e West . Had Bu rt l ived , al l wou l d have been d iffe ren t .To Bel l evu e wou ld have acc ru ed th e be nefi ts der ivedfrom the locat i o n o f th e Cap i ta l . Bel l evu e was the l ogi ca lc ross i ng p lace fo r t he ra i l road . From Bel l evu e o n th eM i ssour i t o th e Pl at t e , th e re i s a n atu ra l ly we l l gradedroad . A ra i l road from th e M i ssou r i to th e mou nta i n swou l d be much shorten ed by begi n n i ng th e l i n e at B e l l evue ,

almos t immed i ate ly c ross i ng th e Pl at te , and th en i na d i rec t l i n e to t h e Rock i es . By t h i s rou te , t here wou ldh ave been a shorte r d i st an ce to t raverse , few er l arge r i ve rsto br i dge

,t h e grades wou ld h ave been as easy as by the

North Platt e rou te , and ye t th e genera l topography o fth e two roads wou ld h ave bee n p ract i ca l l y th e sam e . Bu tw i th Omaha as th e sta rt i ng p lace , a Sou th Plat t e rou tew as no t t o be co ns idered , and t h e north t ra i l a l ong thePl at te was th e on ly on e that cou l d we l l have been takenby th e ra i l road bu i ld ers . Perhaps i t i s not too much toc l a im

,th at had Bu rt l ived , t he Sou th Pl att e cou n t ry


38 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL S OCIETY .

be fo re,showed th e i r apprec i at i o n o f t he man who had

th e moral cou rage , u nhampered by fede ral red - tape , tog ive his assoc i at es i n au thor i ty a l esson in human i ty .

By order o f th e Comm ission e r o f Publ i c Lands , t h erema in s o f th e Governor had bee n p l aced i n th e ro tundao f th e Cap i to l , and t here a l l t h e c l e rks o f th e Th i rd Aud ito r’s o thee gath ered to hono r th e i r fo rmer ch i e f . A com

m it te e o f c l e rks and Treasu ry offi cials esco rted th erema i ns to the s teame r wai t ing on the Po tomac ,

and fo rmal ly su rrendered th e coffin t o the esco rt wh i ch had aecom

pan ied i t f rom Nebraska . Pres i den t P i erce rece ived th emembers o f th e party at t h e Execu t i ve Mans i on , and

spoke feel i ngly o f h i s o l d fr i en d . O n arr iv ing at Co lumbi a

,th e Cap i ta l o f Bu rt

’

s n at iv e s tate , th e rema i n s werep l aced in state i n t h e Cou n c i l Chamber where he had fo ryears sa t as a l egi s l a to r and a member o f const i tu t i o na l

co nven t i o ns . At Anderson , a cou n ty seat where h e hadfo rmerly p rac t i c ed law , a comm i t t e e appo i n ted by th ec i t i z en s m et t he party , and escorted them d i rect ly toPend l eton , where i n t he p resence o f a la rge concou rse o fso rrow i ng fr i ends , wi th Mason i c honors , he w as i n terredin th e chu rch-yard o f S t . Pau l

’

s chu rch . A s imp l e s ton emarks his rest ing p l ac e , and arou nd i t s t re tch th e mou nta i ns he loved so wel l . There am i d th e scenes o f h isearly st ruggl es and t r i umphs , he l i es ready fo r th e fi nalawaken ing .

H asl iflgs, N ed , j am, 1894.

H I STORICAL PAPERS . 39

REM IN ISCENCE S OF EARLY DAYS .

B . J . J OH N SON .

Away back in t h e 4o’

s , a ve ry en te rpr is ing man by th ename o f Jones built a th ree sto ry b ri ck hote l i n Independenc e

,M issou r i , where I was bo rn and l ived to manhood ,

and pa i n ted an I nd i an on ho rseback chas ing a bu ffa l o,

and enc i rc l i ng th is th e words NEBRASKA H OUSE . Th i swas th e s ign fo r th e n ew hote l , and caused much commen teven i n th at fa r wes te rn cou nt ry , wi th its c l ose p rox im i tyto th e N ebraska cou n try , be ing abou t ten m i l e s eas t o fwhat was known i n that d ay as t he“Great I nd i an Cou n try

,

”

s t re tch i ng away to the Pac ifi c Ocean , and a l so denominated by Fremon t as t h e Great Amer i can Desert .

”

Th i s was the fi rst t im e I eve r heard o f N ebraska(Shal l ow Wate r) . Bu t th e l ump of l eaven w as in th emeal

,and then l i k e to -day w as s l owly , bu t none th e l es s

su re ly do i ng i ts work . Ci v i l i z at i o n was on th e march .

I n 1848, Ioh n Marsh an humbl e mechan i c w i t h w hom I

was acqua i n ted,wi th a bosom fu l l o f en te rp r i se

,bu i l t a

saw m i l l o n th e Amer i can fo rk o f th e Sac ramen to Ri ve ri n Cal i fo rn i a , fo r Maj o r Su t te r . Whi l e d iggi ng a race toconvey th e wate r to th e whee l h e d i scove red go l d in immen se quan t i t i es , wh i ch se t al l Amer i ca ago i ng wi th aqu i cken ed pu l se ; and as Marsh had l ived in ou r cou n t ry

,

as we l l as M ike McCle lland , th e Pott e rs and othe rs , a l lre l i ab l e men

,when they wro te back to the i r o ld fr i e nds i n

J ackson Cou n ty , t e l l i ng marve lous sto r i es as t o th e r i chness o f t h e m i nes , and th e con sequen t t remendous impu lseto bus iness

,every body i t seemed , by the Spr i ng o f 1849 .

w as prepar ing to c ross th e Great Desert Pl a i n s”

t o reach

4o NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL secre '

rv.

th e Lan d o f Go ld . And so I,w ith hu nd reds o f o thers

,

sta rted . Boys , m idd l e aged , and o l d men,al l d ream i ng

o f fo r tu n es to be made , and ready to brave any dangerand p r ivat i o n that m igh t c ross ou r path . Thousands

came to I ndependence , wh i ch was known as th e great ou tfi t t ing depot , from North , East , and Sou th , and by th efi rst o f March , t h e cou n t ry aroun d seemed to be fu l l o fpeopl e

,and t hou sands more com i ng , al l eager to buy

wagon s , oxen . mu les and so fo rth , bu t were compe l l ed tol i e ove r t i l l grass wou l d grow , fo r o n ly t e n m i l es fromthere

,th ey wou ld l aun ch ou t in to th e open s ea o f p ra i r i e

,

whe re as ye t no mark o f c iv i l i z at i on had been made ; bu tb l ess i ngs i n th i s poor m ixed world n eve r come wi thou tth e i r cou n te rpart . The cho l e ra broke ou t in great v i ol en cesome t i me i n Apr i l , fi rst among th e s t range rs, an d th e nth e nat i ves . Th i s caus ed many to buy co rn at a do l l a r

p e r'

bushe l t o feed on the road , and be fo re th e fi rst o fM ay thou sands were on th e road .

The wr i ter d i d no t start u n t i l t h e 15t h o f May , wi th th el i t t l e t ra i n o f e igh t wagons, drawn by fou r yoke

'

of oxeneach wi th abou t th i rty men and s i x teen r i d i ng horses ,wi th c l o th ing for two years , and p rov i s i o n for at l eas t on e .

Wives,moth ers , s iste rs , bro th ers , fath e rs , fr i ends and

some swee theart s too , gathe red arou nd the l i t t l e t ra i none br igh t morn i ng in May to take th e part i ng hand , andi nvoke th e D iv i ne bl ess i ng . With some , t o o , i t was th el ast t im e those warm hands eve r came togeth er

,and l i p s

sa i d that strange swee t word farewe l l . When theword w as g iven , and the t ra i n p u l l e d ou t , eyes l ook i ngeach way th rough the tears that ran l i ke ra i n over manyfaces

,we real i z ed someth i ng o f t he dangers th at lay

along ou r pathway .

We fou nd a road b igge r and p l a in er than any we hadeve r t rave l ed be fore , and marked every few m i l es w i t hth e l i t t l e new made mounds , and the te n t wa i t ing fo rsome one to breath e h i s l ast , and ve ry soon too we real i z edwe were i n an enemy

’

s l and . The I nd i ans seemed bew i l

HISTORI CAL PAPERS . 41

de red at th e though t o f so many pal e faces al l go i ng i none d i rect i o n

,

— and whereto and what fo r ,and when we made them u nders tand , as best we cou ld , ou rd es t i n at i o n and m iss i o n ,

t h ey wanted to know i f t he old

ranch was broken up ,and we re th ere any more l e ft , and

su ch l i k e i nqu i r i es ; bu t l i ke'

human natu re everywhere ,t h ey soon i nd i cated a des i re to p rofi t by i t , e i t he r by tradi ng or st eal i ng

,and i t d i d not seem to make mu ch d i ffe r

ence wh i ch . Tobacco,sugar and wh i sky appeared to

cove r abou t al l t he i r wan ts . B read and bacon th ey wou l dno t be both ered w i th . They cared bu t l i t t l e fo r oxe n o rhorses as th ey had an abu ndan ce o f th e fat t es t ,fle e testand sl i ckest lit tle

,horses I h ad ever s ee n . As fo r cat t l e

th ey had a worl d o f bu ffa l o wh ich made t h e finest bee f .

On th e d iv id e be tween th e B l u e an d Pl att e r i ve rs Ihave seen t he earth a lmost b lack w i th th em , and up t h ePl at t e to th e Mounta i ns , i n te rspe rsed w i th d roves o fAn te l ope

,and wo lves by th e thousand . Tru ly natu re

had made r i c h p rov i s i o n fo r th es e rude sons o f th e Pl a i n so r Desert

,as we p ers i s ted i n ca l l i ng it , fo r to me i t

l ooked th e ve ry p i c tu re o f a deser t . The l i t t l e sho rt ,cu r ly

,s tu n ted grass

,th at fe l t l i k e : a ve lvet ca rp e t u nder

one’

s fee t where th i ck enough,was so sho r t even i n lu n e ,

and so d ry and parch ed , t h at many tu rn ed th e i r faceshomeward , rath er than r i sk th e i r fat e to th e short grassand more savage I nd i ans , wh i ch we were to l d i nh ab i ted th eh igher and more moun ta i nou s cou n try . Whi l e th e greatc rowd su rged along , dete rm i ned to dr i ve the i r s tock , as fa ras th ey cou ld t rave l , and th en tak e a few pou nds o f breadand the i r gu ns and walk th rough

,k i l l i ng t he i r game from

day to d ay , we soon l earn ed th at th i s s tu n ted grass had awonder fu l r i ch n ess

,an d st rength abou t i t wh i ch we were

al l s t rangers to . Th i n and sho rt as i t was , we fou n d thatou r s tock were abso l u te ly improv i ng on what we expe c

ted th em to starve on . But what a deso l ate waste wasth e cou nt ry ly i ng between th e M i ssou r i R i ver an d FortKearney ! I can never forget w hen I came i n s igh t o f th e


o l d Fort . A few adobe bu i l d i ngs away i n th e d i stan ce onth e banks o f that t re e l ess

,bankless , wid e s t ream . I had“

heard o f th e j ump i ng o ff p l ace , I t hough t that must be ir,bu t when I reached t he p l ace I found wagon t racks st i l lgo ing westward , and so on t i l l I reach ed t h e Pac ifi c

Ocean , and th en su re e nough,I had come to th e j ump

ing o ff p l ace .

Bu t what o f N ebraska ? I wish I cou l d cause you . myfr i e nds, to se e th e p i c tu re as I saw i t i n“Forty N i n e , and

fo r fi fte e n o r s i x teen years afte rwards,wh i l e fre igh t i ng

over th is cou n try , u n t i l I w as a lmost as fam i l i a r w i t h i t asI am t o day w i t h N emaha Cou n ty , and t hen as you pu shas i d e th e ve i l , and l ook at i t t o day , wi th i t s wonder fu lagr icu l tu ra l resou rces

,wi th l ess waste l and than any o th e r

stat e , wi th i ts m i l l i ons o f acres , where bu ffal o the nroamed , now groan ing ben eath h e r c rops o f gra i n andgrasses

,o rchards and farm houses

,and beau t i fu l t owns ,

and teem i ng c i t i es , fed by ra i l roads ru nn i ng i n a l l d i re c t i o ns ,and cen te r i ng at these great cen te rs o f t rade that seem i nsome st range way to have adj u sted th emse lves in th ematte r o f l ocat i on .

Q

I can neve r forge t when I re tu rn ed from Cal i fo rn i a i n1851 . My fath er asked

,

“What abou t the cou ntry be tweenth e M issou r i R ive r and Pac ifi c Ocean ? I rep l i ed Oh , i t

’

so f no accou n t 1

”“Wel l,what

’

s wrong wi th i t ?“Why ,th e so i l i s poor , sandy , and too dry to p roduce anyth i ngbu t th i s l i t t l e

,shor t grass

,and when i t does ra i n (as i t d i d

somet imes) i n t h ree hou rs afte rwards you cou ld not t e l lt h at i t h ad ra i n ed at a l l . And aft e r re aching a h igher al t it ude , I saw i t snow fou r i n ch es deep , a short d i s tance fromFort Laram i e

, and o fte n i ce wou l d fo rm i n a water bucke t ,s i t t i ng ou t at n igh t

,al l t h rough th e coun try now known as

Wyom ing , even in J u ly and August .” Father cou l d not

se e t h rough i t any bet te r t h an I cou l d , bu t he was seven tyyears o l d . S i nce t hat I have l earned that exper i ence isworth a good deal to a man ,

even i f h e is not one o f So l omon

’

s fi rst w i fe’

s ch i ld ren . Fathe r was al so a fi rm bel i eve r

HISTORICAL PAPERS . 43

i n the id ea t hat an infi n ite God has made th e whol e world ,

and every th i ng i n it , and on it , and the n l ast o f a l l hadmade man i n his own l ike ness and in1age , — made h im j u sta l i t t l e l owe r than th e ange ls ,

—a c reatu re o f wonder fu l

poss ib i l i t i es,

— a fte r g iv i ng h im abso l u te co n t ro l ove r eve ryth i ng . he th en l a i d i t a l l d own at man

’

s feet , and bade h im

go ou t , and subdu e,and u se th e who l e o f it . Then he fe l l

back on h i s B ibl e and sa id , My son . I’

l l t e l l you ; whenGod made th e w or ld , he sa i d i t w as good and ve ry good ,

— made no excep t i ons at a l l ,— and I reason t ha t a l l t h e rei s abou t i t i s , we don

’

t k now what i t i s good fo r . Oh wehave to l ea rn i t .

The o ldest o f us n eed to go t o schoo l We th i nk i tst range that Fremon t sa id th i s was th e Great Ameri canDese rt . I t was at that t i me .

‘Who cou l d have though tthen

,o r even fo r years a fte r , t hat th e Sal t Creek flats , a

p lace that fre igh ters a lways avo ided , where the grass wasunfi t fo r s tock , and th e wate r cou ld n o t be d ru nk by mano r beast

,sh ou l d be i n s o short a t ime co nve rted i n to su ch

a beau t i fu lCap i ta l Ci ty , wi th h e r 6o,ooo i n te l l igent c i t i z ens ,her grea t bu s i n ess b lo ck s

,he r ra i l roads , l i ke great arte r i es

t o warm and feed t he body,her l i n es o f st ree t c ars, an d

l as t though not l east by any means , env i ron ed al l aroundw i th those grand i ns t i tu t i o ns o f l earn i ng , where I t ru s tand be l i eve th e fu tu re greatness o f hu ndreds o f you ngm i nds w i l l be t ra i n ed we l l i n th e i d ea that the world wasmade fo r man .

Go ou t and subdue it ! Learn it ! Co nqu e r it ! anduse i t , no t for th i n e ow n good , bu t fo r man

’s good,

remember i ng ever t he fatherhood o f God and theb ro the rhood o f man . Can you ra ise th e ve i l and l ookforty - fou r years ahead , when Omaha i s l i k e ly to have am i l l i o n o r more o f peop l e , and you r own desert s tat et en m i l l i o ns o f peop l e . I know ’t i s hard fo r poor man toread correc t ly the fu tu re

,bu t

,Mr . Pres i den t , wi th th e

gove rnmen t we have , j u s t ly and fa i r ly and equal ly adm i nistered , and wi th th e c l imat e and so i l we have , and see i ng

44 NEBRASKA su m H ISTORTCAL 5001131 11.

what h as been accomp l i sh ed i n th e l ast for tyfou r years,

real i z i ng that th e l ump of l e ave n is do i ng i ts work muchmore rap id ly than ever be fo re , and c i rcumstances that wec an

’

t cont ro l w i l l compe l us t o adj u s t ou rse lves to th es i tuat i on , keep i ng we l l i n m ind that th e Infi n ite God isou r fath er , not fo rge tt i ng to l e t H i m be ou r fath er , whodoeth al l th ings wel l , and eve r remember i ng that man i sou r bro th e r , not servan t

,bu t brothe r i n fac t , al l h el p ing

each o the r to u n lock th e infi n ite t reasu re house ou r fath erhas fi lled so fu l l o f su ch r ich goods to feast the eyes , ands at isfy th e sou l

,and make Earth

,notw i ths tand i ng th at i t and

eve ryth i ng i n i t and o n i t has th e wi ther i ng , b l igh t i n‘

gcu rse o f sin rest i ng heav i ly upon it , a very sweet p l acefo r man to l i ve in . If you wi l l a l l ow it , what w i l l i t be , \ and

how w i l l i t be , when ou r work o f d eve lopmen t andgrowth here i s al l d on e , and we cross over t hat r ive r t h atd iv i des t he fi n ite from the infin ite ,

where we w i l l k now aswe are kn own , and see as we are seen even fac e to face ,no t as he re d im ly , as th rough a darkened gl ass ? Leth im who can pa i n t th e p i ctu re he re o r hereafte r do i t .

H ow e, N eén j anua ry , 1894.

FRE IGHTING I N 1866 .

Part of a Let ter Wr itten from the In ter ior of the Terr itory of

Nebraska to the E ast , January 28,

From my far weste rn ab id i ng p lace ( fo r’t i s no t home ,

nor eve r w i l l be) I do most h eart i ly se nd to you a lov i nggreet ing , r igh t gl ad to know that I

’

m not b lo t ted fromyou r good book o f fr i endsh i p .

9“Wi l l g ive you , o r at tempt i t— for noth ing w i l l j u s t show ,

excep t th e ac tu al l iv i ng here— some i dea o f l i fe i n th es e

i Donor , C. F . B en tley 01 Grand Island .


46 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

in suc h a man ner that were there no o ther reason I hard lyth i nk Nebraska Ci ty wou l d rece iv e i ts o l d“run o f cus

tom .

”There are any amou n t o f rebe ls l i v i ng there

Very easy you know to c ross th e M issou r i r ive r and be ou to f reach o f th e t roub les in Missou r i . I spen t a few daysat a“fi rst c lass hote l , i n th at p l ace l ast Octobe r and no t

hav i ng e i ther my eyes o r ears very c lose ly shu t I saw and

h eard some queer th ings . I say“fi rst c l ass hot e l”

fo r I w as aston ished at the sort o f p eop l eI saw da i ly wh i l e t he re . The maj o r i ty o f the peop l eI saw were south ern ers .

i

w i t h a very few excep t i ons t h ecrowds o f men who th ronged th e d i n i ng hal l at m ea lt i mes were armed (w i th p i s to l s) . There w as one pecu l iari ty , no t one man in te n wou ld look me square ly i n th eface . Those who wou ld no t mee t the eye

,I se t down as“Rebs ,”“deserte rs,”“bushwhacke rs,” Guer i l l as , e tc .

, fo rth ere are any amou n t o f th em the re . Th is w i n te r i t hasnot been safe fo r week s toge th er , fo r a man to go on thes t reets a ft er dark alon e , even th ough armed ,

fo r bu rgla ri es have been very common

,

“row s and knockdowns” o fn igh t ly occu rrence , and th e who l e sp iced w i th two orth ree mu rde rs . Of l a te th ere has been ta lk o f a“v ig il an ce comm i ttee , and on e gang

” h av i ng been broken up ,

t i mes are more peaceab l e in Nebraska Ci ty .

~ — Peop l eth ere get fas t and spend fast— in fac t are dec ided ly fasi

in more ways th an one .

“Shoddy has a chance to sw ingi tse l f eve r so gaud i l y . I t be i ng a great p l ace fo r t h e fi t t ing

ou t o f t ra i ns to c ross the p la i ns , one i s aston i s h ed at th eb locks a fte r b locks o f“Mens Furn ish ing Goods,”“F i tt i ng - ou t H ouses,

”“Outfi t t ing Establ ishmen ts , e tc . And

t hese e stabl ishmen ts are who l esal e , n early a l l o f th em .

Q ueer- l ook i ng s i gns they have , to one who is no t accus

tomed to such nove l si gh ts . The J ews , I t h i nk , fi nd th ep l ace a parad ise fo r th e i r bus iness , fo r the re are so manyo f th em there . The st ree ts are not fi l led w i th carr iagesa nd gay equ i pages

,t ho

’ I saw some e l egan t tu rn -ou ts

but th ere are huge fre igh t w agons on every street , at


eve ry co rn er ; t he re are hu nd reds o f oxe n and mu l esattached to th em . Often te n yoke o f oxen to a wagonsix span , o ften e r fou r , o f mu l es d r i ven wi t h o ne l i ne .

There is heard th e l umber i ng o f these“p ra i r i e schoone rs ,

t h e be l l ow i ng o f oxen ,bray i ng o f mu l es , c rack ing o f th e

l o ng lar i ats ? wh i ch fo r me i s a show o f i tse l f , to see th edexte r i ty w i th wh i ch the dr ivers use th em . There is t hehollow ing

fi

ye lling—

of t eamste rs , mi ng l ed wi th more oathst h an I eve r heard be fo re in a l l my l i fe toge th e r . Theseare some o f the s t ree t sce nes that one meets i n N ebraskaCi ty .

—“Everybody fo r h imse l f . And the peop l e rush u pand down the st reets i n u tte r fo rget fu l ness apparen t ly , o feveryth ing bu t r zzs/z z

’flg , ru sh i ng r igh t ou— no t much matte r where .

— The merchants and th e i r c l e rks seem to careve ry l i t t l e whe th er cu s tome rs buy o r no t . If th ey have

p/m ly o f t i me , w i l l b e po l i te ; wi l l at tend to you . If not

no matte r . Tel l you the p r i c e ,— you can t ake t h e art i c l eo r l e t i t a l one . If you don

’

t l i k e t h e p r i c e,

“l ump i t , tou se an e l egan t ph rase . They don

’

t ca re,

— are pe r fect l yi ndependen t . Pr i c es o f most th i ngs are ho rr ib l e

”

fo rpeop l e w i t h short pu rses . Everyth i ng is h igh in th i sp ra i r i e l and . My mothe r se l ls some o f he r bu t te r at si x tycen ts pe r pou nd . no ne l ess than fi fty cen ts and that at home—cheese . th i r ty ce nts and t h i rty - fi ve cen ts —

and so on wi t heve ryth i ng . The great amou n t o f t rave l on th e road , hal f am i l e from us, makes a l l t h e marke t on e needs at p resen t .Tra i ns pass i ng w i th th i r ty wagons (24 o r 18,

th ose be i ngthe usual numbers) , are , o r h ave been u n t i l rece n t l y , o falmost da i ly occu rrence— some go i ng to the moun ta i ns

,

othe rs go i ng to th e sta tes . I t is a lso th e stage rou te (o rone) , Be n Hal l id ay

’

s Expre ss t h ro’ to Ca l i fo rn i a , so t ha t

we have a da i ly ma i l on e day from t h e West,t h e n ex t

from th e Eas t . I t seems odd in su ch a new cou n t ry , so

devo i d o f a lmost every th ing c i v i l i z ed,t o se e th e coach

da i ly , go i ng and com ing . Speak ing o f t ra i ns , eve ryonehas one o r more , usual ly one , wagon -mas te r who conduc ts

t h e whole concern . These wagon -masters are a lmost


w i thou t excep t i o n gent l emen o f educat i on , men who ta lki n a qu ie t , gen t l eman ly man ne r to every one , expec t to beobeyed by the i r i n ter io rs , and are . Do not swear

,ne i t h er

when th ey are abou t , wi l l a l low the d r i vers— th i s , I say , i sth e so rt o f m en th ey are as a genera l ru l e— su ch be ingth e case

,t here are few“fu sses among the d i fferen t t ra i n s

that come in con tact w i th each o ther i n c ross i ng th epl a i ns

,where th ere are su ch good opportu n i t i es co nstan t ly

com ing up ,as th ere must a lw ays be where so many men ,

most o f th em , ( t hat i s , t h e dr i vers) ignoran t and ready tofight at th e s l igh test p rovocat i on . No coward cou l d fi llt h e pos t o f wagon -maste r to advan t age to h imse l f or anyon e e l se . I have seen several whom I cou ld not bu tadm i re not on ly fo r th e i r gen t l eman ly bear i ng , bu t th e i rph i l osoph i ca l way o f overcom i ng d iffi cult ie s , th e i r fi rmness

and presence o f m i nd i n i mm i nen t danger , and the a lmos tsu preme power t h ey had over those u nder th em . And

I ’ve seen mu l e -dr ive rs that looked far l ess i n t e l l i gen t th anth e much - abused mu le— rio t all so , o f cou rse , bu t occas i ona l ly . To give you a l i t t l e i de a o f th e magn i tu de o f someo f th e t ra i ns, I

’

l l t e l l you o f one t hat passed h ere abou t

Ch r i s tmas, a mu l e t ra i n . Be fore th ey had gon e moreth an s i x ty m i l es west o f here , hav i ng been corra l l ed forth e n igh t , a snow storm cam e up . and t he n igh t -watchers ,deem ing themse lves sa fe

,became care l ess . I n t h e n igh t

th ere rushed upon th em , as swi ft and herc e as a wh i r lw i nd ,a band o f I nd i an s , who st ampeded every mu l e . Thereth ey were on t he p ra i r i e w i th th e i r huge fre igh t wagon sl oaded w i th thousands o f do l l a rs— hu nd reds o f t hou sands

[worth o f goods] . There was no th i ng bu t t o foo t i tback to N ebraska Ci ty and report to the owner o f th et ra i n . Me l aughed whe n to ld o f th e fat e o f his mu lessa id $4o ,coo worth o f mu les gone to th e D H e

can stand th e l oss fo r h e’s eve r so r i ch . H is wagons are

on t he p ra i r i e ye t , roads and w eath er h av i ng preven tedany d isposal o f them .

We can see a m i l e or more to the east from our hou se ,

H ISTO R ICA L PAPERS . 4C)

and two o r th ree to the west . We o ften h ea r t ra i n s whenthey are th ree o r fou r m i les away . The roads are ve ryhard , and the re be ing no t i mber be tween ,

I su ppose sou nd sgo fa rt her . I t is cu r i ous t o s tand in t he doo r ear ly i n th emorn ing,r o r near su nse t ( fo r th e sou nds seem to comefarther) and l i s t e n to some so l i ta ry wagon that sou ndsas though very near , and fi nally be rew arded by see ingon e come ove r the h i l l t h ree m i les away

,and kn ow that

is t he one you hear .


EDITORIAL .

The N ebraska Stat e H i s tor ical Soc i e ty p resen ts to thepub l i c i ts n ew Quam

‘

er/y unheral ded and u nan nounced .

For some t i me i ts offi ce rs have fe l t th e need o f somebette r med i um o f reach ing th e peop l e o f t he State

,so as

to en l ist t h em 111 i ts work , t h an has been at h and . Hereto fore no offi ce r has h ad the t im e to d evote to such apub l icat i on , bu t , wi th th e c reat i o n o f th e o thee o f l ibrar i an ,i t was fe l t t h at th e t ime had come , and the means was athand

,t o carry ou t th i s l o ng - cher i s hed p l an . The Soc i ety

has h i t herto pub l ished i ts p roceed i ngs at i rregu l ar i n te rval sand hence has bee n u nabl e to ga i n th e at t e n t i on o f th epeop l e o f t h e State to i ts n eeds , and to ga i n t h e i r he lp 111

fo rward i ng th e work o f p rese rv ing the reco rds o f Ne

b raska’

s ear ly days . The hy e vo lumes o f“Records and

Proceed ing s” pub l i s hed i n th e l ast fe w years by th e

Soc i e ty h ave don e someth i ng to pu t i n fo rm the earlyh isto ry o f th e State . However many i tems o f th e greatest va l u e for t h e fu tu re h isto ry o f th e State are st i l l ex isti ng on ly in th e memory o f th e men who have been i ts

makers . We hope by means o f th is pub l i cat i on t o reachthem and to arouse th e i r i n terest in th is work . Manyo f th e featu res o f N ebraska

’

s early l i fe are st i l l u n reco rded :The fre igh t i ng bu s in ess o f ear ly days has not fou nd itsh istor i an . An accou n t o f th e roads o f ear l y days 15 un re

corded . The h isto ry o f th e tow n s and c i t i es o f Nebraska

is ye t u nwr i t ten . These suggest i ons wi l l cal l to th e m i ndso f ear ly set t l e rs

,no doubt

,scores o f o th er facts t hat can

on ly be recorded now wh i l e t h e gen erat i on t hat came herei n t h e so

’

s is st i l l w i th us .

I n th i s publ i cat i o n w e hope to pu t i n to permanen t form

EDITORIAL . 51

t h e reco rds o f Nebraska’

s mak i ng . B iograph i cal sk e tcheso f a l l me n and women who have he l ped to deve lop i t smater i a l

,soc ial , re l ig i ou s o r mora l l i fe m ay w e l l fi nd a

p lace i t i ts pages .

By means o f th e Q uarte r ly i t is al so hoped th at a l arge rnumber o f th e n ewspape rs o f Nebrask a may be had fo rp rese rvat i on . The Soc i e ty now has fi re- proo f vau l ts an drooms i n t h e basement o f t h e new Un i v e rs i ty l ibra rybu i ld i ng and wou ld l i ke to h ave a comp le t e fi le o f ev e rypape r publ ished in Nebraska i n i ts rooms . I n no oth e rway can th e h i sto ry o f the State be so eas i ly p rese rved .

The Soc i ety w i l l t ry to b i nd and make access ib l e al lpapers t hus donated to it . I t is be l i eved that thu s , i n afew years

,may be bu i l t u p a bu reau o f n ewspapers th at

w i l l be a lmost i nva lu ab l e to th e fu tu re h i s to r i an and tot he peop l e o f th e fu tu re N ebraska , when i ts pe op l en umbe r ro ,ooo ,ooo i nst ead o f May we not i nth i s way appea l to eve ry ed i to r i n th i s State fo r his

assistan ce ? Aga in i t i s th e hope o f the Soc i e ty to gat h erw i th i n i t s wa l ls every book or pamph l e t pub l ished th at i nany way re l ates to Nebraska . I t is al so des i red to ge teve ry book o r pamph l e t t h at is publ ished by a c i t i z en o rres id en t o f t h e State , whether re l at i ng to th e S tate o r no t .

For th e prese nt t h e Q uarte rly w i l l con ta i n fo rmal papersread at its an nu al mee t i ngs , ed i to r i a l no tes , and b iographi ca l no t ices . I n add i t i on to such matte r as th e above ,im portan t documen ts and h i s to r i ca l notes o f a gene ra lcha racte r w i l l be publ i sh ed from t i me to t i me . The

p e olale o f the State whethe r members o f th e Soc i e ty o rno t are earnest ly requ ested to fu rn i sh t he Soc i e ty w i thany matte r o f h i s to r ical va l u e . Much that now seems o fl i t t l e importan ce to many wi l l be o f th e greatest valu e i nth e fu tu re i n o rder to ge t a proper u nd erstand i ng o f th ep resen t cond i t i o n o f the State . Crop reco rds

,c l i mat i c

c ond i t i ons. econom i c movements , se t t l emen t reco rds ,suc

c esses o r fa i l u res in farm i ng i n t he var i ou s sec t i o ns o f th eState

,shou ld be fu rn ished w i th th e most sc rupu lou s

52 NEBRASKA STATE H I STOR ICAL SOCIETY .

regard to comp l eten ess a nd accu racy . I t i s on ly by meanso f t he accumu l at i ons o f th e past exper i en ces o f th epeop l e that t h e fu tu re c i t i z en may hope to avo id repeating

r past exper imen ts and fa i l u res . I t i s hoped that th isl i t t l e Q uarte rly may do someth i ng to he lp so lve a few o ft h e p robl ems o f mak ing a st ate , and deve lop ing its c iv ili z a t ion .

The Soc i e ty has though t best t o make th e p r ice o f th eQ uarte rly j ust e nough to cove r cost

,be l i ev i ng that in

t h is way , i t may re ce iye a much w i d e r c i rcu lat i on th ani t wou ld ot h erw i se have . S i ngl e numbers may be hadfo r fi fte e n cen ts

, and th e fou r n umbers o f th e year , fo rfi fty cen ts . The secre tary and th e l ibrar i an ,

who w i l l'

beresponsi b l e fo r th e appearance and va l u e o f th i s publ i c at i on fo r th e p resen t

,wi l l be g l ad to have suggest i ons in

regard to p l an and mat te r fo r pub l icat i on from al l thosew ho are i n te rest ed i n prese rv i ng th e h i sto ry o f N ebraska .


54 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICA L SOCIETY .

I n t he n ext number , a l i s t o f t he newspape rs o f th eState sen t regu lar ly to t h e Soc i e ty , wi l l be pub l ished .

Not a paper that reaches th e soc i e ty rooms,is dest royed .

I t is be l i eved t hat th e Soc i e ty can t ake good care o f a l lp ape rs tuat may be sen t in , and not ice is herew i t h servedupon al l ed i tors and publ ishers that t he Quarte r ly is sen tas an exchange fo r pape rs . I t w i l l n o t on ly fu rn i sh readab l e mate r i a l fo r subscr ibers t o pape rs , bu t i t w i ll be avery great h e lp to th e Soc i e ty , i f t h e n ew spapers o f Ne

braska w i l l m ake exce rpts from the Quarter ly and publ ish them in th e i r co l umn s . Espec i a l ly i t is desi rab le thatt he work o f th e Soc i ety be made publ ic

,and to

‘

t hat e nd

th e fo l l ow i ng paragraph is inserted .

A br i e f summary o f the work o f th e Soc i e ty is as folml ows : —The p reservat ion o f matte r per ta i n i ng to th eh isto ry o f N ebraska . Th is i nvo l ves t he h l ing aw ay o fth e new spapers publ ished wi th i n ou r borders

,t he p rese r

vat i on o f books and pamph l e ts th at t reat o f t he h i sto ry ,resou rces

,e tc .

, o f ou r State , and th e care o f al l man uscr i p tart i c l es on s tate , coun ty , or l oca l h istory , t h at peop l e canbe in duced to w r i t e . J us t as mu ch o f th e mate r i a l re l at

ing t o the h isto ry o f th e S tate wi l l be publ i sh ed as t h efu nds o f th e Soc i e ty w i l l a l l ow . The l ast app rop r i at i o nw as far from adequ ate , bu t i t has been made to go as faras possi b l e , br idgi ng t he t ime th at mus t e l apse u n t i l re l i e fcan be had from ou r next l egisl a tu re .

(2) — The co l l ec t i o n o f re l i cs t hat re l ate to ou r h i sto ry .

Espec i a l l y i t i s des i rab l e that I nd i an re l i cs be gath ered,

befo re they become scat te red from the State . Muchmater i a l o f t h is k i nd now l i es in pr ivate co l l ec t i ons . I t i sce rta i n ly much more d es i rabl e that th ese be i n a pub l i cand safe p l ace , where they may be seen a nd s tud i ed . If

s tu den ts are to know th e h i s to ry o f the i r own st a te,t h e

mater i a ls fo r th e stu dy o f i t s hou ld be he re a t th e Ne

braska State Un i v e rsi ty . The locat i o n of th e co l l ec t i o ns

NOTE S . 55

o f the H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty at the cen te r o f t h e edu cat i on alsystem o f the S tate is ve ry fo rt u nat e . I t s h ou l d be agrea ter i nducemen t to c i t i z ens to p l ace i n th e care o f t heSoc i e ty val uab l e re l i cs and h isto r i ca l mater i a lOu th e back cove r w i l l be fou nd l ists o f t he k inds o fmate r i a l th at is be ing gathered i n to th e Soc i e ty

’

s roomsfo r prese rvat i on .

Wil l the new spape rs p l ease note t he fo l l ow ing andmen t i o n i t : The Soc i e ty

’

s hle s o f o l d te rr i to r i a l l aws andj ou rnals are comp l e te w i t h the fo l low ing except i ons :ffoz zsc j ournal, Ist sess i on ; Cozmrz

'

l f 0n 7f 7zal, 6th sess i on ;Cozmr z

'

Z/omfua l, 7 th sess i o n ; Law s, 1 1 th sess i on . Any one

hav i ng cop i es o f th ese n umbers and gen erou s en ough tobe w i l l ing to part w i th t hem , shou l d address t he L ibrar i ano f th e Soc i e ty . Box 153 1 , Lin co l n .

From t ime to t ime th ere w i l l appear in t h e s m'Zw/Zy

t i t l e s o f val uab l e books w h i ch t he Soc i e ty desi res toobta in . I t i s des1rable to h ave i n th e Soc i ety

’

s l ib rary no to n ly books pe rta i n i ng to N ebraska , bu t al so a l l re l at ing toth e \Vest in general . For examp le , i n o rd e r to u nde rstand the se t t l emen t o f t he W

’

est i t is necessary to have anumber o f works on t h e Ind i an s . Among those that th eSoc i e ty does no t have and ought to possess , are Du nbar

’

s

and Cat l in’

s works on th e In d i ans .

A very val uab l e add i t i on to the A rch ives o f t h e Soc i e tywou ld be photographs o f al l t h e offi ce rs o f S tate and o f public me n , cove r i ng th e whol e pe r i od o f th e Terr i t o ry andState . \Vhile the accumu lat i on o f th i s mater i a l w i l l besl ow ,

t here is real ly no reason why th e Soc i e ty may noteven tu a l ly comp le te t he co l l e c t i o n . i f c i t i z en s w i l l t ak e ho ldo f the mat te r i n th e r igh t way . Any one hav i ng pho tographs o f p io nee r makers o f N ebraska shou ld n o t i fy th e


Librar i an . Cop i es may be made o f rare o nes , o f wh i chth e Soc i e ty can not oth e rw i s e ge t possess i on . Offi cers ,ex o ffi ce rs, and p i o neers are requ ested to do nate en l argedp i ct u res o f themse lves

,framed

,wi th wh i ch to adorn th e

wal l s o f th e Soc i e ty’

s rooms .

NECROLOGY .

Mose s M . CONNOR came to N ebraska in 1857 ,where he

res i ded co n t i n uous ly u n t i l abou t two years s in ce , when h ewen t to res i d e w i th his ch i ld ren a t Tu ron , Kansas, whereh e d i ed J anu ary 27 , 1894 . H e was born in But l e r Coun ty ,h i o

,September 29 ,

1809 . H e learn ed carpen t ry andbr i dge—bu i ld i ng in Ci n c i nnat i , Oh io . I n 183 1 he w as marr i ed to M iss An na Sta ley . I n 1849 , as br i dge -bu i ld e rand erec te r o f monumen t s , he accompan i ed Cap t .

‘N alte r ,

sen t u t by the U . 5 . Gove rnmen t to es tab l i sh bou ndaryl i nes be tw een t h e Un i t ed S tates and Mex i co . A ft e r t h i sh e w en t in t o th e serv ice o f J oh n C. Fremon t to c ross th ep la i ns . I n Cal i fo rn i a h e res i gned and engaged in go ldm in i ng on Feath e r Rive r . \Vh ile w i th F remon t he was agreat favo r i t e w i t h bo th th e Co lon e l and Mrs . Fremon t

,

w i t h whom a co rrespo nden ce w as a lways kept up . H e

had been a member o f th e Mason i c Frate rn i ty s in c e 1840.

The fo l l ow ing b i ograp hy o f S . A . FULTON,one o f th e

charte r members o f th e N ebras " a State H i sto r i ca l Soc i e ty,

who d i ed at Marysv i l l e , Kansas, A pr i l 26 ,1893 , was

fu rn ished by h is bro th er , E . R. Fu l ton , o f that p l ace .

5 . A . Fu l ton was bo rn i n Clearfi e ld Coun ty , Pennsylvan i a , j u ne 28

,1840. H e rece ived a common schoo l

educat i on , one o f th e t eache rs in t h e cou nty d ist r ict wherehe at te nded be i ng J udge Elmer S . Dundy . H e w orkedon t he farm where he w as born

,u n t i l tw en ty years o f age ,

w hen h e began eaching school . For tw o years h e taugh ta cou n ty schoo l , when h e en l ist ed in the army and servedn ear l y fou r years . A ft er t h e war he locat ed i n I-Iollidaysu rg , Pennsy lvan i a , where he stud i ed l a ‘

v‘ i n th e o th ee o f

Ho n . 8 . L . Hewi t t , w as adm i t t ed to th e bar,and i n 1867


came west and located i n Fa l ls Ci ty , Nebraska . Dur i ngh is res i den ce in Fal l s Ci ty , he took an ac t ive p art in po l it i cs

,represen ted R i chardson Cou n ty in t he st at e sen ate

o ne term , and w as fou r years cou n ty j udge o f th at coun ty .

H e w as fo r a number o f years th e l aw partn er o f t h e l ateH on . A . J. VVe aye r . I n 1881 he removed to H iawath a ,Kansas , where he o rgan i z ed th e F i rs t N at i o na l Bank .

I n 1885 he bought a con t ro l l ing in te rest i n th e F i rstNat i o nal Bank o f Marysv i l l e , in t he same state

,and

became i t s p res i d en t . H e he ld th is pos i t i on and resi d edin Maysv i l l e un t i l his death ,

Apr i l 26, 1893 . I n Sept em

ber , 1868, he marr i ed Ann i e E . De febaugh o f Wi l l i ams

bu rg,Pa , who w i t h s i x c h i l d re n su rv ives h im .

MRS . CHURCH H OWE w i t h her husband,was on e o f th e

early set t l e rs in Nebraska . Her mai den name w as

August a C. Bottomly . She w as born a t Le i c est e r,Wor

ceste r Cou nty , Massachusetts , J u ne 4 ,1842 . She and Mr .

How e were marr i ed at Worceste r , Massachuset ts , J u ne 16 ,

1863 . They came wes t and l ocated i n N emaha Cou n ty ,Nebraska , Ap r i l 9 , 1869 ,

commenc ing the i r home on al arge t rac t o f l and in Bed fo rd Prec i n c t , known as Wa l

mz l Grove F arm . Th i s w as t h e i r con t i nu ous homeun t i l h e r deat h

,and the re she w as bu r i ed . Mrs . Howe

had been an i nval i d and pat i en t su ffere r for many years .

She d i ed J anuary 26 ,1894 ,

at L i n co l n , Nebraska , whereshe was u nder med ical t reatmen t . Her l i fe was fi lled w i thfa i th , pat i ence , Chr ist i an fide lity ,

and sub l im e devot i on tothose she l oved .

The u nprecede nted fu neral at te ndan c e o f more than athou sand peop l e at he r cou n t ry home , was an ev i dence o ft he h igh esteem in wh i ch M rs H owe w as he ld by he rn e ighbors and acqua i n tances . Pewmagma cm’augusm

”

.

JOHN McININCH was bo rn in the Ci ty o f N ew York ,J u ly 29 , 1808 ; d i ed in Nemaha Cou nty , Nebraska , J anuary

NECROLOGY . 59

16 , 1894 . From New York Mr . McIn inch wen t to Pennsylvan i a ; from there to Oh i o where he marr i ed SarahJ ohnson

,Ap r i l 2d ,

1829 . From Oh i o h e came to M issou r i ;from th ere to N ebraska , in 1867 , w here h e res i d ed w i thh is son , 8 . F c In in ch , u n t il h is deat h . H e t augh t schoo lfo r si x ty years . There w e re e igh t ch i ld ren born to J oh nMcIn inch and w i fe , seven sons a nd one daughte r . Thefathe r o f J oh n McIn inch w as a so ld i e r in t he war o f 181 2 ,

and w as wi th Commodore Perry . J ohn w as a so ld i e r int he Mex i can War . H is o ld est son se rved i n th e OregonI nd i an W ar , and he w i th fou r o f h is sons served in th eUn i on A rmy du r ing th e l ate rebe l l i on .

‘

Two o f h is son s,

Wi l l i am and B . F . ,have res i ded i n Nemaha Cou n ty s i n c e

t he year 1857 .

JUDGE H IRAM WADSWORTH PARKER d i ed a t Beat r ice ,Nebraska , Ap r i l 1 1 , 1893 . H e was born in Oakham ,

Mass,December 1 7 , 1827 . H e l e arn ed fi rst t h e tan n e r

’

st rade w i t h h i s fath e r . I n 1834 , wi t h his paren ts heremoved —t o A t h ens, Oh io . A few years l ate r t h e fam i lyremoved to Ch i l l i co th e , Oh i o . A ft e r t h is H i ram en te redth e othee o f th e S ( z

'

oz‘

o Gaacz’z‘e at Ch i l l i co th e , where hese rved a regu lar app ren t icesh i p i n t h e p r i n t i ng bus i n ess .

H e th en he l d a pos i t i o n on t h e 24 72124711 at thesame p lace . I n 1848,

he became con nec ted w i t h th e 0/sS i zz le j ourna l, Co lu mbus ,

Oh i o . I n 1850 ,Mr . Parke r

es tab l ished th eReg z’

sz‘

wf at I ron to n , Oh io . H e so ld ou t i n1857 , and i n th e Fal l o f th at year , came to N ebraska , l andi ng at B rownv i l l e . Here he bu r i ed h i s mothe r , who hadd ied on a steamboat be fo re reach i ng that po i n t .M r . Parke r was a Ci t i zen o f t he fu l l est p ub l i c sp i r i t

,i n

a l l t hat su ch a te rm. can i mp ly . H e ass isted i n t h e o rgan iz a t ion o f t he F i rs t N at i ona l Bank o f w h i ch h e w as Vi cePres id en t and Di rec to r , and he was al so a stockho lderand d i rec to r i n th e Beatr i ce N at i ona l Bank . H e w as

Pres i den t o f th e Beatr i c e Cann ing Company , and i t was

6o NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

his des i re and amb i t i on to see th i s i ns t i t u t i o n one o f th efo remost i nst i t u t i on s o f th e k i nd i n th e Un i t ed States . H is

unboun ded fa i t h in i t has been th e s t rongest s t imu lu s toits great su ccess . H e was al so Pres i d en t o f th e Beat r i ceSewer P ip e Company . For a p er i o d o f n i ne years h eserved w i th d ist i n c t i on on th e B eat r i c e Schoo l B oard

, and

was ever one o f th e mos t arden t fr i e nds o f -t h e pub l i csc hoo l sys t em o f t h e Ci ty and S tat e . H e has a l so servedw i th c red i t and d i s t i n ct i o n as a member o f th e Ci tyCou nc i l fo r a number o f years and a lso as a member o ft he Gage Cou n ty Board o f Superv i sors. I n both o f th esecapac i t i es h e was eye r regarded as a most influen t ial andva lu abl e member . As a member o f th e bu i l d i ng comm itte e o f th e Board o f Supe rv isors , his matu rebus in essj udgmen t was ev i d en t i n t h e const ru ct i o n o f th e magn ifi

c en t cou rt hou se o f Gage Coun ty . H e was also engagedin th e l umber bus i n e ss in t h is Ci ty fo r a number o f yea rs ,

h i s yards be i ng on t h e grou nd now occup i ed by th e Paddock Hote l . H e was o n e o f th e p r i nc i p a l movers ands tockho l de rs in th e e rec t i on o f th e Mason i c Temp l e of

Beat r i ce and was pe rman tly ide n t ifi ed w i t h every ente rp r i sethat cou ld i n t he remotes t d egree re dou nd to t he gl o ryand honor o f Beat r i c e .

J udge Parke r was a member o f th e Mason ic and O .

F . frate rn i t i es, and was at one t i me Grand Maste r o f th eI. O . O . F . o f th e State .

Those who kn ew J udge Parke r best,esteemed h im most .

H e was a man o f gene rou s i mpu l ses and was th e incarn at i o n o f i n tegr i ty and stu rdy hon esty. H e desp i seddece i t , t re ache ry and m isrep resen tat i on . H e was everaggress i ve , and a man o f ste rn man ly Op i n i o ns .

H e t ook up his resi d en c e seven m i l es north o f B eatr i ce ,and the re resi d ed u n t i l t h e spr ing o f 1865. Then ce h eremoved to the sou the rn part o f Seward cou n ty , and pu rchas i ng l and , l a i d ou t t he town o f Camden ,

estab l i sh ed asaw m i l l a nd made genera l p reparat ion s to es tab l ish h i mse l f in bus i n ess . Two years l ate r h e had aflouring m i l l


62 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL socIETY .

he de r ived bu t l i t t l e advan tage . Much o f h i s e ar lyeducat ion w as acqu i red by pr i vate s t udy afte r h e hadatt a i ned h i s maj o r i ty . When he was twenty-one

,he

engaged in th e catt l e busi n ess for h i s fat he r , and wasabsen t i n W i s cons in when th e l at te r d i ed . Abandon i ngth e cat t l e bus i ness , he engaged i n mercan t i l e p u rsu i ts, i n

wh i ch he was qu i te su ccess fu l un t i l t h e pan i c o f 1857 ,

when he los t in on e bank al o ne . Th i s same yearhe w as nom i nated fo r stat e sen ato r on t he repub l i cant icket

,bu t dec l i ned on accou n t o f fi nanc ial reverses .

In 1858 Mr . Bu t l e r came to N ebraska Terr i to ry andsett l ed at Pawnee Ci ty , where h e con t i nu ed mercan t i l ebus i n ess and stock - ra is i ng . I n th ese h e was su ccess fu l ,l ay i ng by no smal l fo r tu n e . H is pol i t ical career openswi th h i s e l ect i on to th e te rr i to r i a l l eg i s l atu re as repre se n

t at iy e,in 186 1 . I n 1866 t he repub l i can conven t i on nom

inated h im for fi rst gove rno r o f th e State , abou t th e t imethat t he l egisl a tu re framed a con st i t u t i o n and subm i tt edi t to th e peop l e .

“The democrats nom in ated th e i r fo remost l eade r , J. Ster l i ng Morton . George Fran c i s Tra i nnom i nated h imse l f

,and the th ree cand id at es made the

p ra i r i es o f th e te rr i to ry r i ng w i t h th e i r o rato ry i n th eearly summer .

” 1 The votes cast i n t h e e l ec t i on t hat yea r,

as w e‘l l as in 1868 and 1870,fo r B u t l e r , were as fo l lows?

CANDIDATE S

Daw cl But le r 11126

J . S te rl i n g Mor ton

J . R. Porte r .

John H . Crox ton

The per i od o f fou r years begi n n i ng w i th 1868 was at ime o f very great act iv i ty in Nebraska , pol i t i cal ly , agr icu l tu ral ly

, and commerc i a l ly . I t w as du r i ng th is per i od

Dal ly S tate J our na l, May 26, 1891.

Report of S ecretmy of S tatefor 1891, 1892, page 321.

NECROLOGY . 63

that t h e cap i t a l was removed from Omaha to L i nco ln and

the Un ivers i ty , Asylum and Pen i te n t i ary l o cated at th el at te r p l ace“To the t remendou s energy o f GovernorBu t l e r and his great bu s i ness capac i ty ,

w as due mu ch o fth e success o f th is en te rp r i se o f t h e new State . Dur i ngh is adm i n ist rat i on , also , t h e ra i l road po l i cy o f th e l egi s l ature w as shaped , and to h is earnest e ffo rts was du e th esu ccess o f ra i l road en te rp r i ses , l ong be fore th e popu l at i o nand resou rces o f th e State o ffe red ve ry great induc emen tsUDraflroad budd i ng . Pfi s labors for the

mater i a l advan cement o f th e n ew Stat e were i ncessan t .H e spared ne i th e r t i me nor money from h i s ow n pu rse i nmak i ng h is campa igns , and fo r w id en i ng publ i c sp i r i t andorgan i z i ng what l i t t l e c ap i t a l th e re w as ava i l ab l e . H e

w as t he fath er o f th e p rese nt ra i l road system o f th e State .

E l ected a th i rd t ime by an i n creased maj o r i ty t o t he Gove rnorship ,

i n sp i t e o f t he r i va l amb i t i ons i n h i s party,t h e

gove rno r met fo r th e fi rst t i m e a host i l e maj o r i ty i n th el egi s l atu re . I n th e face o fpolit ical and fac t i on a l host i li ty , roused by a c l ose and exc i t i ng senato r i a l e l ec t i on

,a

l oca l j ea l ousy o f th e asp i r ing c i ty o f L i n co l n that h e hadhe lped to fou nd , and th e p rej ud i c e aga i n s t t h e th i rd te rm ,

t h e governor was ou t o f his e l emen t and w as no t abl e toescape th e to i l s . A fte r a l o ng and b i t te r fight on art i c l eso f impeachment , he w as fi nally conv icted o f a techn i c a l V i o l a t i o n o f l aw and removed fromo thee . The ind ignat i on o f t he peopl e

,however . soon

fo rc ed a recons i d e rat i o n o f th is j udgmen t . and l ongbe fo re th e l egi sl atu re e rased from the reco rds by fo rmalreso l u t i on t h e ou t rage agamst Bu tl e r

,t h e peop l e had

acqu i t ted h im and gi ven h im the p l ace to wh i ch he w as

e n t i t l ed i n th e annals o f t h e State .

1

I t i s i n tended to have th e sub j ec t o f t he i mpeachmen to f Governo r Bu t l e r t ho rough ly t reated in an art ic l ed evo ted to th at subj e c t , i n t h e near fu tu re .

1 Dai ly S tate J ourna l, May 26, 1891.

64 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL soensr y .

A fte r his ret i rement from publ ic l i fe , Governor Bu t l e rd evo ted h imse l f ma i n l y to his pr i vat e pu rsu i ts .

home was th ree and one ~ ha l f m i l es w est o f Pawn ee Ci ty,

where h e d i ed May 25,189 1 , from hear t fa i lu re .

PROCEEDINGSANDCOLLECTIONS

OF TH E

N E B RA S K A

tate istorieal oe ie t

ISSU E D Q U A R T E R L Y

FiFTY CENTS AT L INCOLN,NE BR. FIFTEEN CENTS

NNN NNNNN NNNNNN NNNNNN

LINCOLN PRINTING CoPrinters. S tat ioners and B inders

Nebraska S tate Historical Socie ty

O F F IC E RS

H ON . J STERLING MORTON,Presi den t

,

H ON . R. W . FURNAS,Fi rst Vi ce-Presiden t

,

JUDGE S . B . POUND,Second Vi ce-Presi den t

,

H ON . C. H . GERE,Treasm er ,

PROF . H OWARDW . CALDWELL, S ecretary,JAY AMos BARRETT, Librari an ,

C O M M IT T E E S

Publica ti on : TH E SECRETARY,S . L . GEISH ARDT

,

and S . D. Cox .

Obi tuari es : R. W . FURNAS,GEO. L . MILLER

,

and W . H . ELLER.

Program TH E SECRETARY,J L . WEB STER,

and J M. WOOLWORTH .

Library JAY AMos BARRETT,MRS . S . B . POUND,

and J H . CANFIELD.

Nebraska.Ci ty

Brow nvi lleLincoln

Lincoln

Lincoln

Lin coln


VOL . I. ,No. 2 LINCOLN , NEBR. , OCTOB ER 1, 1894 S ECOND SERIE S

HISTORICAL PAPERS .

EARLY NEBRASKA CURRENCY AND PER

CAP ITA CIRCULAT ION .

1

H ENRY W . YATE S .

GENTLEME N OF TH E STATE H I STORICAL S ocmrv z— WhenI rece i v ed an i nv i tat i o n from you r secre ta ry to p resen t apap er t o be read as th i s meet i ng o f you r Soc i e ty , I cou l dt h i nk o f noth i ng at th e t ime i n my own expe r i e n ce

,wh i ch

cou l d fo rm th e p rope r subj ec t fo r a h i sto r i ca l paper and Iso i n formed h im . My res i dence i n N ebraska , i t i s t ru e ,commenced over th i r ty years ago , bu t my con nec t i o n wi t hi t s l i fe has bee n i n a business way so l e ly . I t has ,

howeve r,

occu rred to me , th at some re ference to early bank i ng i nNebraska m ight be app rop r i ate ly made th e bas i s fo r su c ha parier, and th at you wou ld pardo n th e p res en tat i o n o fsome deduct io n s th ere from , wh i ch wou l d no t be exact lyh i s to r i ca l , bu t wou ld be app l i cab l e to th e fi nancial s i tu at i o n and th e financ ial ques t i o ns o f t h e p rese n t day .

As de l egate from Nebraska , I was ca l l ed upon to de l i ve r

1 Delivered before the State H istorical Soeiety, Wednesday evening. January 10, atLincoln . Neb .


an address at the World’

s Congress o f Bankers andF i nanc i ers, held i n Ch i cago l ast j u ne .

’

Referr i ng to ou rearly bank ing enterp r i ses , I u sed th e fo l l ow ing words : (p .

519 o f Proceed i ngs .)“The h i sto ry o f bank i ng

,from

pecu l i ar causes , commences wi th th e c iv i l ex i stence o f th eTerr i to ry . The ch ie f occupat i on o f th e early l eg isl a tu res,composed l arge ly o f men from I owa and M issou r i— fo rthe popu l at i o n was not at fi rst suffi cie n t to supp ly i tsrequ i red number o f s tatesmen— was l a rge ly cap i ta l l ocat i o n and the charte r i ng o f paper banks and paper towns i te compan i es . The bank i ng resou rces o f t he per i odwere fou nded upon a bas i s wh i ch st i l l supp l i es ampl ecap i ta l fo r th e en te rpr i s i ng adven tu re r— th e gu l l ib i l i ty o fth e pub l ic The Terr i to ry came i n t o ex i s ten ce at t h ehe igh t o f th e“wi l d cat and bob - ta i l ed cu rrency t imesand th e N ebraska set t l e r who cou l d ra ise suffi cien t

money to obta i n a charte r and pay fo r th e p r i n t i ng o f h i sbank no tes

,had what wou l d be te rmed i n these t imes a

bonanza .

” H is pape r town answered p erfect l y the re

quiremen ts o f his paper cu rrency , render i ng presen ta t i o nfor redempt i on ext remely diffi cult , as i t was no t a lwayseasy even to fi nd the town i n wh i ch th e supposed bankwas loca ted .

The fi nancial pan i c o f 1857 pu t an end to th i s bus i n ess ,and th e o n ly record I have ever seen re fe rr ing to th ebank ing o f t h i s pe r i od i s i n t he comptro l l e r o f cu rren cy

’

s

l as t report to Congress .

Under the stat ist i cs o f s tate banks p r i o r to 1863 I fi ndt he fo l low ing : Nebraska

,1857 , fou r banks . cap i ta l , $205.

ooo ; c i rcu lat i on , depos i ts,

Nebraska ,1858, six banks, . cap ital, c i rcu l at i on

,

depos i ts, And wi th one add i t i onal ent ry i n 1859 ,

Nebraska d isappears from these bank stat ist ics u n t i l 1875.

Governor B lack,th e th i rd terr i to r i a l gove rnor , in h is me s

sage o f 1859, has th is to say o f th e fi nanc ial s i tu at i on : I ti s a matter o f b i t te r exper i en ce that th e peopl e o f th e

Terr i tory have been made to pass through the tlelusive


70 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY.

not know upon what au tho r i ty th e figures were g ivenwh i ch appear i n th e compt ro l l e r

’

s repo rt to wh i ch I re

fe rred,bu t no reason ex i s ts fo r doubt i ng t h e i r accu racy so

far as th ey go , and they were doubt l ess taken from someo f these pub l i shed reports . There were , however , manymore banks than t hose n am ed i n th i s report , and the bu s in ess was not embrac ed as now i n th e vo lume o f depos i t s ,bu t i n th e vo l ume o f c i rc u l at i ng no tes , wh i ch each bankcou l d manage to float u pon a confiding publ i c . Sorensoni n h i s“H isto ry of. Omaha ,

”wr i t i ng o f th e pan i c o f 1857 ,

says there w ere“numerous w i l dca t banks i n t he terr i to ryat t hat t ime . Two or th ree o f t hese banks were l ocatedat Omaha , and one or more at eve ry l i t t l e v i l l age th roughthe r iver cou n t i e s .

”

H e ment i ons as t h e fi rst bank i ng i n st i tu t i o n charte red ,the Weste rn Exchange F i re and Mar i ne I nsu ranceCompany o f Omaha .

”Th is bank fa i l ed Sep tember 23 ,

1857 , and i n i ts sch edu l e o f ass ignment t h e asse tsamou nted to composed mai n ly o f b i l l s re ce ivabl e” and“not es d i scou n ted . I n actu a l cash i t h e l d

$ 19 1 .o3 i n spec i e and $ 12 1 i n b i l l s o f o th e r i n so lven t banks .I ts l i ab i l i t i e s o f an equal amoun t were doubt l ess ma i n lyembraced i n i ts c i rcu l at i ng notes , none o f wh i ch were eve rredeemed . I h ave recen t and exce l l en t au thor i ty fo r th es tatemen t that ve ry l i t t l e was eve r co l l ec ted from theseasse ts— no t suffi cien t , i n fac t , t o pay th e expenses o f co ll eet i ng . I t i s equ ally certa i n th at a s i m i l a r resu l t fo l l owedthe c los i ng up o f a l l t h e o th er banks wh i c h fa i l ed at t ha tt i me , u n l ess i t may be the

“Bank o f N ebraska”— th e noteso f wh i ch bank were subsequ e n t ly redeemed by Mr . B . F

A l l e n o f DesMo ines, I owa . Mr . Dav id H . Mo ffat t , p res iden t o f th e F i rs t Nat i ona l B ank o f Denver , and one o f

Co lo rado’

s l arges t m i l l i o na i res and most p rom i n en t c i t i z enswas a te l l e r i n th i s bank . Mr . Leroy Tu t t l e , who subse

quen t ly became an ass i s tan t t reasu rer o f th e Un i ted Statesat Wash i ngton , was t he cash i e r o f t h e Wes te rn Ex changeF i re and Mar i n e I nsu rance Company , and Mr . A . U . Wy

HISTORICAL PAPERS. 1

man was a te l l e r , who subsequen t ly became th e treasu rero f the Un i ted Stat es , and now i s p res i den t o f th e OmahaLoan and Trust Company . Mr . Sorenson notes th e fac tt h at among the re l i c s o f t h i s l as t named bank , s to red i no ld dry goods boxes at t he t i me o f h i s wr i t i ng , werebu nd les o f checks s igned by o l d , we l l kn own Nebraskans ,and among th em th e n ame of] . S te r l i ng Morton , you r ho no red p res i d ent

,an d a member 01 t h e cab i net o f Pres i de nt

Cl eve l and . I t i s p roper to s tat e he re that my re fe rencei s to th e banks wh i ch fa i l ed . There were two banks w h i c hd i d no t fa i l and whose ob l igat i on s were al l redeemed . ThePlat t e Val l ey Bank o f N ebraska Ci ty , owned by Mr . S . F .

Nucko l l s,and th e Bank o f Dako ta , ow ned by Koun t z e

B rothe rs o f Omaha .

The fou r banks ment i o ned i n th e comptro l l e r’

s repo rthad an aggregate c i rcu l at i o n o f $35 We can sa fe lyes t imat e th e c i rcu l at i o n o f th e rema i n i ng banks at asmuch mo re

,and add i ng to th i s th e w i l dcat money o f o th er

s tates i n c i rcu l at i o n , w i th a smal l amoun t o f spec i e andgood bank notes , and a tota l aggregate of

wou ld be a conse rvat ive est imat e .

The censu s o f 1855 gave a popu lat i on o f but i n1857 t h i s was c l a imed to have i nc reased to

Accept i ng th i s n umbe r as app rox i mate ly c orrec t,and w e

have a c i rcu l at i o n per cap i t a o f $ 100. I am assured by

Dr . Geo rge L . M i l l e r , who l ived i n Nebraska th rough allt hese t imes , th at my figures are l ow . H e t h i nks th e

vo l ume o f c i rcu l at i o n w as greate r and popu lat i o n l ess t han

est i mat ed . The p resen t p e r cap i ta i n th e Un i t ed S tates i s

$25, t h at o f France , wh i ch has t h e l arges t i n t he world , i s

$40, an d that o f G reat B r i ta i n , recogn i z ed as the weal th i es tnat i o n i n th e wor ld , i s o n ly $ 18. These figures i n com

p ar i so n w i t h those o f N ebraska i n 1857 i n d i cate a remarkabl e fi nancial cond i t i o n i n th e you ng commonwea l t h —a

fa i r cons i derat i o n o f wh i ch w i l l t h row conv i n c i ng l igh t

upon some o f the financ ial propos i t i o ns o f t he presen t t i me

72 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL socna'rv.

-wh i ch are at t rac t i ng at te n t i o n and provok i ng d iscuss ionas l ive top ics fo r po l i t i ca l and l egisl at i ve act i on .

Ac cord i ng to th is theory a l arge per cap i ta o f c i rcu l at i o ni s requ i red i n the advan cement o f nat i onal weal th andp rogress

,and i f i t shou l d n ot ex ist by n atu ra l means ,

th rough the ord inary chan ne ls o f supp ly and demand,th e

fi at power o f government shou ld be exerc ised to supp lythe p roper quan t i ty . Here i n ou r early N ebraska was aper cap i ta o f suffi cient d imens ion s to sat i s fy a l l reasonab l edemands . There ex i s ts no th i ng , however , t o i nd i cat e asoc i a l co nd i t i on o f weal t h or l uxury among the ear ly sett le rs. O n t h e contrary we know tha t many hardsh ips wereendu red and p rivat lons su ffered , wh i c h wou l d be deemedu nendurabl e among th e same c l asses at t h i s t ime . Imm i

grat ion to N ebraska was fo r t h e pu rpose o f improv ingfi nancial cond i t i ons , wh i ch i n most cases had becomedesperate i n th e i r o l d homes . No one possess i ng weal thwou ld have though t o f em igrat i ng to Nebraska and nogold or s i lve r m i nes o r p rodu ct ive en t erpr i ses o f anycharac te r ex i st ed at that t i me wh ich gave p rom ise o f anyearly retu rn s . A fa i r subs i st ence w as al l t hat th e l argerport ion o f th e early se tt l e rs cou ld hope to obta in

,and

eve n th is was by no means always real i z ed .

The money o f the per i od was mai n ta i ned at l eas t th eore t ically on a par i ty w i th spec i e , by the p rom i se o f redempt i o n in co i n , and fo r th i s reason i s no t t o be c l assed wi thcon t i nen ta l cu rren cy , Fren ch assignats o r con federatemon e y wh i ch we re pu re hat money . Pract i ca l ly the resu l tsw ere th e same . These n otes supp l i ed an abu ndance o fmoney

, and th e w o rl d 15 alw ays ready to embrace a de l usi o n w h i ch conveys so much men ta l sat i s fact i on t o theaccumu la to r o f such weal th . H e rea l ly be l i eves h i s d ollars are t ru e ones , and fo r th e t ime be i ng i t i s

“fo l ly to bew ise .

” The cu rren cy w as good u n t i l the col l apse came,

wh ich exposed no t on ly t he worth l essness o f the mon ey ,but also th e exaggerated valu es o f p ropert i es whose

frequen t t rans fers t he money had fac i l i t ated . The cou n try

11131 01119 11. PAPERS.

was as fa i r as i t i s now - the so i l as produc t ive and c l imateas favorabl e , bu t th e cond i t i o n s wh ich engender rea l valu ewe re absen t . No p rofi table re tu rn cou l d be obta ined fromfarm i ng

,sto ck - ra isi ng o r any o th e r p u rsu i t fo r wh i ch th i s

state is now s o p re -em i ne nt l y we l l adap ted . No marke tex iste d fo r p rodu cts . A gen erous harvest mean t on l y aco nd i t i on i n wh ich i t wou l d be more p rofi table to bu rncorn fo r fu e l th an wood or coal , wh i ch was frequ en t lydone

,and s tock - ra i s i ng was even more u nprom is

i ng . The ou ts ide world ex i st ed then as i t does now ,

bu t an impenet rab l e barr i e r ex i sted be tween that worl dand th i s v i rg i n so i l . For a l l p ract i cal pu rposes , excep t th esust enance o f i ts l i m i ted popu lat i o n , t he coun try may aswel l h ave bee n a desert . I t was on ly whe n t h ere wasbrough t to i ts a i d the power o f cap i t a l— ano ther n ame fo rt he conden sed su rp l us l abo r o f the worl d— t hat t h ese co nd it ions changed . Rai l roads have supp l i ed th e m iss i ngl inks whi ch have made possi b l e th e magn ificen t deve lopmen t o f t he p resen t . The p e r cap i ta o f c i rcu l at i o n hasd im in ished , bu t the per cap i ta o f val u ab l e th i ngs has imme nsely i n c reased . The Ieaven o f imported cap i ta l hasl e avened the l oa f u n t i l t h e vo l ume o f home cap i ta l great lyexceeds the i mported . I t makes no d i ffe rence what t hepe r cap i t a o f c i rcu l at i o n may be— weal th and p rospe r i tycan on ly come from p rodu c t i ve resou rc es , and i f th ese donot ex i s t t he money w i l l p rove as“sou nd i ng brass and

t i nk l ing cymbals” o n ly .

I t requ i res no e l aborate reason i ng to show th e t ru th o fth i s statement

,as i de from i ts demonst rat i on i n th e sad

exper i en ce o f th e past .A commod i ty or th i ng to ope rat e any o f th e fun ct i o nso f money must possess va l u e in th e est i mat i on o f thosewho so use i t . Th is va lu e may be part ly i n t r i ns ic i n i tse l f,as a use fu l commod i ty

,or may resu l t en t i re ly from some

use g iven by law or by p reva i l i ng confide nce and gen era lcon sen t . Th is confidence may be m i sp l aced and i t s c i renlat i o n may ar i se from a fa ls e assumpt i o n or concep t i on o f


val u e,j u s t as a cou n te r fe i t w i l l c i rcu l at e o r a bank not e

wh i ch w i l l n ever be redeemed . For th e t ime be i ng,any

o f t hese k i nds o f money w i l l pass from hand to hand,and

perfo rm one o f th e monetary fu nc t i o ns , t hat o f“a med ium

o f exchange,equal ly as we l l as th e best o f co i n s

,and i f

t h e i ssu e i s no t excess i ve , t he c harac te r o f th e money maynot great l y a ffec t p r i ces . Bu t when men become p ro

duce rs o f cap i ta l by accumu lat i ng a su rp l u s ove r andabove expenses , t h e tes t o f a good money i s app l i ed .

Us i ng the te rms supp l i ed by Pro fesso r J evons , goodmoney must a l so be a“s torage o f va l u e” and a“s tandardfo r de fe rred payments . I f t he u se g iven by l aw i s abatedor the vo lume issu ed i s i n excess o f th e u se the tes t o fval u e conveyed i n t hese two exp ress io ns can not be sus

ta ined ,and the money immed i ate ly s i nks to what i ts rea l

val u e may be . Whether we l ik e i t o r not , go ld i s t he on lycommod i ty used fo r money wh i ch can fulfi ll t h i s r ig i d test

,

ar i s i ng from th e u n ive rsal es t i mat i on o f i t s val u e , i n wh i chi t h as been he l d among al l n at i o ns from the ear l i es trecorded ages

,and i n wh i ch es t imat i on i t con t i nues to be

he ld,and we have every reason to be l i eve wi l l so con t i nu e

fo r many ages to come . Other money may be as good asgold

,bu t can o n ly be so when exchangeab l e fo r it , and

none can be bet te r . Large pe r cap i t a c i rcu l at i o n o f acu rrency wh i c h depends fo r i ts val u e upon a temporaryl eg i s l at iv e sanct i o n and u se , o r u pon a temporary wh im o fman

,can mean noth i ng as i nd i cat ive o f weal th and pros

pe ri ty . I t su pp l i es a med i um o f ou r own i nven t i on tose rve a tempora ry pu rpose o f“swapp i ng” w i th each oth er ,p rope rty o r commod i t i es

,t h e d iffe rence o f th e ex ch ange

fo rm i ng a spec i es o f l o t te ry i n wh i ch t he wi nn ers are'

those

who su cceed i n co nvert i ng th e i r ho l d i ngs i n to someth i ngval u ab l e , and the lose rs as u su al t h e ho l de rs o f t h e b lanks—in t h i s case the money u sed .

Bu t i t can be fu rth e r demonst rated that a l arge percap i ta o f t h e best money i s no t o f i tse l f a n i n d i cat i o n o fge nera l wea l t h and p rospe r i ty .


1 . Shou l d th e money l arge ly have accumu l ated i n tothe h ands o f a few— say w i th the Ro thchilds, o r th e Gou lds ,Vanderb i l t s and Rocke fe l l e rs — th i s wou l d n o t be conside red p rosper i ty .

2 . When th e c i rcu l at i o n seems p roperly d i s t r ibu ted ,among a l l c l asse s o f t he popu lat i o n — t h e qu est i o n o f actu a lownersh i p must be taken i n to cons i de rat i o n . I f th e mon eyi s borrowed and th e c i rc u l at i o n ar i ses from th e p ro ceedso f e i th er i nd i v i du a l o r mu n i c i pal d ebt , t h e e l emen t o fweal t h i s s t i l l absen t i n t h e pe r cap i ta c i rcu l at i o n . Wecan eas i ly co nce i ve a commun i ty possess i ng l arge moneyresou rces and part i ng w i th money to anot her commun i tyw hich lacks cap i ta l i n th e p rosecu t i o n o f des i red en te rp r i ses .For th e t i me be i ng the i n c reased pe r cap i ta wou l d ap

pear i n th e debto r commu n i ty and a dec reased pe r cap i t ai n t hat o f t h e c red i to r , bu t no on e wou l d say that th efo rmer was th e weal t h i e r commun i ty .

3 . S t i l l a no th e r cond i t i o n may ex i s t i n wh i ch t h e p ercap i t a may be large and carry w i th i t no e l emen t o f nat i ona lp rogress and p rospe r i ty . There may be soc i a l o r po l i t i ca linfluences wh i ch impede , i f t h ey do no t p roh ib i t a l l bus in ess e n te rp r ises , and i n con sequ ence th e money i s h oardedand conse rves no pub l i c good . Th is i s genera l ly th eresu l t o f wars and fi nanc ial pan i cs , bu t w i l l a l so fo l l ow inj u d i c i ou s l eg i s l at i o n o r de fect iv e en fo rcemen t o f th e l aws .Th is l eads us t o th e final co n clu s i o n that a large vo lumeo f money o f th e best qual i ty i n gene ra l c i rcu l at i on , s imp lyi nd ic ates act iv i ty i n bus i n ess , j u s t as l a rge bank c l ea r i ngsso i nd i ca te , bu t th e cu rren cy be i ng sou nd , t h e resu l ts o fth i s act i v i ty i n the p roduc t i o n o f n ew cap i ta l i s abso l u te lyassu red . Cap i ta l can no t be manu fac tu red by l aw or bype rsonal wh ims and no amou nt o f ha t money can p rodu c ethe hea l th fu l act i v i ty from wh i ch cap i t a l i s evo lved .

Ac t iv i ty o f a k i n d w i l l be cau sed by su ch money bu t th eremust i nev i tabl y fo l l ow t he“dark n igh t” o f Governo rB lack and al l the l abor and t i me produc i ng th e act iv i tyw i l l be fou nd to have bee n expended i n va i n , and th e con

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

d i t i on o f the commun i ty worse than if i t had neve r

occu rred .

MUN ICIPAL GOVERNMENT IN NEBRASKA .

VICTOR ROS EWATER,PH . D.

(Del i vered before the S ta te H istor ical Society J an . 9,

I deem i t prope r at th e ou tse t t o defin e br iefly t h escope o f th i s paper . Of s impl e h istor i ca l n arrat i on bu tl i t t l e w i l l e n ter i n to my expos i t i o n o f th is subj ec t . I n s teado f go i ng in to th e i nc i d ent s and cont rovers i es , t he fact i onalfights and j ea lou s i es wh i ch have ex i s ted i n N ebraskac i t i es from th e very begi nn ing o f th e i r careers , I p roposeto om i t al l a l l usi on to soc i a l d eve l opmen t o r po l i t i ca ldom i nat io n and to confi ne mysel f so l e ly to a sketch t rac i ngthe growth o f that governmen ta l organi z at i on to wh i chhas been give n th e adm i n ist rat i on o f l ocal affa i rs . Mypaper then , so far as i t const i tu tes h i s tory a t a l l , i s ah isto ry o f l eg i sl at i on— an att empt to t race th e evo lu t i ono f ou r c i ty governments from the comparat ive ly s imp l emach i nery o f th e early days to the comp l icated systemwh ich preva i ls i n c i t i es o f the metropo l i tan c l ass today .

A word too , may be necessary as to th e method wh i chI h ave pu rsu ed . The mater i a l s have been sough t i n theconst i tu t i on s , l aws , and statu tes o f t h i s S tate . My pu rposebe ing , how eve r , as Ihave j u st exola ined , to t race the deve lopme n t o f ou r system o f mumcipal governmen t . I havecons i de red i t u n necessary to analyse each and eve ry c i tycharter and t he many amendments made there to becausei n ve ry many cases , the changes are immater i a l fo r mypu rposes . I t i s enough to exam i ne the s imp lest and



l i t e ra l ly const ru ed was mandato ry upon th e l egi s l atu re .

Among th e l egi s l at i v e pu rposes enumerated i n th e ca l l fort h e spec i a l s ess i o n o f th e n ew state l eg isl atu re i n th eSpr i ng o f 1867 , was th i s :

“To prov i de fo r th e o rgan i z at i o n o f c i t i es and in co rporated v i l l ages ; bu t yet noth i ngwas accomp l i sh ed under th i s h ead ing u n t i l th e fi rst gene ra lmu n i c i pal i n co rporat i o n ac t became law i n 1869 .

The const i tu t i o n o f 1875 l eaves th e power o f i nco rporat i ng mun i c ipa l i t i es wi th th e state l eg i s l atu re

,and sub

stan t ially re -enac ts th e c l au se requ i r i ng i t to do so bygen era l l aw . Add i t i o nal res t r i c t i on s are p l aced upo n th eexten t o f lo ca l powers to be gran ted , namely tha t t axat i o no th er than spec ia l assessmen ts must be u n i fo rm w i thresp ec t to pe rson s and p rope rty w i t h i n th e j u r i sd i c t i o n o fthe body impos i ng the same ; that no mun i c i pa l i ty be pe rm itted to secu re any i n te rest i n t h e stock o f any ra i lwayor p r i vate co rporat i o n ; t h at no c i ty be al l owed to makedonat i on s to p romote any i n te rn a l improvemen t

,u n l ess

au thor i z ed by a vote o f th e peop l e , wh i ch vote mus t showstwo - t h i rd s o f t he vote rs in th e affi rmat ive , i f t h e donat i onexceeds te n pe r cen t . o f t h e c i ty

’

s va l u at i o n , and must notexceed fi fte en pe r ce n t . in any even t .

EARLY MUN I C IPAL CH ARTERS .

The te rr i to r i a l and s tate l egisl atu res have lost no

opportu n i ty to take th e u tmost advan tage o f these powersves ted i n th em . The fi rst te rr i to r i a l l eg i s l atu re at i t s fi rsts ess i on in 1854

—5, passed no l ess th an fi fte en spec i a l

c harte rs fo r w hateve r pape r c i t i es m igh t h ave made applicat i on fo r i ncorpo rat i on. These ch arters were a l l ve rys im i l a r i n ch aracte r mode l led u po n the Nebraska Ci tyc harte r , wh i ch i n tu rn was mos t p robably cop i ed i n a l le sse n t i a l part i cu l ars from charte rs o f c i t i e s i n I owa , fromwh ich st ate most o f t he ear l i es t te rr i to r i a l l aws werede r ived . They de fi ned t h e t e rr i to ry subj ec t to mun ic i p algove rnmen t , con fe rred corporate capac i ty upon i ts inhab

itan ts, presc r ibed th e qualificat ions of voters, vested the


l o ca l l eg i s l at ive powers i n t he mayo r and common cou nc i lcomp r i s i ng th ree to n i n e a ld erman , enumerated th epowers o f l oca l adm i nst rat i o n and o rda i n ed a frame o fo f gove rnmen ta l offi ces. The e l ec t i ve office rs were th emayor

,ald ermen , marshal , reco rder , t reasu re r and asses

sor ; each serv i ng te rms o f one year on ly . These sp ec i a lcha rte rs were amended , modifi ed , con so l i dated from yearto year and new on es added to t h e l i s t w i th appal l i ngfrequency : fi fte en i n 1858, n i ne i n 1859 . I n 1862 t he te rr itorial l egi s l a tu re even wen t so far as to repeal t h e ch arte ri t h ad gran ted Fontene l l e and to nam e a board o f t ru steesto w i nd up i ts a ffa i rs . How many o f th e charte rs wen tu n accep t ed I h ave no means o f know i ng .

GENERAL MUN I C IPAL CORPORATION ACTS .

There h ad been a gene ra l l aw passed as ear ly as 1857 ,prov i d i ng fo r th e i n co rpo rat i on o f towns u nder a systemo f gove rnmen t by tru s tees and th i s had been rev i sed an dre - enac ted i n 1864 . Bu t up to th e at ta i nmen t o f statehood ,

mun ic i p al gove rnmen t i n N ebrask a had been pract i ca l lya gove rnmen t u nde r spec i a l c harte rs . The fi rst s ta te const itut ion forbade th e co nt i nuan ce o f th i s p ract i c e and as aconsequence we fi nd mu n i c i p a l corpo rat i on s d iv i d ed i n totwo c l asses and o rgan i z ed u nde r gene ra l l aws a fte r th es ess i on o f th e l egi s l atu re i n 1869 . The fi rst c lass compr i s edc i t i es hav i ng qualifi ed vote rs as shown by th e i r regist rat ion l i s t s , and wheneve r th i s shou ld become apparen t ,th e governor was to p roc l a i m the fact , whereupon t he c i tywou ld become subj ec t to th e statu te re lat i ng to c i t i es o ft h e fi rst c l ass . Ci t i es o f t h e second c l ass were to berec ru i ted from i n corporat ed towns that shou ld find t hemse lves possessed o f 500 l egal vo te rs . The dete rm i nat i o n ,th en , o f t he charac te r o f th e mu n i c i pa l governmen t wasmade to res t no t u po n a part i cu l a r d es ign at i o n o f t err ito ry as u nder t he spec i a l c harte rs bu t u pon the n umbero f qualified vote rs . Th i s was soon changed , however , by

the laws enact ed tw o years l at er ( 187 1) wh i ch made all


c i t i e s hav i ng over i nhab i tants c i t i es o f th e fi rst c l ass ,and al l hav i ng ove r and l ess than c i t i es o f th esecond c lass . The number o f i nhab i tan ts w as t o bece rt ifi ed t o the governor by th e mayor and cou nc i l o f th e

Ci ty or town , and upon h i s p roc lamat i on th e c i ty was tobecome subj ect to the act govern i ng th e c l ass to wh i ch i tbe longed . The lower l im i t for c i t i es o f the second c l assw as reduced to 500 i n hab i tan ts i n 1873 , and ra i sed aga i ni n 1879 to I n 1881 , on ly c i t i es hav i ng overi nhab i tan ts were to be termed c i t i es o f th e fi rst c l ass . I ti s ev i den t t hat these changes were made so le ly fo r thepu rpose o f e i th er i nc l ud ing or shutt i ng ou t part icu larc i t i es and to t hat exten t were evas ions o f the const i tu t ionaga in s t spec i a l l eg i s l at i o n . The same in ten t i s seen i n theact o f 1883 , c reat i ng an extra subd iv i s io n k nown as c i t i e so f the second c lass hav ing more than i nhab i tants ,

”

amended in 1885 t o app ly to“c i t i es o f th e secon d c l ass

h av i ng more than i n hab i tan ts .

” I n th e l atter yearth e l im i ts fo r c 111es o f th e second c l ass were a l so madefrom to i nhab i tan ts . Th is deve lopmen t wascarr i ed a step fu rther two years l at e r by th e c reat ion o fanoth e r extra c l ass designated

,

“c i t i e s o f met ropol i tanc l ass , i nc l ud i ng c i t i es hav i ng over inhab i tan ts ; th eoth er classifica t ions remai n i ng as c i t i es o f th e fi rst c lass

to c i t i es o f th e second c l ass hav i ng overi nhab i tant s to c i t i es o f th e second

cl ass to Th is classifi ca t ion w as aga i nchanged i n 1889 as fo l l ows : c i t i es o f t h e metropo l i ta nc lass, (over c i t i es o f t h e fi rst c l ass to 80,

c i t i es o f t he fi rst cl ass hav i ng less t han inhabi

tan ts t o c i t i es o f t he second c l ass (over

TH E MAYOR.

The corporate capac i ty o f Nebraska mun ic i pal i t i es hasalways been vested j o i n t ly i n th e mayor and c i ty counc i l .

H ISTORICAL PAPERS .

The offi ces o f mayor and members o f t h e cou nc i l moreover have a lways been e l ec t i ve .

The mayor i s denom i nated th e ch i e f execu t i ve office r o ft h e c i ty and con servato r o f t h e peace . Under th e spec i a lcharters h i s t e rm o f o thee was on e year . The act o f 1869govern i ng c i t i es o f the fi rst c l ass made i t two years , bu t i twas shorten ed to on e year i n 187 1 , and rema i ned so i nc i t i es o f t h e h ighes t c l ass u nt i l 1881 . when i t aga i n becametwo years . The mayo r at fi rst h imsel f p res i d ed ove r th ede l ibe rat i o ns o f th e cou nc i l an d was al l owed th e cast i ngvot e i n case o f a t i e . The gene ra l ac t o f 1879 took th i spower away i n favo r o f a p res i de nt e l e ct ed by th e cou nc i land gave h im a l im i t ed veto power subj ec t to be overr i dd en by a two - t h i rds vo te o f th e l egal n umber o f cou nc i lmen , wh i l e that o f 1881 extended th i s veto powe r to separat e i tems o f th e approp r i at i o n b i l l s .I n add i t i o n to th i s , t h e mayor was o r igi n a l ly a j us t i c e o f

the peace , by v i rtu e o f h i s othee , w i th bot h c i v i l an d c r imi na l j u r i sd i c t i o n ove r offenses comm i t t ed w i th i n th e boundar i es o f t h e mun i c i pa l i ty . H is cou r t r esembled th e o l dmayo r

’

s cou rt o f co l on i a l t imes from wh i ch appeal l ay tot he h igh e r t r i bu nal . The c iv i l j u r i sd i c t i o n was l ate r cut

o ff and i n 1869 t he cou rt was tu rn ed ove r to an e l ec t i vepo l i c e j u dge

,bu t th e mayor was st i l l t o act pe nd i ng h i s

absence o r d i sab i l i ty . Under th e act o f 187 1 , he re ta i n edh i s power to rem i t fi nes and gran t repr i eves and pardonsfo r v i o l at i o ns o f c i ty o rd i nances , and th e mayo r may st i l lrem i t po l i c e cou rt fines i n c i t i es o f th e met ropo l i tan c l ass,subj ec t to regu l at i o ns t o be p ro v id ed by o rd i nance o f th ec i ty cou nc i l .

TH E CITY COUNCIL .

The c i ty cou nc i l h as var i ed great ly i n number and compos i t i o n . The fi rst charte r o f N ebraska Ci ty p rov id ed fo rthree a lde rmen and that o f Omaha Ci ty fo r n i ne , a l le l ec t ed annu al ly . They were ca l l ed coun c i lmen i n th e ac t

o f 1869 and were to be e l ec ted two from each ward , on e


from each ward re t i r i ng annua l ly . By the act o f 1881 ,

t h e re we re st i l l to be twi ce as many cou nc i lm en as wards ,bu t hal f o f them were to be e l ec ted at l arge

,th e o th ers ,

one from each ward , t h e two c l asses ret i r i ng i n a l te rnateyears . Th is o rgan i z at i o n st i l l p e rs ists. The counc i l h asa lways had power ove r i ts own in t e rna l affa i rs and top rov id e fo r d ec id ing ‘ contests in t he e l ec t i on o f its ownmembers . The lat te r l aws a l so requ i re p roperty qual ifi cat ions.

TH E CITY CLERK .

The ear ly charte rs p rov i ded for an e l ec t i ve reco rde r tokeep the records o f th e mu n ic i pal coroora t ion w i t h t e rmcorrespond i ng to that o f mayor . By an amendmen t t oth e Omaha Ci ty charte r i n 1858, he was des ignated c i tyc l e rk and made appo i n t ive by th e cou nc i l . The ac t o f187 1 , made th e othee aga i n e l e c t ive ; i t w as made appo i n tive by th e cou n c i l by an amendmen t i n 1877 ; made e l ec t ivei n 1883 ; appo i n t i ve i n 1885 ; e l ec t ive aga i n i n 189 1 . Thec i ty c l e rksh i p , i t i s th us seen , has been made th e bu ffe t o fl egi s l at ive de feren ce to charter comm i tt e es .The otfi ce o f compt ro l l e r has been the ou tgrowth o f the

offi ces o f c i ty c l e rk and c i ty t reasu re r , fi rst appear i ng asan e l ec t i ve othee u nder th e n ame o f aud i to r i n 1885. andcal l ed compt ro l l e r s i n ce 1887 . The term o f th is o thee , aswe l l as t h e oth er e l e c t ive c i ty offi ces, has constan t ly co rresponded w i th th at o f th e mayor . The i ncumben t

’

s

mai n du ty compr i ses t h e aud i t i ng o f p ubl i c accou n ts .

TH E CITY TREASURER.

The t reasu re r has from the fi rst been an e l ec t i ve offi ce rupon whom has been enj o i n ed th e sa fe keep i ng o f th epubl i c moneys .

TH E MARSHAL .

Exc lud i ng t he assessor , i n rea l i ty a p rec i nc t offi ce r , t hemarshal comp l e tes the l ist o f o r igi na l e l ec t i ve charte r

officers. Under t he fi rst spec ial charters he w as not on ly


conse rvato r o f th e peace , bu t a l so ch i e f execu t ive office ro f th e mayor

’

s cou rt and at th e same t i me co l l ec to r o f th etaxes .

The marsha l became the mayo r’

s appo in te e u nde r th eac t o f 188 1 govern i ng c i t i es o f t he fi rst c lass and anappo i n tee o f th e board o f fi re a nd po l i ce comm iss i one rs ,

wi th t he t i t l e , ch i e f o f po l ice , u nder the act o f 1887 , governi ng c i t i es o f t h e metropo l i tan c l ass .

The las t named ac t gave ove r th e en t i re con t ro l o f t h epo l i c e and fi re departmen ts to the board o f fi re and po l i c ecomm iss i o ne rs , c0115 1st ing o f th e mayor , as ex -offi c io

member , and fou r o thers appo in ted by the gove rn o r fort e rms o f fou r years , two re t i r i ng b i en n i a l ly . Th i s n ove lte nu re and compos i t i o n o f a met ropo l i tan adm i n ist rat iv eboard was adopted to give i t a greate r i ndependence .

Respons ib l e to t he gove rnor,a s tate offi ce r , and chose n

from the representat ives o f at l eas t t h ree po l i t i ca l part i es ,i t s non -part i san ch aracte r i s st i l l fu r th e r guarded by th esubsc r i p t i o n o f each member to a n oat h :“That i n mak i ngappo i n tments

,o r co ns i de r i ng p romot i o ns o r removal s , he

w i l l n o t be gu i ded or act uated by pol i t i ca l mot i ves o rinflue nces, bu t w i l l co ns i der on l y th e i n te res ts o f t he c i tyand th e su ccess and e ffec t iven ess o f sa id departmen ts .Th i s board has al so been given the superv i s i o n and gra n ti ng o f l i quo r l i ce nses

,u nde r th e state law , a du ty that

p rev i ou s ly rest ed upon t h e c i ty coun c i l an d c i ty c l e rk . I twou l d be i n te rest i ng i n an excu rsu s to t race t h e ex ten t o ft he powers o f N ebraska mun i c ipa l i t i es ove r th e l i c ens i ngo f th e l iquo r t raffi c ,

bu t such dev i at i o n wou ld , I fear ,u nn ecessar i ly p ro l ong my paper .

M INOR CITY OFF I C IALS AND BOARDS .

Hav i ng hu rr i ed ly sketch ed th e d evel opmen t o f th eo r ig i n al e l ec t i ve charte r offi ce rs i n o u r mu n i c i pa l i t i es , th esubseque n t add i t i o ns to th e adm i n i s t rat ive m ach i ne rymust be passed w i th a ve ry br i e f men t i on . Othe r mu n i c

i pa l Officers bes ide those al ready alluded to , have be en


el e c t ive at d i ff eren t ti mes . The c i ty eng i n eer , begi n n i ngw i t h th e gen eral ac t o f 1869 u nt i l th at o f 1881 ; th e c i tyso l i c i to r fo r th e br i e f two years a fte r 1869 ; t he st ree t comm iss i o ner from the genera l ac t o f 187 1 to t hat o f 1881 - al lo f wh i ch are n ow appo i nted by the mayor . A ch i e f o f t h efi re department came i n to the same category from 1881 t o1887 , w hen he was made respons ib l e to th e board o f fi reand po l i c e comm i ss io ners .Recen t l eg i s l at i ve act s have i n trodu ced a comp l i cat i o no f adm in i s t rat ive boards o f var i egated compos i t i o n andten u re . We have th e board of pub l i c works , w i th th reemembers , appo i n ted by th e mayor , hol d i ng each fo r th ree

years and tak i ng othee i n d i ffe re nt years . We have th eboard o f h eal th , compr i s i ng the mayor , ch a i rmen o fcer ta i n cou n c i l comm i t te es and certa i n subord i nateoffi cials whose du t i es l i e i n th e l i n e o f san i tat i o n . Wehave th e board fo r th e i nsp ec t i on o f bu i l d ings

,compr i s i ng

certa i n specifi ed subord i nate offi cials. We have a pub l i cl ibrary board o f n i n e members appo in ted by the mayor .

And fi nally we have a board o f park comm iss ion ers , compr i s i ng five members appo i n ted one each year fo r te rmso f five years each by a maj or i ty o f t he iudges o f th ed i st r i c t cou rt i n wh i ch any c i ty o f th e metropo l i tan c l assmay happen to be s i tu ated . Other offices th at may befound necessary may be created and th e du t i es p resc r ibedby ord i n ance o f the c i ty cou nc i l .

POWERS OF LOCAL ADM IN I STRATION .

I n to the powers o f l ocal adm i n ist rat io n wh ich have beenat d i fferen t t imes vested i n ou r mu n i c i pa l government , Ish al l go bu t in a genera l way . I t has bee n t he ev id en ti n t ent i o n o f th e l egi s l atu re at a l l t i mes to l eave al l matt e rso f s t r i c t l y l oca l momen t to the mu n i c i pa l governmen tu nder rest r i c t i ons cal cu l ated to preven t abuses and top ro tect both th e peop l e and the state government . Thesepowers , rough ly speak i ng , re fe r fi rst , to p rov id i ng th erequ i s i t e ord i nances and regu lat i on s for th e preservat ion



F i rs t,t he gene ral fo rm o f mun i c i p al governmen t i n

Nebraska has ex is ted u nchanged i n sp i te o f much ex pe r i

mentat i o n . Corporate capac i ty h as bee n exe rc i sed by t h emayor and cou nc i l ass i s t ed by such offi ce rs as have beenfou nd necessary o r d es i rab l e . The b i camera l cou nc i lwh i c h has fou nd favo r i n many c i t i es and wh i ch has bee nmad i n many others h as n eve r commended i tse l f to Ne

braska leg i s l ators , and the one chamber cou nc i l h as t hu sfar suffi ced .

Second , w i t h th e i n c reas i ng number o f c i ty offi c e rs andth e i n c reas i ng comp l ex i ty o f t h e i r d u t i es and fu nct i o nsth e respons ib i l i ty o f m u n i c i pa l o ffi ce rs has been al teredand sh i fted . The two c lasses o f offi ce rs, e l e c t ive andappo in te d , have var i ed i n compos i t i o n , th e c i ty c l erksh i pfo r examp le , al te rnat ing his respons ib i l i ty be tween th evo te rs an d the c i ty cou nc i l . Some e l ec t ive offi ce rs, su chas th e c i ty e ngin ee r , have become appo i n t i ve by th e may o rand cou nc i l . The expe r iment

'

now mak i ng i n c erta i neastern c i t i es o f ho l d i ng th e mayor respons ib l e fo r th ee ffi cie ncy o f al l t h e execu t iv e departmen ts and ves t i ng i nh im the e nt i re co nt ro l over th e appo i n tmen t and d i sm i ssa lo f t he departmenta l heads has as ye t made no h e adwayi n th i s s tat e . On t he o the r han d

,t he des i red indepe nd

en ce has been sough t by d iv i d i ng respons ib i l i ty and tak i ngi t away from th e vote rs as d i rec t ly expressed by the bal lo td p l ac ing i t e l sewhe re . Members o f th e board in

con tro l o f t he fi re and pol i c e departmen ts l ook to th egovernor fo r appo i n tmen t . Members o f the board i ncon t ro l o f t he park sys tem owe t he i r s e l ec t i o n to th ej udges o f th e d ist r i c t cou rt . Ce rta i n membe rs o f th eboard o f heal th owe th e i r p l aces to th e p res id en t o f thec i ty cou nc i l , o th e rs to th e mayor and cou nc i l , wh i l e t hevote rs se lec t but fou r o f t h e execu t i ve o ffi ce rs d i rec t ly . Iw ish mere ly to cal l a tten t i on he re to th e d eve l opmen t , no tto cr i t ic i z e i t .

A t h i rd po i n t u pon wh i ch th i s ske tch has th rown somel igh t i s the p rac t i ca l fa i l u re o f ou r const i tu t i onal i nh ib i t i o n


aga i n s t spec i a l l eg is l at i o n to e ffec t any mater i a l re fo rm .

Whi l e th e l egi s l atu re no lo nger des ignated th e commun i tyto be i nco rporated by i ts name o r by desc r ib i ng i t s bou ndar i es

,i t does substant i a l ly the same th i ng by creat i ng

c lasses and subd iv i s i o ns o f c l asses based on popu lat i o ni n te nded to i nc l u de part i cu l a r c i t i es u nder th e gu i s e o fbe i ng genera l i n charact e r . Nor has t h i s change abo l i shedth e regu lar b i en n i a l app l i ca t i ons fo r charte r amendmen t so r t h e i n te rm i nabl e charte r t i nker i ng . I ts abus e has no tgone qu i te so far as i t h as i n Oh i o , wh ich passes genera ll aws re l at i ng to c i t i es wh i c h had by th e l as t ce nsu s

,say

mo re th an inhab i t an ts , and l ess t han inhabi

t an ts , bu t i t h as g iven eve ry influen t ial c i ty a s ta t u t ea ffec t i ng i t se l f on ly .

I nco rporat io n o f mun ic i p a l i t i es by gene ra l l aws hasbeen an advance ove r i n co rporat io n by spec i a l c harte r i nfo rm rath er than i n subs tanc e .

THE SOLDI ERS ’

FREE HOM ESTEAD COLONY .

S C. BAS SETT.

The compl e t i on o f th e Un i o n Pacific Ra i l road i n 1869

made des i rab l e fo r se t t l emen t in t h e you ng state o f Ne

braska . m i l l i o ns o f ac res o f t i l l ab l e l and ; l an d coveredw i th h igh ly n u tr i t i ous grasses ; easy o f cu l t i va t i on ; o f grea tfe rt i l i ty ; abound ing wi th l i v i ng , ru n n ing st reams o f water ,and pe rh aps most n ecessary o f a l l , u nde rneath , and wi th i neasy reach , an i n exhaus t ib l e su pp ly o f pu res t wate r fo r a l ldomest i c pu rposes . The land was p rac t i ca l ly devo i d o f


wood or coal for fu e l , or t imber o r sto n e necessary fo rbu i l d i ng pu rposes , i f th e l an d was to be fu l ly o r part i a l lyoccup i ed .

Notw i ths tand ing the now known des i rab l e natu re o ft h is l an d for home bu i l ders , i t was t hen be l i eved by a ve ryl arge maj o r i ty o f p eop l e o f the o ld er s tates , o n th e test imony o f offi ce rs o f ou r regu l ar army , and o th er personsequal ly re l i ab l e , that ou ts id e o f th e coun t i es bord er i ng th eM issou r i R iver , t h e l and was unfi t fo r home - bu i l d i ng pu rposes . A l an d whose waters we re so st rongly imp regnated wi th alka l i as to be unfi t fo r domest i c u se ; whose su rface was sparse ly covered w i th coa rse grasses o f l i t t l e o rno va lu e ; whose so i l was p ract i ca l ly l ack i ng i n al l t h eessen t i a l e l emen ts o f fe rt i l i ty , and whose grow i ng cr0pswere more than l i ke ly to per ish fo r l ack o f t ime ly ra i ns

,o r

from the scorch i ng e ffec ts o f th e ch i n ook wi nds .Not on l y d i d peop l e o f t h e o l der s tates ho l d fi rm ly toth is bel i e f i n reg ard to th is l an d , bu t c i t i z ens o f th e stat eo f Nebraska l iv i ng in coun t i es bo rder ing upon th e M issou r i R iver were j u s t as st ro ng i n th e fa i th that a l l l and i nth e stat e fi fty mi l es o r more west o f t h e M issou r i R ive r

w as almost worth l ess fo r agr i cu l t u ra l pu rposes .

With th e compl et i o n o f th e Un i o n Pacific Rai lway the rewas created a fac to r , st ronge r than al l o th ers wh i ch hadeve r be fo re ex i s ted , for th e se t t l emen t and fo r th e deve l opmen t o f th e resou rces o f th e state . To a id i n t h e const ru ct i o n o f th i s ra i lroad th e genera l Government hadw i se ly made a gi ft o f l and equ al i n area to a st r i p twen tym i l es in wid th , th e en t i re l ength o f

‘

th e road . The landi n th is st ate had been su rveyed i n to sect i o ns , each onem i l e square , and i n th e al l o tmen t o f l ands to th i s ra i lwaycompany

,i t was given th e odd numbered sect i o ns fo r a

d i stance o f twen ty m i l es o n each s id e o f th e en t i re l engtho f th e road -bed

,in the s tate . The bal ance o f the l ands

were own ed by th e governmen t and were at th at t i meopen to se tt l eme n t u nde r th e follow ing_cond it ions on ly ,v i z : ou ts i de th e be fo re named ra i l road l i m i ts , a c i t i z e n o f


th e Un i ted S tates m ight homestead 160 acres o f l and byl iv i ng t he reon five yea rs , and pay i ng th e fees fo r su rvey

, i ng th e same , amoun t i ng to H e m igh t a l so p reempt 160 ac res by l iv i ng th ereon s i x months and pay i ngat the rate of an ac re ; wi th i n t h e ra i l road l im i ts p reempted l ands were pa id fo r at t h e rate o f pe r ac re ,and o n ly 80 ac res cou l d be homesteaded , excep t , t hat anyperson hono rab ly d i scharged from the m i l i ta ry or navalse rv i ces o f th e Governmen t cou l d homestead w i th i n su chra i l road l i m i ts 160 ac res .The land gran t from th e Governmen t to th e Un i o n

Pac ific Ra i l road Company amou nted i n rou nd numbers toacres i n th e s tat e o f Nebraska . These l ands

th i s ra i l road company was anx iou s to d i spose o f and d i dp l ace on th e mark et on t e rms more advantageou s to th epu rc hase r o f l i m i ted means

,t han were even governmen t

l ands, wit h i n th e ra i l road l i m i ts u nde r th e p reemp t i o nl aws ; sa i d p reempted l and must be pa id fo r w i t h i n twoand a hal f years a fte r fi ling on th e same , at th e rate o f

p er ac re , wh i l e equ al ly d es i rab l e ra i l road l ands wereo ffe red fo r pe r ac re , payab l e i n t e n equa l annu a li n sta l l men t s w i t h i n t e res t at six pe r cen t o n de fe rred paymen ts . Pract i c a l ly speak i ng i t was at th at t i me imposs i b l efo r th i s company to se l l i t s l ands , i n any cons i de rab l equan t i t i e s , o r at more than a mere nom i na l p r i ce , fo r tworeasons ; specu l ato rs wou l d n o t pu rc hase because i t w asge nera l ly be l i eved th at th e lands were almost wo rth l essfo r agr i cu l tu ral pu rposes se t t l e rs and home -bu i l d erswou l d no t buy when adj o i n i ng and equa l ly desi rab l e l andcou ld be had u nde r t h e homestead l aws fo r t he t ak i ng ,

t h ere fo re , t he pub l i c , and espec i a l ly th e home -seeker andhome -bu i l de r , mus t be co nv i nced that th ese l ands we redes i rabl e fo r home -bu i ld i ng pu rposes , and hence i t was ,th at t he Un ion Pac i fi c Ra i l road Company th rough i ts l anddepartment , became so importan t a fac to r i n th e se t t l emen t and deve lopmen t o f ou r S tat e , and we beh e l d t h eu nu sual occu rrenc e o f a power fu l , sou l l ess co rpo rat i on ex


pend i ng thousands o f do l l ars to i n fo rm the peop le o f th eworld th at Unc l e Sam w as r i ch enough to give us al l afa rm .

” That th e home - seeker and home -bu i l der m igh t ,i n t h e young state o f N ebraska , have fo r th e tak i ng , afarm o f u nsu rpassed beau ty and fert i l i ty .

There was , in th e j udgmen t o f t he wr i te r , ano the r ve ryimportan t fac to r con nected w i th th e ear ly an d rap i d se ttleme n t and deve lopmen t o f ou r stat e , and on e wh i c h mayw i th p ropr i e ty be men t i on ed

,as i t re l at es qu i te c los ely to

th e subj ect h e re d i scu ssed .

Th i s fact o r has been far reach i ng i n i ts e ffec ts and re

sults , not on ly i n t h i s s ta te , bu t in oth er west e rn states ,and in th e Nat i on . Referen ce i s made to the so l d i e rs, orveterans as th ey are now te rmed

,o f th e war o f t he Rebe l

l i on . At th e c l ose o f th e war i n 1865, t here were i n t heUn i on army on e m i l l i o n me n ,

an d a l arge per c en t o f t h i sn umber were you ng men

, (boys, very many o f them)rangi ng from e igh teen to twen ty - fou r years o f age , andu nmarr i ed . The i r m i l i t ary s erv i ce had taken th em fromth e res tra i n ts o f home

,t h ey had passed beyond the

bou ndar i es o f th e i r own town,cou n ty and stat e , and the

world hen ce for th mean t more to t h em than t h e h am letwhere i n they were born and ra i sed . They were innuredto hardsh i p and p r ivat i on , fo r i t was t he p r i de a nd boasto f t h e sold i e r to be ab l e to ove rcome every obstac l e wh ichm igh t beset h i s pathway .

The c lose o f th e war th rew them on th e i r own resou rces ,and th ey stood fac i ng the world possess i ng noth i ng bu tstou t hearts a nd wi l l i ng hand s

,fo r there was n o money i n

sol d i e r ing . Retu rn ing to th e i r h omes many o f the c l asso f sol d i e rs here named

,marr i ed and in a few years fou nd

th emse lves bu rd en ed w i th th e cares o f a you ng and growing fam i ly . They had no t the mean s t o buy a home i nthe a l ready c rowded east e rn states . Many o f th em d idno t care to at tempt to bu i ld the re a home am id stumpsand stones and h i l ls

,fo r i n th e i r j ou rn eys th ey had behe l d

l ands wh i ch , i f no t more fa i r were more eas i ly t i l l ed .

HI STORICAL PAPERS . 9 1

They were not a fra i d to ven tu re beyond the confi ne s o fthe i r own cou n ty , fo r had they no t once gon e fo rth con

quer i ng an d to conqu e r , and re tu rned c rowned w i thl au re l s ? The i r eyes were tu rn ed w i th long i ng to the l andbeyond the M i ssou r i whose bou nt i fu l resou rces were j ustbegi n n i ng to be u nders tood and app rec i ated , and theyo n ly hes i tated to make su re that i n th e local i ty t o wh ichth ey m igh t j ou rn ey , i t was reasonably certa i n that homesm igh t be bu i ld ed . The p r i n c i pa l obj ec t i o n to overcomewas th e p reval en t be l i e f th at th e l ands we re wo rt h l ess fo rcu l t i vat i o n , were th e home , and had been fo r ages, o fs avages and wi ld beasts , and that i t was no t o n ly unw iseand imp rudent

,bu t cru e l and almos t i n human to expose

women and ch i l d ren to p r ivat i o ns , hardsh i p s and dangersi n c iden t to set t l ement am i d su ch su rrou nd i ngs. The mostpower fu l fac to r t o overcome su ch obj ec t i o ns was th e se l f i shi n terests o f a weal thy co rporat i on , hav i ngac res o f l and , wort h at a l ow est i mate bu tupon wh i ch th ey cou ld not rea l i z e u n t i l ac tu a l s e t t l e rs an dhome -bui l d ers h ad p roven t hat t h e l ands were va lu abl efo r agr i cu l tu ra l p u rposes . Who more l i ke ly , i n such acase , to ven tu re to pe rs evere , and i f possi b l e to su cceed ,

t han you ng home - seeke rs from the ranks o f th e Vo lu n te e rSo ld i ers

,who i n a great emergency

,am id p r i vat i o n and

su ffe r i ng h ad been tr i ed and not fou nd wan t i ngI n t he year 1870, Col. J oh n Thorp , o f Wes t Farm ington ,

Oh io , con t rac ted w i th th e l and departmen t o f th e Un i onPac ific Rai l road Company , to lo cat e n ot l ess th an o ne

hu nd red set t l e rs o n l and adj acen t to sa i d ra i l road , and

wes t o f H al l cou n ty i n t he s tate o f N ebraska . I n th e fal lo f t h e year o f 1870, Col. Thorp , i n company w i th Mr . H .

A . Lee and M r . F . S . Trew ,exper i en ced farmers l i v i ng in

Oh io , V i s i ted t h i s s tat e and person al ly i n sp ected th e l andsi n th e eas te rn port i o n o f Bu ffa l o cou nty , and sa t isfi ed

th emse lves that th ey were val u ab l e fo r fa rm i ng pu rposes .

Col. Thorp th e n proceeded to o rgan i z e what was te rmedThe So ld i e rs

’

Free H omstead Co lony , fix ing th e membe r

92 NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY .

sh i p fee at wh i ch membersh ip en t i t l e d th e ho l de r to areduced rate o f transportat i on . Th is redu ced rate o f farewas , i n fac t , th e on ly tangib l e th i ng abou t th e organ i zat i o n ,and th e on ly r igh t wh i ch any member i n any mann eracqu i red . At t h e reduced rat e i t w as from Bu ffa lo

,

New York , to G ibbon , Nebraska , passenger rates be i ng atthat d ate much h ighe r than at p resen t . The regu l ar passen

ge r rate on the Un i o n Pac ific be i ng th en seven cen ts pe rmile ,

and i t might bemen t ioned t h e speed o f i ts t ra i ns co rrespo ndingly s l ow , t he sch edu l e t i me o f i t s fast est passenge r t ra i n“The Overl and ,

” be i ng fi fte en mi l es p e r hou r , wh i l e t h eem igran t t ra i n , wh i ch al so carr i e d passengers , was sebedu l ed to ru n ten m i l es p er hou r . By advert isements i n theN ew York Tr ibun e , Tol edo B lad e , and Amer i can Agr icultu r i s t , and by correspondence du r i n g th e w i n te r o f 187 1 - 2

a suffi cie n t members h i p was secu red to warran t t h eattempt to estab l i sh th e co l o ny , and Wednesday , Ap r i l

5th , was fixed upo n as th e dat e when th e members shou ldl eave Ch i cago fo r the i r j ou rney westward . Acco rd i nglyth ey came

,a s i ngl e fam i ly

,two fam i l i e s

,and w i th a poss i

b l e excep t i o n i n t he Oh i o con t i ngen t , not i n a s ingl ei nstance more th an th ree fam i l i es from any one loca l i ty .

The rou te chosen w as th e L . S . 81 M S . from Bu ffa l o , andthe C. R. I. 81 P. from Ch i cago to Coun c i l B l u ffs . Thosefrom the more easte rn s tates met at Bu ffa l o and somehowbecame acqu a i n ted ; o th e rs j o i n ed as th e t ra i n Sped wes tward

,so th at when Ch i cago w as reached , t h e co l ony was

we l l represented . Cou nc i l B l u ffs was reached o n Apr i l6th . When the brakeman annou nced Cou nc i l B luffs , al lou t , th e co l on i sts began to rea l i z e fo r th e fi rst t i m e th eextreme newness o f the l and where i n they were i n t e nd i ngto bu i l d h omes . A l igh t ing from the cars , th ey fou ndthemse lves on th e bank o f th e M issou r i River , w i th nodepot o r o th er bu i l d i ngs o f l ik e natu re i n s igh t , and th er iver to be c rossed by means o f a l arge scow , or flat bo ttemed ferry boat . Th is ferry boat was qu i t e p r im i t i ve i nconst ru ct i o n , and i ts management eve n more so , espec i a l ly


Q4 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL S OCIETY .

to ho l d h is breath as t he loaded wagon descended o rascended th e approach to th e boat . The cen t ra l figure ,

th e myst e r i ous, con t ro l l i ng , mov i ng power w as,a ft e r al l

,

t he a l ert , c l ear h eaded and s e l f- con ta i n ed dr ive r,who

w hen t h e sup reme e ffo r t was requ i red , e ncou raged h i steam i n l anguage more powerfu l t han c l ass i ca l

,wh i c h

i mmed i ate ly p roduced th e desi red e ffect .The co l o n ists l e ft Omaha at six p . m . ,

Ap r i l 6th , and

arr i ved at th e i r d est i nat i o n,182 m i l es west o f Omaha

,at

n oo n Fr i day , Apr i l 7 th ,187 1 . I t w as t he in ten t i on o f th e

ra i l road company that a tow n shou ld be bu i l t at th is po i n t,

and acco rd ingly a s i d e t rack had bee n pu t i n and t h el ocat io n n amed Gibbon . The cars i n wh ich th e co lonyj ourn eyed from Omaha , were s i d e - t racked , and a fewex t ra box cars l e ft fo r t he use and conven i e n ce o f th is

co lony , and i n these cars t h e co l o n ists l ived w h i l e t he i rown hou ses were be i ng bu i l t

,the re be ing fam i l i es th u s

l i v i ng in box cars du r i ng the summe r and fa l l o f 187 1 andalso t h e en t i re w i n te r o f 187 1— 2 . 011 th i s same date (Ap r i l

7 th) th e t rackmen located a box car bes i d e th e ma i n l i ne ,i n wh i c h was p l ac ed an i nst rumen t and an ope rato r andstat i o n age nt

,and at p . m . t he west -bound Ove rl and”

pass enge r t ra i n made i ts fi rst regul a r s top , (and fromw h ich passengers a l igh ted) at t he estab l i sh ed stat i on o fG ibbon ; l e t te rs and o ther ma i l from

“home had fo l l owedr igh t on t he h ee ls o f th e co lo n i s ts , addresse d Gibbon ,

Nebraska . Th is mai l t h e ro u te agen t gave i n to t he keeping o f the s tat i o n agen t , Mr . J ames Ogi lv i e , fo r d i s t r ibu t io n ,and thus e re th e end o f th e 7th day o f Ap r i l t h e re wasestabl ished o n the w i l d a nd u nset t l ed p ra i r i e o f t he s tatea tow n o f some 150 inhab i t ant s , a ra i l road s tat i o n , wi t hagen t and ope rato r , and a post -o tfi ce .

When t he cars were s i d e - t racked and i t was k nown tha tth is w as th e d es t ined pl ace o f se t t l emen t , t h e mal e members o f th e co l ony scat te red in al l d i rec t i on s , as does acovey o f qu a i l when sta rt l ed by t he hun te r . There n ever

had as ye t been a fo rmal or pub l i c mee t i ng o f the members


o f th e co lo ny , and no such meet ing w as he ld u n t i l morethan a week a fte r t he i r a rr i va l .As regards th e gen e ra l appearance o f th e cou n t ry att hat da te

,i t may be sa i d th e Plat t e val l ey is at th is po in t

abou t fi fte e n m i l es in wid th . North o f th e Plat te Rive r ,and abou t th ree m i l es d istant is \Vood Rive r , a beau t i fu lst ream hav ing steep banks and suffi c ien t wate r to furn ishpowe r fo r m i l l ing pu rposes . On th e sou th bank o f \VoodRive r was l ocated th e v i l l age o f G ibbon . On th e bankso f both these s t reams t he re had once been co ns i d erabl et imber

,bu t th e l arge r t rees had bee n conve rted i n to t i e s

and used i n bu i ld i ng the ra i l road,and al l t he bal an ce o f

th e t imber had been cu t fo r w ood,al so fo r th e use o f t h e

ra i l road , many o f i ts engi nes at t hat t i me be ing woodbu rne rs. No ra i n and bu t l i t t l e s now

,had fal l en s i nce th e

p rev i ou s August , and j u s t p rev i ous to th e arr i val o f t heco l ony

,on Apr i l 2d , a herce p ra i r i e fi re had swept ove r

th e who l e cou n t ry l eav i ng i t bu rn ed and bl ack ,and qu ive r

i ng in t he br igh t su n l igh t , hav i ng anyth i ng bu t a p l eas ingappearance . With no house , t re e , sh rub , or oth er obj ec t tore l i eve th e mono tony o f th e sce ne i t c reated i n the beho lde r th e same fee l i ng as i s exper i en ced when on e isupon th e waters o f th e m igh ty deep w i th n o l and in s igh t .Ove r th i s b l ack , dry , t ree l ess , and seem i ngly end l ess p ra ir i e , t h e co l on i s ts t ramped , d iggi ng i n to the eart h to asce r

t a i n th e depth and qu al i ty o f t h e so i l, and p ly ing w i th

qu est i o ns an occas ion al“ranche r” (stockman ) as t o thep rospects o f h ere mak i ng a l iv i ng by t i l l i ng th e so i l , andwere i nvar i ab ly assu red that t he land w as

“no good

excep t fo r“s to ck pu rposes . But i t was no t i ced that a teac h ranch th ere was a smal l c r i b o f we l l deve loped ,

t ho rough ly r i p e co rn , and i n th e i r c e l l a rs were potatoesand oth e r vegetab l es i n abu ndan ce . On Satu rday morni ng , Ap r i l 8th , one member o f the co l ony boarded t he fi rsteas t -bou nd t ra i n and re tu rned to h is easte rn home ; l a te rh e re tu rned and took up a homestead upon wh i c h he st i l l

resi des. A few days later another sta rted eas t and d id


come back ; on Sunday , Apr i l 9 , as by common consen t , t h emembers gathered at a p i l e o f l umbe r u n loaded from th ecars

,t emporary seats were arranged and re l ig i ou s serv i ces

were he ld , be i ng conduc ted by Rev . J. N . A l l e n , one o f th emembers . The day was warm and p leasan t u n t i l 2 p . m . ,

when the wind sudden ly sh i fted to th e north,snow began

to fal l,and e re n igh t fa l l o ne o f those he rce s to rms

,some

t imes cal l ed a b l i z z a rd , was raging i n al l i t s fu ry , andco nt i nu ed so to do fo r two n ights an d two days . Therewas noth i ng to he lp break th e fu l l fo rce of th e w i nd ,

andi n a short t im e huge dr i fts were fo rmed abou t th e co l on i s ts’

cars n early as h igh as th e cars th emse lves . Snow wasa l so dr i ve n i n to th e cars , arou nd the door and windowcas i ngs and ven t i l a to rs , s o th at eve ry t h i ng w as cove redwi th snow , and a l l c l o th i ng more o r l ess wet from themel t i ng s now . No p rov i s i on had been made fo r an

emergency o f th i s k i nd . A l l c ook i ng had been do nearound fi res bu i l t u pon th e grou nd , and th e on ly stoveswere s i x smal l wood bu rne rs, one in each end o f th e th reepassenger coach es . On e s tove from each passenger coachwas removed to a box car

,and arou nd these s i x smal l

s toves th e women and chilre n gathe red . Fortu n ate lythere was an abu ndan ce o f d ry cord wood abou t s i x tyrods d istan t

,be longing to th e ra i l road company

, and wi thth i s th e s toves were kept we l l su pp l i ed . Th is sto rm , s i tuated as were th e members o f t h e co l ony , composed i npart o f de l i c at e women and many smal l c h i l d re n , wi thra i l road traffi c aban doned ,

and w i t h on ly a very l i m i tedsu pp ly o f p rov i s i ons

,w as rea l ly at t he t ime a very ser i ou s

a ffa i r, and i t w as feared by thos e i n t erest ed that i t wou ld

p reven t th e estab l i shmen t o f th e co l ony , bu t su ch p rovednot be th e case . A fte r the sto rm

,i nvest i gat i o n by th e

members st i l l w en t fo rward as to th e c harac te r o f t he elimate

,t h e p reva l en ce o f such sto rms as the one j u s t

exper i enced . and more espec i a l ly as t o th e p roduct i ven esso f th e so i l .

On Satu rday , Apr i l i 5th,was he l d th e fi rst fo rmal mee t



home -bu i l d i ng . The col on ists as a ru l e h ad very l i m i tedmeans , a few w i thou t a do l l ar . l—Iouse s were bu i lded ac

co rd i ng to t h e means o f th e bu i lde r,pr i de or amb i t i o n

hav i ng l i t t l e o r noth ing to do w i th the k i n d o f mate r i a lu sed , o r the s i z e o r gen era l appearance o f th e hab i tat i onA few bu i l t“dug ou ts ,” a ho l e i n th e grou nd , whose ch i e frecommendat i o n was that l i t t l e o r no money was requ i redfo r i t s co nst ruct i o n , and th at i t was eas i ly kept warm i nth e wi n te r . Some bu i l ded o f sod a house wh i ch , wh i l e nota th ing of beau ty or a j oy fo rever

,yet on e wh i ch has

p l ayed so i mportan t and necessary a part i n t he early se ttlemen t o f N ebrask a t hat no c i t i z en o f t he s tate be he h igho r low , r i ch o r poor , l earned o r u n l earned , n eed ever beashamed , bu t rath er p roud that at some t ime in h i syou nger days th e p l ace he cal l ed home

”was w i th i n the

u np rete nt i ou s wal l s o f“a l i t t l e , l ow ,sod shan ty on a c l a im .

”

A maj or i ty o f t he hou ses were o f l umber, 1 2x 16 ,

and 8 feeth igh , th e s i d es o f boards and batten ed , th e fu rn i tu re astove , th ree cha i rs , a table

.

and bedstead ,al l but th e stove

perhaps , home -made . Two , th ree , and fou r ne ighbors oc

casionally owned one team (oxen) , on e wagon , and onep low . Of cou rse the home -bu i ld er had everyth i ng to buy ,and at p r i c es by no means moderat e . Ord i nary l umberand d imens ion s tu ff , to pe r thousan d— thecheapest cook ing stove a wood -bo ttomed cha i r

a twe lve - i nch break i ng p low a good workhorse to a yoke o f oxen to $250.

00, m i l ch cows to a fou r weeks o l d p igflour pe r ba rre l, corn meal per hu ndred , potatoes per bushe l . With i n th e fi rst year a fte r th e settlemen t o f th e co lony e igh t schoo l d i st r i c ts were c reated ,and as many schoo l hou ses e rected

,each schoo l house

be i ng abou t 22x32 fee t , and 1 2 fee t h igh , and cost , in c l udi ng fu rn i tu re abou t They were bu i l t l a rge r thanwere needed fo r schoo l pu rposes , and were used fo r a l lpubl i c gather ings .

There was , fo r years, much adverse crit i c i sm i n regard


t o the r igh t o r j ust ice of’

issu ing bonds to bu i l d so l a rgean d expens i ve schoo l houses,

bu t resu l ts have proven th ati t was an em in en t ly w ise and prope r t h i ng to do .

Here were whol e n e ighbo rhoods o f peop l e , n ew comers

i n a st range l and and st rangers to each othe r , l i v ing in

houses so smal l and am id su ch su rrou nd i ngs as ten ded t oth e almost c omp l e te iso lat i on o f each fam i ly . Thecom fo rt

,happ in ess and prosper i ty o f mank i nd demands

that t here be publ i c gathe r i ngs o f th e peopl e , hence th enecess i ty ,

propr i e ty and j ust ice o f e rect ing at publ i cexpense com fortab l e bu i l d i ngs o f suffi c ie n t s i z e to answerth e pu rpose o f schoo l houses ,

chu rc h and publ i c ha l l .

At th e annual schoo l meet i ng i n one o f th ese d ist r i c ts

(Schoo l D ist r ict No . 8 , in Bu ffa l o Cou n ty) , he ld i n Ap r i l1872 , i t w as vo ted that al l necessary books, pap er , ink ,

sl a tes , e tc .,fo r th e use o f t he scho l ars i n such schoo l d i st r i c t

shou ld be fu rn ished by the d ist r i c t and such supp l i es h av ebeen con t inu ously fu rn ished by such d i s t r i c t from that dat eto th e p rese n t t i me , perchance be ing the o r ig i n in t h is stat eo f that w i se p rov is i o n o f l aw ( l ate ly e nac t ed ) wherebya l l schoo l d ist r ic ts are requ i red to furn ish text books fo rth e use o f the i r pup i ls .

There was at that date great scarc i ty o f fue l as th e coa lm i nes o f Wyom ing and Co lo rado had as yet bee n o n l ysl igh t ly d eve loped , and these colo n istsdepe nded l arge ly fo rfu e l u pon wood hau l ed from th e Loup r i ve r

,tw en ty m i l es o r

mo re away . In summer th e t r i p w as no t w i t h ou t i t sp leasan t fea tu res , bu t in wi n te r i t w as n eve r u ndertakenw i th ou t d read , as after l eav i ng the Pla t te va l l ey th ere w as

no t a s ingl e hab i ta t i on .

In t he w in t e r seve ra l n e ighbors wen t t oge th e r , st art ingat m id n i gh t and w i t h ox t eams ,

reach i ng the Loup abou tday break . \Vhile th e teams rested

,t he wagon s w e re l oaded

w i th co t tonwood logs , occas i o nal ly wi th oak ,and the

re tu rn j o u rn ey began as soo n as poss i b l e and i f a l l w en twe l l t hey arr i ved home somet i me i n th e n i gh t o f t h e secondday . Qu i te o fte n i t w as necessary to make camp i i if orde r

IOO NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

to s et a t i re , repa i r a break -down , o r because th e n igh twas too dark to dr ive . Ou such occas i o ns th e se t t l e rwrapped h i s no t p l e nty and qu i t e th i n b la nkets aroun dh im , and ly i ng down on the hard froz en grou nd , hopedand p rayed , i f h e d i d not d ream . o f a t ime when hau l i ngwood from the Loup , and co tto nwood at that , shou ld b ea th i ng o f the past .I n th e year 1872 , a l a rge br i ck cou rt house , cost i ng

was bu i l t at G ibbon , t he br i ck fo r th e same be i ngbu rned at that po in t

,wi th wood hau l ed from the Loup

r ive r . A neat and commod i ous br i ck chu rch was al soe rected at th e same date as t he cou rt hou se .

I n 1873 aflour ing m i l l was erec ted on the banks o fWood r i ve r , and was o f a lmo st i n ca l cu l ab l e ben efi t t o th eear ly se t t l e rs , no t o n ly i n i t s i mmed i at e v i c i n i ty , bu t i twas no u nu su a l t h i ng fo r se t t l e rs l iv i ng beyond theRepub l i can r ive r i n th e s ta te o f Kansas , on e hu ndredm i l es o r more d i s tan t to come to th i s m i l l , dr iv i ng ox

t eams i n o rder t o change the i r wheat and c orn i n to flou ran d meal .Abou t th i s dat e a t rave l i ng ra i l road c i rcu s p i tched i t st en t n ear by an d peop l e came in pra i r i e schooners fi fty,s eventy-five and even on e hu nd red m i l e s i n o rd e r toenj oy aga i n what , pe rhaps , migh t be te rmed one o f th erefin ing influences o f c iv i l i z a t i o n .

I n Ap r i l , 1873 , occu rred on e o f th e most fu r i ou s anddest ru c t iv e s to rms wh i c h has swep t ove r cen tra l N ebraskas i nce any at t empt has bee n made to keep a reco rd o fsu ch occu r ren ces . The spr i ng h ad bee n qu i t e ear ly andal ready cons id e rabl e p l ow ing had been do ne and wheatsown . Sunday

,Apr i l t h e fou rteen t h , w as warm and p l eas

ant , t h e su n sh i n ing br igh t ly , a gen t l e breez e bl ow i ngfrom th e sou th

,bu t abou t fou r o ’c l ock p . m . t h e w i nd i n

an i n stan t sh i fted i n to th e n ort h b r i nging su ch c l ouds o fdus t and d i rt a nd l ate r h a i l and snow , as t o cau se darkness to cove r at o nce th e l and l ik e u n to n ight . At t h atseaso n o f th e year cat t l e were al l owed to ru n at large and


02 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY.

th e Sold i ers’

Free Homestead Co lony , so far as i t is poss ib l e to obta i n them from memory :Rev . j . N . A l l e n , D. P. Ashbu rn , S . C. Ayer , Mrs . Loi s

M . Ayer , B . Aust in , V . Armbus, S . C. Basset t,B . C. Bass

e t t, F . F . B lanchard ,

F . D. Boardman, J. M . Bayley

, J.

Booth J. Busho ng , C. E . Brayton,I. Bunke r , Wm . Brady

,

A . Barre tt , Geo . W . Brown , S enaca Brown , J. S . Chambe rl a i n , M . Chamberl a i n , Mary Cl i fton , Wm . Craven , C. O .

Ch i lds , And re w Cra ig , D. P. Crab l e , D. Dav is,P. T . Davi s

,

J ohn Darby , U . A . Day , H M ] Dunk i n , Hen ry Fie ldg rov e ,

Asa Faw cet t , Hen ry Fa i rch i ld . K i ngman F i sh e r,

E . M . Fargo , J ohn Forrest , George G i lmore , A . F . Gibson ,

Mrs . Ann Gle nv i l l e , L . D. George , J ohn Grabach , H .

C. Green ,Wm . Gray , Marce lius Gray , J ames Garfi e ld

,

Glass Dr . I. P. George , Harry Goss, N . C. George,

J ohn Gag i n ,O . C. Han co ck , Frank Howe , L . S . Hough ,

Robert H i cks ,T . J, Hubbard ,

M . H ubbard,S . F . Hen

n i nger , J ohn Irw in e , J. E . J udd . Wm . J ackson,W . H .

Ke l ly,W F . K i nn ey , C. K i lgo re , H . C. Kn igh t , A . Ke n

nedy ,The ado re K nox , J. E . Ke lsey , I. D LaBarre ,

H . A .

Lee, C. Love , 8 . B . Low e l l , J ohn Loyd . E . Loveal l , J ohn

Lucas , Wm . McK inley ,V . T . Merce r , W . F . McClure , S .

Matt i ce , C. Monks , J. H . M i l ls , H . McMon egal, Col. H .

D. N i l es ,Thomas Mund l e , M rs . E . P. McCraney ,

M .

North rup , J. Ov iat t , J ames Ogi lv i e , C. Putnam , J. Put

nam , Wm . Pat terson , Mrs . E . A . Pember , L . Plum,H . P.

Rogers . C. T . S i lve rn a i l , G . H . S i lve rna i l, John S i lvern a i l ,

J. P. Sm i th ,I. Starbu ck , Geo . N . Sm i th ,

B . F . Sammons ,

Sere no Sm i th , S . V . See l ey , J ohn Stearn s , N . W . Sho rt , W .

J. Steven ,“7 . H . Sprague . Co l J oh n Thorp , O . E . Thomo

so n, 5 . R. Trau t . F . S . Trew , W . P. Trew ,

M . Thomas , T .

D. Thatcher , A. VVashburn , Oscar VVashburn , J ames

VVilk ie , J. \N . W i gg i ns, Aaro n Ward , A . G . H .

‘

VVhi te ,R.

\Vate rs ,R. E . L . Wi l l ard , L . Worth ington , D. B . VVorley ,

Lev i West , A . L) . George,T . J. Fi sher , W . W . Gibson .

TH E EFFECT OF EARLY LEGISLATION UPON

TH E COURTS OF N EBRASKA .

T . M . MARQUE TT.

The e ffec t t h at l egi s l at i o n h as u pon cou rts is always afru i t fu l subj ec t . Th is i s made more i n teres t i ng by th efac t th at we go back to that e ra o f ou r coun t ry

’

s h i s to rywhen th e great quest i o n s be fore th e peop l e were th osethat a ffec ted th e fu ndamen ta l p r i nc i p l es upon wh i ch ou rgove rnmen t res ts . We are carr i ed back to th e p er i o dwhen th e organ i z at i o n o f the te rr i to r i es o f N ebraska andKansas was passed ; to an e ra whe re th e p r i n c i p l e s e nu nc iated i n the Dec l arat i o n o f I ndependence were at tackedand de fended . The Ac t i tse l f became a law at th e e ndo f perhaps th e most p rot rac ted and exc i t ing debate th ateve r took p lace i n Congress . I t w as an upheaval , o r Im igh t say , reversal o f th e po l i cy o f th e Un i t ed S tates fromth e day o f i ts ex i s ten ce as a gove rnmen t up to t hat t i m e .

As i t w as afte rwards in t e rp re ted by the supreme cou rt i nt he ce l ebrated case o f Dred Sco tt vs. San fo rd , up to thatper iod , al l l aws and the co ns t i tu t i on had been cons t ru ed i nfavo r o f freedom as aga i ns t sl avery . S lave ry had bee nlooked upon as pu re ly l oca l

,wh i l s t eve ryth i ng N at i o na l

w as freedom . And th e p r inc i p l e that freedom wasNat ional , and s l avery lo cal h ad been t he es tab l ishedpol i cy o f th e Un i t ed S tates u p to that t ime . I n t h e ac ti tse l f , wh i l e i t gave t he te rr i to ry th e r igh t to make l aws , i tt h rew arou nd t he peop l e n o sa feguards i n th e mak ing o fth ese l aws , and the act i tse l f was on ly remarkab l e fo rth e stump speech i t co nta i n ed , wh i ch read as fo l l ows :

IO4 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

I t i s the true inte n t andmean ing ofthisact not to leg isla te

s l avery i n to any Terr i tory or S tate , nor to exc l ude i t th erefrom

,bu t to l eave th e peop l e th ereo f perfect ly free to fo rm

and regu l ate the i r domest i c in st i t u t i on s i n t h e i r own way .

”

Like most oth er s tump speeches i t was capab l e o f twomean i ngs

, and th e two mean i ngs were put u pon i t at o n ce .

One was that du r i ng th e ex i s ten ce o f th e terr i to ry youm igh t l eg i s l ate aga i ns t s l avery , and l egi s l ate t he t e rr i to ryto be free ; t h e o th er const ru ct i o n was that t he ter r i to rycou l d not l eg i s l at e upon th e subj ect at a l l ; t he s l ave own erhad a r igh t to take h i s sl av e th ere as h e saw fi t

,and i n

sp i t e o f th e o rgan ic l aw make th e terr i to r i es s l ave te rr ito r i es

,and that th e on ly t ime that the peop l e had a r igh t

to say whethe r i t shou l d be free or s l ave , was w hen th eycame to form a const i t u t i on fo r a s tate to be adm it tedi n to the Un i on .

The organ i c ac t t h rew no pro tect i o n arou nd th e peop l efrom arb i t rary acts o f th e l eg is l atu re su ch as now hedges inou r l eg i s l atu re by ou r adm i rabl e co ns t i tu t i o n , fo r i ns tancea l aw cou l d be en acted in t h i s way , and th i s was th e waythe fi rst c r i m in al code was enacted :“

Be i t e nac ted by th e cou nc i l and house o f rep res en tat iy es o f t h e Terr i to ry o f N ebraska :Sec . 1 . That the fou rth part o f the Code o f I owa ,begi n n i ng on page 349 as pub l i sh ed i n t he au thor i z edpubl i ca t i o n o f sa i d Code , as far as app l i cab l e and no ti n cons ist en t w i t h th e l aws o f th i s Terr i to ry , be and th esame i s hereby decl a red in fu l l fo rce and effec t i n th i sTerr i to ry . That i t shal l b e th e du ty o f th e pe rson o rpersons w ho super i n te nd the publ i cat i o n and i n dex i ng o fth e l aws o f the Terr i to ry passed at t h i s sess i o n , to n umberth e sect i ons i n sa i d Cr i m i n al Code consecu t ive ly t h roughth e same

,begi nn i ng at N o . 1 .

Th is w as passed March 15t h , 1855. March 13t h , 1857 ,we see an act o f th i s k i nd passed : t hat t h e ac t en t i t l ed anact adopt ing ce rta in parts o f th e Code o f I owa , app rovedMarch 16th ,

1855, and al s o an act en t i t l ed an ac t re l at i ve



nen ts B lack Repub l i cans , had a banquet , and wh i l e i t w asgo i ng on ,

Governo r B lack and h is p r i vate secre tary camein upon us, and we i nv i t ed them to part ake . H is p r ivatesecretary

,doubt l ess to comp l imen t B lack , gave th e fo l l ow

i ng toast ,“Here is to B lack , wi thou t t he Repub l i can .

” Wedrank to i t . I mmed i ate ly Sen ato r Paddock arose to h i sfe e t an d gave a coun te r - t oas t ,

“Here is to Republ i can ,w i thou t the B l ack . That was dru nk , and I remember att h e end o f th e feast o f sh ak i ng hands w i th GovernorB lack as he sa i d

,I am p l eased w i th the rebuke tha t was

given to my secre tary , we are al l Amer i cans .”I rea l i z ed

fu l ly th e pu rport o f what he sa i d when i n one year a fterth e i nc i de nt h e res igned h i s o thee as Governo r

,wen t back

to his fo rmer home at P i t tsbu rgh , Penn . , ra i sed a regim en to f me n and p ro ffe red h i s serv i c es to Abraham L i n co ln i nthe great cau se o f p rese rv i ng th i s Un i o n . And a l i t t l eove r one year from that dat e , i n what was known as th eseven days

’

bat t l e be fo re R i chmond,i n fron t ranks

,am id

the hu rt l ing sto rm o f war , he gave h i s l i fe to h i s coun t ry .

Wel l had h e w on th is t h e p roudes t t i t l e among men ,“A 72

A 74262211272 Cz’

fziaen .

Pardon me fo r go i ng ou ts i d e my subj ec t to l ay th i st r i bu te upon h i s grave .

The sessi o n o f t he l eg is l atu re that me t i n December ,1857 , passed a cod e o f c i v i l p rocedu re ; bu t th i s code wasnot pub l ished t i l l some t i me in t he fo l l ow i ng summer o f1858.

The pan i c,the wors t p robably that th e Un i ted

States w as eve r v i s i ted w i th , u n l ess i t be th e p resen t on e ,

came upon us in t he fal l o f 1857 , j ust be fo re th e meet i ngo f th e l egisl atu re . The l egi s l atu re he l d t i l l t he l at t e rpart o f J anu ary and adj ou rn ed . The code t hat wasadopted was not p ub l i sh ed un t i l some t ime in t h e summer ,bu t in t h e mean wh i l e t he merchan ts along th e r i ver , i nPl attsmou th and e lsewhere , had become l arge debtors ,and fou nd themse lves u nabl e to pay ; in fac t eve rybody inNebraska , and a l l th e c red i to rs ou ts i de o f Nebraska se n tth e i r c la ims at o nce to be su ed . I

,myse l f , j u s t commenc

H I STORICAL PAPERS . IO7

ing in prac t i ce the n , fou nd myse l f d e l uged wi th su i t s o fc red i to rs su i ng fo r th e i r d e bts in Nebraska . I commen ceddu r i ng the w in te r and ear ly spr i ng o f 1858 , my re colle c

t i o n is,some seven ty -hy e su i ts . A fi rm by the name o f

E lbert Tow ns end , r i va ls o f m i ne , commen ced p robablyt he same number o f su i ts . \/Ve commenced t hem wi thth e u nderstand i ng that ou r code o f p rac t i ce w as l i k eI owa

’

s , requ i r i ng w hat w as know n as an or ig inal no t i c ei nstead o f a summo ns. The or ig i n al n ot ice cou ld beserved by any p erson ; a summons requ i red to be se rvedby the sher i ff o r an offi ce r . I t tu rn ed out , however , t hata l l o f th e su i ts t hat w e re commen c ed ,

w e re commen c edw rong

,and th ey commenced mak ing mot i on s to qu ash

my summonses ,and I m ade coun t e r mot i o ns to quash

the i r summonses . That wou ld v i rtu al ly e nd t h e case u n t i la new se rv ice w as made , and th e fi rst t e rm o f cou rt t hat Iat t ended in Plat tsmou th , th e pr in c ip al w o rk o f the j udgew as t o quash the summonses on each s i d e ; quash ing some100 t o 150 summo n ses . The on ly con so l at i on th atI had i n h av i ng my summo nses quash ed ,

w as t h at th eoth e r at to rneys fa red no bet t e r . We t r i ed to make anagreemen t to stop the havoc ; bu t ta i l ed to do so . Therew as bu t one su i t th at su rv ived th e w reck and ru in o f al awyer

'

s hopes,and that w as where th e party w i thou t

t ak i ng except i on s to th e summo ns , appeared and hl e dan answer . H i s answer w as un i qu e . The su i t w as on aprom isso ry no te . H e admi t ted its execu t i on , adm i t t edth e not e w as al l r igh t ; bu t p l ead that h i s c l i en t d i d no t

have a dol l ar , and w as no t l i ab l e eve r to have a d ol l a r topay it

,and there fore i t w as use l ess , and on ly mak ing

expense fo r th e cou rt and coun ty t o b r ing su i t upon i t andasked fo r a j udgmen t . The cou rt d ec i d ed that his an sw ercom i ng afte r a summons

,came too soo n ; he ough t to

br i ng i n a p l ea a fte r th e ex ecu t i on issu ed , and i t wou ld i nthat case be an effec t i ve p l ea .

Dur i ng th e sess i o n o f 1858, th e fi rst l aw to regu la te th esal e o f v i nous , mal t and sp i r i tuous l i quors was i n troduced


i n to the terr i to r i a l l eg i s l atu re . I t was v i rtu al ly a l i censel aw , and p roh ib i ted th e sa l e excep t a man fi rst had al i cense . The l aw was pu shed forward ; i t p assed one o ft h e hou ses and was o n its th i rd read i ng , and abou t re adyfo r pas sage i n th e oth e r h ou se, when th e b i l l was s to l e nfrom the c l e rk by a member , sa i d to be sal oon -keeper .Th is b i l l was brough t up l ate in t h e sess i on

,and i t was

sa id t he m ember ra n o ff w i t h i t and wen t over i n to M i ssou r i , so that th e sergean t -a t - arms cou l d no t reach h im , sothat h e cou l d no t be cal l ed back . The i n t roduce r o f t h eb i l l d i d no t l ik e to be beate n i n th i s way , so h e go t ap r i n t ed copy , wh i ch had the fo l l ow i ng p robab ly typographica l e rro r . I t gave a j ust i c e o f th e peace j u r i sd i c t i o n andsa id th at i f anyo ne arres t ed shou ld be fou nd gu i l ty o fse l l i ng any l i quo r w i th ou t a l i cense , t h e j u st i c e shou ldrender j udgmen t

,an d pay a hue no t l ess than hy e nor

more than one hu nd red do l l ars . The b i l l was read by i tst i t l e , ru l es s usp ended , passed both hou ses , rece ived th es ign atu re o f t h e governor

,and became a l aw ; bu t i t was

o ne o f th e l i c ense l aws th at w as never en fo rced onaccou n t o f the p rov i s i on that requ i red th e j u st i ce to fi neh imse l f i nstead o f th e man that was gu i lty .

You w i l l fi nd by looki ng ove r th e early j ou rnal s o f th etwo houses o f N ebraska

,th e l eg i s l at i ve bod i es , th at t he

l egi s l atu re i n those days d iv i d ed t h e honor w i th t h ecou rts o f gran t i ng d ivo rces . I n those days a man cou l dget a d ivorce from h i s w i fe

,o r th e w i fe from her husband ,

by l egisl at iv e e nactment,and you w i l l hnd i n numerabl e

b i l ls i n t rodu ced ; many o f th em granted . I t was l essst ra i n on t h e consc i en ce at th at t i me to ge t a d ivo rce fromthe l egi s l atu re . bu t p robab ly wo rse on th e pocket book .

The gran t i ng o f d ivo rc es is proper ly a j u d i c i a l qu es t i o n ,and the gran t i ng o f them by t he l eg i s l atu re was a bl ow atthe j ud i c i ary , besi d es be i ng th e worst and mean es t k i nd o fc l ass l egi s l at i o n .

The presen t cod e o f c iv i l p rocedu re was adop ted i n1858. I t i s v i r tu al ly wha t i s k nown as th e Oh io code . O f


I 10 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

I can fu rth er i l l u st rate th i s by a case o f my own . It h i nk i t w as in 1858, a man came t o me to get me to su efo r a t respass . H is ne ighbor

’

s hogs had t respassed uponh im

,got i n to h i s c o rn fi e ld and dest royed a l ot o f co r n .

When I came to exam in e th e case , I fou nd ou t h e cou l dp rove th e dest ru c t i o n o f th e corn , o r that some corn hadbeen dest royed

,bu t w as u nabl e to p rove i ts va l u e . so I

adv ised h im not to sue . Bu t i n the meanwh i l e th e hogst hat d i d t h e damage , had been set u po n by dogs , o r rath e rth e dogs had been se t upon t h e hogs

,a nd th e man th at

owned them bel i eved that my c l i en t had done t hat , andhe sued h i m fo r t he hogs . Bu t i t tu rned ou t th at i t w as

not my c l i e n t’

s dogs th at k i l l ed t he hogs,an d th e at to rney

on t he o th er s i d e fou nd h i mse l f s ho rt o f ev id en ce to showthat my c l i en t d i d th e damage . In th e meanwh i l e , whenmy c l i e n t w as sued , I b rough t in as an o ffset t h e dest ruct i o n o f the co rn , and when t he case w as be ing heard , bo ths i d es fou nd th emse lves w i t hou t ev idenc e to p rove t h eamou n t o f d amage done . The l aw w as t h at e i t her s i d ecou l d cal l u pon t he opposi te party , a nd so th e o t h erat torn ey cal l ed my c l i en t u pon t h e s tand , and he admi t tedthat h e had se t th e dogs o n t h e hogs . That open ed th eway for me to p rove my case

,and I p roved th e va lu e o f

the corn dest royed , a nd t h e j u ry gave me a ve rd i c t fo rYou can se e t h e d iffi culty u nder wh ich th is system

operated , and i n th e l egi s l atu re , myse l f w i th o th e r l awyers,commenced an attack upo n i t at a n ear ly day , a nd i t w as

changed .

The prov isi o n t h at made a l l N egroes and mu l at toesin compete n t w i tn esses in a ny case was foun ded on a th endeep - seated prej ud i ce aga i nst th e race , race p rej ud i ce .

We w i l l speak o f th is l a te r .

You wi l l hnd by e xam in ingr th e j ou rnals o f both houseso f the Terr i to r i a l l eg isl a tu re

,t hat a l arge port i on o f th e

b i l ls o f th e l eg isl atu re consisted in gran t i ng spec i a lcharters fo r towns and bu i ld i ng br idges ac ross streams

,run

n i ng ferry boats ac ross the M i s sou r i and Pl at te , and so on .

H I STORICAL PAPERS . III

I n those days c l ass l eg i s l at i o n had i ts fu l l sway , an d thegreat bat t l e was aga i n st l eg i s l at i o n o f that k i nd . To i l lust rate

,t hat k i nd o f l eg isl a t i o n has been en t i re ly don e away

w i th,and corpo rat i ons can on ly o rgan i z e u nde r t h e genera l

l aws . The same l aw th at gove rns one governs a l l o f t h esame c l ass . A charte r t hat gove rns a c i ty o f t h e fi rst

c l ass,must govern a l l c i t i e s o f th e fi rst - c l ass . A charte r

that gove rns a v i l l age must govern a l l o f th e thousandso f V i l l ages i n t he S tate o f N ebraska . So th at a const ruet i o n by the cou rts o f th e r igh ts o f o ne v i l l age u nde r its

c harte r det erm i n es th e r igh ts o f t h e many thou sands th atare i n th e Stat e ; but u nder th e o ld reg im e where each hada separa te an d d i st i n c t charte r ; th e dec i s i o n o r th e con

s t ru c t i o n by th e cou rt o f one ,wou ld be no cr i t e r i on o f

what th e dec i s i on wou l d be i n anothe r .Most o f th i s ch ange from c l ass t o general l eg i sl at i o n has i ts benefi c ial e ffec t u pon th e cou rts andupo n th e commun i ty . A s i ngl e d ec i s i o n d ete rm i n es th er igh ts o f a l l o f th e s i m i l a r co rporat i o ns

, and u pon thatp ropos i t i o n th e l awyer know s how to adv ise h is c l i en t ,and a s ingle case makes peace fo r a thousan d o the rs . In

t hose days,spec i a l p r i v i l eges to t h e few we re t h e o rde r ;

to -day no spec i a l p r i v i l eges ar e gran ted . The law u nderwh i c h one ra i l road i s i naugu rated , is th e law fo r a l l o th e rra i l roads, and u nde r th at l aw any five pe rsons , no mat te rwho they are

,can organ i z e a ra i l road ; so w i th a l l o the r

co rpo rat i ons . Bu t i n those days , c l ass l egisl at i o n w as not

confined t o th i ngs ; i t p e r ta in ed to a pe rso n l i k ew ise .

In o rde r to tes t th e qu est i o n wheth er i t w as th e l awthat a man cou l d ow n and ho l d s l aves in Nebraska

,i n

1859 ,you r speake r i n t roduced a b i l l to abo l ish a nd p ro

hibit sl avery i n N ebraska .

1 Th is b i l l was immed ia te lyfo l l owed by one i nt roduced ,

e n t i t l ed“A B i l l fo r an Ac t toPreven t Free N egroes o r mu l at to es from Sett l i ng o rRes id i ng in th e Terr i to ry at a l l . I f a mu l at to w as a

1 Ou the sub j ect of S lave ry 111 the Te rr i tory o f Nebraska , see Net) . S tate E tst. boc. Trans

acti ons and Repor ts, IL , 68, 92— 108; V 72- 73, 188- 189. [ED.]

I2 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

s l ave u n der that b i l l h e had a r igh t to l i ve i n Nebraska,

th e N egro as a s l ave , th e maste r h ad a r igh t to br inghere ; bu t no fre e N egro o r mu l at to shou ld be al l owedto l i ve in t he Terr i to ry . That b i l l w as re fe rred toth e spec i a l comm i t te e , o f wh i ch you r speake r was th eta i l e nd

,and I brought i n a m i nor i ty report u pon i t , and

what I t h en sa i d sou nds st range . That b i l l w as i n t roduced,

reco l l ec t,December 16th , 1859 . Th is was ove r th i r ty - fou r

years ago . Among othe r th i ngs in my report I sa i d :“Iti s p roposed by th is ac t to dr iv e mu la t to es

,no mat te r how

n ear a wh i te man they may be , out o f t h i s Terr i to ry . Th isb i l l goes fu rth e r , and dec l a res to t hese N egroes an d mu l atto es that i f th ey dare l i ve here fo r n in e ty days , t h at t heyare c r i m i nal , and sir , what is th e i r c r im e ? I s i t a c r i meto breat h t h e a i r o f H eaven ? Why not crown t h e c l i maxo f fo l ly and enac t th at i t i s a c r im e to be bo rn a N egro ,

an d they comm i t a cr ime i n dar ing to l i ve at a l l o n God’

sb righ t and beau t i fu l earth ? Ce rta i n ly t he mover o f t h i sb i l l u nde r cons i d e ra t i o n can c l a i m no cred i t fo r o r ig i nal i ty

,

fo r th e b i l l large ly was taken from th e s l ave d r ive r’

s b i l li n t roduced i n t he l egisl atu re o f some o f th e sl ave ho ld ingstates . Gen t l emen cann o t be in earn est i n pass ing a b i l lwh i ch subj ec ts a co lo red perso n to fi n e and i mp r i so nmen tmere ly becau se he is so u n fo rtu n ate as to be a N egro andon Nebraska so i l . To pass th is b i l l wou ld be to pande r tothe V i t i ated prej ud i ces o f t hose w hose h ighes t and ho l i estamb i t i on is to pe rpetu at e human s l avery . We se e herewhen a propos i t i on is made to make th e so i l o f N ebraskafree , i t is fo l l owed by on e to p ersecu t e th e few Negroesthat ma y be so u n fo rtu nate as to be h e re . Th is p re jud i cehad i ts e ffect . At t hat t i me th e Negroes and mu lat toeshad no r igh ts in cou rt from the fact that none o f t he i rrace , no matte r how w h i te th ey may have been ,

cou l d bew i tn esses in any case . The i r r igh ts 1n cou rt cou ld on ly bedete rm i n ed by w hat some wh i te man m ight swear to .

Th i rty - two years ago th e r igh ts o f t he co l o red rac e i ncou rt rested a lon e upon th e wh i te race .


II4 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

re l eas i ng cr im i na ls th e en t i re c r im i nal code was repeal ed .

We have po i n ted ou t th e ev i l s o f hasty l egi s l at i o n o rbad l egi s l at i o n wh i c h en acted that t he code m ight takee ffec t be fo re i t was pub l i sh ed or anyone knew anyth i ngabou t i t and th at i t estopped and thwarted anyth i ng th ecou rts m ight do .

We have re fe rred to earl y c l ass l egi s l at i o n that wou ldmake t he cou rts a lmost abort ive by depr i v i ng t he i r dec isi o ns o f be i ng any p receden t i n i n numerab l e cases , andmak i ng abort i ve th at p r i nc i p l e t h at a l l men are presumedto k now the l aw .

We have re ferred to th e c l ass l eg i s l at i on t hat shut thepo rta l s o f t ru th on accou n t o f co l o r and wan t o f intelligence fo r a l l o f wh i ch th e remedy has been app l i ed , andi t con51sts m a wr i t ten Cons t i tu t i o n wh i ch so l im i ts l eg isl at i o n that a l l su ch l eg i s l at i o n canno t now taken p lace .

One word upon Nat i onal c l ass l eg i s l at i on connectedw i th ou r Terr i to ry .

The l egi s l at i o n that gave us the Fugi t i ve S lave Law ,

where i n the J udge o r Comm i ss ion e r was pa id fo rsend i ng a s l ave back i n to s l avery , and i f h e madeh im a free man

,where th e who l e North was made a posse

to cat ch th eflee ing s l ave and den i ed th e r igh t to give h ima crust o f bread

,t ogeth er w i th th e enac tmen t s o f t h e

organ z at ion o f the te rr i t o r i e s o f N ebraska and Kansas ,where i n th e safe -guards o f l iber ty were st r i cke n down ,fo l l owed by th e d i c tates o f th e sup reme cou rt i n t he DredScot t dec i s io n

,was th e cu lm i nat i on , t h e acme o f c l ass

l eg i s l at i on .

These ac ts were i n war w i t h th e Dec l arat i o n o f I nde

pende nce ,and a l ead i ng senato r o f t h e t imes , Pet t i t o f

I nd iana,doubt l ess d raw ing h is i nsp i ra t ion from them , was

h eard to say that t he Dec larat i o n o f I ndepe ndence was ase l f—ev i den t l i e .

The l egi s l at i o n i t se l f was bad bu t wou ld n o t h ave been

so bad had not th e p rej u d i c e o f th e h igh part i san fee l i ngcarr i ed a j udge o f th e h igh es t cou rt 1n the l and , so that

H ISTORICAL PAPERS . 1 15

he fo rmu l ated a d i c ta susta i n i ng th e p r i nc i p l e that th eDec la rat i o n o f I ndependence was u n tru e .

Th i s d i c ta was n o part o f t h e dec 15 1on o f th e cou rtand no spec i a l a t tack w as made upon th e d ec isi on o f th ecou rt wh i ch s imp ly dec i ded that Dred Scott u nder thel aws o f M i ssou r i w as a s l ave and no t a e i t 1z en , an d the refo re cou ld not su e i n the cou rts o f the Un i ted States ; bu tth e at tack Seward and L i n co l n made , was upon th e d ict ath at went ou ts i d e th e case

,and assumed that th e Con s t i

tut ion pro tec ted s l avery , t h at i t was Nat i ona l and no tloca l

,and that all th e Terr i to r i es were s l ave and no t

free .

The dec i s i o n o f th e cou rt was respected ; the d i c t a w as

denou nced . What I mean by d i c ta is t hat wh i ch is sa i dou ts i de o f what i t i s n ecessary to dec i de : th e reason i ngo f th e j udge t hat makes th e d ec i s i o n .

One o f th e sup reme j udges o f th e Un i ted S tates askedth e qu est i on :“Do you agree always to what th e partywho makes th e dec is i o n says i n t h e dec is i o n ? and hesa i d , No , i t we d i d th e re wou l d be no dec isi o n s made .

We agree u pon what th e dec i s i o n shal l be ,and then

a l l ow the man that makes i t t o g ive h is own reasons .I reco l l ec t o nce o f h ear i ng a remark regard i ng one o fOh i o

’

s d i st i ngu i sh ed j u r i s ts , t hat h e neve r fa i l ed to makea r igh t dec i s i on , and neve r fa i led to give a wrong reasonfo r i t .

The Dred Scott dec isi o n shou ld no t h ave occup i edmore than hy e l i n es o f p r i n t ed mat t e r

,nor d i d it ; th e

d i c ta covers fi fty- s i x pages o f c l ose ly p r i n ted matte r , madefo r po l i t i ca l effec t , and wh i lst by th e u nw r i t t en l aw s o fAmer i ca th e Amer i can peop l e are bou nd to respect t h ed ec isi on o f th i s , th e h ighes t cou rt , th ey had a r igh t tocr i t i c ise in a man ly way the po l i t i c a l d ic ta that wen t w i t hi t .

A preache r who was o nce brough t to task by h is par i shione rs fo r wande r i ng away from his subj ect

,excused h im

se l f by sayi ng t hat h i s par i sh io ne rs were wander i ng away

1 16 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

from what was r igh t,and he wandered afte r th em . So i t

i s when a j udge from the h ighest cou rt k nown t o l aw , i na moment when th e prej u d i c e o f an hou r ru l es to a l argeex ten t

,fa i ls to st op w i th t he dec is i on he is asked to make ,

and wanders ou t i n to th e l aby r i n th o f po l i t i cs . H e mustexpect t hat po l i t ic i ans wi l l go afte r h im and attack and

do away w i th h i s po l i t i ca l d i c ta ; a salu ta ry l esson to j udgesthat t hey must not do two th i ngs at o nce

,dec i d e a case

and in th e reasons they g ive fo r the dec is i o n argue a l lman ne r o f po l i t i cs ou ts i d e .

In my j udgmen t the re are a few fundamenta l p rmc iple s

wh ich makes ou r governmen t th e most stab l e and thebes t upon earth . These fu ndamen t a l p r in c i p l es areembod i ed i n t he wr i t t en Const i tu t i on o f th e Un i ted Statesand i ts amen dments and in the Stat e Const i tu t i on .

Power , wh ic h i s always amb i t i ous and i n to l e ran t , fi ndsi ts e l f by t he Const i t u t i o n o f the Un i ted States shorn o f i t sarb i t rary in to l e rance ; i t i s on ly de l egated au thor i ty , andi n tu rn the l eg isl atu res o f th e states hnd a l l arb i t rarypower taken from them by nat i onal and state const itu

t i o ns . These same const i t u t i ons make the th ree d epartments o f the governmen t en t i re ly d i st i nc t and i ndependen to f one an oth er , each a check upon th e othe r .

Going st i l l fu rth e r , t h ese wr i t ten con st i tu t i ons makein numerabl e loca l governmen ts , such as Cou n t i es, Ci t i es,Prec i nc t s , Schoo l D ist r i c t s , e tc .

,and each o f these loca l

governmen ts carr i es wi th i t an i ndependence . so t hatbu rdens can on ly be p l aced upo n them by the i r ow n vo te .

S o each o f th ese smal l e r governmen ts revo lv ing in i ts

spec i a l sph ere . carry ing wi th i t so much o f th e power o fthe sta te , and also th e fu ndamen ta l p r i nc i p l e t hat th egovernmen t shou ld res t (even that o f th e smal l est body)on the co nsen t o f t he gove rn ed .

These wr i t ten Cons t i tu t i ons o f w h ich I speak m igh t bete rmed l egisl at i ve enactmen ts by the peop le themse lves .

Th is is . absolute ly t ru e as far as sta tes are conce rned .

The peop l e through these wri t ten Const i tu t i o ns have


1 18 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY.

ence ; th at th e gove rnment was endangered , i t s l ifet h reaten ed by the i ns i d i ous u nd erm in i ng o f t hese p r i n c ip les ; that th e governmen t was res to red to l i fe st rengthenedby the i r v ind icat i o n . H e m ight go fu rth e r and take a re t rospe ct ive v i ew ,

and say th at th e i ns i d i ous power t hatattempted to make such h i s to ry fo rty years ago

,i s at

work to -day i n a d i ffe re n t fo rm , u nde r d iffe re n t ausp i ces ,bu t i t is t h e same dead ly en emy .

A s fo rty years ago , th e enem ies made th e i r d i re c tat tack upon t h e Dec l arat i on o f In dependen ce , so now thed i rec t a ttack is made upon th e const i tu t i o na l amendments ,wh i ch embody the great i dea o f that Dec l arat i on

, and

c l a im that t h e governmen t wh ich s imp ly gi ves o ra ims t o give , equal p ro tect i o n to its c i t i z ens , does not gofa r e nough ; th at governmen t mus t not on ly p ro tect , bu ti t must become bus in ess mach i n e and become compet i to rin manyrespect s o f i t s c i t i z e ns i n bus i n ess re l at i o ns . I tcomes in t h e gu i se o f pate rn a l i sm , wh i ch is anoth er name

by wh i ch t hey desi re t h i s gove rnment to re tu rn to c l assl egisl at i o n . The patern al i sm o f th e peop l e may be re l i edupon to aga i n st amp ou t th is heresy , and the great p r i n c ip l e o f equ a l p rot ect i on o f th e l aws fo r a l l w i l l aga i n comeou t t r i umphan t . I f i t i s sa i d that we haVe l aws wh i ch dono t give equ al p ro tect i o n to ou r c i t i z ens , th en th e remedyis no t i n fight ing t h e co ns t i t u t ion , wh ich a ims to give th i sequa l p rotec t i on ; bu t to repea l the l aw th at p reven t s i t .

I t is a legi t imate bat t l e , l eg i t imate ly made by anyone whoc la ims that any l aw favors one c l ass as aga i n s tanothe r

,to see th at t hat l aw i s repealed . Bu t i t i s

un -Ame r iéan t o a i m to do away w i th t h e great fu ndamen ta l p r i nc i p l e wh i c h a ims to give equa l p rotect i o n toa l l . I t is one t h ing to repeal u nj u st l aws , i t i s ano th er toj eopard i z e the great fu ndamen ta l p r i nc i p l es wh i ch makeou r gove rnment th e bes t and most du rab l e o n eart h .

NOTES .

‘

The fo l l owi ng i s a l i s t o f th e newspapers o f the Statet hat are sen t regu l ar ly to th e S tate H ist o r i cal Soc i ety , tobe hl ed away da i ly o r week ly o r month ly , as th e case maybe , and finally to be bou nd and pu t o n the she lves as apart o f the permanen t reco rd 01 t he State :

ADAMS COUNTY .

H asfz’

ngs Da ily N ebraséa fz , Hast i ngs .H asl z

'

fzgs V/ ee/l’ly N eém s/émz , Hast i ngs .

ANTE LOPE COUNTY .

Am‘elofi e T72621726 , Nel igh .

1

BANNER COUNTY .

B anner Coun ty N ew s, Harr i sbu rg .

BOX BUTTE COUNTY .

H emingfom’ Guide, Hem ingford .

P ioneer Gr z’

fi , A l l i an ce .

BURT COUNTY .

Weekly 8 217 107211172, Tekamah .

CASS COUNTY .

PZaflsmmz t/z Wee/c/y j omf /za l,Pl attsmou th .

DAKOTA COUNTY .

N ort/z N eémsléa E agle , Dakota Ci ty .

DAWE S COUNTY .

Daw es Coun ty j ournal, Chad ro n .

—Monthly ,“D”— Dimly , ete. Un less 011101'W1se marked . the pape rs are w eek ly .

1 20 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY.

DODGE COUNTY .

1177 6 7120725 Da i ly H em /a’, Fremon t .F remmz f Weekly H era ld , Fremon t .F remon t Da i ly T77 521726 , Fremon t .F remom‘ Tml w ee/clv T7/ z

'

éw ze , F remont .

DOUGLAS COUNTY .

K n igkz‘s’

j ew el , Omaha . [M]Ozzz a/za Da ily B ee , Omaha .

Oma/mDmgg z’

sz‘

, Omaha . [M]Oma/m 5 355615207 , Omaha .

Poémfé Z afimz’

zz , Omaha .

S /zofi /mmz’ World, Omaha .

S overeign Vz’

sz

’

for , Omaha . [M]S oz z Z/z Oma/mDa i ly w n

’

j ourna l, Sou th Omaha .

FILLMORE COUNTY .

Geneva Refi zxélz’

can -j ow fnal, Geneva . [Sem i -MJGAGE COUNTY .

B ea im'

ce Weekly E xfimss, Beatr i ce .

Gage Cozm zy Democm t , Beat r i c e .

H ALL COUNTY .

Gm na’ [slmza

’ S emzl w eeély Independen t , Grand I sl and .

P z /éwmm, [M]

H OLT COUNTY .

A'

Mz z'

fzsm Grap/z z'

c, Atk in son .

JOHNSON COUNTY.

Tecumse/z Tecumseh .

LANCASTERCOUNTY .

Cour ier , Linco l n .

Da z/y AQém s/m S fa z‘e j ournal, Lincol n .

Dzz t‘

ésc/w T/Vcslmz , Li nco l n .

F aff

ez

'

19 7 6555 , Li nco ln .

H esfiefi an , Li ncol n . [M]


122 NE BRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

YORK COUNTY .

N eémséa B ee-K eefi er , York .

The annual meet i ng o f th e State H i stor i ca l Soc i e tyw i l l occu r on the even i ngs o f January l l sth and 16t h , in t hechape l o f th e State Un i vers i ty . I t has been thus arrangedfor the conven i en ce o f the c i t i z ens from ou ts i de th ecap i tal c i ty , who may w i sh to at t en d th e two even ingprograms o f th i s Soc i e ty

,and also the gather ings o f th e

State Hort i cu l tu ra l Soc i e ty , wh i ch occu r du r i ng th e fo renoons and afternoons o f th e 1sth ,

16t h and 1 7 t h o f J anuary .

Severa l papers wi l l be read on subj ec ts o f in te rest t o th epeopl e of Nebraska z— J udge E . Wake l ey

,o f Omaha ,

Remfm'

sw zces af i /m 1857— 1861 ; Pro f .

J. N . J ohnson , Li nco l n , M emor ial af L . B . W. S/Wyocé ,

‘

Moses H Sydenham , Kearney , Tmfi c A cross Z/z e Pla ins

in 1856 Gen . L . W . Co lby , Beatr i ce . S ome unw r i t

z‘

en P/mscs of Z/ze S ioux Indian PVCW; t he L ibrar ian o f theSoc i ety , on th e Pomcz [7zdz

'

am . The Pres i d ent o f theSoc i ety . H on . J. Ster l i ng Morton , Secretary o f Agr icu l tu reo f the Un i ted States , wi l l p res i d e . H is annual addresswi l l be abou t“l 5 P ioneer Populisma nd 5726 2? F inance mZ/z e 7 6 7 7 17070 of N eéms/ea 1855 , 1856 a nd 1857 , mm

’f/z e

a fi am Z/c/ éci w em fiasi cma’

fi resen t F allacies.

Ever one i n t e reste d w i l l b e we l comed .

Spec i a l men t i on shou l d be made o f the unse lfish

devot i on o f Mr . W . H . Woods to the w ork o f col lec t i ngmater ia l . S ince th e Soc i ety came i n to possessi on o f th e i rpe rmanen t quarte rs , k ind ly o ffe red by the Un ive rs i ty , Mr .

W b ocls has sen t to th e Soc i ety two boxes o f re l i cs , books ,and pamphlets , and in add i t i on has been constan t insend ing c l i pp ings that re late to the annals o f Wash i ngtonCoun ty . Su ch c l i pp i ngs as re l ate to the h istory o f theS t a t e . i n any w ay are very we lcome . They wi l l be pasted

NOTE S . 123

upon heavy man i l l a pape r and p laced i n pamph l e t ho lders ,t hus be i ng c lass i fi ed u nde r th e n ame of some cou n ty o fthe Stat e , o r u nde r some gene ra l subj ec t . I t may happen

somet imes that th ere i s among th e arch ives o f th e Soc i e tybo th th e c l i pp i ng and a fi le o f t h e same pape rs whence i twas taken ; bu t t hat o n ly assu res more ready access to t h emater i a l . Fr i end s o f the Soc i ety and those i n t e rested i nthe h i s to ry o f the State ca n he lp t o bu i ld u p th i s d enartmen t o f s tate work by se nd i ng to th e l ibrar i a n from t i meto t i me su ch art i c l es as bear on l ocal h i s tory in any way .

Duri ng 1894 con tr ibu t i o ns have been made i n on e way orano the r to th e co l l ec t i ons o f t he Soc i ety , by the fo l l ow i ng :C. B . A i t ch i son , Cou nc i l B l u ffs ; H . W . Yates , Omaha ;5 . C. Basset t , Gibbon ; M iss L . G. Green , Li n co l n ; De lGardne r , Li nco l n ; D. D. Forsythe , Gothenbu rg ; Vand ewal l and Vai l , B la i r ; Geo . F . Parke r , U . S . Con su l toB i rm i ngham , E ng ; M . M . Warn er , Dakota Ci ty ; C. E .

Bessey,Li n co ln ; P. J. Barron , Li nco l n ; J ared Sm i th , S t .

Lou i s ; W . H . P. Buchanan . Bes ides these i s a l ong l i s to f th ose who have donated books fo r th e l ibrary . Ment io nw i l l be made o f th ese l ate r .

I t was an em i nen t ly su i t ab l e name for nat i v e N ebraskans that came be fo re th e Terr i t o r i a l P i oneer Set t l e rs

’

Assoc i at i o n fo r d i scuss i on , and the adopt i o n o f i t by thatbody i s th e best i n t roduct i o n i t cou l d have had , pe rhaps ,t o th e peop l e o f t h e State . Tme Plan tem i s ce rta i n lya worthy n ame fo r those whose nat ive State gave Arbo rDay to th e worl d . Tree Plan t ers l e t i t be , becau se thatneans someth i ng i n th e h i sto ry o f N ebraska . Everypape r i n th e State shou ld i ndorse i t and publ i sh i t i nevery townsh i p .

S ome not i c e o f Mr . F . Bal l , o f Pa lmyra , member o f th i sSoc i e ty , i s d u e for the l abor and t ime he has spen t on th e


preparat i on fo r the Soc i e ty o f a very l arge amou n t o fmanuscr ip t mater i a l . As most o f what h e has se n t i nperta i ns to the h isto ry o f oth er s tates , mu ch o f i t can not

be pr in ted i n the Quarte rly . Ow i ng to t he le ngth o f th ep rogram at t he l as t meet i ng , 1894 , t i m e w as not l e ft fo rthe read i ng o f any o f these manuscr i p ts . Some o f t hemre l a te to N ew Engl and and Pennsylvan i a h i s to ry , someto I owa , and a l i t t l e to I n d i an s to r i es . Some o f i t w i l l bepr i n t ed i n th e fo rthcom i ng numbers o f th e Quarte rly .

The fo l l ow i ng i s a l i s t o f bou nd vo l umes o f newspapersth at are now in the possessi o n o f t he State H i s to r i ca lSoc i ety . These are not a l l t h e o l d papers that are at t h erooms ; fo r th ere are st i l l a very l a rge number o f fi les o fpapers to be arranged fo r th e b i n de r . In t he cou rs e o ft ime , al l t hese vo l umes w i l l fi nd t he i r way to t he casecon ta i n i ng th e bou nd newspapers .

ADAMS COUNTY .

H ast ings D. N eém sféan , Aug ,

’

93— ]u ne ,

’

o4. 2 Vol s .H asl z

’

ngs W N eémséa fz , Sep t ,

’

oI— Dec . ,

’

o3 . 2 Vols .

CASS COUNTY .

PZa z‘fsmou t/z D. H erald , Sep t ,

’

ol— Dec .

,

’

92 . 3 Vo ls .

P/a ftmw zz f/z W . H er a ld, Sep t ,

’

9 1— Dec .

,

’

92 . 1 Vo l .PZa tlsmoul/z D. j ournal, Sept . ,

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9 1—Nov .

,

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o3 . 5 Vols .

Our Work,Vol . 1 , Weep i ng Wate r ,

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88.

COLFAX COUNTY .

N ova Doéa , Schuyl e r ,'

92 .

S c/z zm/Zer 5 2m ,

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83’—86 . 3 Vols .

DAWE S COUNTY .

Daw es Cozm zy j oum al, Ap r . ,’

92—Dec . ,

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o3 . 1 Vol .

DODGE COUNTY .

F remon l D. H era ld, Sep t ,

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9 1— J u ne ,

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o4. 7 Vols .



N 022222225222/22 f o222f 222 l of 5 22222 22022 , Vols . I. and I I . ,’

oo 2 Vo ls .

MERRICK COUNTY .

6222222 ! 6 2232 622 2222 ,Apr i l

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o3 . 2 Vols .

MAD ISON COUNTY .

1112225022 6220222212,

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o3 . 1 Vol .1112222022 622222232 [322022224

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9 2—

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o3 . 2 Vols .

OTOE COUNTY .

N 2é22 sé2 C202 D. P2253 , Sep t ,

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93— J u n e ,

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o4 . 2 Vols .

RICH ARDSON COUNTY

V222022 V2'

22222 ,

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92—

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o3 . 1 Vol .

SEWARD COUNTY

8 1222 V2 ll2y £22022, De e ,

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7o-March

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73 . 1 Vo l .Loaned by th e ed i to r

, Capt . Cu lve r .

0

WASH INGTON COUNTY .

5 2222 102702, Dec .

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89— De c .

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9 1 . 1 Vol . I n comp l e te .

P 2702, 192—93 . 1 Vol .

5 12 22 C0222f 2°

22 , J u ly ,

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oz— Dec . ,

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92 . , 1 Vol .

PAPERS FROM OUTS IDE TH E STATE .

N 2 22’

0222 /E 22 ,Vols . 1. to XVI. Many numbers m i ss i ng .

Wash i ngton , D. C. ,

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47—

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6o . Bound in 7 Vols .‘

N 2222 Y02f/e W . 7 222522222 (Gree l ey) . Vol s . 1. t o Ill’

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[V220 YO22 2 5222221 127

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Vol . I. ,

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62

NOTE S . 1 27

Li st o f H i sto r i ca l Soc i e t i es o f th e Un i t ed S tates andCanada that ex change publ i ca t i ons wi th the N ebraskaS tate H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty .

CALI FORN IA .

Soc i e ty o f Cal i fo rn i a P ion eers . San Franc i sco .

H istor i ca l Soc i e ty o f Sou thern Cal i fo rn i a . LosAnge l es .

Geograph i ca l Soc i e ty o f th e Pacifi c . San Franc i sco .

Ca l i fo rn i a H i sto r i ca l Soc i e ty . San Fran c i sco .

CONNECTICUT.

Conn ec t i cu t H is to r i ca l Soc i e ty . Hart fo rd .

New Haven Co lony H is to r i ca l Soc i e ty . New Haven .

Fa irfi e ld Cou n ty H i sto r i cal Soc i e ty . Br idgepor t .

GE ORGIA .

Georgi a H i sto ri ca l Soc i e ty . Savan nah .

ILLINO IS .

Amer i can An t i qu ar i an and Or i en t a l J ou rnal . Ch i cago .

Ch i cago H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty . Ch icago .

I l l i n o is State H is to r i ca l Soc i e ty . Sp r ingfi e ld .

IND IANA .

I nd i an a H is to r ical Soc i e ty . I nd i anapo l i s .

I OWA .

I owa State H i s tor i ca l Soc i e ty . I owa Ci ty .

H isto r i ca l Departmen t o f I owa . Des Mo i nes .

KANSAS .

Kan sas State H i sto r i ca l Soc i e ty . Topeka .

LOU I S IANA .

Lou is i an a H istoricalOS ocie tv. New Orl ean s .

MA INE .

Bango r H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty . Bango r .Maine H is to r i ca l Soc i e ty . Po rt l and .

MARYLAND .

Maryland H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty . Ba l t i mo re .

MASSACH USETTS .

Amer ican Congregat i ona l Assoc i at i on . Bosto n .

Bosto n M emor i a l Assoc i at i on . Boston .

1 28‘

NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

Danvers H is tor i ca l Soc i ety . Danvers .Dedham H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty . Dedham .

Essex I ns t i tu te . Sal em .

Hyde Park H i s to r i ca l Soc i ety . Hyde Park .

Massachu set ts H i s to r i ca l Soc i e ty . Boston .

New Engl and H ist or i c -Genealogi ca l Soc i e ty . Boston .

Old Res id en ts’

H is to r i ca l Assoc i at i on . Lowel l .Pi lgr im Soc i e ty . Plymou th .

Pocumtuck Val l ey Memor i a l Assoc i a t i on . Dee rfi eld .

Weymou th H ist o r i ca l Soc i e ty . Weymou th .

Worces te r Soc i e ty o f An t i qu i ty . Worceste r .M ICH IGAN .

M i c h igan Pi one e r and H i stor i ca l Soc i ety . Lans i ng .

M INNE SOTA .

M inneso ta H i s to r i ca l Soc i e ty . S t . Pau l .M I S SOUR I .M issou r i Aeademy o f Sc i ences . S t . Lou i s .M lssour i H i sto r i ca l Soc i e ty . S t . LOU IS .

NEw HAMPSH IRE .

New Hampsh i re H istor ical'

S oc ie ty . Concord .

NEW JERSEY .

New J ersey H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty . Newark .

NEW M EX ICO .

New Mex i co H is to r i ca l Soc i e ty . San te Fe .

NEW YORK .

Amer i can Geograph ical Soc i e ty . New York .

Amer i can Num ismat i c and Archaelog ical Soc i e ty .

New York .

Bu ffa l o H is to r i cal Soc i ety . Bu ffa l o .

Chau tau qu a Soc i ety o f H istorygand Natu ral Sc i ences .J amestown .

Genesee Coun ty P ion ee r Assoc i at i on . Batav i a .

J ohnstown H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty . J ohnstown .

Liv ingston Cou n ty H is tor i ca l Soc i e ty . Nunda .

Long Isl and H isto r i ca l Soc i e ty . Brook l in .

On e ida H isto r ica l Soc i e ty . Ut i ca .

Rochester H isto r i ca l S oce ty . Rocheste r .Thegnemot Soc i e ty o f Amer i ca . New York .

(To be



OF TH E

N E B RA S IKA

take koriea oe ie

I SSU E D Q U A R T E R L Y

FlFTY CENTS AT L INCO LN ,NE BR.

NNN NNNNNN

FIFTEEN CENTSS SS S S S S S S SSS

L INCOLN PRINT ING CO .

PRINTERS , STAT IONERS ANDB INDERS

1 8 9 5

Nebraska S tateflistorieal !Society

O F F IC E R S

H ON . J STERL ING MORTON,Presi dent

,

H ON . E LEAZ ER WAK E LE Y,F irst Vice-P'

resi den t,

H ON . R. W . FURNAS,S econd Vice-Presi den t,

H ON . C. H . GERE,Treasm er

PROF . H OWARDW . CALDWE LL,S ecretary,

JAY AMOS BARRETT, Li brari an ,

C O M M IT T E E S

Publi ca ti on : TH E SECRETARY , S . L . GE ISIIARDT

and S . D. Cox .

Obi tuari es R. W . FURNAS,GEO . L . MILLER,

and W . H . E LLER.

Program TH E SECRETARY ,J L . WE B sTER,

and J M . WOOLWORTH .

Library JAY AMOS BARRETT, MRS . S . B . POUND,

an d J . H . CANFIELD.

Nebraska Ci tyOmaha

Brow nv i l l eLin coln

Lin coln

Lin coln



th is hero ic peop le are worthy o f the care fu l study o f thehuman i t ar ian and eth no log ist .The expected adven t o f an I nd ian Me55 1ah has beenamong the l egends or t rad i t i o ns o f n early al l o f th e greatfam i l i es o f N orth Ameri can I nd ians s i nce the i r con tac tw i th c iv i l i z ed races . The fa i l u re o f certa in natu ra l p roducts i n t he years o f 1889 and 1890, upon wh i ch many o fth e t r ibes were ac cu stomed to depend for subsistence , t hegeneral drou th i n th e north and west o f the Un i ted St ate sw i t h i ts at tendan t consequ ences, and also the neglec t onthe par t o f t he Government to fu rn i sh th e customary supp l i es

,a ided i n the rev iva l o f th e t rad i t i on and i n suggest

ing to the I nd i an m ind the des i rab i l i ty o f th e p resence o fth e Great M ed i c i ne Man o f th e North , who wou ld br ingpower

,p le nty and happ i ness to h i s l o ng su ffe r i ng peop l e .

I n th e win te r and S pr ing o f th e year 1890 th e id ea becamew idespread , and i n the early summer th e annou ncemento f the actu al appearan ce o f the Ind ian Chr i s t was made .

I n J u ne o f th is year the War Departmen t gave genera lc i rcu l at i on to th e sto ry o f Porcu p in e , a Cheyenne med ic i ne man

,who

, in November , 1889 , by d i v i ne commandand under th e gu idan ce o f th e Great Sp i r i t , t rave led fromhis reservat io n to t he Shosh one agency , to Sal t LakeCi ty , and thence to the Fort H al l agen cy , where he w as

j o i n ed by de l egat i on s from othe r t r ibes who came uponthe same m iss i on

,and who w i thou t any apparen t agree

men t fo r concert o f act i on , arr ived at about th e samet ime . From Fort H al l the represen ta t ives were d i rectedto th e Walke r R iver rese rvat ion i n th e State o f N evada

,

where th e l ong expected Messi ah w as found ,h is head

bowed i n sorrow, and w i th scars on wr ists and face . H e

to l d them o f h i s cruc ifix ion ,suffer i ngs and d eath . H e

i nst ru cted them i n mora l i ty , and taught them certa i nre l ig ious dances and songs . H e cou nse l ed bro therly loveand k indness one to anoth er , gave l essons i n i mmorta l i ty ,and prophes i ed that al l t h e I nd i an dead were to be resu rrected , and to l ive on earth aga i n . The o ld were to


become you ng ; the c r i pp l ed and d iseased to be made wel l ;t he bu ffa lo

,dee r , e lk and o th er game to be brought back

in abu ndan ce ; and th e earth en larged so th at al l nat i onscou ld dwe l l the re i n .

The agen t for th e Cheyennes and A rapahoes i n Ok lahoma Terr i to ry reported to th e I nd i an Bu reau that , in th eau tumn o f 1889 and win t e r o f 1890, rumors had come tothat agency from the Shoshones o f the State o f Wyom ingthat th e I nd ian Chr i s t h ad su re ly come , and was wa i t i ngi n the moun ta i ns some two hundred m i l es north o f the i r rese rvat ion ; th at some o f th e bes t med i c i n e men o f th e Shoshones had v i s i ted and h eld converse w i th h im ; t hat h ehad to ld th em that th e wh i tes were to be removed from thecoun t ry , th e bu ffal o brough t back , and the red menrestored to the i r o r ig i na l cond i t i on i n the l and o f the i rfathers . These rumors were be l i eved by th e Cheyennesand A rapahoes , who sent two represen tat ives to Wyom i ngto i nvest igat e th e mat te r . The i r agen ts re tu rned afte ran absence o f some mon ths , and reported that th e storyconcern i ng th e Ch r i s t was t ru e , though th ey had not seenh im

,hav i ng been p reven ted by th e heavy snow from

mak i ng th e p i lgr image to th e mou nta i n s .The spec i a l agen t i n charge o f th e Tongue Riveragency i n t he State o f Montana reported 1 that an I nd i an

,

also named Porcup i ne , had dec l ared h imse l f to be theI nd ian Mess i ah , and that h e had a l arge fo l low i ng amongthose o f that agency . Even those who d i d no t be l i eveobeyed h im th rough fear o f th e te rr ib l e power o f h i scu rses . I t w as orde red , fo r th e pu rpose o f p l eas i ng theGreat Sp i r i t , that at every new moon a six days

’ andn igh ts

’

dan ce shou l d be he ld . I n th i s way,at the end o f

a given t ime , th e bu ffa l o , e lk and oth e r game wou ld berestored , t he I nd i an dead resu rrec ted , th e t ru e be l i eve rsendowed w i th pe rpe tua l you th

,and many o the r wonder fu l

th i ngs done fo r the bene fi t o f t he I nd i an race .

The Ind i ans at th e severa l agenc i es o f th e grea t S ioux1 Report Comm. 111d Affal rs, 1891, p . 123 . [ED.]

I34 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

Nat i on l ocated i n the States o f N ebraska,and o f North

and Sou th Dakota , heard reports o f th e adven to f th e Ind ian Mess i ah , and gave credence to the same .

I n t he w i nte r o f 1890 the S ioux ,wi th th e i r charac te r ist i c

cou rage and act iv i ty , and w i thou t obta in ing perm issi onfrom the agen ts i n charge appo i n ted by th e governmentalau thor i ty , sen t fou r rep rese n tat ives to l earn and reportt he t ru th i n th i s mat te r . Good Thunder , Cl oud H orse ,Yel low Kn i fe , and Short Bu l l , t h e I nd i an rep resen tat i vessen t , a fter an absence o f severa l mon ths

,retu rned and

reported that th e I nd i an Chr i s t h ad su re ly come , thatthey had seen h im face to face

,had grasped his hands

and talked wi th h im ; t h at a great smoke came down fromheaven and enve loped th em du r i ng the i n t e rv i ew ; th at heshowed them a v i s i on o f the happy fu tu re home o f al l th eI nd i an nat i ons , across the ocean ; th at h e gave th empa i nts , and i ns t ruc t i ons how to make th emse lves i mmorta l ;th at h e had come to br ing back th e van i sh ed game , andto gi ve l i fe

,s t rength and hap p in ess to the red men ; th at

he wou ld make the i r dead fr i ends l i ve once more ; th atthe o ld shou ld become young aga i n , and th e you ng nevergrow o ld ; bu t that a l l shou l d p ray , and s ing , and dance toth e Great Sp i r i t

,and l ove each other ; th at i n th e spr i ng

o f th e n ext year a l l wou l d be wel l i f they d id as th eChr i st sa i d .

Great exc i temen t p reva i l ed at many agenc i es , muchcredence was g iven to th ese reports , and re l ig i ou s mee ti ngs were commen ced in obed i ence to th e supposed commands and w i sh es o f the Ch r i st , i n wh i ch hu ndreds o fI nd i an s o f both sexes someti mes took part . They wou ldgathe r at a pol e p l aced i n th e earth . Then u nder thei nst ru c t i ons o f a med i c i ne man , r i se from th e grou nd ,

fo rm a c i rc l e,j o i n hands

,and move arou nd w i th cadenced

step , s inging , cry i ng and praying , u n t i l exhausted .

Agent Gal l agher at P i n e Ridge agen cy , i n the State o fSou th Dakota

,sta ted to th e Comm iss ioner o f Ind i an

A ffa i rs th at the Ind ians o f that agency bel i eved th e



re turmng t o re i nh ab i t th i s earth ,wh i ch belongs to th e

I nd i ans ; that th ey are d r iv ing back w i th them ,as th ey

retu rn,i mmense herds o f bu ffal o , and e l egan t w i l d horses

to have fo r the catch i ng ; t h at t he Great Sp i r i t p rom i sesthem that th e wh i te man wi l l be u nab l e to make gu npowder i n fu tu re , and al l at t empts at su ch wi l l be a fa i l u re ;and that t he gu npowder now on hand wi l l be u se l essas aga inst I nd i ans , as i t w i l l n ot th row a bu l l e t w i t h suffi

c i en t fo rce to pass th rough the sk i n o f an Ind ian ; t hatt he Great Sp i r i t had deserted the I nd i ans fo r a longper i od , bu t i s now w i th them and aga i nst t h e wh i tes , andwi l l cover th e earth over w i th th i rty fee t o f add i t i on al so i l ,we l l sodded and t imbered , u nde r wh i ch th e wh i tes w i l l a l lbe smothered ; and any wh i tes who may escape these greatphenomena w i l l become smal l fi she s i n the r ivers o f t h ecoun t ry ; bu t 1n o rder to br i ng abou t th i s h appy resu l t th eI nd i ans must do the i r part , and become bel i evers , andthorough ly o rgan i z ed .

The story o f the I nd i an Chr is t as h e was u nders tood byth e S ioux Nat i on , and an accou n t o f t h e v is i t o f th e representa t ives who saw h im , wi th a descr i p t i o n o f th e c eremon i es and songs o f the ghos t dancers was wr i t ten ou tabou t th e t ime o f th e su rrender o f the host i l es i n j anu ary ,189 1 , by Maj o r George Sword , an Ogal l a l a S i oux I nd i an ,who was th en Capta i n o f th e I n d i an po l i ce at P i ne R idgeagency . The or ig inal , wri t te n i n the Dakota tongue , i si n the possess i o n o f M iss Emma C. S i cke l s , fo rmerlysuper i n te nden t o f th e I nd i an schoo l at t hat agency . Thefo l low i ng i s a n early l i t e ral t ransl at i o n o f th is in te res t i ngpaper

,wh i ch has th e added va l u e o f h av i ng been made

by an edu cated you ng man o f th e Ogal l al a t r ibe :Th is is th e sto ry o f th e ghost danc i ng .

The fi rst peopl e that l earn ed abou t th e Mess i ah hav i ngcome

,were th e Shoshon es and A rapahoes . The Ogalla

las heard that t he Son o f God was t ru ly on earth far tothe west from the i r cou nt ry . Th i s w as i n the 1889 year .S o i n th at year Good Thu nder w i th fou r o r five othersv i s i ted th e p l ace where the S on o f God was sa idjyto be .

These peop l e went the re w i thou t perm iss i o n . They sa i dthe M ess i ah w as t here at t he p l ace , and he was there to


hel p th e I nd ians and no t th e wh i tes . I t made th e I nd i anshappy to fi nd ou t th is .

Good Thu nder , Cl oud H orse , Yel l ow Kn i fe , and ShortBu l l v is i t ed the p l ace aga i n in th e 1890 year , and saw theMess i ah .

Th is i s th e i r story o f th e i r v i s i t to th e Mess i ahFrom th e coun t ry whe re dwel l t he A rapahoes and

Shoshones we star t tow ards t he Northwest , and go in

t ra i n fo r five n igh ts , and arr i ve at th e foot o f th e RockyMou n ta i n s . Here we saw h im and also seve ra l t r ibes o fI nd i ans . The peop l e sa id that the Mess i ah wou ld comeat a p lace i n the woods w h ich was p repared fo r h im .

When we went there a great smoke descended fromheaven arou nd the p l ace where he was to come . Whenth e smoke d isappeared th ere was a man abou t fo r ty years ,wh i ch was th e S on o f God . The man sa id z—

‘My grandch i l d ren ! I am gl ad you have come far away to see you rre l at ives . These are you r peop l e w ho have come backfrom you r coun t ry .

’— Then he sa i d h e wanted us to go wi thh im . We looked and saw a l and created across th eocean on wh ich al l th e n at ions o f I nd i ans were com inghome . Bu t as th e Messi ah l ooked at th e l and ,

wh ich wascreated and reached ac ross t he ocean , i t d i sappeared , hesay ing that i t was not t i m e fo r that to take pl ace .

The Mess i ah then gave to Good Thunder some pa i nts,I nd i an pa i n t and a wh i te pa in t— a green grass

,and sa id :

‘My grandch i ld ren , when you get home , go to farm i ngand send al l you r ch i l d ren to schoo l . 011 th e way homei f you k i l l any bu ffal o cu t o ff th e head , th e ta i l and th efou r fee t , and l eave them , and that bu ffa l o w i l l come tol i fe aga in . When the so ld i e rs of the wh i te peopl es’

ch i e f wan t to arrest me , I shal l s t re tch ou t my arms wh i chw i l l s t r i ke th em to noth ingness. I f no t , then th e earthw i l l open and swal low them in . My father commandedme to v isi t t h e I nd i ans on a pu rpose . I came to th ewh i te p eop l e fi rst , bu t they were no t good ; they k i l l e dme

,and you can se e the marks o f my wounds on my feet

,

my hands and on my back . My father has g ive n youl i fe— you r o ld l i fe— and you have come to se e you r fr i ends ,bu t you w i l l no t take me home wi th you at th is t ime . Iwan t you to te l l , when you ge t home , you r peopl e to fo l lowmy examp les . I f any I nd i an does not obey me

,and

t r i es to be o n th e wh i tes’

s id e , he w i l l be covered over by a.


n ew l and that i s to come ove r th i s o l d one . You and al lt h e ‘ peop l e w i l l u se the pa i n ts and grass I g ive you ; In

th e sp r ing when the green grass comes,you r pe0p le ,_w ho

have gon e be fore you , wi l l come back , and you shal l se eyou r fr i ends t hen , fo r you have come to my cal l .

’

Then the p eop l e from many tepees sen t fo r us t o v is i tt h em ; some were those who d i ed years ago . Chasi ngH awk who d i ed not long ago , was there , and we went toh i s tepee . H e was l iv i ng w i th h i s w i fe who was k i l l ed i nwar many years past . They l ive i n a bu ffalo - sk i n t epeea very l arge one— and he wanted al l h i s fr i e nds to go t he reto l i ve . A so n o f Good Thu nder who d i ed i n war a longt ime ago also took us t o h i s t epee

,so th at h i s father saw

When retu rn i ng , we came to a herd o f bu ffal oes ; wek i l l ed one and took eve ryth i ng excep t th e fou r feet

,head

and ta i l . When we moved a l i t t l e ways from i t t here wasth e bu ffa l o come to l i fe aga in , and he wen t away . Th i sw as on e o f th e Mess i ah

’

s words that came to t ru th .

The gMessiah al so sa id z—‘

I wi l l m ake short you rj ou rn ey when you fee l t i red o f t h e l ong ways

,i f you cal l

me .

’ —Th i s we d id when we were very t i red . The n igh tcame upon us, we stopped at a p l ace , and we cal l ed u ponth e Mess i ah to hel p us because we were t i red o f the l ongj ou rney . We went to s l eep and i n th e morn i ng we fou ndou rse lves at a great d i stance from where we stopped .

”

The peop l e came back here from the v is i t to th eMessi ah and they got those l oyal to th e Governmen t andthose not i n favor o f th e wh i tes , and hel d a counc i l . Theagen t

’

s so ld i ers were sen t a fte r th em,and brough t Good

Thu nder and two o th ers t o the agency and they wereconfi ned i n p r i son . They were asked by th e agent andCaptai n Sword whether they saw th e Son o f God , andwhethe r th ey were ho ld i ng cou n c i l s ove r th e i r retu rnfrom th is v i s i t

,bu t Good Thunder re fu sed to say“yes .”

They were confined in the pr i so n for two days , and upont he i r p rom i s ing not t o ho l d cou nc i l s about th e i r v i s i t ,t hey were re l eased . They wen t back to the p eop l e , andto l d them abou t the i r t roub l e w i th th e agen t

,then they

d ispersed w i thou t a cou nc i l .In th e fo l l ow i ng spr ing th e peopl e at P i ne Ridge agencybegan to gather at t h e Wh i t e Cl ay Creek fo r cou nc i ls .At t h i s t ime K i ck i ng Bear from the Cheyen ne Rive r



su pp l i ca t i on to th e Mess i ah . They then comme nce th edance , singi ng ,

JIn a he kuye , i na he kuye ,M isunkala

, ceya oman i ye ,M i sunkala , e tc . , etc .

The ghost songs— Wa222g2 0102222 22— as su ng by

the t r ibes o f the S i oux , were composed o f a number o fseparat e s tan zas

,each usua l ly e nd i ng w i th the re fra in ,

Ate heye lo ,ate heye lo .

Saith my father , sai th my father .

Some o f th e stan zas con c l u ded w i th th e words ,Niha n quon he heye lo , n ihun quon he heye lo .

Sai th thy mother, saith thy mother .

Others t erm i nated w i th the ph rase ,Un ci heye ce ,

un c i heye ce °

Sai th my grandmother , saith my grandmother ,

And occas ional ly w as heard th e c l osi ng me lody o f

Tuwa heye ce,tuwa heye ce .

Saith somebody , sai th somebody .

Some o f th e stan zas were chan ted by the women,and

o th ers by th e men . Aga i n stan zas were d iv id ed , and th eparts su ng al t ernate ly by those o f each sex . Bo th menand w omen

,however

,u sual ly j01ned i n th e re fra in . The

term i na l wo rds [0 and y e seem to be added fo r th e pu rposes o f eu phony rather than fo r any change o f mean i ng .

These words are gi ven a gender , th e fo rmer be ing mascu

l i ne and the l at te r fem i n i ne , as regards the speaker o rs inger ; and th is characte r ist i c appears i n th e langu agegeneral ly .

Anoth er pecu l i ar i ty o f th e Dakota tongue , wh i ch isnot iced i n th ese songs

,is th e use o f wo rds hav i ng en t i re ly !

d ist i nc t and d i fferen t roo ts to i nd i cate th e fi rst , secondand th i rd pe rsons

,and espec i a l ly in th e gende r o f nou ns.

To i l l ust rate : my mothe r is 2222 , thy mothe r , 2227222222, andh is mothe r , My fathe r is 2 22

,t hy fath er

,222322 22 ,

and his or her fath e r,

Bro the r ismy older bro ther , 2222322 ; my you nger brother , 22225222222 ,

H ISTORICAL PAPERS . 14 1

and a bro th er - i h - l aw , The d im i n u t ive is fou ndby add i ng the syl l ab l e 222 o r [2 t o th e noun ; as al i t t l e b i rd

,my l i t t l e bro the r .

The song w as i n th e natu re o f a chan t , wi th some var i at i ons o f t h e gene ral me lod i ou s monotone . An accen t

,

o r emphas i s,was give n at abou t eve ry second beat o f

common t ime . The re fra in w as at t imes a mus i ca l wa i l,

whose p l a in t ive me lody seemed to come from a so rrowladen heart

,t h e memory o f wh i ch w i l l rema i n fo r years .

The fo l l ow i ng song o f th e ghost dance, w as

arranged by M rs . M ary Pa rme rle e and Mr . R. C. Bower,

th rough th e ass i s t ance o f Short Bu l l , a Bru l e S i oux ,o f

t he Rosebud agency , Sou th Dakota . Short Bu l l was oneo f th e Dakota de l egates who tw i ce v is i t e d th e sac re dp lace i n th e mou nta i n s where th e Mess i ah was sa i d to be ,

and who brough t back th e report t hat t h e I nd ian Chr i s th ad su re ly come .

The l anguage and mus i c can be regarded as bu t ad i s tan t ech o o f the w i ld , i n cohe re nt words and pathet i cme lody heard across th e b roke n canyons o f Wh i te R iver

,

i n the Mauva i ses Terres , o r by th e c r imson waters o f th eWounded K nee .

The conversat i o n i nd i cated i n th e song i s supposed totake p l ace be tween th e Great Sp i r i t and the ghost dancerafte r th e l atte r , hav ing fa i n ted from exhaust i o n andmental exc i tement , has moun ted upon w i ngs l i k e a b i rd ,met and ta lk ed w i t h th e sp i r i t s o f h i s d eparted fr i ends

,

and finally en te red th e realm o f the su n .

H e tu w e - ch e ya e e ? H e tu w e ch e ya e e ?

lV/zo 2'

s y022fi 222-w 222g l o 25 y022fl222-22222g -22 g host ?

GH OST DAN CER.

To - k i -

ya e -J tan ya- u ? To - ki -

ya e - tan ya- u ?

ZV222222 2022223202 422 202 222 2222223 512222 ? lV/222222 ( 0222232024322 2122 222 2222g $2222?

ch i p i ; N i w a ch i p i .

g /2052‘

22 2222; F rom Z/zy g lzosi 22 2222 .

Tu w e h e h u w o ? Tu w e h e hu w o ?

W/zo 2 22 32022, 22232 212212 ? I'V/zo 2 212 32022, 22232 22212 ?

GH OST DAN CER

A te w a 111 k te w a chm ye lo yu .

F 2 52212 2 222' 212 ! s e f rom 32022.

GREAT SPIRIT .

M a ye hsu ya yo ; M a ye h su ya yo .

T12222 22 2222222 022' 2222; 7 72222 22 2222222—b22' 2222 .

GH OST DAN CER

A te,\Va ( 1111 k te 1i a w a ho n ye 10 .

F2 27222, I 1222 2 32022: 622 32022


144 NEBRASKA STATE H IST6RICAL SOCIETY .

was then encamped on Porcup in e Creek abou t for tym i les easttivard from Pi ne R idge agency . These stan z aswere ' obta in ed th rough the I n d ian woman , Li z z i e B l ackfox , th e w i fe o f Blackfox ,

a Cheyen ne S i oux , who i s sa idto have fi red the fi rst shot at th e batt l e o f Wou ndedKnee , December 29 , 1890,

where 109 dusky warr iorsfought the 500 we l l armed ve terans o f Genera l Cust e r

’

so l d regimen t , the 7th U . S . Caval ry . They were fi rstwri t ten ou t i n the Dakota tongue by the I nd ian w i fe o fth e I nd i an Ep i scopal M issi onary at Wou nded Knee . Thewr i t e r o f th is paper , wi th t he a i d o f a l ex i con o f th eDakota language and w i th th e val u ed assistance o f H en ryM . J ones , an educated

,fu l l -b lood S ioux o f the San tee

agency , in Nebraska , has gon e over pat i en t ly and carefu l ly each o f the songs

,fo r th e pu rpose o f el im i nat i ng any

m istake i n orthography,subst ance , or fo rm , and i t i s

bel i eved that the or iginal Ind i an text , as wel l as th eE ngl ish t ransl at i on

, is reasonably correct and accu rate .

There has been no at t empt however to spec i al ly i nd i cate .

in th e orthog raphy o f the text , those part i cu l ar sounds o fth e Dakota l anguage wh i ch have no equ ival en t in Engl ish ,

such as th e rough gu t tera l . or second sou nds o f g and h ,

the pecu l i a r nasal qual i ty somet imes g iven to n , o r th eexp losi v e , vocal charac te r ist i cs o f q , c

, p , and t . Torepresen t accu rate ly su ch sou nds wou ld requ i re theuse o f add i t i onal l e tters o r ch arac te rs,

and t h i s w as

no t deemed necessary fo r the pu rpose o f th is paper .The fo l l owi ng is th e song o f the ghost dance rs as sung

on Whi te Cl ay and Wol f creeks near the Pi n e R idgeagency :

H ISTORICAL EAPERS .

WANAGI OLOWAN KIN .

.l

Ina he kuye ,ina he kuy e ,

M isunkala ceya oman i ye ,M isun kala ceya oman i ye ,Ate heye lo , ate heye 10,

Ate heye lo.

2

H e tuw eca he 11 huwo,H e tuw eca he 11 huwo ecann i huwo ;E nuku oki lica he 11 huw o

,

Ate heye lo , ate heye 10,Ate heye lo.

3

Ina he kuye , misunkala ,

M isnn kala ceyaya oman i ye ,M isun lcala ceyaya oman i ye ;Ina he kuye ,

ate heye lo,Ate heye lo.

4:

Ateyap i kin maka owankaya,i low an po eya pe ,

Oyaka yo, oyaka yo , heya , heya,Ate heye lo ,

ate heye lo,Ate heye lo.

5

H owomicinkx i,bowo micinkx i

,

Le c ico qon wanna, yah i y e ,

yah i ye ;Maka k in le icu wo, maka kin 19

ion w o ;Aka l in icagin kte ,

akal in icagin kteH aye eyayo, haye eyayo.

M icunkx i nape mayu z a yo,M icunkxi nape mayuz a ye ;In icagin kte ,

in icagin kte ,Ate heye lo, ate heye 10,te heye 101

145

TH E GHOST SONG .

Thou w onderest w ho come th ,

Th ou w onderest w ho come th ;One hun teth h is mother

,

Sai th my father, sa i th my father

,

Sal th my father .

A l l the ear th singe th of the fa ther,

S inge th of the fathe r ; te l l i r, te l l i t ,Sai th my fathe r , sa i th my father ,

Sa i th my father .

5

My son return now thou art come ,

My son re turn now thou art come ;Take th is land

,take th is land

Thou shal t l i ve ou , thou shalt l i ve on ;Te l l th is, te l l th is.

6

My daugh ter shake my hands,M y daugh t er shake my hands ;Thou shalt grow ,

thou shal t grow ,

Sai th my father , sa i th my father,Saith my father.

1

My mother come home , my mothercome home

,

For my youn ge r b rother crieth ,w andere th

,

For my youn ger b rother cr ie th ,w andere th

,

Sai th my father , sai th my father ,Sa i th my father .

c)d

3

My mother come home,for my

youn ger brother ,

My youn ger brother sti l l crie th,

w andere th ,

My youn ger brother st i l l crie th,

w andereth ;My mother come home

,sai th my

father ,Sai th my father .

4

146

7

Ate heye lo cann onpa w an

Ci cicaup i ca yan i p i kte loAte heye lo , ate

‘

heye lo,Ate heye lo.

8

Ki n inyanka wan hi ye , k inmyankaw an h i ye ;

Wan leci le wanasap i kte lo eyape ,Wan lec i le w anasapi kte lo eyape ;Wahin kpe kaga. yo, wahinkpe kaga

YQ~

9

Mina kin hiyumiciya, mj n a kin hj

yumiciya ye ;Wawakabla kte

, w awakabla kte ;Puze e inhamw asn a w akagi kte ,Puz e einbau w asna w akagi kte ;Un ci heya ce , un ci heya ce.

10~ b

Leciya heyap i 10, 1eciya heyapi lo,A te ceyaya w anyaglaka ca ,

Ate ceyaya w anyaglaka ca ,

Tuwa h eya ce,tuwa heya ce .

H anpa w ecage , han pa w ecage ,Tew ar in la ca he

,tew ari n la ca he ;

Wan blen i ca ca he kape lo, w an blen icaca he kapa lo,

N i hun qon he heye lo, h ibun qon heheye lo.

12

Tokexa w anw eglakin kte,

Tokexa w anw eglak'

m kte,

N1hun qon he heye lo, h ibun qon heheye lo.

13

K akoyan Wi cexka al ina,w ice xka alma

,

Koyan w aw ahin kte , koyan w aw ah inkte ;

W'

ihuta ohomn i, w ihuta ohomn i

,

Okatann a ,oka tann a ;

N ihun qon he heye lo, h ibun qon heheye lo.

kakoyan

NE BRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY .

7

My father sai th I bring thy p ipe ,So thou mayest con t in ue to l i ve ,

Sai th my father,sa ith my father

,

S ai th my father .

8

sonae on e cometh to tel l n ew s, to tel ln ews ;

There shal l be a buffalo chaseThere shal l be a buffalo chase

Make arrows, make arrows.

9

Give me my kn ife , give me my kn ife ;Iw ould cut th e meat , I w ould cut the

meat ;I w ould make the ground meat ;I w ou ld make the ground meat ;Saith my grandmother

,sa ith my

grandmother.

10

They say there , they say there ,Thou shal t see father and cry ,

Thou sha lt see father and cry ,

Saith somebody ,sa i th somebody .

Imade him moccasin s, I made h immoccasin s,

For I love him,for I love h im ;

H e is father less,he i s lath erless,

Saith thy mother , sai th thy mother .

Th e t ime cometh,I shal l see h im

,

The t ime come th,I shal l see h im ,

Saith thy mother, sai th thy mother .

Raise the tepee , hurry , raise the

te pee , hurry ,

I w ish to cook soon ,I W ish to cook

soon ;D r i ve the p ins around the tepee ,Dn ve the p in s around the te pee ;Saith thy mother , sai th thy mother .



The fo l low ing i s th e song o f th e ghost dancers as sungon Wounded Knee Creek by the I nd i ans o f Spot ted E lk

’

sband :

1

Ina he ku w o ,in a he ku W0 ;

M isun kala ceya oman i ye ,M isunkala ceya oman i y e ;Ina he ku w o

,in a he ku W0 ;

Ate heye lo, ate h eye lo.

2

Ehe ki ninyanka ukiye ,Ehe kin i nyan ka ukiye ;Leci w an asap i kte lo eyap i 10,Leci w anasap i hte lo eyapi lo ;Wanh in kpe kaga yo, w anh inkpe kaga

yo .

M ic in kx i n ape mayuz a ye ,

M ic in kx i nape mayuz a ye ;In i cagin kte , i n i cagm hte ;Ate heve lo , ate heye lo.

M ic inkx i tahena kupi ye ,M lc in lcx i tnhena kup i ye ;Makoce w an w ax te ayali p i kte ,Makoce w an w ax te ayali pi kte ;Ate heye lo ,

ate heye lo .

5

K oyau w icexka ale ye ,Koy an w i cex ka ale ye ;Wann a wowah in kte , w anna wawah in

kte ;W ihu te ohomn i

, w ihuta ohomn i,

okalan n a , okalanna ;Koyan w owah in h te , koyan w aw ah i n

k te .

6

Ateyap i k in maka ow ano i ya ilowanDO ,

Ate heye lo , ate heye lo :H eya po , heye po ,

Ate heye lo, ate heye lo.

buffalo

buffa lo

3

My son shake my hands,My son shake my hands ;Thou shal t g row ,

thou shal t grow ;Sai th my father , sai th my father .

4

My son come h i ther ,My son come h i ther ;Thou sha l t tread a good land ,

Thou sha lt tread a good land ;Sai th my fathe r , sa1th my father .

O

Raise the tepee , hurry ,

Raise the tepee , hurryI shal l cook soon ,

1 shal l cook soon ;D r ive the p ins around the tepee ;I shal l cook soon

,I shal l cook soon .

6

A l l the ear th singeth of the father ,Sa i th my father , sa i th my fath er ;Smge th ,

singe th of th e father ,

531th my father, saith. my iatber,

Oh ,my mother come home

,oh ,

mymother come home ;

My younger brother cr ieth ,wander

eth ,

My younger brother cr ieth , wander

e th ,

Oh ,my mother come home

,oh

,my

mother come home ;Sa ith my father , sa i th my father .

2

They come to te l l n ew s,They come to te l l n ew sTh e y say there w i l l be a

chase,

They say there w i l l be a

chase ;Make arrows, make arrow s.

H I STORICAL

I

Wanna wanasap i kte ,Wann a w anasap i kte ;Un c i i taz ipa m icu W0,Un c i i taz ipa micu w o.

8

Miye w anmayanka yo miye wanma

yan ka yo ,

X un ka oyate w an canku w akaga ;Miye w anmayan ka yo,miye wanmay

an ka yo,

Kun ka oyate w an canku w akaga lo ;Kola heye lo, kola heye lo.

9

Miye w anmayanka yo ,m iye w anmay

an ka yo ,

Kan gi oyate wan canku w akage ,Miye w anmayanka yo, yan i p iK ta ca can ku w akage lo ;Kola heye 10, kola heye lo.

Maka sin tomh iyan uki y e ,Oyate ukiye ,

oya te ukiye ;Maka owan caya ukiye , p te kin ukiye ,Oyate w an hox i h i ye 10,Ate heye lo, ate heye lo.

Maka sin tomhiyan ukiye ,Oyate ukiye , oyate ukiye ;Wamb l i oyate w an hox i h i ,Wamb l i oyate w an hox i hi ,Ate heye lo ,

ate heye 10.

PAPERS . 149

I

Now for a buffalo chase ,Now for a bufl'alo chase ;G randmother gi ve me my bow ,

G randmother g ive me my bow .

A n at ion of ( logs see th me ,

S ee th me maklng a path ;A n at ion of dogs see th me ,

Seeth me mak in g a path ,

Sa i th my fr iend , sa i th my friend .

A nat ion of crow s seeth me,

A n at ion of crow s see th me,

Mak in g a path that thou shal t tread ,

Makin g a path that thou shal t l i ve ;Sai th my fr iend , sa ith my friend .

Over all the land nat ions are com in g ,Over all the land nat ion s are com in g ;A n at ion of crow s th is Iorerunne th ,

A n at ion of crow s th is forerunn e th ,

Sa ith my father , sai th my father .

Over all the lan d n at ion s are comin g ,Ove r all the land n at ion s are com in g ;A n at ion of eagles th is forerunn e th ,

A nat ion of eagles th is forerun neth ,

Sa i th my father , sai th my father .

Wh i l e i t is apparent th at the I nd i an Mess i ah i s anadopt i on o f th e Ch r ist i an i d ea o f th e Sav i ou r , yet i t i son ly an adaptat i o n o f h im , in acco rdan ce w i t h th e I nd i a nmodes o f though t and anc i en t be l i e fs , t o the press ingneeds i n an t i c i pat i o n o f the fate w h i ch seems to con fron tth is u n fortu nate peop l e , and wi th a hal f-despa i r i ng hopeo f re l i e f . I t is a s ingu lar a nd sig n ifica n t fac t that in th uscomprehend i ng and adopt i ng the fundamen ta l i dea o f aMess i ah th ere shou l d have been added no other e l emen tfrom the Chr i st i an re l ig ion . A l l e l se appears to be pu re lypagan , us i ng th e term as an ant i the t i ca l co rre lat ive o f

ISO NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

Chr ist i an . The I nd ian s seem to have accepted Chr i s t asa be ing wi th d iv i n e power , wh ich H e i s th e more w i l l i ng toexerc i se as an avenger in the i r behal f becau se o f h i srej e ct i on and crucifix ion by the wh i te races.

Another not iceabl e characte r i st ic o f th ese we i rd ,i t e ra

t ive songs i s t h e i r l ack o f defi n i te l i n es o f though t , the i rgeneral s eparat i on from , and apparen t want o f rel evancyto , t he great subj ect . They seem to have no re ference toChr i st i an con cept ion s o r to any i deas der i ved frommodern c iv i l i z at i o n . Withou t go i ng i n to a genera l d i scussion o f th is subj ec t , i t is suggested as a probab l eexp lan at i on that each stan za has some figurat ive meaning

r assoc i ated w i t h the anc i en t l egends and supers t i t i on s ,wh i ch , to th e Ind ian m i nd , i s s t rongly suggest ive of

exa l ted ideas , capab l e o f awaken ing pro fou nd emot i on s ,and

, by con t inued , excessi v e , rap i d repet i t i o ns , o f exc i t ingto a re l igi ou s fren zy

,s i m i l ar to that o f t h e derv i shes o f

Turkey,Egypt

,Pers i a

,H indostand

,and Cen t ra l Asi a .

REM IN ISCENCES OF THE TH IRD JUDIC IALDISTRICT , 1857

— I86 1 .

E . WAK ELE Y .

I t is not easy to descr ibe what one has seen , o r speako f even ts in wh i ch he has taken a part , no matter howsl i gh t , w i th ou t in t rud ing his pe rso nal i ty more or l ess i n toth e narrat ive . If

,th e re fo re , in recal l ing some rem in isce n

ce s o f Northern Nebraska , a gen e rat i o n ago ,I may be

chargeabl e w i th th is seem ing fau l t , l e t i t k i ndly be ove r

l ooked .


NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY ;

wai ted for a ra i l road wh ic h cou l d take us d i rec t ly toOmaha w e shou ld have reached there i n 1865

—fou r yearsa fte r my term exp i red . The Ch i cago , A l to n and Qu in cyRa i l road

,and twen ty m i l es on t h e M iss iss i pp i , took us to

S t . Lou i s . On e hun dred and s even ty -hy e m i les over th eM issou r i Pacifi c Rai l road , saved us a steamboat r i de o ftwo days agai nst t he s t rong current o f t he l ower M i ssou r ito J e fferso n Ci ty . There we were wel comed to th ehosp i tal i t i es o f a boat , upward bou nd , c rowded beyondal l sembl ance o f com fort by a great th rong— most o f th empress i ng o n to Kansas to hnd p ra i r i e homes , and beat th eborder ruffi ans.

”They carr i ed d i c t i o nar i es and b ib l es

fo r the homes ; and bal lo ts and bu l l e ts fo r th e ruffians.

"

Some kep t w i t h us t o Southern N ebraska ; no t many , as Iremember , t o ou r dest in at i o n . Be fore we reached th i swe ch anged boats tw i ce

,encou n ter i ng on the way a

v i o l en t snow sto rm , and a freez i ng n igh t . Some where onou r s l ow r iver j ou rn ey a young man , bou nd fo r Nebraska ,j o ined ou r party— a man s i nce known wel l i n i t s h i s toryas a c i t i z en , a l awyer , a l eg i s l ato r , an d j u r i s t , bear i ng thehonored name o f George W . Doane .

On the 2 i st day o f Apr i l , a j ou rn ey o f twe lve days fromCh i cago , —now made by fast mai l t ra i n i n l ess t han somany hou rs ,— and by regu lar p assenge r t ra i ns over fou rgreat t ru nk l ines i n fi ftee n hou rs ,— came to an end .

We landed at Omaha,that bust l i ng , hu st l i ng ,

amb i t i ous ,

aggressi v e c i ty o f two thousand peopl e . Th i rty - threeyears is not a l ong t ime i n the l i fe o f a c i ty ; yet in 1890,

its popu lat i o n had expanded to a seven ty - fe l cii n c re ase . Where e l se cou l d that have happened ? Wherebut in th e vas t u ndeveloped regi on west of th e M i ss issi pp iand th e M issour i , w l1e re pra i r i es , p la i ns and mounta i n s

,

and t he ozone - l ad en a i r i nv i t ed a co lon i z i ng peopl e ,wh i ch hal ts at no obstac l e , t o e nte r i n qu es t o f homes,heal th and weal th 3

Omaha had i ts r iva l s,

—sharp,eager

, and not a lwaysam iabl e r ivals , sou th , and north , and west . I t was the

H I STORICAL PA PERS . 153

te rr i to r i a l Cap i to l . T ime and c i rcumstances have la rge lye ffaced the b i t te rn ess o f thos e o l d con te n t i ons . Thosewho engaged i n th em are now al i ke const i tu en ts o f agreat an d st rong commonweal th , p roud o f i ts pas t , andcoope rat ing for i ts assu red fu tu re . Bu t th e c i ty wh icha fterwards

,i n fa i r con test , took from Omaha i ts prest ige

as th e Cap i ta l— th e c i ty second now i n popu lat i o n , i ni mportance

,i n weal t h and resou rces —w as then on ly an

u nd reamed o f id eal i ty o f th e fu tu re .

The legi s l atu re o f 1857 rearranged the j ud i c i a l d i s t r i c ts .The Ch i e f J ust i ce , Fenner Fe rguson , appo i n ted fromM ich igan ,

w as assi gned to th e F i rst D i st r i c t , embrac i ngDouglas

,Sarpy and fou r other coun t i es . Assoc ia te

J ust i ce, J. W . M . Underw ood , soon su cceeded by Samue l

W . B lack o f Pennsylvan i a , w as ass igned to the Seco nd ,

compr isi ng Otoe and the sou theaste rn coun t i es. I hadsucceeded J ames Bradl ey , appo i n ted from I nd i ana , and

was assigned to th e Th i rd D ist r i c t , compr ising thecou n t i es o f \Vash i ngton , Bu rt , Dakota , and those northo f th em . Nebraska extended from th e 4oth Para l l e l onth e sou th , to the 49th Paral le l , o r th e Br i t ish possess i ons ,

on th e north ; and from M in nesot a to th e M issou r i r i ve ron the east , to th e summ i t o f th e Rocky Moun ta i ns on th ewest . Except so much o f th i s as lay be low th e south l i n eo f \Vash i ngton Coun ty extended , th e Th i rd D ist r ic tcompri sed th e who l e o f th is great expanse , rough ly com

ou ted a t square m i l es. I remember be ing im

pressed,when I fi rst s tu d i ed th ese bou ndar i es

,that i t

w ou l d take a great d eal o f j u st i c e to cove r su ch an area,

or that my l im i ted supply o f i t wou ld need to be spreadou t very th i n to do i t . B ut as the I nd i ans , bu ffal oes and

wi ld an imals const itu ing th e i n hab i tants o f the uno rga ni z ed cou ntry were not covetous of t he wh i te man

’

s j ust i c e ,I expended i t whol ly in th e r ive r cou n t i es, among a mosti n te l l igen t , orde r l ov ing , and l aw ab id ing peop le .

Ou my arr ival I found ex i s t ing a pecu l ia r stat e o f the

law . At i t s fi rst sess i on i n 1855, th e l eg i s l atu re adopted

ISA, NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SQ CIETY.

port i ons o f th e Ci v i l and Cr im inal Codes o f I owa . The s ewere i n force u n t i l February 13 , 1857 , when ,

by an ac tt ak ing e ffect immed i ate ly , t h ey were un cond i t i onal lyrepeal ed w i thou t a sav ing c l ause , o r a subst i tu te . A new

Civ i l Code w as adopted at th e same sessi o n , but not totake e ffec t u n t i l th e fi rst day o f th e next J u ne . No Cr imi nal Code o f l aws was en acted fo r a cons i d erabl e t imea fterw ards . There cou ld be no conv i ct ion for o ffensescomm i tted u nder the repeal ed s tatu tes. One j udgmen tat l east

, and against a notabl e o ffender , w as reve rsed byt he Supreme Court 011 th at ground , and the accused se t

free . I t w as pub l i c ly charged that the repeal i ng ac t hadbeen passed fo r h i s i mmun i ty . The Terr i tory was thu sl e ft w i thou t a s tatu te pun ish ing or p roh ib i t ing cr i me .

From Apr i l i 3th to J un e i st , th e cou rts were w i thou tcode or statu te defi n ing the i r j u r isd i ct i on , or p rocedu re ;and were l e ft fo r the i r gu idan ce to th e gl immer o f thecommon l aw— doubt fu l o f i t s appl i cat i o n— or t o the i ri nheren t pow e rs .We short ly star ted northward , on a tou r o f du ty andobservat i on . A fte r t he exper i en ce o f the fi rst two ye ars

,

th e c l imat i c at t ract i ons o f N ebraska had bee n w idelyheralded . But the hope o f a w in te r parad i se th ere hadbeen ch i l l e d by the t err ib l e exper i en ce o f 1856

-

7 . Theset t l e rs had reso lved to r isk on e more w i nte r . I f th atshou ld be a dup l icate o f th e l ast , t hen

“good bye Ne

braska . Snow d r i fts st i l l l ingered i n th e hol lows o f thebl u ffs al ong th e r iver . The wh i te ned bones o f per ishedan i mals by the way s i d e spoke conv in c i ngly o f wan t o f

shel te r and o f food . With rare except ions,the cheer l ess

,

i l l const ru cted houses , wi th no barns , easi l y accou n tedfo r hardsh ip a nd su ffer ing i n the past w i n ter . I t requ i redi rrepressib l e hope , even fo r hardy p ioneers w i th such su rrou nd i ngs , t o cal l u p v is i ons o f t ree -gi rt homes , o f bloom

ing gardens , and cu l tu red he lds in the n ear fu tu re .

As then p rov i ded , cou rts w ere to be he ld in the cou n t i esof Wash ington , Bu rt , and Dakota . The i r coun ty seats



reposed . As t h e guest o f honor , i n a sense , t he j udgewas perm i t ted to spread h i s bedd i ng on the fl oo r , n earthe s tove p i pe , wh ic h came u p th rough i t fo r th e e conom i z ingr o f heat . Th is w as a luxu ry du ly apprec i ated . In

those an te - ra i l road days,steamboats were l arge carr i e rs o f

passengers and fre igh t o n th e upper M issou r i— mak i ngfrequen t t r i ps as far as S ioux Ci ty , then , and st i l l , th ech i e f c i ty o f Northweste rn I owa . Above that po i n t th e i rv i s i ts were few and i rregu l ar

,t h e i r ch i e f bus i n ess be i ng

the t ransportat i o n o f supp l i e s fo r I nd i an tr ibes i n th enorth ern cou ntry . Our bu rly host , who wai t ed on h isguests coat l ess , and i n a red wool en sh i rt , to l d us, for ou rencou ragement , that a steamer wou l d be there i n a fewhou rs wi th supp l i es fo r the hote l . I t a rr ived abou t noon .

The bacon,dr ie d app les ,

"and mo lasses keg wh ich i tl anded

,must have chee red th e rema in i ng boarders ; bu t

we reso l u te ly res i s t ed th em,and took the boat for S ioux

Ci ty , w here we fou nd ou rse lves early the next morn ing .

A publ i c l and sal e w as i n p rogress wh i ch had fi lled th ehote ls

, and board ing p laces to rep l e t i o n ; bu t a ph i l an throp i cc i t i z en fu rn i sh ed us, for a p r i ce , wi th a shake -down on t h eparlo r floor fo r th e ensu ing n igh t . We cross ed th e r i ve rthe n ext day to Omadi , t hen one o f the hope fu l c i t i es o fDakota cou n ty . The so i l o n wh i ch i t s tood long s i ncestarted fo r th e Gu l f , by way o f th e tu rb i d M issou r i . I tssi te is now on th e I owa s id e o f th e r ive r ; and i ts namealone rema in s i n Nebraska .

For some days a ra i n fa l l , con t i nuous , and cooious

enough to have fruct ifi ed and bl essed the sem i -ar i dregions o f ou r State l ast summer , kept us hou sed by dayand by n ight . W'

e spen t ou r days in th e bache lor roomshal f dorm i tory

,hal f l aw oFfi ce— of J ohn Taffe , we l l known

to Nebraskans as t he i r subseque nt congressman , andi ncumben t o f oth er offi c ial pos i t i on s .The cou rt convened

,i n du e t ime

,i n a schoo l house at

th e cou n ty seat . No she r i ff w as v i s ible Some“2 22222223announced tha t th e she r ifl‘ was sp l i t t i ng ra i l s in


th e blu ffs . Th is was be fo re L inco ln’

s e lec t i on , and thecou rt no t tak ing in at once th e d ign i ty o f th is empl oymen t

,hued th e de l inquen t offi c ial $ 25. The nex t morn i ng

he w as at the 220 22222 cou rt house , and pu t i t in exce l l en to rde r an hou r be fo re the j udge arr iv ed . H e expla i nedtha t h e had n eve r h eard o f a d ist r i c t cou r t i n t h e cou nty

,

and supposed t he stat u te fi x ing th e te rms w as a harm lessfo rm al i ty . The cou rt se t h im r igh t o n th is po i n t ; and i t sd ign i ty hav i ng been v i nd i cated , rem i t ted th e hue .

"

I his

exper i e nce made h im a good sher i ff . Three cases were011 th e docket and d isposed o i— an en cou ragi ng in creaseo f l i t igat i on s i nce l eav i ng Bu rt cou n ty .

Later on ,th e te rm for Wash i ngton cou n ty w as he ld at

F t . Cal hou n . Th is was a bette r set t l ed and weal th i e rcou nty than th e oth e rs , wi th a cons i d e rabl e docke t .Lawyers from Omaha , some o f the abl est o f i ts bar , hadatt ended the cou rts the re , in common wi th l oca l attorneys

,

as they cont inued to do . Th is c l osed th e bus i n ess fo rthe spr i ng o f 1857 . I n J u ne a short sess i o n o f t he supremecou rt w as he l d at Omaha . I t w i l l be see n that

,down to

th is t i me , whethe r o r no t th e j udge was be i ng ove rpa i d ,

he had not been ove rwo rked .

We had fi rst seen N ebraska i n Apr i l . The spr i ng w as

l ate and backward . The d ri ed grasses w e re sere andbrown ; o r the ground was b lack and bare where th e fa l lfi re s had consumed th em . The h i l ls i des l ooked gr i z z l eda nd desol ate . The debr i s o f a te rr ib l e w in te r s t rew edthe cou n t ry . Bu t the cop i ous ra i ns came ; the c l oudsl i fted ; Nebrask a resumed its ow n sun sh i ne and green .

To th e st range r , th e t ransfo rmat io n w as a su rpr i se, and

w as ve ry we l come .

I t w i l l be reca l l ed that t he l and boom wh ich covered th ecou n try . be fo re th e pan ic o f 1857 ,

w as i n fu l l v igo r in the

early months o f that year . Nebraska , fo r th ree yea rs ,

had been i ts congen i a l hab i tat . From Omaha to S i ouxCi ty , on th i s s i de o f the r i ve r . plat ted towns , and l i tho

graphed ci t ies l ined th e way. Expl orers stumbled


aga i ns t corner s takes l u rk ing in the green o r w i th eredgrass, o r dr iven deep in t he st e ep face o f t he r i ve r b l u ffs .The man who d i d not ow n a town s i te , or a poten tin te rest there in , w as l ooked upon as a“s eed” who hadacc i den t al ly s t rayed too far west , and w as fi t on ly fo r asec l uded v i l l age in New England , or a qu i e t va l l ey i n o l dPen nsylvan i a . N in ety p er cen t o f t hose s tak es have

,

l ong s i nce , been uproo ted by t he p lowshare ; and , fo r ath i rd o f a centu ry , no rea l es tate agen t has had the hard ihood to hang a l i thograph e d p l at o f on e o f those van i sh edtowns on h is offi ce wal l .I remember cross ing Wash ington co un ty , from th eM issou r i r ive r to th e E lkh orn , i n t h e early J u ne o f t hatyear . Halt i ng at noon t i me , fo r rest and re freshment , onth e open pra i r i e near t h e cen ter o f the cou nty , weremarked on t h e rare beau ty o f the spot— a l ev e l ,grassy p la i n , begi rt w i th low , swel l i ng h i l l s . At once thei nsp i rat i o n came to a member o f t h e party , th at t h i s wasan i deal s i t e for a fu tu re commerc i a l c en te r , and a po tent i a l cou n ty seat . A l l agreed . In twen ty m inu tes th earea had been rough ly defi n ed , and t h e n ame o f th e c i t yto be ,

had been fix ed upon . Noth i ng rema i n ed bu t th esu rvey i ng , p l at t ing ,

reco rd i ng , and l i t hograph i ng . Amanager was se l ec t ed . I wen t my way . I h ave n everseen th e c i ty s in ce ; bu t i n seven o r e igh t weeks , I re ce i vedby mai l

,a ce rt ificate t hat I was th e owner o f a specifi ed

number o f shares in t h e Town'

Company . Thevery name has pe r ish ed from my memory . The engravedce rt ifi ca te was real ly handsome . So w as t he t own s i t e .

The ce rt ica te has y i e lded me noth i ng ; bu t , as I hope ,some stu rdy yeoman h as been gath e r i ng boun t ifu

harvests from my town l o ts,fo r th e th i rty odd yea r s s i nce

I saw them .

Dur ing my term th e s ea t o f j u st i c e o f Wash ingtoncoun ty fluc tu a ted between F t .Calhoun and DeS o to . Theformer w as th en

,as n ow

,a ch arm i ng town s i t e . A t

DeSoto were seve ra l hu nd red peop l e ; a saw m i l l ; a store ;



te rr i to ry , and from Iowa . These th ings added , i n popu larest i mat ion , to th e d igni ty and importance o f t he cou r t att h at po i n t . The fede ral bus in ess was i n ch arge o fExper i en ce Estabrook

, as Un i ted States A t to rn ey . B . P.

Rank i n was th en Un i ted S tat es M arsha l . George W .

Doan e , who fi rst l ocated at Decatu r , an e ffi cie n t p rosecutor , became t h e terr i tor i a l D ist r i c t At to rn ey . The sess i ons were usua l ly from one to two weeks each te rm .

Dakota Ci ty was a l s o th e locat i o n o f t h e l and offi ce ,

estab l i sh ed early i n 1857 , fo r a l arge d ist r i c t i n northwestern Nebraska ; and , as a cen t ra l p o in t , i t ac qu i redprom i nen ce

,and local importance . The l and offi ce was

open ed fo r fi lings'

in t h e fal l o f th at year , and th e rap i dset t l emen t , and numerou s e ntr i es c reat ed fo r i t a l argebu s i ness . Some o f i ts most e ffi cie n t offi ce rs were i t s fi rstregi s te r

, I. N . H . Pat r i ck ,th en and st i l l ac t i v e and p rom i

n en t i n N ebraska l i fe and affa i rs ; and Dr . George B .

Gra ff , now deceased , appo in t ed from I nd i ana i n 1859 , tosucceed J oh n C. Turck . Among i ts c i t i z ens o f note wereth e eccen tr i c J. D. M . Crockwe l l ; Barnabas B ates , st i l l ares id en t ; Wil l i am H . J ames , a ft e rw ards ac t i ng governo ro f Nebraska ; Father C. D. Mart i n , o f n ew spaper and“nove l” fame ; an d Wi l l i am F . Lockwood , my successo ras j udge . I t co nta in ed the p r i nc i pa l hote l o f th e no rthcoun try

,s tores , manu fac tor i es , and other bus i ness

co ncerns ; and i ts in te l l igen t , ac t ive , and en te rpr i s i ngpeopl e had u nbou nded expecta t i o ns fo r th e i r tow n . Letus h0pe th ey st i ll r eta i n th em .

We must no t over look Tehama , or the wel l remembered p i on eer

, and host o f th at early t ime —Maj . OlneyHarr ington . I n ou r j ou rn e y i ngs up and dow n

, Tekama ,

midway be tween Omaha and Dakota Ci ty , w as the usualhal t ing place by day or n i ght , as chance m igh t be . Wemust no t fo rget t he l uxu ry o f t h e open fi re -p l ac e in h is

c l ean ly kept,hal f l og

,hal f frame house , at th e foot o f th e

blu ff ; o r the t empt i ng cu i s i n e o f t he most ex ce l l en t h ost

6 53 . And we l l do we few , who ren1ain, ren1ember how

IIISTORICAL PAPERS . 16 1

t h e chee rfu l story and j est ; the l egal sparr i ng . and th egive - a 11d - tal<e , good natu red th rusts ti l l ed the even ings bythe glow i ng fi res i de . The ge n ia l M aj o r has gon e to h isrest .Tehama , w hen I n ext saw i t a fte r those years , hadacqu i red a ra i l road

,a genu in e cou rt house , many hu nd reds

o f peopl e , w i t h chu rches,sc hoo l houses , beau t i ful homes,

a nd a l l the accompan i me nts o f a prosperous a nd pe rmane n t town .

Let me avo i d t ed i o us rec i ta l as I n ear the l i m i t o fa l l o t ted t ime . The cou rse o f regul a ted j ust ice is no t

fru i t fu l o f start l i ng , or p i ctu resque i nc i d e n ts . I t is

enough that the early work done i n th e j ud ic i a l fi e ld suf

ficed t o establ ish syst em and o rde r fo r th e fu t u re . Terms

w e re he ld regu larly , and prompt ly . Dockets en l argedw i th the i ncrease o f p eop l e , and o f bus i n ess n ecessi t i es ;and i t may be sa i d , in a modest way ,

I hope,th at th e

j ud ic i al mach in ery w as brough t in to, and kept in e fficie n t

work i ng o rder .There w as a s ince re effort to adm i n ist e r the law r igh t ly ,w i tho ut fear

,favor , o r hope o f ren a rd ; and wi th such

d ign i ty and decorum as beht t h e temp e o f j ust i ce , no

matte r how rude . Yet the env i ro nmen ts w e re no t a lwaysprop i t i ous . Cou r t h ouses were i mprov ised from hal ls

,

schoo l houses , st ore rooms , o r abando ned bu i ld ings . In

th e n ew e r cou n t i es, i t happe ned to m e to ho ld t h e fi rstte rms eve r appo i n ted . The in hab i tan ts were no t fam i l i a rw i th th e usages , and pu nct i l i os o f cou rts . Some th ingshad to be to l e rated wh ich w o u l d have start l e d th e K ing

’

s

Bench ; or amazed th e J ud ic i a l N i n e w ho compose th eSupreme Cou rt o f the U n i t ed S tates. O ne j ury came in

,

afte r a tw o days’

t r i a l o f a c r i m inal case , fu l l and e l aboratei nst ruc t ions from the court , and seve ra l hours de l i be rat ion , to i nqu i re whethe r the Dr ison e r

“had p lead gu i l ty .

Set r igh t o n th is i mportan t po i n t , t hey presen t ly retu rn ed

a verd ic t o f acqu i t t a l .

On anoth er occasi on , a j u ry w as out when a recess was

162 NE BRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

t aken,at th e c lose o f th e day . The sh er i ff was d i rec ted

to not i fy th e j udge when th e j u ry shou l d agree . I n th eeven ing , t here was a resou n d i ng tramp on th e sta i rs , andi n th e hal l way o f th e hote l l ead i ng to th e j udge’s room .

The sher i ff , at the head o f the p rocess ion , open ed t hedoor , handed th e j udge a paper w i t h a p l eased a i r , andannou nced

,Your Honor , t he j u ry has agreed . H ere i s

th e verd i c t . A cou n te r march was o rdered ; and theverd i c t t aken at th e cou rt house w i th du e so l emn i ty .

Bu t even i n th e o l der cou n ty o f Wash i ngton,th ere was

once a rath e r u n i qu e recep t i o n o f a verd i ct . I n J anua ry,

186 1,near th e c l ose o f my term , Ch i e f J ust i ce Augustu s

H al l,su cc esso r o f J udge Ferguson , held cou rt at DeS o to

fo r two or th ree days . The !Ju ry was ou t , i n a st ronglycontest ed c r im i nal case , and , at reasonabl e be dt ime , hadno t agreed . The Ch i e f J ust i ce ret i red . I-Ie occup i ed th echo ic e gu est room o f th e ho te l , wh ich was d i rec t ly ove rth e othee ( t h ere were no

“corr i do rs” i n N ebraska then) ,and warmed by a stove p i p e th rough a ho l e i n th e ce i l ing .

Towards m idn igh t,t h e j u ry agreed . I t was marshal l ed

in to th e room beneath . The j udge had r i sen ; bu t h i s“robes” were not st r i c t ly j ud i c i al . Down th rough th e stovep ip e ho l e

,he ordered th e c l erk to cal l th e j u ry

, and taketh e verd i c t . I t was for the de fendan t . Aga i n came theorder

,Cl e rk , record the verd i c t . The p r i so ner is

re l eased . Sher iff , adj ou rn cou rt u n t i l tomor row morn ing .

”

Yet N ebraska had no better judge th an Augustus H al l .With s t rong i n te l l ec t , abu ndan t l egal l earn i ng , i n tu i t ivegood se nse

,an d percep t i on o f th e l aw , and a rugged

i n tegr i ty , wh ich noth ing cou ld shake , he adm i n i s teredj ust ice , somewhat care l ess o f form , or et i qu et te ; bu t wi thaccu racy and the unquest i o ned con fidence o f the bar , andthe peop l e . The above w as h i s l as t j ud i c i a l se rv ice . H e

soon , died , since rly mou rn ed by al l who had known h isste rl ing worth .

The occas ion does not perm i t i nd iv idu al re ferenc e toth e men the n and s i nce influe nt ial i n the i r l ocal i t i es


164 NEB RASK A STATE HI STORICAL SOCIETY .

FRE IGHTING ACROSS TH E PLAINS IN 1856

A PERSONAL EX PERIENCE .

MOS E S H . SYDENH AM .

The subj e c t I h ave chosen fo r my address is s i mply ani nd iv i dual and inc i den ta l exper i e nc e i n connect i o n wi thth e p l an t i ng o f c iv i l i z at i on i n N ebraska

,show ing th e

rela t i on o f the early ove rl and fre igh t i ng bus iness w i t h OXwagons, to N ebraskan c iv i l i z at i on and i ts p rogress i vedeve lopmen t o f to -day . At one t i me I hadm uch valu abl edata in my possess i o n re l at ive to th e fre ight ing bus in ess ;bu t severa l boxes and barre ls o f val u abl e documen t shav ing been bu rned up i n a p ra i r i e fi re , I canno t do j ust iceto th e subj ec t i n a gene ral way , and can t h ere fore do no

more than give my ow n personal expe r i en ce o f a t r i pfrom Fort Leavenworth to Fort Laram i e and re tu rn asfar as Fort Kearn ey , i n t h e fa l l and w in te r o f 1856

—

57 ,

l eav ing you to j udge o f i ts re l at i o n to h isto ry and c i v i l iz a t ion .

Hav i ng come to th e Northwest from near Augusta,

Georgi a,i n th e summer o f 1857 , th e mo nt h o f Augus t o f

that year foun d me w ork i ng in t he offi ce o f the K 2 2252 s

C282 152222222222 ,at Kansas Ci ty , M issou r i . In the mon th

of Septembe r I w as taken s i ck w i t h b i l i ous feve r and so

reduced i n st rength that I w as hard ly ab l e to walk . Isoon came to th e conc l usi on th at a change o f c l imat ew ou l d be th e best th i ng to resto re my heal th . Abou tthat t i me seve ra l oth er men were d isirous o f l eav ingKansas Ci ty , and a party w as made up , myse l f among them ,

t o down the Missou r i Ri ver to Cai ro , I l l ino i s , the new

H ISTORICAL PAPERS. 165

c ity at the mou th o f th e Oh io Ri ve r . Whi l e th e boatw as be i ng bu i l t and n ea r compl et i on , an agen t o f th egovernmen t fre igh t con t rac to rs, Messrs . Ru sse l l , Maj ors ,

and VVadde ll o f Lex ington , M issou r i , came to KansasCi ty to secu re men to tak e a tra in o f wagons l o aded w i thfre igh t

,from Fort Leavenw orth , Kansas

,t o Fort

Laram i e,at th e foo t o f t he B l ack H i l l s o f th e Rocky

M oun ta i n s,i n w hat was then Nebraska Terr i tory .

The agen t came to th e ho te l whe re I was board i ng,

made h i s busin ess known , and very u rgen t l y p ressed m eto accep t h i s o ffe r

,and make one o f the party . At t ha t

t i me i t was h ard to ge t anyo ne to go on a t r i p o f t hatk i nd

,by reason o f th e l ateness o f t he season , th e hos t i l i ty

o f th e Cheyennes , and oth er diffi cult ie s th at wou ld possibly have to be en cou n te red . I exp la i ned to t h e agen thow si ck I was

,wh ich he cou l d also s ee from my appear

ance ; bu t h e i mportuned and would no t be pu t o ff . H e

sa id I wou ld soon be st rong aga i n aft e r uhad bee n ou to n th e p l a i ns a few days . S o , as th e compensat i on o fferedw as good , I fi nally con c l u ded to g ive u p my co ntemp late dt r i p to Ca i ro , and go o n th i s t r i p t o th e Rocky Mou n ta in so f th e far West , and be fo re t h e day w as over was on aM issou r i R iver steamboat e n rou te to Leavenwor th Ci ty ,a t w h i ch p l ace was th e outfi t t ing es tab l ishmen t o f th econt rac to rs .The fre igh t ing bus i ness across th e p l a i n s at t h i s t im e

w as most ly done by Messrs . Russ e l l , Maj ors and Waddel l ,th e bus i n ess be ing confi ned ch iefly to t he h au l ing o f suppl i es fo r th e Un i ted States Governmen t to th e var i ou sm i l i t ary posts o r s tat i o ns l ocated be tween t h e M issou r iR iver and th e Rocky Moun ta i ns . The con trac t fo r carryi ng supp l i es was usual ly l e t to th e lowest and best b idd e r

,

th e successfu l party hav ing to do a l l th e hau l i ng fo rce rta i n named forts fo r a stated l ength o f t i me . at a statedpr ice per poun d o f fre igh t . Messrs. Russe l l

,Maj ors

,an d

Wadde l l were t h e su ccess fu l b idders and regu la r cont rac tors fo r th e year 1856 .

166 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL socmr tf.

As i d e”

from the governmen t fre igh t i ng busi n ess , therewas l i t t l e don e i n th e fre igh t i ng l i n e . The so l d i e rs atm i l i t ary post s had a t ra i n go ou t abou t o nce a year , t h es i z e o f wh i ch w as accord ing to th e number o f so ld i ers atth e fo rt where th ey d i d bu s i n ess . M any em igran ts wentover l and each year to Cal i fo rn i a , Oregon , o r Utah , w ithwagons

,outfi ts, an d supp l i es , bu t wh i ch cou l d hard ly come

u nder th e h eadA fre igh t t ra i n in t hose days was composed o f twen tys i x l arge - s i z ed wagon s made to hau l 6000 pou nds o r moreto th e w agon ; ‘ e ach wagon be i ng drawn by six yoke o fl arge oxen

,w i th one man t o d r ive and cont ro l each t eam

,

and a wagon maste r and ass i s tan t fo r each tra i n . I t w as

a nove l s igh t i n those dav s to see perhaps th ree o r fou ro r more , o f th es e t ra i ns i n si gh t o n th e p ra i r i es at o net ime

,some go i ng east , and some go i ng west as th e case

m igh t be .

Leavenworth Ci ty , Kansas , was th e gene ral outfi tt ingdepo t o f t h e con trac to rs . Here were l arge parks o fwagons

,i mmense herds o f cat t l e

,great s tacks o f yokes

,

and p i l es o f cha in s ready a lways fo r bus i ness . Bes idesth ese a large mercan t i l e s tore for th e conven i en c e o f th emen emp l oyed

,where th ey pu rch ased what supp l i es t h ey

need ed fo r a tr i p i n advanc e , t h e cost t h ereo f be i ngdeduc ted ou t o f t he i r earn i ngs .A s soon as I reached Leavenworth Ci ty , a l l was commot i on

,t h e t ra i n w as to be made up immed i ate ly . S o al l

w as hu rry to get ready . I n th is case , however , i t wason ly a h al f—t ra i n o f twelve wagon s

,t o hau l some impor

t an t fre igh t to Fort Laram i e be fore w in t e r se t ih . Verysoon we had th e t ra i n made up ,

each teamste r supp l i e dw i th what h e needed

,bes i d es revo lve r

,sho t -gu n

,o r r ifle ,

and ammun i t i on fo r th e ex igen c i es o f th e t r i p , and wewere on ou r way to th e qu ar termast e r’s s to rehouse atFort Leavenworth to l oad u p th e gove rnment stores ,wh ich were to be transported across th e p l a in s , a d i st anceo f someth i ng between s i x and s even hu ndred m i l es .


”

NE BRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETV‘

I t was soon a ft er l eav ing the B ig Sandy that we cameacross a l arge ex ten t o f bu rn t coun t ry - ~ th at is, th ere hadbeen a recen t p ra i r i e fi re ,

and i t w as bu rn ing then— bu tfo r a w ho l e day , I th i nk ,

and part o f the nex t , we trave ll ed over th is bu rn t p ra i r i e . It w as to m e and to a l l o f us

a most deso l ate look i ng reg ion i ndeed . On al l s i d es wasa p er fec t b lackn ess as far as th e eye cou l d see

zth e on ly

re l i e f be i ng the b lu e sky above an d here and t here somepart ly bu rn t w h i t e bones o f some bu ffal o o r o ther an i mal .I t w as a per fec t p ic tu re o f despa i r

,wi th hope l e ft ou t .

Bu t I knew that that wou ld end ; th at t h e w inds wou l dcome , th e w i n te r come , th e snow or ra i n come aga in , andand sp r i ngt ime come ; and th en where a l l t h is bl ackn essw as

,th e ear th w ou l d take on i t s beau t i fu l green and the

beau t i fu lflow e rs wou ld come , and al l b e br igh t ness andchee rfu lness aga i i

The next obj ect o f a t tract i on was w hen we came to th esumm i t o f th e sand h i l ls border i ng the Plat t e Val l ey . Forthere in th e d istan ce my eyes fi rst saw that grand val l eyo f th e Pl at te sp read ou t as fa r as th e eye cou ld reach

,

wi th th e waters o f th e r iver gl isten ing in th e su nsh in e,

and t he d ense groves o f t rees on th e isl ands mak ing afi ne re l i e f to th e scen e . A l ong the l eve l val l ey o f th ePl at t e R ive r we had to t rave l someth i ng over fou rhundred m i l es .

The n ex t day , —i t mu st h ave been Oc tober z o th e flago f Fort Kea rn ey came in sigh t , and w i th i t th e Fort

,

l oom i ng up l ik e an oasis in th e dese rt . Fort Kearney !Name fu l l o f i nterest to th e early fre igh te r and the earlyset t l e r o f cen t ra l N ebraska and t h e far th er Wes t FortKearn ey 1 Name so fu l l o f h istor ical in c iden t and rem in isce n ce I What cou ld h ave been th e fre igh t ing businessacross t he p l a i n s w i thou t Forts Kearn ey and Laram i e

,

and other fo rts dotted ove r that great p l ateau ly ingbetw een t h e M i ssou r i R i ver and t h e Rocky Mounta i nsThere w ou l d h ave been no fre igh t ing

,that is al l

,and there

would have been no need o f rec i t ing th is personal exp er i

H ISTOR ICAL PAPERS.

ence to -day . Fort Kearney ! There w i th i n s igh t o f th est ar - spangl ed bann er w av i ng from theflagstaff, everyman connec ted w i t h th e fre igh t i ng ou tfi t fe l t tha t h ecou ld rest fo r a short se ason a t l east , in m i nd and body ,

and get w hateve r supp l i es m igh t be n eed fu l for th e resto f h i s j ou rney . Fort Kearn ey ! How t ime

’

s memorycomes spr inging up be fo re me , as I th ink o f th e me n and

scenes assoc i ated w i th it , th at have come and gone .

When we arr ived there in October , 1856 , t he offi ce r i ncommand w as Capt . Wharton o f th e S ix th Un i ted StatesI n fan t ry . There were two compan i es o f In fan t ry th e rethe n

, and two compan i e s o f d ragoons o r cava l ry . Thefort bu i ld ingswere bu i l t o f th ree c l asses o f mater i a l

,wood ,

adobe and p ra i r i e sod ,wh i l e a doub l e row o f co ttonw ood

and ash trees l in ed the d r ive -way arou nd th e paradeground .

These ev iden ces o f c iv i l i z at i o n were what greeted th eeye o f eve ry d e l i gh ted beh o lder as each v i ewed th e scen ebe fo re h im . To on e , however , who l ived the re so manyyears o f his l i fe , th e h isto r i ca l p lace has part i cu l arlyst i rr i ng memor i es~ — espec i a l ly o f brave men whose dest in i es i n l i fe fe l l so far apart i n l i fe

’

s a ffa i rs by reason o fth e i r d i ffe ren t and var i ed sen t im en ts . There were armyo ffi ce rs t ra i ned i n th e same schoo l even , and fond com

pan i ons in garr ison and camp l i fe , who w ou ld a ft e rw ardsmeet each oth e r o r face each oth er

’

s sho t and she l l o noppos ing ba t t le fi e lds o f b loody carnage and dest ru ct i on .

I can se e some o f those men in memory now as they sa t

s i l en t and though t fu l in t h e p r i vat e room o f my post

offi ce ,l ist en i ng to the read i ng o f th e te l egram s JLlS t fresh

from the st i l us o f Mr . El l sw o rth,ou r te l egraph ope ra to r

,

as he wro te shee t by shee t from th e t i ck i ng te l egra phbe fo re us fo r fo rt Fo rt K earney and th e Po ny Express. to

convey to De nver , Sal t Lake , and S an Fra n c isco the

momentou s and a larm i ng n ew s o f th e hr i ng“o n l’ort

Sumpte r . These w i th man y me n o f p rom i nence in publ i ca ffa i rs l ate r on in li fe , w hom I have see n or spoken

170 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOC IETY .

wi th,or assoc i ated w i th at o ld Fort Kearn ey , al l come

p la i n ly be fore me , s t rangely m ixed i n th i s ment i on ofp ersonal i ty ,— bu t w ho wi l l a l l b e fam i l i a r to some o f you ,by repu t at i on i f noth ing more . Do you recogn i z e th emas I cal l t h e ro l l o f men o f h is tor i c fame o r renown ? Gen .

W . T . Sherman,Gen . Pope

,Gen . R. H . Anderson , Ge n .

Beverly H . Robertson ,Gen . M i l es , Ge n . Ruggl es , Gen .

Haw k in s , Ge n . J oe J ohns ton ; Gen . Carr ington ; Gen .

Liv i ngsto n ; E X Saunders ; Lt . Gov . Thos . J.

Maj ors ; Gen J ohn M . Thayer ; Maj . Lee P. Gi l l e tte ; Dr .John E . Summers ; Dr . Geo . L . M i l l er ; Gen . Harry H eth ,

Post su t l e r and i n te rpreter ; J ohn Heth ; Col. A . J. Dal l as ;Col. Chas . A . May ; Maj . Morr i s ; Maj . McCow n ; Col.

A l exander ; Dr . A l exande r ; Dr . R. B . Grimes,wi th many

o thers . Bes id es th e ind iv i dual i ty,i n c i den ts are recal l ed ,

to add to its h i s tor i c fame . s uch as I nd i an al arms andI nd ian demands ; t he sp i k i ng o f th e cannon to preven tthe i r be ing sen t Sou th ; th e insu l t to Gen . Sherman by anenemy

,wh i ch caused th e i mmed iate abandonmen t o f th e

Fort ; togeth er w i th o th er in c i den ts th at m igh t be reca l l ed .

Bu t enough . We are fre igh t i ng across the p l a in s andthat means mot ion

,so w i th al l need fu l supp l i es secu red ,

we gath e r u p the cat t l e,yoke them , get th em h i tched to

th e wagons,and then

,w i th a Gee Buck and Wo -ah ,

Sandy,Get Up B lack and Go A l ong Brandy ,

” the cha i nsare tau te ned , and w i th one more good look at th e Fortand i ts su rrou nd i ngs , we ro l l a l ong towards ou r nexts topp ing p l ace and dest i nat i on , abou t th ree hundred andfi fty m i les fu rth er west , Fort Laram i e .

By th is t im e th e men had al l become we l l d isc i p l i n edin al l th e n eeded requ i rements o f th e t r i p , wh i ch was verynecessary for i t s su ccess fu l accompl ishmen t . I t was o ft enth e case that a mu t i nou s sp i r i t w as deve loped among menwhen teamsters and wagon masters d id not a lways worktogethe r i n harmony . We had a man in command , however , w ho was i n eve ry way capab l e o f fi lling the responsi s

b l e pos i t i o n .


172 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTOR ICAL SOC IETY.

aga in wend i ng ou r way westward up th e val l ey o f the

Pl at te, and passing on by th e j un ct i on o f th e Sou th and

North Pla t te r ive rs . The n ex t obj ec t o f i n t erest wasO

’

Fallon’

s B lu ffs , a po i n t on th e sou th bank o f the Sou thPl atte

,where th e b l u ffs came square ly u p to th e bank o f

the r ive r,and the road we t racked w as over th e top o f

those b lu ffs , from wh i ch po in t we soo n arr ived at th ecross ing o f th e Sou th Pl atte

,t h e u su al ford i ng p l ace fo r

the teams o f wagons .

Here , o f cou rse , a l l was exc i t emen t and ext ra energy ,t i l l t he l ast wagon was got across th e r iver . Two teams,mak i ng twe lve yoke o f cat t l e

,were usual ly h i tch ed to a

wagon—“doubl ing up ,as i t w as cal l ed— t o get each

wagon t h rough the water and th e qu i ck - sands o f th est ream . B ut t i me and perseverance soon had us al l overand on ou r way across t h e d iv id e between the two Pl attes ,a d istance o f abou t fi fte e n m i l es, to a p l ace ca l l ed Ash

Hol l ow , a canon o f t h e h i l ls border i ng th e n or th s i de o fth e North Platt e val l ey . Here th e h i l ls were so steepand c rooked that th e u tmost care had to be exerc ised tokeep the wagons from caps i z i ng . No cal am i ty h appenedw i t h us, however , and we were soon at th e mou th o f th eH ol low in s igh t o f an abandoned earth -work , known asFor t Grat tan , n amed after an offi ce r who was k i l l ed i n anengagemen t w i th th e S i oux I nd i an s .From the re we t racked u p th e North Pl at te r ive r pastmany cu r i os i t i es o f n atu re in the h i l l s borde r ing the r ive r .The fi rst o f these , t h e Cou rt House Rock , l ooked l ik e th edome o f a l arge bu ild i ng loom i ng up in the sky ,

wi thmany o ther fo rmat i ons aroun d i t , resembl i ng steep l es

,

tu rre ts , and tow e rs o f bu i ld ings in a l arge c i ty . Pass i ngfu rth er u p the Plat t e w as anoth e r freak o f natu re i n thefo rm o f a h igh tow e ri ng rock on th e top o f a st eep and

h igh h i l l , the rock be ing abou t twen ty -hy e fe e t o r moreth rou gh and square l i ke a ch imn ey o f some factorytow e r i ng

r u p i n to th e sky seve ra l hundred feet,l e ft there

by the great waters t hat at one t ime covered th is part o f


th e ea rth . Th is was known as Ch imney Rock and cou ldbe see n a lo ng d ist an ce be fo re com i ng to i ts base . O ne

more not iceabl e featu re i n that i n teres t i ng cou n t ry“asthe fo rmat i on known as Scot t

’

s B luffs . At th is po i n t theroad ran th rough the h i l ls, and c lose u p to a st ra igh t ,perpend icu lar wal l fou r o r five hu ndred fee t h igh

,afte r

passi ng w h i ch we were soon i n s igh t o f t h e La ram i eR ive r . On t he banks o f th i s s t ream w as s i tu ated FortLaram ie

,wi th th e p i ne -c lad B l ack H i l ls o f th e Rocky

Mounta i ns i n bo ld re l i e f to th e no rth and west o f it .

Once more we were de l igh ted w i th a V i ew o f the sta rspangled banner as i tfloa ted from the flag- sta ff o f thatm i l i tary set t l emen t , at th e base o f the mounta i ns . Hereou r j ou rney westward was to e nd .

I t d i d not take long to v iew th e s i t u at i on o f th ings , asI l ooked over , fi rst , th e man ly figures o f ou r brave so ld i e rsi n b l u e ; t hen th e houses and homes o f c iv i l i z ed peop le ;then t h e lo cat i o n o f French I nd i an t rade rs in t h e ne igh

borhood o f th e fort ; then I nd i ans , squaw s and pappooses,

here and there ; a l l mak ing a scen e long to be rememberedi n a p ic tu re , a scene o f t he comm i ngl i ng o f savage andc iv i l i z ed cond i t i ons o f human deve lopmen t .Here at th is m i l i tary post w as th e fi rst gl impse o f anyhuman be ing s i nce we l e ft Fort Kearney ,— a d i stance o fabou t th re e hu ndred and fi fty m i l es . Noth i ng w as to beseen in al l th at d i stance bu t the grand pra i r i e o f Pl a t teVal l ey and the t ree - cove red i s l ands o f the Plat te Ri ve r

,

i n l ocal i t i es where th ey w e re p reva l en t, one near For t

Kearney be i ng abou t si x ty m i l es l ong —w i t h hu nd reds o fo th ers o f a l l si z es and d imens i on s near by it .

Fort Laram ie w as estab l ished by th e Un i ted StatesGove rnmen t to p ro tec t t he em igra n ts t rave l i ng over landto Utah , Oregon , Ca l i fo rn i a and o th e r o f ou r fa r w este rnterr i to r i es , from at tacks and depredat i ons o f th e pow e r fu lbands o f th e great S i oux I nd ian Nat i on , and t o keepopen th e commu n i ca t i o n between the easte rn states and

western terri tori es o f the Repub l ic, so that American

174 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOC IETY . a

u —0

I

ind iv idual en terpr ise and progress i ve deve lopm-en t m igh tin no wise be ch ecked or in te r fe red w i th . And even w i t hth is p reservat i on o f th e m i l i tary power o f the Repub l ic ,th e at tacks o f th e Bru l e and Ogal l al a bands o f S i ouxcon t i nu ed to annoy

,harrass and i n te r fe re w i th ou r

trave l l i ng peop l e , so that a spec i a l exped i t i o n had to besen t aga i n st t hem , u nder Gen . Harney , who attackedCh i e f L i t t l e Thunder , on th e B lu e r iver , near Ash Ho l low ,

i n t he fa l l o f 1856, severe ly ch ast i s i ng h im and bu rn i ngh i s V i l l ages .Cons i d e r i ng th e host i l e temper o f th e I nd i ans and th e i ri n ter ference wi t h th e deve lopment o f Amer i can c iv i l i z at i o n

,the import ance o f th e est ab l i s hmen t o f su ch m i l i ta ry

posts as Forts K earn ey and Laram i e and others , i s p la i n lyev ident . And i n connect ion also , th e importan t po i n t wasthat fre igh t ing bus i ness o f t h ese days was th e great cha i n

,

as i t w ere , that kept them i n c l ose prox im i ty to the i r baseo f supp l i es on the M issou r i r ive r , and i n bonds o f hopeand sympathy w i t h th at great c iv i l i z at i o n wh i ch ex i stednearly seven hun d red m i l es away .

Bu t we must be mov ing on . Our fre igh t i ng exped i t i o nis not yet ended . We have yet to re tu rn to Leavenworth .

So wi th th e su pp l i es al l safe ly deposi ted i n the Q uarte rmaste r

’

s and Comm i ssary’

s s to re houses,we prepare to

retu rn .

I n th e fi rst p l ac e the wagons are al l parked for th ew i n te r

, and th e cat t l e d r iven i n to wi n te r quarte rs to bekept over fo r n ext year

’

s bus i ness , l arge quan t i t i es o f hayhav ing been cu t for the i r subsistence . Then w ith on e

l ight wagon to carry ou r prov i s i ons and bedd ing and six

head o f horses and mu l es , we b id farewel l t o Fort Laram ic and are h eaded agai n fo r the po in t from whence westarted , Leavenwor th Ci ty , tak ing suffi c ie n t prov i s i on s t ol as t us to Fort Kearney

,where we expected to l ay i n a

fu rthe r supp ly to l ast us t i l l we reached ou r dest inat i on .

S o wi th l igh t hearts and ch eerfu l sp i r i ts we en tered on

our eas t -bound j ou rney— a im i ng to t rave l as much o f the


176 . NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL S OC I ETY .

open i ng in t o the va l l ey o f th e North Pl at te R ive r . Theyi nv i ted us t o come over and stay at the i r v i l l age , t e l l ingus a lso that the Fren ch t raders

,Dripps and Madre t were

t he re ; and cou l d poss ib l y l e t us have some p rov is i ons .

J us t as earl y as possi b l e we found a w ay to get to th eI nd ian v i l l age . Prov i s i o n w as scarce w i t h t h e t rade rs , bu tthey k ind ly l e t us have on e sack o f fl ou r at pe rhu ndred

,and a l i t t l e corn meal at a p ropo rt i onate pr i ce .

S o w e had th e p l easu re o f hav ing a smal l p i ece o f breadtw ice a day w i th th e bu ffal o meat

,o f w h ich we had abou t

a l l we w an ted . The absen ce o f sal t,how eve r

,made i t to

ou r tastes somew hat i nsi p i d . The co rn mea l we got wasto make a feas t fo r th e I nd i ans o f co rn meal mush and

sugar , w h ich we w e re adv i sed to do , to ga in t he i r gene ra lgood w i l l

,th ese be ing the same band o f I nd i an s who

,

togeth e r w i th th e B ru l es , had been severe ly chast i sed byGe n . Harn ey abou t a year p rev i ous . In retu rn for ou rp resen t to th em o f cor 1 meal and sugar , a large numbero f them congregated togethe r , fo rmed a c i rc l e , and gaveon e o f th e i r dances fo r ou r ben e fi t , t he squaws alsoev iden ce d th e i r good -w i l l by tak ing two wagon sh eets

and mak ing them over i n to a l odge o r“W igwam ,

” s im i l arto those made fo r t hemse lves o f bu ffa l o sk ins . S o wh i l eou r party rema ined at th e I nd ian v i l l age , some l i ved i nthe ten t and some in th e l odge .

Be fore we had got ou r l odge made , how eve r , and bu t afew days a fte r w e had arr i ved at th e I nd i an v i l l age , wemade an e ffo r t to cont inu e ou r j ou rn ey east by pack ingou r an imals w i t h bedd i ng and p rov i s i o ns, and s ta rt i ngdow n on th e ice o f th e North Pl at te r i ver . In t h is p roce ed ing ,

d iffi cult ies and obst ac l es were in t h e way , wh ichpreve n ted th e accompl ishmen t o f ou r pu rpose . We hadno t go t far from the I nd i an V i l l age be fore the ice got tobe w 1y glassy and sl i pp ery , t he an i mals w i th the packson t h e i r backs , fal l i ng dow n eve ry now and t hen , n ecessi

tat i ng a cont inu al u npack ing and repack ing , so th at when

nigh t came: on us we had on ly got abou t e igh t m i les, and


th en we cou ld not d r i ve a te nt p i n to pu t up ou r te n t,by

reason o f th e fro zen sand , we be i ng ob l iged to stay o n asand bar o f the r ive r al l n igh t . We stacked ou r gu ns andtr i ed to make some she l te r by hangi ng th e t en t ove r t hem

,

bu t the w ind was so s t rong noth i ng cou l d be done,and so

w i th th e atmosphere abou t t en degrees o r more be lowz ero , we la i d down on the san d bar al l n igh t w i th ou rscan ty bedd i ng , hal f fro z en , sh i ver i ng , and u nab l e to s l eep .

Then i n th e morn i ng there was no wood n ear or i n s igh tbu t a sodden log fou nd on th e r ive r bar . We tr i ed to ge ta fi re and make some co ffee , bu t ou r at t empts were afa i l u re . Consequ en t ly t h e wagon maste r ca l l ed a l ltoge th er for a“coun c i l , t o det erm i n e what was bes t t obe don e under su ch c i rcumstances . I t was th e u nan imou sop i n i on o f al l t h at we re tu rn to th e I nd i an v i l lage

,fo r to

p roceed wou l d o n ly be starvat ioni

and death . S o to t h ev i l l age we retu rn ed , rema i n i ng there fu l l five weekslonger , by reason o f th e co nt i nu ed cond i t i o ns o f t he seve rew i n te r weath er .Then

,I th i nk i t mus t h ave been th e twenty -second

day 'o i J anuary , ,t h e ma i l from Sal t Lake Ci ty— a

month ly ma i l be twee n Sal t Lake Ci ty an d I ndependence,

Missou r i -arr ived from th e wes t i n ch arge o f Messrs .Eph Hanks and E l der L i t t l e o f the Mormon Chu rch ,

t h ey be ing the sub -con trac to rs fo r carry i ng th e Un i tedStates ma i l o n that rou t e . They had an ambu l an ce andfou r mu l es and t rave l l ed down o n the i c e o f th e r iver . On

th e i r a rr iva l arrangements were made fo r our party tot rave l down th e r iv er w i th th em

,t h e advan tage be i ng

that th e i r exper i en ce togeth er w i t h ou r h e l p fu l fo rce,

might overcome any d iffi cult ies i n th e way o f ou r p rogress,

and thu s we m igh t ge t sa fe ly th rough .

S o we start ed , and ou r party was j us t s i x teen daysmak i ng that hu ndred and s ix ty m i l es from th e I nd iancamp near th e mou th o f Ash Hol l ow to Fort Kearn ey .

The mai l p arty’

s an imal s be i ng rough shod,th ey were

ab l e to make bet ter t i m e o n the ice and thu s reached the

1 78 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOC IETY .

Fort abou t two or t hree days be fo re we d id . Capta i nWharton , t h e commander o f Fort K earn ey , was by th emi n formed o f ou r n eedy con d i t i on , and he immed i ate lyhad a wagon sen t to mee t us wi th a supp ly o f prov i s i ons .

I n th e mean t ime we were hav ing al l k i nds o f expe ri

ences t rave l i ng on the r ive r . There were p l aces wherefor m i l es t h e r iver w as as smooth as gl ass and ve ry s l i pp ery . Then th e an imal s wou l d sl i p down

, and we wou ldhave to take t hem one by on e and drag and push th emon the i r s i des over th e i c e t i l l we cou ld hnd a p lace wherewas some snow or a bare sand bar on wh ich they m igh tget up . Then aga i n , at o th er p l aces , there were openchanne l s th at we cou l d not get arou nd

,runn i ng w i th

mush i ce to th e dep th o f fou r or hy e feet o r more i np l aces . Here we had to u nh i tch th e an imals from th ewagon

,carry the bedd ing and prov i s i on s over

'

on ou rbacks an d shou l ders fi rst

,l ead th e an im al s t h rough

,one

by done, and t h en pu l l t he wagon t h rough as best we

cou ld,th e i cy co ld ness o f th e water g iv i ng us a severe

ch i l l i ng as we passed th rough . I n o the r p l aces th ere waswhat was known as sh e l l i c e to con tend w i th , th at waswhere l arge areas o f th i ck i c e had become ove rflow n bythe channe l s

,fo rm ing anoth er l ayer o f i c e six in ches o r a

foot above t he oth er,t o th e th ickness o f abou t one in ch .

Th is was diffi cult fo r th e an imals t o walk t h rough and cu tth e i r l egs as they t r i e d to st ep a long ,— th e ice be i ng somewhat sodden— eve ry step made a hol e j ust t he s i z e o f th efoot

,the foo t hav i ng to get ou t o f t hat hol e care fu l ly

w i th eve ry step made , and the n at t imes cu tt ing the i r l egsand mak ing them bl eed bad ly .

'

Not on ly had ou r p rov isi on s given out

,bu t th e fat igue o f ove rcom i ng these d i th

cult ies made us al l weak , so th at even ou r guns werethere fore al l bu r i ed beneath the snow u nder a cottonwoodt ree w i th an eagl e

’

s nes t i n it,on an isl and near Cotton

wood $ p r ings . Some o f ou r personal e ffects were th rownaway ; an d even th e bed o f the wagon w as used up fo rk i nd l i ng wood , and to l ighte n the bu rden c 1 an ima l s and



the doors o f mos t o f t he quarte rs to l e t th e inmates ou t ,afte r th e dr i ft i ng o f a n i gh t . O n e young man ,

a German ,

who was c l e rk i ng for M essrs . Dyer,Heath 85 Co . , th e

su t l e rs , i n go i ng from the offi ce rs’ mess house to a bu i l d

i ng a few rods from the post,where he w as go ing to

sl eep , missed h i s way in broad dayl igh t , wandered o ff ,and per ished— the Pawnee I nd ian s find i ng h i s rema inst he fo l low i ng Apr i l some five or s i x m i l es ou t i n th e h i l l s .And now I hard ly l i k e to c l ose th i s narrat i ve o f even tsw i thou t men t i on i ng one i nc i den t o f th i s t r i p c losely con

nected with my past , presen t , and so much o f a fu tu re o fl i fe on earth as an al l -wise Prov i den ce chooses t o b l ess mewi th . Th is was an importan t even t in my l i fe connectedw i th a tr i p l e d ream

,as my narrat i ve w i l l expl a in ; fo r to

g ive th i s exper i en ce o f a t r i p across t he p la i n s w i thou tth is i n c ident

,wou l d be l i k e th e p l ay o f Hamlet w i th

Hamle t l e ft ou t .On th e retu rn tr i p from Fort Laram i e

,th e fi rst n igh t

afte r ou r party had moved up i n to Ash Hol low from i ts

mouth,after t he cessat i o n o f t he storm o f November 30,

I had a very i mp ress i ve dream . I dre amed I was stand

i ng on a r iver,abou t ten or twe lve feet from a low bank ,

t h ree or fou r feet h igh , and on that bank the re appeareda sp i r i t i n th e fo rm o f a human be i ng bu t w i th i ts face a l lbeau t i fu l l igh t instead o f mortal i n appearan ce . And th esp i r i t sa id

,w i ll 63 w z

’

t/z y ou before you Veac/z F or t [f ea r

ney . I seemed to be awe -st r i cken o r spe l l -bound wi thth e supernatu ra l s igh t and tu rn ed to ge t away from thespot . Ifi rst l ooked to the west and th ere I cou ld se e anumber o f men com i ng te n or twelve rods o ff . I t d id n o tseem as though that w as the d i rec t i on I shou l d go ,

so Itu rned eastward to run . Di rect ly in fron t o f me howeveral l p rogress was barred by th e appearan ce o f two greati ro n gates c l osed togethe r . They were beau t i fu l ly madeand o f exqu i s i te fi n ish in grace fu l cu rves and at tract iveart ist i c l ines. They were twenty or twen ty - five fee t h igh .

lust th en , power seemed to be g i ven me tofly, and Iflew


t o go over the gates ;— bu t as I w as go i ng over th e top o fthem ll awoke , persp i r i ng great ly from the impress ionmade by the d ream .

Iknew t hen that someth ing was go ing to happen mebe fore I reached Fort Kearn ey , —bu t k new no t in whatway i t wou ld come .

Abou t two weeks afte r t h i s d ream o f m i ne,when stay i ng

in t h e Ind ian v i l l age , I w as go ing from the l odge to thespr i ng to get some wate r . Pass ing by the ten t where apart o f ou r compan io ns s l ep t , on e o f t he me n came ou tand greeted me very cord ial ly , say ing , Good morn i ng ,

Genera l !” Genera l” be i ng t he name the men gave meon the t r i p . H e s a id ,

“I’

m so gl ad to see you . Nowth is man , on al l t h e t r i p u p to t h is t i me , al t hough w i th meso o ften

,had no t sa i d a k i nd word befo re . i ndeed had

some k ind o f p rej ud i c e o r an t i pathy th at I cou l d notaccoun t fo r . From the change i n h i s manner towardsme , I k new that h e had been d ream i ng about me , and soI sa id

,

“You ’ve been d ream ing abou t me Mr . El l i o t t , haveyou not ?” H e sa id he had , and t hat i n his dream hethought I w as dead , and h is i mpressi o n was that I hadbeen k i cked in t o th e r ive r by a mu le . H e sa i d that hewas glad to see me a li ve . I t hanked h im fo r te l l i ng meand wen t on my way— th is be i ng a second V i s i t at i on foreshadow i ng that someth i ng wou l d happen to me o f aser i ou s natu re be fo re reach i ng Fort Kearney .

Abou t fou r weeks a fter Mr . E l l i o t t’

s dream,we started

down on the ice o f the Plat t e to go to Fort Kearney . Thefi rs t n igh t ou t , ou r cook , an I r ishman named Morr ison

,

had a d ream . In t he morn i ng as we were a l l l y i ng o nou r b lankets and bu ffa l o robes arou nd the lodge fi re

,ou r

I r ishman ,who usu al ly was a humorous man , hav ing some

th i ng fun ny to say very o ften to“l i gh ten du l l care , w i t ha very grave demeano r sa id : There i s someth i ng go ingto happen to one o f us be fo re we reach Fort K earn ey . Ik now i t from a dream I had las t n igh t . H e sa id , Idreamed one o f us was dead ,— Idon

’

t k now wh ich , but 1

182 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOC IETY .

th ought on e was dead,and the cub [a young man named

Bear,in t he party] s a id , 7Z 6 7/6 7/ mi nd fi z

'

m. Lei Me

w aives ea t lz zm up .

”

As I l ay th e re I was deep ly impressed w i th th e factthat th is th i rd dream on ly confi rmed th e o th er twod reams . S o I kept these th i ngs a l l to myse l f, not t e l l i ngany one abou t th e other d reams .That morn i ng we resumed ou r t rave l i ng eastward onth e r ive r . I n t he cou rse o f th e a fternoon o f that day , aswe were t rave l i ng along

,scatter i ng , some ahead and some

i n the rear , I had a feel i ng o f th i rs t come upon me . As Ipassed along abou t twe lve fee t from th e sou th bank , there

was a hol e i n the i ce about s ix i n ches across,th e water

showing i tse l f very tempt i ngly— s i n ce we cou ld not getw ater t i l l we shou ld com e to camp and cu t a ho l e i n t h ei ce w i th th e axe to get it , wi thou t th i nk i ng o f any danger ,w i t hou t t h i nk i ng o f any dreams

,and w i th the t rack s o f

the buffa l o al l arou nd th e ho l e i n the i c e , suppos i ng i t t obe so l i d , I ventu red on my hands an d fee t to st00p downand pu t my l ips to th e re fresh ing - l ook i ng water . Suddenly th e ice broke and al l th e upper part o f my bodyw en t in . I t was deep th ere and b lack . I fe l t n o bot tom .

I was he ld suspended there t i l l h e l p cou l d come , and al l thatsaved me from go i ng comp lete ly u nde r and be i ng carr i edwi t h th e st rong cu rrent u nde r th e ice never to be seen o rheard o f aga in , was my gun , wh i ch , be i ng sl u ng ac ross myshou lder l odged on th e i c e and temporar i ly kept me theret i l l r escu ed ; fo r another m i nu te or two , and a l l wou ldhave been ove r wi th me on earth .

Whi le part o f my body w as i n t he water and my legs i nth e a i r , as i t were , a man abou t a rod o r two d i stan t northo f me stood laugh ing and po i n t ing at me say ing , -

‘

H a ,

H a ,H a l ook at th e Gene ral !” Another vo ice from the

me n com ing from th e west shouted ou t ,“Pu l l h im ou t

qu ick , for God’

s sake , or h e 11 be gone in a m inute ,”and

upon t hat t he man mechan i cal ly s tepped up ,caugh t hol d

o f me and dragged me ou t . I s tood up ,and soaked w i th


184 NEBRASKA STATE 11151011 10111. 5001111 11.

Un i ted States . W i thou t t hat fre ight i ng bus i n ess therew ou l d have been no m i l i ta ry posts

,no such c iv i l i z at i o n as

bl esses N ebraska to -day,and no hope o f th at more glor i ou s

c i v i l i z at i o n wh i ch beckons us on to br igh te r th i ngs today .

NECROLOGY .

Rev . J oh n M i l l e r Taggart,w as born n ear Ph i l a de l ph i a

,

November 17 , 18 17 , h is paren ts remo vi ng to t hat c i tywhen he w as bu t a babe . H e w as o f Sco tch - I r ish ancest ry .

The fi rst twen ty years o f h is l i fe were spen t i n Philade lph i a

,where th e fou ndat i on o f h i s educat io n w as l a i d . I n

those days th e sens i b l e me thod o f t each ing eve ry boy at rade w as adheared to , s o at a p roper age he tho rough lymaste red t he t rad e o f s tonecu tt i ng , at th e same t i memak ing a spec i a l s tudy o f arch i t ec tu re . The knowl edgeo f th i s w as o f much valu e to h i m i n a ft e r years .

H is memor i es o f th ose early years were p l easan t .Among th e n otabl e even ts w as shak i ng han ds w i th Lafayet te , when a l l Ph i l ade l ph i a was o ffer i ng grand ovat i o n sto th e hero on h is v i s i t i n 1825, as we l l as s ee i ng th e fa l ling s tars i n 1833 , and r i d ing on t h e fi rst t ra i n ever l eav ingthat c i ty

,the t rack o f wh i ch was twe lve m i l es i n l ength .

The fin anc i a l c rash o f 1837 cau sed h im to seek emp loyment in Wash i ngton , D. C.

,where he rema i ned fou r years ,

ga i n ing much va lu abl e i n fo rmat i on d u r i ng th at per i od .

The year 184 1 fou n d h im i n Ken t u cky te ach i ng orwork i ng at h i s t rade , as most co nven i en t . I t was th erehe w as converted u nder th e m i n ist rat i ons o f E lde r Wm .

Vaughan,who he lped and encou raged h im i n h i s s tud i es

for th e m in i s t ry . H e w as l icensed to preach by the Bapt ist chu rch at Bloomfie ld ,

Ky . ,i n 1843 , and o rd a i ned D ec .

On t he 14th of. Nov .,1843 , Rev . J ohn M . Taggart was

uni ted in marr i age to M i ss A i m ee Myers , at Lunbury ,

Oh io,hav i ng met her i n Ken tu cky . They removed to

J acksonv i l l e,111 where he accep ted a pos i t i o n as arch i

186 NE BRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOC IETY .

t eet and super i n t endent o f th e Deaf Mu te Asyl umbu i ld i ng s. Not w i l l i ng to negl ec t th e Master

’

s work , hed id m iss i o nary work i n many o f t he feebl e chu rches n earth e c i ty .

In 1855 he V i s i ted th e terr i to ry o f N ebraska , and th efo l l owing year moved h i s fam i ly , cons i s t i ng o f w i fe andfou r ch i l dren

,to Fon tane l l e

,th en the coun ty - seat o f

Dodge cou n ty . The tr i p , th en a l ong and t ed i ous one ,was made i n a carr i age . The fi rst wi nte r was a hard oneand i n tense ly co ld . The crops had been poor th e p rev ious season

,and vegetab l es were scarc e and h igh p r i c ed .

Froz en potatoes were $ z .oo p er bushe l and o th er th i ngsi n p ropo rt i o n . Supp l i es o f a l l k i nds had to be obta i nedfrom Omaha , th e l ack o f br i dges mak i ng the d i stancemuch greate r th an at p resen t . D iscouragi ng as i t seemed ,t h e set t l e rs kep t up brave h earts . Mr . Taggart , espec i a l ly ,was sangu i n e o f br igh te r p rospec ts , as h e preached th egospe l to m ixed congregat i ons and la i d p l ans fo r fut u reu se fu l ness . Grand poss ib i l i t i es l ay i n th i s great l and o fthe se t t i ng sun . Property was he l d at h igh valu e atFontan e l l e

,as i t was to be the i mportan t po i n t north o f

Omaha , A l as , fo r human expectat i o ns , Fontane l l e hasnot yet reach ed that d i s t i n ct i on .

In 1857 Rev . J. M . Taggart was sent as represen tat iveto the fou rth sess io n o f th e l egisl atu re , rep resent ingPlatte and Dodge coun t i es j o i n t ly . The bou ndar i es haves i n ce bee n changed by l eg i s l a t i ve act , th rowing Pon tan el l e i n to Wash ington cou n ty . Th i s was the memorab l el egisl atu re th at was d iv id ed , by some difficulty be tweenth e House and Cou nc i l , t h e maj o r i ty adj ou rn i ng toF lorence to e nac t bus i n ess t h e i r own way .

1 HouseJ ou rnal o f 1857

-8 gives amus i ng accou n ts o f t he exc i t i ngscen es o f th e t ime o f d isrupt i o n .

The names o f J. Ster l ing Morton,M i l l e r , Popp l e ton

Marque t t . Dr . Campbe l l and others , si nce we l l -known ,

1 H ouse J oumal, 4th Sessw n , p . 151, J ah . 8, 1858. Comzct l J ournal, 4th Sessw n , p . 124. [Eu



h i s hea l th bec ame poor and th i nk ing a change m igh t beo f ben efi t , he t rave l ed some months i n th e i n t eres t o f aschoo l book fi rm .

H e d i ed near Co lo rado Spr i ngs , Co lo May 1 7 th , 1887 ,where he and h i s w i fe h ad gone to spen d a

'

few monthswi th his daughte i

‘ Mary,who though t the c l imate wou ld

be conduc ive to h i s h eal t h . A comp l i cat i o n o f t roub l es ,te rm i nat ing i n d i so rders o f heart and stomach , caused h i sdeath , wh ich came al l too sudden ly a fte r a very br i e fi l lness . H is rema i ns were taken to Palmyra fo r i n te rment . There a l l the ch i ld ren had come from the i rd i fferen t homes to pay the i r l as t respec ts to one who hadeve r been a k i nd and l ov ing fath er . They are as fo l l ows :R. M . Taggart o f N ebraska Ci ty ; M iss Mary Taggart o fCo lo rado Spr ings ; Mrs . P . W . Kenny , B la i r , Neb . ; Mrs .Dr . Wh ite , Sou th Omaha ; and Mrs . A . W . C1ark , Omaha .

As seemed fi t t ing , the son o f th e deceased , and the th reesons- in - l aw ac ted as pal l -beare rs . Many fr i ends fromne ighbor i ng c i t i es at t ended th e fun eral ; t he serv i ces be i ngconduc ted by Revs . O . A . Wi l l i ams , S . H . D. Vaughan

,

J. W . Osborne , I. M . Wh i tehead , E . C. Bemick , and E lderPrat t . The chu rch was draped i n mou rn i ng and manylovelyfloral offe r ings breath ed the i r fragrance over th esad scene . The ce remon i es at th e grave were acco rd i ngto t he Mason ic order , o f wh i ch ord er the deceased hadbeen a member .

Du ri ng th e th i r ty -one years o f E lde r Taggart’

s l i fe i nNebraska , h e became we l l kn own th roughou t the state ,no t on ly in a m i n ister i a l way

,bu t as one a lw ays i n te rested

in educat i o n or any th i ng e l se to e l evat e and upl i fthuman i ty . I t w as greatl y th rough h i s influe nce ,

that th eexce l l en t schoo l l aws o f the s tate are what they are . H is

pr ide in Nebrask a w as p roverb i al . H e fi l l ed severa lpos i t i o ns o f t rust , among wh i ch were th at o f Grand W . C.

T . o f the G. T ., and Pres i d en t o f t he Bapt ist S tate

Conven t i on fo r seve ral t e rms . H e w as a man o f wonderfu l resource s , broad v i ews , and was generous to a fau l t .

NECROLOGY . 180

H e l oved flowers and l i tt l e ch i ld ren . It w as charac te r ist ico f h im speed i ly to su rround his home , whereve r i t m igh tbe , wi th t rees andflow e rs, and ch i ld ren were n eve r knownto re fuse h i s fr i e ndsh i p . H is l i fe , l i k e that o f mostmortals

,w as o f m i ngl ed c louds and su nsh in e

,bu t whe n

t he c l ouds were uppe rmost h e o fte n com forted h imse l fand h i s loved compan ion wi t h a favor i t e ve rse ,

“A l l t h i ngswork together for good to them that l ove God . Dur i ngthe short i l l ness preced i ng h i s death

,he remarked to h is

wi fe tha t i t seemed to have been h i s l i fe work to layfozmrz

’zz fz

'

om fo r o thers to bu i l d u pon ; t hat his work w as

done here upon earth , and he w as ready to go . Thefo l l ow i ng i s an ext rac t from a poem ,

“What i s Death ,

wr i t ten by Rev . J. M . Taggart i n 1874 , a fter t he death o fa fr i end and also o f a grand - ch i ld . I t was a sou rce o fcom fort to the bereaved ones

,t hat h i s w ish conce rn i ng

h i s l as t moments w as grat i fi ed .

B ut thou must come . Come then w hen thou art sen t

And w i th w hat w eapon s thou ar t bade to bringAnd I w i l l w e lcome thee . G ibbe t or cross ,

Or sword , or wat’ryflood ,

hot feve r , sore d isease :These a ll are one to me : The ( l111

'

e ren t gatesThrough w h ich ,

in all the ages of the worldH is sain ts have en tered in to rest , and I,

When that my t ime shal l come,crave but the boon :

That reason shal l be snared ,w i th latest breath

To testi fy for my compan ion’s sake

And for my b re th ren’s,as to the power of fai th

To chee r God ’s ch i ld w h i le passing through the vale

And shadow of the dark and d readed death ,

And g ive triumphan t v ictory ove r theeB ut even concern ing th is ; God ’

s w i l l be done .

— Mus . J h ax e '

r'

re M . Wm '

rE .

NOTES .

The recen t app ropr i at i on o f by th e Wisconsi nl egi s l atu re

,fo r the erec t i o n o f a n ew bu i l d i ng for the

Wiscons i n H is tor ica l Soc i e ty , i s wo rthy o f not e as marking t he p rogress o f that soc i e ty . That o rgan i z at i on hasl ong stood at th e head o f th e h isto r ical soc i e t i es undert he immed i ate patronage o f t he s tate , and by th e energyand i nfluence o f i t s fou nders , as wel l as by th e l iberal i tyo f th e peop l e o f W isconsm, t h i s h i s tor ical soc i e ty hasbecome an obj ec t o f j us t p r i de , and an obj ec t l esson to al lo th er s tates . We congratu l ate that soc i e ty upon su ch amark o f pub l i c confidence . A new bu i ld i ng means st i l lgreate r poss ib i l i t i e s fo r work th an be fore . I t i s p l easan tto h ear that t h e Wiscons in soc i e ty is to bu i l d i ts newbu i ld ing on the campus o f th e State Un i ve rs i ty . Poss iblyth e N ebraska Stat e H i sto r i ca l So c i ety w as th e fi rst t o belocated i n o r near th e stat e u n ive rs i ty , so that th e mate r i a lco l l ec ted cou l d be acc ess i b l e to t he studen ts o f the st ate .

I n th i s connec t i o n i t i s we l l to h e ral d to th e peop l e 01state th e fact th at t h e L ibrary bu i ld ing in wh ich the Ne

braska State H isto r i cal Soc i e ty has its quarte rs ( th ankst o th e Un ivers i ty au thor i t i es) , i s t o be fi n ished th is sum

mer by appropr i at i o n o f th e recen t l egisl atu re . Thework is a l ready wel l u nder way , and Ve ry soon the soc i e tyw i l l be in fi n ished rooms o f permanen t quarters . Therew i l l be , bes i d es th e room that the soc i e ty has now ,

an

o thee room , an u npack i ng room , and a room that w i l lpe rh aps be used fi nally fo r th e co l l ect i on o f CIA . R.

re l ics , when th e co l l ec t i on shal l have been tu rned ove r toth e soc i e ty . The l ibrar i an has been assu red o f th i s by


I92 NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

fo r th e co l l ec t i on o f wh i ch a constan t e ffort is be i ng made .

Bu t much endeavor wi l l be made to compl et e at once ase t o f m aps o f coun t i es . Real ly a l l maps o f any one coun tyshou l d hnd a p l ace here at th e H i stor i ca l soc i e ty quarte rs .

Not l ess i mportan t i s i t t hat , from now on , al l th e paperspub l ished i n t he s tat e shou l d hnd a p lace on ou r sh e lves .

The soc i ety can now take care o f a l l papers that are sen t .Wi l l th e ed i tors and pub l ishers take ho ld o f th e matterand gen erously pu t t h e soc i e ty o n ma i l i ng l i s ts . Not apaper shou ld be lost . Here at th e rooms th e u tmost carewi l l be taken i n the fu tu re as i t h as been take n h i therto

,

to p reserve every pape r i n tac t . Ed i to rs shou ld not m i ssan opportu n i ty o f v i si t i ng ou r co l l ec t i o ns and i n te rest i ngthemse lves i n the obj ec ts o f t h e Soc i e ty and i ts fu tu reuse fu l ness .

The art ic l e by M rs . Je n e at te M . Whi te , co ncern i ngh er fathe r , Rev . Taggart

,w as wri tt en severa l years ago .

By some m istake i t was m isl a i d and on ly recen t ly cameto l igh t . An apo l ogy i s du e fo r the tardy recogn i t i on o fan o ld set t l e r and l oya l c i t i z en .

PROCEEDINGS ANDCOLLCETIONS

OF TH E

N E B RA S I( 1A

tate istorieal oele t

“Tree Plante rs

I SSU E D Q U A R T E R L Y

FIFTY CENTS AT L ( NUOLN , N E BR. FIFTE EN CENTSEEE E EE EE EEEEEE EE EEEE

LINCOLN PRINT ING co .

PRINTERS , STAT IONERS ANDEluoERs18 95

Nebraska S tate Historical Soe ie ty

O F F IC E R S

H ON . J STERLING MORTON ,Presid ent ,

H ON . E LEA Z ER VVAK E LE Y,Fi rst Vi ce-Presi den t

,

H ON . R. W . FURNAS,S econd Vi ce-Presi den t

,

H ON . C. H . GERE,Treasurer

,

PROF . H OWARDW . CALDWE LL , S ecretary,

JAY AMos BARRETT,Li brari an ,

C O M M IT T E S

Publi ca ti on : TH E SECRETARY,S . L . GE ISH ARDT

,

and S . D. COX .

Obi tuari es: R. W . FURNAS , 01510. L . MILLER,

and W . H . E LLER.

Program: TH E SECRETARY , J L . WE B STER,

and J . M . WOOLWORTH .

Library: JAY AMos BARRETT,MRS . S . B . POUND,

and J H . CANF IELD.

Nebraska Ci tyOmaha

B row nvilleLincoln

Lin coln

Lin coln



l i shes or i t tones down , rep resses o r i n tens i fi es h ere andthere

,as human p rej ud ice o r des i re may d i ctate . Bu t

nowhere do we read o f a d i ffere n t a i r or water i n anc i en tt imes— as supporte rs o f human l i fe— from that wh i ch webreath e and dr i nk to -day . There has been , t hen , n o abrup trepeal

,change

,or amendmen t to n atu ral l aws dur i ng th e

m igh ty marches o f th e years and cen tu r i es across th i sworld o f ours s i n ce i t fi rst t rembl ed i n e l emental space .

The l aws o f l ight , o f sou nd , o f grav i tat i o n and coh es i on ,rema i n poten t , exact i ng , and i nexorabl e as when th erevo lu t i on o f the spheres began and th e l igh t o f day fi rstflooded the un i ve rse w i th i ts v iv i fy i ng effu lgence . Underthe dom inat i on o f these re l en t l ess l aws i n a great k i n dergarten the fam i ly o f Man has been fo r thousands o f yearsl i v i ng and l earn i ng and repeat i ng l essons . Unt i l t h eart o f pr i n t i ng came to embalm knowl edge and perpe tu

ate i t , t he l earn ing o f each generat io n was en tombedalmost whol ly w i th those who developed it . Legends ,manuscr ip ts , and t rad i t i o ns t ransm i tt ed on ly a mod i cumo f th e accumu lated lore ; and the greater vo l umes o f ex

p erience and ach i evement were h i dden i n th e grave w i ththe i r au thors . Neverth e l ess , certa i n o f those i deas mostessen t i a l to the advancemen t and e levat i o n o f th e soc ia ls tatu s were so thorough ly esteemed , debated , and wr i t tenou t , t hat w e , as the he i rs o f t he i n te l l ec tua l weal th o f a l lp reced i ng t ime , now hoard them i n l ibrar i es and treasu rethem i n ou r memor ies . Bu t we are mere ly t rustees

,and as

such i t i s ou r duty to conserve and bequeath that i nh er i tanceto ou r descendan ts w i t h as much use fu l i ncrement as weare competen t to evo lve or p roduce , as to each i n tegra lpart th ereo f . And as t rade i s th e fo re ru nne r o f c iv i l i z at i on , and commerce i ts p romoter and educator , t h i s age i sob l igated to the fu tu re to improve th e o ld an d inven t newmethods for fac i l i tat i ng exchanges a l l th e w or l d over .I n a barbar i c s tate , barter ex is ted . Direc t exchangeso f goods for goods ob ta i ned . Then , emerg i ng from tr ibalre l at i o ns, man i nst i t u ted vari ous med ia o f exch anges .


F i rst , catt l e were money . Then came flocks o f sheep andgoats . The large catt l e -owner was th e cap i ta l i s t . Theword cap i ta l” com i ng from capzn

‘, a head , and th e word“pecun iary from pew s, aflock . i l l u s trate th e fac t t h at th ebas i c i dea o f money was val u e , both i nheren t and re l at ive .

Later on s i l ver and go ld became money . Bu t fo r centur ies th ey were no t co i n ed . Both metal s were used tomed i at e exchanges . But ne i th er o f them bore any oth ermark i ng or ce rt ifi cat ion than that g iven by the go ldsm i tho r th e assayer , who merely ve r ified th e we igh t and fi ne ness.

H is l egend on th e lump or i ngo t o f bu l l i o n assu red th et rad i ng pub l i c as to i ts pu r i ty and grav i ty . Bu t s tandardeconom ists never c l a im that at testat i o n o f fi neness andwe igh t

,e i th er by an assay othee i n anc i en t o r by a

governmen t m i nt i n modern t imes , adds va lu e to th emetal s ; th ough al l agree th at i t i n c reases th e fac i l i ty w i thwh i ch they may measu re val ues and med i ate th e exchangeo f commod i t i es .Ar i s to t l e , who wro te i n th e fou rth cen tu ry be fo re Chr i s t ,had a clearer idea o f th e characte r and fu nc t i o ns o f money ,even i n that early morn i ng t ime o f commerce

,th an many

s tatesmen at th i s h igh noon o f i n ternat i ona l t rade seem toen tertam. And that pagan ph i losopher sa i dMoney i s an i n termed iary commodi ty des igned to fac i l i

t ate an exchange o f two othe r commod i t i es .And Z enophon , wri t i ng o f A thens a hu ndred years l ate r ,and show i ng i t s advan tages over o th er markets , says :I n most o f the othe r c i t i es a trader i s ob l iged to take

commod i t i es i n retu rn for those he br i ngs,because th e

money used i n them has no t much c red i t ozz fsz'

de ; w i th usA then i ans , on th e con t rary , he takes h i s pay i nready money , wh i ch , o f a l l n ego t i ab l e art i c l es , i s th e sa fes tand most conven i en t , as i t i s secu red i n a l l cou ntr i es , and ,bes ides , i t a lways br i ngs back someth i ng to i ts master ,w hen th e l at te r j udges p roper to d ispose o f i t .

”

Thus Ar i s to t l e saw the necess i ty o f a commodi ty va lu e i nthe med ium o f exchange , and X enophon demonstrated


th e importan ce o f a gene ra l and unfluctuat ing pu rch as i ngpower o f val u e in money , to rende r i t u n iversal ly u se fu li n the fac i l i ta t i o n o f domes t i c and fo re ign exchanges .Thus we come to , What i s valu e ? Ar i s to t l e and th eRoman lawyers among the an c i e n t ; and Adam Sm i th ,Whate ly , Say , and Perry , wi th a mu l t i tu de o f o ther modern econom i s ts , have dec l ared th at va l u e cons i s t s i n EXCH ANGEAB IL ITY . And McLeod says :“‘

And what does exchangeab i l i ty depend upon ? I f Io ffe r someth i ng fo r sal e , what i s n ecessary i n o rder that i tshou l d be so l d ? S imp ly t hat someon e e lse shou l d desi reand demand it . The so l e o r ig i n , sou rce and causeo f val u e i s fi zmz cm a

’esz

’

m; when th ere i s a demand fo rth i ngs , t h ey have value . When supp ly rema i ns s tat i o nary and the demand i nc reases

,t h e val u e i ncreases ; when

the demand dec reases,the va l u e decreases , and when the

demand ceases a l toge th er,th e va l u e i s al togeth er gone.

”

The cu rrency o f a coun try,th ere fore

,must be always ex

changeabl e for t hose th i ngs wh i ch i ts p eop l e d es i r e an ddemand , and the cu rren cy i ts e l f must be des i red an d demanded by those who have the th i ngs to se l l . The commod ity se l l er buys money ; and the commod i ty buyer sel l smoney . Each seeks th e h ighest qua l i ty i n t hat wh i ch hebuys

,because wi t h i t h e sat isfi e s a deman d ; an d i n every

l eg i t imate exchange th ere are two demands and two satisfact ions. I n t imes o f bus i ness depress i o n money circu

l a tes cau t i ously and s l owly , because peop l e rep ress des i resfo r many commod i t i es wh i ch u nder usu al commerc i a lcond i t i on s they grat i fy . And thus demand for thosegoods decreases and th e i r va l u es dec l i n e . There aremany Amer i cans to -day who have the i r money hoardedmerely because th ey are a fra i d to i ndu lge i n expend i tu reswh i ch , dur i ng a per iod o f redu ndant c i rcu l at i on , they regarded as abso l u te ly n ecessary to the i r da i ly com for t .Repress i ng des i res

,they have d im i n ish ed o r destroyed

demand i n many l i nes o f goods,and yet an act ive number

o f c i t i z ens dec l are that th e depress i on i s caused so l e ly by


200 NEBRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOC IETY.

se lves , can ava i l n oth i ng i n amel io rat i ng the i r hardsh ip s .I t wou l d c reate no exchanges

,con fe r no com forts . A per

cap i t a c i rcu lat i on o f e ach , unde r su ch rest r i c t i o ns ,cou l d a l l ev i at e no d i s tress . Food , not fu nds ; c l o th i ng ,not co in ; fu e l , not finance— th i ngs wh i ch are always a l ertfo r exchange , because always d es i red and demandedcan alone assu age the i r m ise ry i Bu t , by a par i ty o f reason ing , those who advocate more measu res o f val u e , al arger number o f do l l ars as th e i n fal l ib l e remedy for dep ressed trade , shou ld now dec l a i m in favo r o f a l arger percap i ta c i rcu l at i o n o f p eck , hal f-bushe l , and bush e l measu res , togeth er w i th s tee lyards , and scal es , and yardst i cks ,and foo t -ru l es , among those gra i n l ess fi e lds, food less families

, and a lmos t c l o thesl ess commun i t i es . Yet i ncreasedan d gratu i tou s d i st r i bu t i o n o f measures and we igh tsamong a hu nger i ng peopl e who have ne i t he r food towe igh nor fabr i cs nor fu e l to measu re

,wou l d be a sorry

sat i re upon starvat i on . Bu t i t wou l d be as e ffi c ie nt andeffi cacious i n amel i orat i ng cond i t i o ns as an i n creased percafi z

’

la ci rcula t ion wou ld be in i mprov i ng th e pecu n iarystatus o f those who can o ffe r noth i ng exchangeabl e fo rmoney wh i ch the own ers o f money des i re o r demand .

The measu res o f cereal s and other mater i a l th i ngs areuse l ess where th ere are no cereal s o r oth e r mater i a l th i ngsto be measu red . And money i s abso lu te ly i ner t and inu t i l e whe re no valu es are to be measu red and no exchangesare to be med i ated . The p i oneers o f Nebraska , wh i chw as opened to set t l ement i n 1854, matu red no crops tosubs i s t u pon u nt i l t h e au tumn e f 1855; and , th ere fore , fo rthe i r fi rst year

’s subs i s t en ce pu rchased gra i n and vegetables and meat from the ad iace n t States o f I owa and M i ssou r i . And al though the t i l l ed area o f N ebraska , whenth e fi rst snow o f th e w i nter o f 1855 and 1856 fe l l , was on lya few acres

,and the popu lat i o n o f th e Terr i to ry very

sparse ( and , th ere fore , t h e necessary and normal exchanges exceed i ngly l im i ted) , t here was a l arge y i e l d o fi nd igenous fron t i e r fi nancie rs who ferv i d ly dec l a imed for

HI STORICAL PAPERS . 201

more c i rcu l at i ng med i a . These p r im i t ive Popu l i s ts t h enproc la imed , i n t hat pra i r i e w i lde rn ess , th e doctr i n e o fcommerc i a l sa lvat i on and ever l as t i ng prosper i ty th roughthe grace o f an i n c reased per cap i t a c i rcu l at i o n . Theydec l ared that t h ere was no t enough money i n N ebraskaand adj o i n i ng S tates wi th wh i ch to t ransact bus i n ess

,and

that th e Legis l at i ve Assembly o f th e Terr i to ry shou ldcharte r banks to i ssu e money i n vo lume suffi cie nt to meetth e ex igenc i es o f t rans -M issou r i commerce . Those p i on eer advocates o f fi nanc ial vagar i es and money fa l l ac i esu sed al l the argumen ts , demagogy , and emot ional exhortat ion i n beha l f o f th e i r t heory that th e i r l in ea l econom i cdescendan ts and d isc i p l es u se to -day . And thus

,du r i ng

J anu ary , 1856 , s i x banks w ere charte red for th e pu rposeo f mak i ng more money fo r c i rcu l at i o n i n N ebrask a . Thel egi s l ators who voted fo r th em scou ted al l the teach i ngso f po l i t i ca l economy , and defi ed th e i n ev i tab le and e ffi cientoperat i o n o f econom i c l aw i n an tagon i sm to a s tatu te o fth e i r own sap i e nt spawn ing . And h ere i s th e act wh i chcreated a cu rrency (each o f s i x banks hav i ng prec i se ly th esame charte r ) o f more than i n l ess than s i xmonths , ostens ib ly to be c i r cu l at ed among a populat i o n o fl ess than men , women and ch i ld ren , who made u pal l t he i nhab i tan t s o f the Terr i to ry

,wh i ch th en in c lu ded

al l th e geograph i ca l area that now const i tu t es th e twoDakotas , Wyom ing , and a part o f Co lo rado . I n l ess thanfou r mon ths from th e commencemen t o f th i s exper imen tfo r ban i sh i ng poverty and produc ing prosper i ty by an inc reased per cap i ta c i rcu l at i on

,the go l d cu rren cy and i ts

equ ival en ts had d isappeared . The far - see ing accumu l ato ro f sou nd money and the non - resi den t t raders had takeni t from the l i m i ted fi e ld o f ou r exchanges

,and had hoarded

,

h idden,and carr i ed i t away .

NEBRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

AN ACT

FORTH E CH ARTER OF A BANK , TO BE LOCATED IN BELLEVUE ,

DOUGLAS COUNTY , NEBRASKA TERRITORY , TO BE CALLED TH EFONTENE LLE BANK OF BE LLE VUE .

S EC. 1 . B e i t enacim’éy M z

’

s Cozmcz

'

l and H ouse of Re?msem‘

a z z'

w s of Me Terr i tory of N eém séa ,That Jno . R.

Sarpy , Pete r A . Sarpy , Samu e l Knepper , Jno . R. Cec i l ,L . B . K inny

,Ph i l l i p J. McMahon , Leav i tt L . Bowen , Jno .

Cl ancy , the i r h e i rs and ass igns , are hereby appo i n tedcomm iss ioners , and they o r any five o f th em are au thori z ed to carry in to e ffect

,from and a ft er th e passage of

th i s ac t , t h e estab l i shment o f a bank , to be styl ed andcal l ed th e Fon ten e l l e Bank , and to be l ocat ed at Bel l evu e .Dougl as Cou n ty , Nebraska Terr i tory , w i th a cap i ta l o f

wh ich may be i ncreased,at th e w i l l o f the stock

ho lders , t o any amou nt not exceed ing to be d iv ided in to shares o f $ 100 each ; and th e sa i d company ,u nder th e above name and sty l e

,be and are hereby de

clared capab l e i n l aw o f i ssu i ng b i l l s , no tes , and othe r cert ifi cate s o f i ndebtedness , deal i ng i n exchange , and do i ngal l th ings necessary to the carry i ng on o f a regu l ar andlegi t imate bank i ng bus i ness , and also , to buy and possessp roperty o f a l l k inds

,and to sel l and d i spose o f the same ,

to cont ract and be con trac ted w i th , to sue and to be su ed ,to defend and to be de fended aga i ns t in al l courts i n t h i sTerr i to ry .“

S EC. 2 . That th e comm i ss i on ers h ere i n appo i n tedshal l have power to cause books to be opened fo r the subsc r i p t i on o f sa i d s tock in su ch mann er and at su ch t imesand p laces as th ey o r any five o f them may appo i n t ; thatwhenever i s fu l ly subsc r ibed , then those mak i ngsu ch subscr i pt i o n shal l h ave power to choose a board o fd i rectors

,whose du ty i t shal l be to organ i z e sa i d ba nk by

e lec t ing a presi den t , v i ce -pres i dent , and cash i e r , and thati n the e lec t i on o f sa id d i rec tors and o thers each sharesubscr ibed o r then hel d shal l en t i t l e t he ho lder thereo f t oone vote , whi ch may be g iven i n person or by proxy .

”


204 NEBRASKA STATE 11 13101 00111. socmrr .

t hen as i t had been i n th e K i ngdom o f Great B r i ta i n 300years be fo re .

Thus after a br i e f per i od o f pseudo -prosper i ty,i n wh i ch

al l va lu es were fever ish ly enhanced,t here came , i n J u ne ,

1857 , th e fi rst warn ings o f the d i sast rous pan ic o f that year .I n New York the bank i ng and brokerage house o f J ohnThompson , who pub l i shed a bank - note reporter andcounte rfe i t d et ec to r , fa i l ed . I n Oh io th e great L i fe andTrus t Company went u nder , and al l ove r N ebraska , andth roughou t th e who l e Repub l i c , the base l ess , nonconvert ible paper i ssu es o f“s tump - ta i l” cu rrency— as i t wastermed i n th e parl ance o f th e t ime— beca-me u tterlyval ue l ess as too ls o f exchange .

To -day we stand perhaps upon th e very verge o fanothe r e ra o f fi a t ism . And i f t he free co i nage o f s i l ve rat 16 t o 1 can be secu red , we shal l beho l d aga i n , i n th eUn i ted States , and on a broader fi eld ,

the u navo idabl eand d isast rou s e ffec t o f t hat l aw wh i ch i n ev i tably p reven tsth e c i rcu l at i o n o f an i n fe r i o r and a super i o r cu rrency , i nth e same markets , at th e same t ime .

Hav ing , u nder free co i nage , made more s i l ve r do l l arsthan th e cou n t ry can float , at a par i ty wi th gol d , th e l attermeta l w i l l go t o a p rem ium . A l l t hat we se l l t o fo re igners w i l l b e pa i d fo r in s i lv e r . A l l t hat we buy o f t hemwi l l be set t l ed fo r i n go ld . and we w i l l pay the p rem ium .

B imetal l i sm,as taught by th e free - co i nage -of—s i lve r

advocates,who mai n ta i n that th e Un i ted S tates al on e can

float u n l im i ted amou nts o f t hat meta l , co i ned at a rat i o o f16 to 1 , on a par i ty w i th gold , l og ical ly l eads to monometa l l ism i n th e North Amer i can repub l i c , and that onemetal must i n ev i t ab ly be s i l ver .In th e N z

’

m i ew z l/z Cen tury Henry Dunn i ng McLeod saysB imetal l ism is on l y part o f a sys tem w h ich preva i l ed i n

every cou n t ry for cen tu r i es . Statesmen though t thatthey cou l d regu l at e th e valu e o f commod i t i es by l aw ,

andthe statu te books con ta i n ed many such l aws. Bu t ex

per ience showed that such l aws were abso l u te ly inopera


t ive , and , a fte r hav i ng been abandoned i n p ract i c e , were ,at l ength , expunged from the s tatu te book . The at t emptto res to re b imeta l l i sm i s s imp ly t he endeavor to rev iveth i s exp loded econom i c fal l acy .

I f i t we re poss ib l e to es tab l i s h a fi xed rat i o be twee ngo ld and s i l ve r by i n ternat i ona l agreement

,i t wou l d be

equal ly poss ib l e to fix the va l u e o f a l l commod i t i es . In

numerabl e catastrophes are caused by the u nexpec tedchange i n th e valu e o f commod i t i es ; why not th en fix t hevalu e o f a l l commod i t i e s , and so remove t he caus e o fmu l t i tu des o f mercan t i l e cal am i t i es P

”“Agr i cu l t u r ists are su ffer i ng th e ext remest depress i onfrom th e fal l i n th e valu e o f th e i r p roducts . Why thennot fix t he val u e o f wheat at a remunerat ive p r i c e by inte rnat ional agreement ? I f i t were p r i n t ed i n a l l t h estatu te books o f the world t hat t he p r i c e o f wheat shou l dbe on e do l l ar a bu she l , does any p erson o f common sensesuppose that th e p r i c e o f wheat wou l d r i s e o ne cen t P”

And i f ra is i ng wheat cou l d be made remu nerat i ve everywhere , wou ld no t everybody seek that l i n e o f p rod u ct io n ?Bu t the b imetal l i s ts state th e i r case paradox i cal ly whenth ey proc l a im for t he free co i nage o f s i lve r at the rat i o o f16 to 1 . That ve ry phraseo logy i s a con fess io n that th erei s and can be bu t one un i t o f val u e . The fact t hat theycompare the i r s i l ve r to go ld , as th e u n i t o f va lu e , as th etest o f exchangeab i l i ty , con trad i c ts th e i r conte nt i o n forth e equa l u t i l i ty and fac i l i ty o f th e two metal s i n med i ati ng exchanges . I t i s a fu l l con fess i o n o f th e b imetal l i s tsthat th e two metals are u nequal . I t i s an avowal by law—mere statu to ry enac tmen t —they propose to make equal ,i n va l u e

,by certa i n re la t i ons, those th i ngs wh i ch mank i nd

do not equal ly des i re and demand . They affi rm that t heyw i l l c reate valu e . They avow that they can s t i mu lat e th edes i re and enhan c e the demand o f th e world fo r s i l ve r bya s imp l e Be i t E nac ted

”— a formu la t i o n o f fa l l ac i es i n tos tatu tes . I t i s a p la i n concess ion that s i l ve r i s a commod


i ty wh i ch must be measu red by a u n iversal ly acceptedmeasu re ; and , fu rthermore , th at go l d i s t h at measu re .

There fo re , by imp l i cat i on , t h e p ro fessed b imetal l i s t , i nstat i ng his case , adm i ts th at h e i s a go ld monometal l ist .But i t i s amaz i ng to hnd arden t free t raders among thez ealous advocates o f th e free coi n age o f s i lver at t he rat i oo f 16 to 1 , because th e p resen t tar i ff p rov ides a lmostwhol ly for ad -valo rem du t i es . Such du t i es

,accord i ng to

th e l aw , must be pa i d upon the valuat i o n o f t he comm‘

od

i ty imported , computed i n th e cu rrency o f th e Un i tedStates} .

With free co i n age , wh ich , we are cheer fu l ly and vehement ly assu red , w i l l b r i ng abou t a doubl e p r i ce fo r a l l t h efarmers h ave to se l l , t he re w i l l a lso then come a doub l evalu at i o n upon al l ad -valo rem imports w h i ch farmers mayw ish to buy . Then a thousand pou nds

’

worth o f Engl i shmanu fac tu re , bough t i n London o n a go ld bas is , be i ngimported to th e Un i ted States , wh i l e we are on a s i lve rbasi s , valued i n ou r market and ou r money , as th e l awcompe ls

,w i l l cos t tw i c e as much denom i nat i onal ly , i n s i l

ve r , as i t wou ld i n go ld . That is,go l d th e n be i ng worth

tw i ce as much as si lve r , in s tead o f pay i ng , o n each E ngl ishpou nd , as tod ay , on a val uat i on o f th e consumerw i l l b e taxed fo r each Engl i sh pou nd

’

s worth o f goods ,reduced to Un i ted States cu rrency , on a valuat io n o f

Then,as si lve r dec l i n es and ch eaper money be

comes more and more p l en t i fu l , ou r Free Trade fr i endswho have j o i n ed th e c ru sade in behal f o f fre e co inage w i l lsorrowfu l ly observe that th ey have , by the i r m i s in formed

1 S EC. 25. Tha t the value o f fore ign com as exp ressed i n the money of accoun t o f theUn i ted b t a tes sha l l b e tha t o f the p ure me ta l o f such com o f st an da rd value ; and the va lueof the stan d ard 00 1115 i n C i rcu la t ion of the var ious n at ion s o f the w 01 ld shall b e est imated

q uart e rly hy t he Di rec tor of the M in t , an d be p rocla im ed by th e S ec re tary o f the Treasuryimmed ia tely a f ter the p assag e of th is act , an d there a f ter q u a i ter ly on t he fi 1st d a y o f J an

u a ry .Ap r i l . J uly , and Oc to ber. i n each year . And th e va lues so p roc la imed shal l be fol

low ed i n est ima t in g' the value of all fore ign merohand 1se expm ted to the U n i t ed S t a t esdur ing the q u ar te r fo r w h ich t he value 15 p roc la imed . an d t he da te o f the con sula r c e r t i fi

ca t ion of an y i nve 1ce sha ll , for the pu rp oses of th1s sec t ion , be cons idered th e d a te of export a t i on : P i ovrderl . l

'

ha t t he S ecre tary o f the Treasury may order th e re li q u nda t i on o f an y

en t ry at a d lfi e ren t va lue , w hen eve r sa t isfactory e v id en ce shall b e p roduc ed to h im show

mg tha t the va lue i n U n i ted S t a tes currency o f the tore i gn mon ey sp ea ned i n t he 1nvo icew as, a t t he date o f t he ce r t i ficat i on . a t least ten p er cen tum more or less than the va luep rocla imed du r in g the q uarter 111 W hi ch the consular certi ficat ion occurred. (StatutesU. S ..

F itty-third Congress, Sesa. IL , Oh . 349. Sec. 25.



A to pay B h i s 550 bush e l s o f co rn w i t h 550 bushe lso f oats wh i ch are wort h on ly 30 cen ts a bushe l .The corn hav i ng apprec i ated

,because o f th e changed

re l at i o n o f th e supp ly o f co rn to th e demand for co rn,has

worked a hardsh ip , u nder th e i n exorab l e operat i o n o feconom i c l aw , aga i ns t E .

And the econom i c l aw i s an evo lu t i on o f th at natu ra ll aw wh i ch regu l ates th e ra i n fa l l and th e su nsh i n e andmakes c rops , e i th e r bou nt i fu l o r meagre . Now wou ldno t th e same moral i ty , honesty , and sense of j u st i c e , wh i chp rov i de for the paymen t o f a money debt creat ed s i n cewe were o n a go ld bas i s— t hat i s , s i n c e J anuary , 1870— indeprec i ated do l l ars , made e i th er o f s i lve r o r any o thercommod i ty , al so pay a loan o f 500 bushe l s o f corn , borrowed i n 1804, w i th 550 bushe l s o f oats i n 1805; or , i f i ncorn

'

, then i n t roy we igh t i nst ead o f avo i rdupo i s ; or, i f bymeasu re , then w i th two peeks to the bushe l PDu Maur i er descr ibes t he wonder fu l vocal i z at i o n o fTr i lby , as“waves o f swee t and tender l aughte r

,th e very

heart and essence o f . innocent,h igh -sp i r i ted gi r l hood

,

a l ive to al l t hat i s s i mp l e an d j oyous an d e l emen tary i nnatu re— th e fresh ness o f t h e morn i ng , th e r i pp l e o f t hestream

,the c l i ck o f the m i l l , the l i sp o f t h e w i nd i n th e

t rees, th e song o f the l ark i n the c loud l ess sky —th e su nand th e d ew , t h e scen t o f ear lyflow e rs and summerwoods and meadows— t he s igh t o f b i rds and bees an dbu tterfl i es and fro l i csome young an imal s a t p l ay — al l th es igh ts and scen ts and sou nds t hat are the b i r thr ight o fhappy ch i ld ren , happy savages i n favo red c l imes— th i ngsw i th in th e remembrance and reach o f most o f us ! A l lth is, th e memory and th e fee l o f i t , are i n Tr i lby

’s vo i ceas she w arb l es th at l ong , smooth , l i l t i ng , danc ing laugh ,that wondrous song w i thou t words ; and those who hear ,fee l a l l , and remember i t w i t h her . I t i s i rres i st ib l e ; i tfo rces i tse l f on you ; no words , no p i c tu res , cou ld ever doth e l i ke 1”

Bu t the mus i c was that o f h er mesmer i c master . The


potency o f h i s magi c swayed he r whol e be i ng— vo i c e ,featu res , pose , gestu res , everyth i ng— in on e grand , breathing symphony . S o th e harmon i es o f c i v i l i z at i o n , themu l t i fo l d tones o f Trade , al l th e great choruses andmelod i es o f Commerce— t h e mu rmur ing s tream that tu rnsth e m i l l whee l , the h i ss i ng engi n e on th e ra i l , th e p l asho f th e paddl e-whee l o n i n l and lakes , t h e mono tonouspu l sat i ons o f t he great h earts o f s teamsh i ps o n al l t h eoceans o f the globe , th e sing ing ‘

w ires o f t e l egraph l i n eshangi ng i n th e a i r , th e wh i r o f th e e l ec t r i c cars— everymovement o f a sent i en t commerce t ransport i ng fromnorth to sou th , from sou t h to north , from eas t to wes t ,and from west to east , wi th al l i ts myr i ad sounds o f co ntented industrym are mere ly th e econom i c o rches tra o fCi v i l i z at i o n obey i ng th e mot i ons o f th e magi c bato n o fDemand , wie l ded by the w i l l -power o f th e c i v i l i z ed world .

These are th e marve lou s mel od i es o f modern commerce .

Bu t th e i nsp i rat i o n wh i ch gives vo i ce t o val u e , anden ergi z es th e many - tongu ed i ndustr i es o f mod ern l i fe ,advancements , and improvements , i s EXCIIANGEABILITY

based upon demand , wh i ch i s fou nded upon des i re .

And so ,t h eor i z e as we may , con ten d fo r whatever fi nan

cial fa i th we can , and l egi s l ate as we wi l l , we shal l hnd atl ast th at i n ou r Presen t th e fou ndat i ons o f finance are , asth ey were i n th e Past o f a thousand years ago , bu tt ressedby human des i res and human demands fo r exchangeabl eth i ngs . And the fu tu re w i l l fi nally , perhaps , afte r manysevere s t ra i ns upon th e c red i t o f th e Republ i c , beho ld th ec i t i z e ns o f the Un i ted S tates , i n th e i r hones ty and strengthw i th one vo i ce u nequ ivoca l ly dec l ar i ng fo r a u n i t— a measu re o f va l u e— a med i um o f exchange— fash i oned ou t o fo r founded upon go ld . They w i l l t h u s determ i ne anddecl are , becau se that meta l h as been tes ted and approvedfo r five hundred years by th e domest i c and fo re ign tradeo f all th e commerc i a l n at io ns o f Eu rope as th e on ly measu re o f valu e , t he on ly fac i l i ta to r o f exchanges wh i ch

civ i l i z ed mank i nd has as yet d i scovered , adop ted and


u t i l i z ed w i th nearly un iversal su ccess and almost completesat i s fac t i o n .

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCI ETY .

S IXTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING .

UN IVERS ITY CH APEL ,

L INCOLN , N EBR. , J anuary 10,1803

The Soc i ety was cal l ed to ord er by th e Pres i dent,t h e

Hon . J. Sterl i ng Morton , at p . m . The ro l l w as thencal l ed

,and the fo l l ow i ng members answered to th e i r

names :C. E . Bessey A . R. K e imH . W . Cal dwe l l E . LaMaster

J ames H . Canfi eld J. A . MacMurphy

W’

. W . Cox Samuel Maxwel lLoren z o Crou nse J. Sterl i ng Morto nC. H . Gere J. S . PhebusE . N . Gren nel l M iss Mary A . Trema i nD. J. J ones W . W . Wi lsonThe secre tary

’s report o f th e proceed i ngs o f th e l astmeet i ng w as read and approved w i thou t modifi cat ion .

The fi rst paper o f th e even i ng was by the Hon . W . W .

Cox o f Seward , on Remin iscence? of E arly Times n ea r

zVeém s/ea Oh .

I The paper was both i n t erest i ng an dvaluabl e . The secon d on e was by Mr . J. A . MacMurphy

o f Omaha . H is subj ec t , S ome 6754 d S éclw’zes of E a rly

N eéra.s/éam ,

2 was an exceed i ngly we l l -putand i mportant

L See Vol. V . . pp . 91.

500V010 V pp .


2 12 NE BRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

correc t , wi th al l vou chers p resen t . The secretary th enmade h i s annual report , out1in ing t h e work o f the pas tyear , present i ng the n eeds o f the fu tu re , and mak ing somesuggest i ons i n regard to th e p l ans t hat seemed to h imwise , i n o rd er to fo rward the bes t i n terests o f th e Soc i ety .

Report was on mot i on o f th e H on . H . T . Cl ark e rece ivedand p l aced on fi le . As there were no reports from standi ng comm it tees , the Soc i e ty passed to reports o f spec i a lcomm i t tees . The comm it te e appo i n t ed to con fe r w i th al ik e comm i t tee from the Hort i cu l tu ra l Soc i ety reportedthat th e l at te r Soc i ety had de te rm i ned to ho l d on ly daysess ion s , thus enabl i ng th e members o f each Soc i e ty toat t end th e meet i ngs o f th e ot h er .Under the head o f e l ect i on o f members th e fo l l ow i ngnames were presen ted :J oh n M . Brockman , H . W . Parke r ,Frank H . Spearman , Henry S pr ick ,

M i l to n B l ake ly , L . C. Richards ,H . J. Whitmore , Mrs . L . C. Richards ,D. A . Campbe l l , Mrs . C. H . Gere ,Hugh LaMaster, Donald MacCua ig ,

H . W . Qua i n tance , H . A . Longsdorf .The ru l es were suspended and th e Secre tary was ins tru cted to cast t he u nan imou s bal lo t o f th e Soc i e ty fo rth e persons above named , wh i ch was done .

The e l ect i o n fo r offi ce rs resu l ted as fo l l ow s :Pres i dent , J. Ster l i ng Mo rto nF i rs t Vi ce Pres i den t , S . B . PoundS econd

.

Vice Pres id ent , Gov . Lore n zo Crou nseTreasu rer

,C. H . Gere

Secretary,H . W . Cal dwel l

On mot i on o f S . L . Ge isthardt , Sec t i on two (2) o f th eBy

-Laws was amended by add i ng c l ause three,as fo l lows :“Prov i ded that i n case th e l egi s l at ive appropr i at i o n shal l

i n the j udgmen t o f th e board o f d i rec tors warran t,they

may au thor i z e th e sec retary to employ an ass i s tan t to ac tas l ibrar i an , and to do th e general work o f th e Soc i ety

H I STORICAL PAPERS . 2 13

unde r h i s su perv i s i o n , at such sa l ary as th ey may dete rm i n e , no t to exceed $ 1400 ; and i n th at even t th e sal ary o fthe secretary shal l be $ 100. A comm i t te e to memor i a l i z eth e l egi s l atu re to make an appropr i at i o n con sonan t w i ththe needs o f th e Soc i e ty and to secu re such oth e r l egi s l at i o n as seemed best

,was made up o f th e fo l l ow i ng persons

S . B . Pou nd, J. H . Broady , N . S . Harwood , A. J. Sawyer ,

D. A . Campbe l l , H . T . Cl arke , and H . W . Caldwe l l .The sec retary was au tho r i z ed to have t h e u nbou ndcop i es o f Vo lume I I . bound .

A l so on mot i on o f Rev . E . H . Chap i n , he was au thor i z edto make su ch a classifieat ion o f th e books be longi ng tothe Soc iety , at the t ime o f remova l i n to th e new bu i ld i ngas was requ i red , and to contrac t t he necessary expensethere fo r . On mot i o n o f H . T . Cl arke , t h e secret ary wasau thor i zed to emp loy the necessary hel p fo r remov i ngi n to the new bu i l d i ng , and to p rocu re and to have bu i l tsu ch she lv i ng and cases as may i n h i s j udgmen t be necessary for the p rope r classificat ion and d i sp l ay o f theSoc i e ty

’

s books and cu r i os i t i es . Hon . A . J. Sawyer i n t roduced reso l u t i o ns wh ich were adopted by a r i s i ng vote ,i n favor o f J. Ster l i ng M orto n fo r Secre tary o f Agr i cu l t u rei n Pres i den t Cl eve land

’

s cab i n et .Adj ou rn ed .

J. STERLING MORTON , Pres i den t .

H . W . CALDWELL , Secre tary .

NEBfiAsKA 31m: M ich acetate.

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF TH E NE

BRASKA STATE H ISTORICAL SOCI ETY .

JANUARY 10, 1893.

To Me S ta le H z

’

slom’

cal Society :

I have th e honor as you r sec re ta ry to subm it t h e fo ll ow ing report , con ta i n i ng a rev i ew o f th e work o f the yearj u s t end i ng , and some suggest i on s i n regard to th e needsand fu tu re po l i cy o f the Soc i e ty .

S i nce you r p res en t sec re tary took charge o f the offi ce ,Volumes I I I . and IV . o f th e Transact ions and Refio fis o fth e Soc i ety have been ed i t ed and pub l i sh ed . To Pro fessoH oward and to Hon . R. W . Fu rnas i s du e much o f thecred i t fo r co l l ec t i ng th e mater i a l t hat has been used .

These vo lumes have been rece ived w i th many marks o ffavor both at home and at th e hands o f o ther Soc i et i es .They have been d i str ibu ted among the members o f theSoc i ety, and have been used i n secu r i ng exchanges fromother Soc i e t i es . The matte r for Vo l ume V . i s now be i ngco l l ected and ed i t ed w i th th e expectat i o n that i t may bepubl i shed and issu ed be fo re J u ly 1 , 1803 . Volume I I I .

was pr i n ted by Hammond B ros . at a cos t o f perpage . The to tal cos t o f th i s vo lume was abou tVolume IV . was pub l i shed by the S tat e J ou rnal Companyat a page cos t o f The tota l cost o f the vo lume was

The two vo lumes have cos t abou t l eavi ng a balan c e o f nearl y o r qu i t e $550, at the present t i mei n th e hands o f th e t reasu re r . Volume V . wi l l not costto exceed thu s l eav ing a bal ance o f unex

pended ou t o f t h e fu nd appropr i ated fo r publ i sh i ng . The

sec retary suggests that th i s sum be u sed i n b i nd i ng Vol



States . I n th i s way , at very s l igh t expense to th e S tat e .th e H i stor i ca l Soc i e ty cou l d co l l e c t l i k e documen tsfrom the othe r States o f th e Un i o n and from abroad . I na very few years an almost i nval uab le l ibrary cou l d thusbe bu i l t up . For fu rth er act i o n

,I l eave t he mat ter w i th

the Soc i e ty .

I n regard to th e immed i at e needs o f th e Soc i ety,I wi sh

to ca l l you r atten t i o n to th e fo l l ow i ng po i n tsThe Soc i ety must make arrangements to sh e lve

th e new rooms i n th e L ibrary bu i ld i ng . A l so cases w i l ln eed to be p lanned fo r and made i n wh i ch to p l ace thecu r ios already i n ou r possess i o n , and i n wh i ch to s to rethose to come to us

, from Mrs . Gen . Crook , and fromothers who may make presen ts to us i n t h e fu tu re . TheState Un ivers i ty has o ffered th e H is tor i ca l Soc i ety freerooms

,and agrees to heat , l igh t , and j an i to r th em w ithou t

expense . Now i t ce rta i n ly becomes the Soc i ety to pu t i tsmater i a l i n good and acc ess ib l e shape . She lv i ng andcases must be p rov i ded immed i ate ly , as the cases we haveare no t fi t ted for a l l u ses , and are a l ready overcrowded at

th e best .The secu r i ng , arrangi ng , fi ling , and b i nd i ng o f th e

S tate n ewspapers w i l l requ i re much l abor , and i f i t i sto be done success fu l ly , wi l l requ i re more he lp than i sat th e Soc i e ty

’

s command . A l so , t h e Soc i e ty mus tmake p rov i s i on fo r remov ing to i t s n ew quarte rs . I nmak ing th e t rans fer , th e books ought to be rearrangedand p rope rly ‘

classifi ed , Th is means much ext ra l abor forsomeone . O f course t he books may be s imp ly removedas they are , i f i t i s abso l u te ly n ecessary ; bu t i t ough t notto be necessary .

Now some o f th e p robl ems are be fore us : th e so l u t i o nI l eave to you , w it h a suggesti on th rown i n at a late rpo i n t i n t h e report .I h ave had a few stat ist i cs co l l e c ted showing what someof ou r n e ighbor i ng States are do i ng i n th i s work . The

PROCEEDINGS 2 17

tabl e o f resu l ts i s at tached , bu t I beg l eave to cal l you respec i a l at te nt i o n to some o f them :

EmSTA’IE Salar ies Volumesployees

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

I h ave made a care fu l est i mate o f th e amou nt th eSoc i e ty ough t to h ave for th e next b i e n n i um

,i n o rde r to

deve lop as rap id ly as th e poss ib i l i t i es w i l l p e rm i t . Thefigures I h ave reduced to th e l east amou nt that ough t tobe give n

Shel v in g and cases

Pub l ish in g and b in dingGenera l expen ses— Fre igh t , expressage , collect in g mater ial , postage , etc.

Salar ies ( per year ,

Total

I t w i l l b e not i ced that th i s asks fo r on ly a fract i on o fth e amou nt given i n ou r n e ighbor i ng States . I f we areto keep i n the p rocess i o n at al l , we must be w i l l i ng to payfo r i t .

F i nal ly , my suggest i o n as a so l u t i on o f th e p rob l emsbe fore us i s to get the above amou nts from the l egi s l alature , t he n to i ncrease the sal ary o f th e secretary toper year , and e l ect some one to th e othee who i s w i l l i ngto give h i s whol e t ime to th e work .

I f the Soc i ety fee l s th at i t i s u nsa fe to make th e ch angeat th i s meet i ng , for fear o f fa i l u re i n secu r i ng fu nds , an di f i t w i shes me to con t i nu e the work for the p resen t u nde rex i st i ng arrangements , I w i l l do the best I can for a shortt im e longer ; bu t I shal l w ish to be re l i eved o f the work i nth e near fu tu re .

Pro fesso r Howard sends thanks to th e Soc i ety fo r i tsk i nd reso lu t i o ns . Respect fu l ly subm i tted

,

H . W . CALDWELL , S ecre tary .

NEBRASKA STATE 111310111041, éecm'

nz‘

i

OFF ICE OF TREASURERSTATE H ISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Tfie Pmsz'

a’en t of t/ze A

’eémséa S ta te H istor ical Society ,

S IRz— I have t he honor to subm i t the fo l l owi ng reporto f the rece i p ts and expend i tu res o f t h e N ebraska H istorical Soc i e ty for th e year end i ng J an . 0, 1804.

RECE I PTS .

Balance deposited in ban k J an . 9,1893

Membersh ip FeesIn terest on deposits.

Balance of appropr iat ion 1891 , in S tate TreasuryAppropr iat ion of 1893

EXPENDITURE S .

Salary of offi cers and assistan tsBooks

,cases, postage , expressage and sundr ies

Total

Balan ce on hand in ban kBa lance in S tate TreasuryWarran t on State Treasury

Total balance on hand

Very respect fu l ly ,C. H . GERE , Treasu rer .

J an . 10,

’

03 .

-Approved and fou nd corre c t , wi th propervouchers

,so far as the report co ncerns moneys rece ived

and d isbu rsed by th e t reasu rer o f the Soc iety . We haveno means o f aud i t i ng th e state t reasu rer

’

s d isbu rsements.S . L . GE ISTHARDT,

L . B . TRE EMAN ,

Comm1ttee .

S EVENTE ENTH ANNUAL ME ET ING .

UNIVERS ITY CH APE L ,

L INCOLN , N EBR. , J anuary 0, 1804.

I n th e absen ce o f Pres i dent J. Ste rl i ng Morton , theannual meet i ng was cal l ed to order , at o

’

c lock , by



éraséaflTh is was fo l l owed by a study o f E arly N eémséa

Currency and Per Capz'

m by Hon . H . W .

Yates,o f th e N ebraska Nat i ona l Bank , o f Omaha . One

o f th e most i n te rest ing papers o f th e sess io n was by Hon .

5 . C. Basse t t , o f G ibbon . Tfie Solcz’z'

ers’

F ree-H omsleaa’

Colony .

3 o f G ibbo n , was desc r ibed i n an i nst ruct ive andenterta i n i ng way . Two other papers were p resen ted to th eSoc i ety w i thou t read ing , as th e hou r was l ate . One by B . J.

J ohnson , o f H owe , en t i t l ed E a rly Remin iscence ? s igfi tz

'

ng Days,

4 t he o ther by Mr . F . Bal l , o f Pa lmyra , E x lm cts

from E arly Documen ts. The Soc i ety then went i nto anadj ou rned bu s i n ess sess io n fo r th e e l ect i o n o f offi cers andthe t ransact i o n o f m i sce l l an eous bus i ness .The fo l l ow i ng offi cers were e lec ted by a u nan imousbal lo t :

J. Ster l i ng Morton , Pres i dent ,R. W . Furnas , F i rs t Vi ce Presi d ent ,5 . B . Pound , Seco nd Vi ce Pres i den t ,C. H . Gere , Treasu re ,H . W . Cal dwe l l , Secretary .

Rev . D. F i tzgerald , o f Aubu rn , ca l l ed th e at ten t i o n o fth e Soc i e ty to a sword , d iscovered i n th e Republ i can Vall ey , wh ich he thought m igh t be connected wi th t he expe

d i t i on o f Coronado . Mr . Barre t t moved that the thankso f the Soc i ety be extended to those who had so k i nd lyp repared papers , and asked that cop i es be fu rn i sh ed fo rpub l i cat i on . The mot i on was carr i ed . The names o fth i rty- two persons , as fo l l ows , were p resen ted fo r memhersh i p , and on mot i on the sec re tary cast th e u nan imousbal lo t o f the Soc i ety i n th e i r favor :C. B . A i tch i son , Hast i ngs ; L . L . H . Aust i n , Li nco l n ;

S . C. Basse t t , Gibbon ; J. N . Baer , L i nco l n ; Pro f . Lawrence Bru ner

,Li nco l n ; Hon . Ur iah B ru ner

,West Po i n t ;

1 See Vol. I. , Second Ser ies, pp . 103 -118.

2 See Vol , L, Second S eries , pp . 67- 76.

3. See Vol. L. Second Seri es, pp . 39-44.

‘BeoVol . L, 8900066 011013, pp . 87-m.

PROCEEDINGS . 22I

H . E . Dawes , Li nco l n ; Rev . L . A . Dunphy , Au ro ra ; Pro f .F . M . Fl i ng , Li nco l n ; Hon . J oh n A . Dav i s , Plat tsmou th ;Rev . D. Fi t zgerald , Aubu rn ; Pro f . E . T .

'

I—Iart1ey , Li nco l n ; Hon . Geo . I—I. Hast i ngs

,L i nco l n ; F . L . K endal l ,

Weep i ng Wate r Academy ; F . B . Kenyon ,Li nco l n ; C. S .

Lobinge r, Omaha ; M iss L . B . Loom i s , Li nco l n ; J ohn L .

Marshal l , Li nco l n ; Rev . Wi l l i am Mu rphy , Tecumseh ;Vic tor Rosewate r , Omaha , C. F . Neal , Aubu rn ; J. JSayer , Li nco l n ; Supt . Frank Strong . Li nco l n ; George L .

Shel don,Nehawka ; A . L . Timbl i n , Weep i ng Water ;

5 . L . Wright , Bethany H e ights ; T . F . A . Wi l l i ams , Li nco l n ; W . B . Lambert , Nel igh ; Pro f . 0. V . P. Stou t , L i nco l n ; Hon . H . W . Yates , Omaha .

The members o f th e s tand i ng comm i ttees were thennamed by th e pres i den t as fo l lows :On Pub l i cat i on— The Secre tary , S . L . Ge isthardt , and

S . D. Cox .

On Ob ituraies R. W . Furnas , Geo . L . M i l l e r , and W .

H . El l e r .On Program— The Sec retary , J. L . Webste r , and J. M .

Woolworth .

On Library— J ay Amos Barre t t , Mrs . S . B . Pound , andJames H . Canfi eld .

A l so a spec i a l comm it tee on th e Form o f Publ i cat io n” was appo i n ted as fo l l ows : D. A . Campbel l , J. A .

Barret t , C. H . Gere , J. A . MacMurphy , and E . H . Chap i n .

W . W . Cox p resen ted th e fo l lowi ng resol u t i o n concerni ng the death o f H on . H . W . Parke r , wh i ch was adoptedResolved, That i n th e d eath o f Hon . H i ram W . Park e r ,o f Beat r i ce , Nebraska , wh i ch occured i n Apr i l

, 1803 , th eH i sto r i ca l Soc i e ty l ost a most va luab l e member

,t h e Stat e

of. Nebraska one o f i ts o ldes t , most energet i c an d honorabl e c i t i z ens .Resolved, That th i s Soc i e ty ex t end to the sorrow i ngfam i ly i ts warmest sympathy .

Resyolvea

’, That these reso l u t ions be sp read upon th e

m i nutes arid a c0py o f thesame be furn i shed the w idowof the deceased .

222 NE BRASKA STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY‘

On mot io n o f :S . L . Ge isthard t , th e sec retary was ins t ru c ted to have fi les o f n ewspapers boun d , and alsoadd i t i o nal numbers o f Vol . I. and I I . o f P roceedings and

Puélz'

ca tzbm , at h i s d i sc re t i o n . The execu t i ve comm it te ewas au thor i z ed to see abou t p rocu r i ng th e sword ment ioned by Father F i t zgera ld . As th ere was no oth erbus i n ess to t ransact , th e Soc i ety s tood adj ou rn ed .

R. W ; FURNAS , Pres i dent P 7 0 Tem.

H . W . CALDWELL, S ecre tary .

E IGHTEENTH ANNUAL ME ET ING OF TH E STATE H I STORICALSOCIETY .

L INCOLN , N EBR. , J an . 8, 1805.

I n absence o f th e p res i den t , th e Soc i e ty was cal l ed toorder by th e secret ary . On mot i on , Pro f . C. E . Besseywas call ed to the cha i r .On mot i on o f Mr . J. A . Barret t , th e Soc i e ty adj ou rnedfo r one week . t o meet J anuary 15, 1805, i n t h e chape l o fthe Un ivers i ty . No oth er bus i n ess com ing be fore th eSoc i e ty , i t s tood adj ou rn ed .

C. E . BE SSEY , Pres i den t pro fem.

H . W . CALDWELL , Secretary .

ADJOURNED SESS ION OF TH E E IGHTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING

OF TH E STATE H I STORICAL SOCIETY .

FUNKE OPERA H OUSE , J anuary 15, 1805.

Meet i ng ca l l ed to order by Vi ce Pres i den t R. W . Furnas .

On mot ion o f Sec re tary Cal dwe l l , al l bus i ness was de ferredt i l l j anu ary 16 i n o rder to p roceed w i th the p rogram o fth e even i ng . The mot i on was carr i ed u nan imous ly .

Mr . Furnas then i n troduced Hon . J. Sterl i ng Morton ,th e Pres id ent o f th e Soc i ety , who gave h i s annual addresso n 7 716 P ioneer Pofi ulz

'

sts and 772622F inance in Me Tam ?

tory of N eémséa i n 1855 , 1856, a'

zm’ 1857 , and Me ResalisA Parallel B elween Past and Present F allacies.



th e change proposed by the 01d Sett l e rs’ Assoc i at i o nthat th e [012222 fo r Nebraskans be changed from“8 22g

E a ters” to“T222 Plan ters.

” I t was al so moved and car

r i ed that th e t i t l e T2422 Plan fem be pu t on the stat i one ry o f the H istor i ca l Soc i e ty , and that th e Soc i ety do al li t can to forward th e p roposed change . Adopted u nan imously .

The secretary was i ns t ru cted to acknowl edge th erece ip t o f an i nv i ta t i on to th e Soc i ety to send a del egatewi th a paper to th e I n te rn at i ona l Fo lk Lore Assoc i at io n

,

at Memph is , February , 1805. And Mr . Barre t t wasrequested to send greet i ngs and thanks for th e i nv i tat i on .

Mr . Lambertson moved that the cha i r appo i n t a commi ttee t o p repare su i tab l e reso l u t i o ns on th e deat h o fH on . T . M . Marquet te . Carr i ed , and the comm i tte e wasannou nced cons i s t i ng o f th e Hon . G. M . Lambertson

, A .

J. Sawyer , and A . Watk i ns .Mr . J. Q . Goss p resen ted a cane w i th an i n terest i ng h i sto ry , to the Soc i e ty . The h i story o f th e cane wi l l be fu rfu rn i shed by Mr . Goss to be i nco rpo rated among the proceedings o f th e Soc i ety The thanks o f t he Soc i e ty wereretu rned to Mr . Goss.

On mot i on , Mr . A . J. Pe thoud was to be i n formed thatthe Soc i e ty wou l d be p l eased to rece ive the photographsthat h e has p repared , and also to be not ifi ed that th ethanks o f t he S oe ie ty are extended to h im for h i sk i nd ness .The sec re tary was i ns t ru cted to annou nce th rough i tspubl i cat i ons and th e newspapers o f th e State that t heSoc i ety was p repared to rece i ve and anx i ous to havememen tos , o ld cu r i os , etc re la t ing to N ebraska h i story .

The fol l owing l i s t o f names were p resen ted fo r membersh ip

,and the ru l es were su spended , and the secre tary

ordered to cas t the u nan imous vote o f th e Soc i e ty i nthe i r favor .Frank l i n Bal l , G. M . Lamber tson ,E . M . Corre l l , S . E . Lowe ,

PROCEEDINGS . 225

Gen . L . W . Co lby , M iss Rachae l Man l ey ,H . F . Cooke , M rs . A l i c e A . M in i ck ,

J. H . Cu lve r , A . A . Monroe ,Hugh . J. Dobbs , Mrs . Fann i e O

’

Linn ,

J. P. Dun lap , J. J. Persh i ng ,Henry Fontane l l e

, D. P. Rol fe ,I. A . Fort , J ames C. Shaw ,

W i l l i am Green , Warren H . S labaugh , M . D.

Lucy G. Green , A . E . She l don ,N . S . Hard i ng , W . S . Summers ,P. J. Hal l , Moses H . Sydenham ,

Char l es H . Hanna , J udge E . Wakel ey ,W . H . Hoover , H . H . Wheel e r .The fo l l ow ing offi ce rs were e l ec t ed u nan imous ly :

Presz'

a’m t— J. Ster l i ng Morton ,

F 2252 V222 P resz

’

a’m t— E .

‘N akeley,

S econd V222 Presz'

a’m Z— R. W . Fu rnas ,

Treasurer— C. H . Gere ,S ecremry

— H . W . Caldwe l l .The pres ide nt t hen appo i n ted th e fo l l ow i ng s tand i ngcomm i tteesPublz

'

ca t z'

on— The Secre tary , S . L . Ge isthard t , and S .

D. Cox .

Obz’

tuar z’

es— R. W . Furnas , George L . M i l l e r

,and W .

H . E l ler .Progmm

— The Secre tary , L . Webste r,and J. M .

Woolworth .

L z

'

émmf— J ay Amos Barre t t , Mrs . S . 8 . Pou nd,and J.

H . Canfield .

J. STERLING M ORTON , Pres i d en t .H . W . CALDWELL , Secre tary .

RE PORT OF TH E SECRETARY, 1804.

To t/z e S ta te H 25207 22221 Socz’

ez‘

y

I n acco rdanc e w i th th e p rov i s i ons o f th e cons t i tu t i on Ip resen t for your co ns id erat io n my annual report o f thew ork of the secre tary

’

s othee .


Dur i ng th e year , s i nc e our l as t mee t i ng, th e fi fthvo lume o f th e Transact i o ns and Reports” o f the Soc i etyhas been ed i t ed , and publ i sh ed at a cost o f Thecon tract was l et by the state board o f p r i n t i ng , to th eN ews Pub l i sh i ng Co . , at a p r i c e o f per page . A l so ,

1500 o f th e u nbou nd numbers o f Vo l ume I I . were bou ndby the same fi rm at an expens e o f I n accordan ce w i th you r au thor i ty , co n ferred at th e l as t meet i ng , Ii n te rv i ewed th e stat e board o f p r i n t i ng , and go t th em toi n terp re t“pr i n t i ng” as i nc l u d i ng“b i nd i ng , hence th i sb i nd i ng was pa id for ou t o f t h e p r i n t i ng fu nd , a fu nd thato therw ise , as there was no o th er way to use it , wou l dhave l apsed to th e State , had i t no t bee n used i n th i sway .

The au thor i ty you con fe rred upon me to have the

l ib rary moved to i ts n ew and p ermanen t qu arters , and tocon trac t th e expense t h ereo f , as we l l as fo r shelvmg ,

hasbeen exerc i sed . I t ak e p l easu re i n report i ng that th enecessary expense p roved very l igh t , as th e sec retary andh is ass i stan t d i d mu ch o f th e work o f mov i ng , and th eUn ivers i ty au thor i t i es have k i n d ly l oan ed severa l bookcases to th e Soc i ety t i l l t h e bu i l d i ng i s compl eted and th ep erman en t she lv i ng i s cons tru cted . However , the casesare al ready fu l l t o overflow ing , and i t w i l l b e necessary top rov i de more t emporary she lv i ng , for the const ruct i o n o fwh i ch Irecommend th at p rov i s i on be made . I n accordance w i th t he amendmen t to t he const i t u t i o n adopted atth e l as t an nu al meet i ng , t h e board o f Managers employedMr . J ay Amos Barre t t fo r ass i s tan t se cretary at an annualsal ary o f Mr . Barre t t to g ive hal f h is t im e to t hework o f th e Soc i e ty . Mr . Barrett has i n part classifi edthe books , and p repared th em for card -catalogu i ng i naccordance w i t h the Dewey syst em . Cards have bee n

pu rchased and th e work o f catal ogu i ng w i l l be pushed asfas t as t im e w i l l p ermi t . Two d i sp l ay cases , for th e preservat ion and d i sp l ay o f th e cu r ios o f th e Soc i ety , were pu r

chased at a cost o f S i nce my last report the



Nebraska H istorica l S oc i e ty Proceed ings and Co l l eet i ons . .At t he p resen t t i me there are i n the Soc i ety

’

s possess i o n603 u nbou nd cop i es o f Vo lume I I . , and u nboundcop i es o f Vo lume I. As th ere are on ly e igh ty-two boundcop i es o f Vo lume I. l e ft , i t s eems that au tho r i ty ought toto be given th e secretary to h ave an add i t i onal numberbound , u s i ng h i s d i sc re t i on i n th e matte r on accoun t o fth e smal l amou nt o f money i n th e Soc i ety

’

s excheque r .The quest i o n o f pu tt i ng a smal l p r i ce on ou r publ i cat i ons , fo r those not members o f t h e Soc i e ty , ought to becons idered .

H W . CALDWELL , Secretary .

OFF ICERS OF THE socm'

rv , 1878 1 806 .

Presidents

Hon . Robt . W . Furnas , 1878—1801 .

Hon . J. Sterl i ng Mor ton , 1801— 1806.

F V222 Preside”i s

Dr . George L . M i l l e r , 1878, 1870.

J. M . Woolworth , 1880, 1881 , 1883 , 1885, 1886 .

Hon . Lorenzo Crou nse , 1887 , 1888, 1880, 1800.

J udge S . B . Pound , 1801 , 1802, 1803 .

5 220122! V222 Pmsia’m fs

J udge E lmer S . Dundy , 1878, 1870, 1880, 1881 ,

1885, 1886 .

J. M . Woolworth , 1887 , 1888, 1880, 1800.

Hon . Lorenz o Crounse , 1801 , 1803 .

Pro f . C. E . Bessey, 1802.

Secretar ies

Pro f . Samuel Aughey , 1878—1885.

Pro f . George E . Howard , 1885— 1802 .

Pro f . H . W . Caldwel l , 1802— 1806 .

Corresfiomz’z

'

ng 5227 22227 223

D. H . Wheel er , 1878, 1870.

M rs . Cl a ra B . Co lby , 1883- 1886.

PROCE EDINGS .

T7 22252212 7 5

W . W . Wi lson , 1878—1887 .

Hon . C. H . Ge re , 1887— 1806.

[2 237 227 22522

J ay Amos Barre tt , 1803— 1806 .

B oam’of Di rectorsThe fo l l ow i ng served as d i rec tors o f th e Soc i ety be forethe change w as made i n th e Con st i tu t i o n by wh i ch t heoffi cers e l ec ted by the Soc i e ty cons t i tu te t h e Board o fD i rectors : Hon . S i l as Garber, 7 years ; Hon . J. Ste rl i ng

Morton , 8 years ; C. D. Wilbe r , 5 years ; G. C. Mone l l , 2

years ; Hon . Loren zo Crou nse , 6 years ; Moses S tock i ng ,

3 years ; H . T. Cl arke , 0 years ; Dr . I. J. M anat t , 5 yearsM rs . Cl a ra B . Co lby , 4 years ; J ohn A. McMurphy, 4 years ;Pro f . C. E . Bessey

, 2 years ; Hon . R. W . Furnas , 1 year ;

J. M . Woo lworth, 1 year ; Judge T . L . Norval , 1 year ; J.

B . Di nsmore , 1 year .

MEMBERS OF TH E H ISTORICAL SOCIETY .

Dead ; c, co: respond ing mem oer ; h, h onorary member.

NAME .

Ada i r , W i l l i am! A l l en , J. T.

A i t ch i son , Clyde 8 .

Ames , J. H .

! Andrews , Dr . I s rae l W . 2

Aughey, Pro f . Samue lAust i n , L . L . H .

Baer , J. N .

Bal l , Frank l i nB arrett , J ay AmosBasset t , S . C. ,

Bennett , Pro f . Charl es E .

Bessey,Pro f . Charl es E .

B lake l ey , M i l ton

ADDRE S S .

1878 Dakota Ci ty1878

1804 Cou nc i l B l u ffs1878 Linco l n1886

1878 A l abama1804 L i nco l n

L i nco l nPalmyraL i nco l nG ibbonI thaca , N . Y .

Linco l n


NAME .

! Bowen, John 5 .

Bowen , Wi l l i am R.

Bowers , -D.

Broady , J udge J. S .

Brockman,Hon . J. M .

Brodfehrer , J. C.

Brown,H . W

Brown , J. H .

Bruner , Pro f . Law ren ceBruner , Ur i ah

! Budd , J. J.

Burnham , Leav i t t! Bu tl e r , Hon . Dav id

Cadman . J ohnCaldwel l , Pro f . H .

‘N.

Campbel l , D. A .

Canfi e ld , Dr . J ames H .

Chadsey , C. E .

Chap i n , Rev . E . H .

Chapman , J udge S . M .

Ch i ld , E . P.

Chu rch , Pro f . G. E .

Cl ark e , H . T .

! Cl arkson , B i shop R. H .

Co lby , Mrs . Cl ara B .

Co lby , Gen . L . WCooke , H . F .

Corre l l , E . M .

Cox , 8 . D.

Cox , W .

‘

N .

Cra ig , H i ramCroun se , Hon . LorenzoCroxton , J. H .

Cu lver , J. H .

ADDRE S S .

M inata reSewardB lai rFort Cal hou n

M i l l ford

OmahaSew ardL i nco lnSte l l aDakota Ci tyL i nco l n

L i n co l nL i ncolnCo lumbus , 0 .

San J ose , Cal i f.Linco l nPlat tsmou thKansas Ci ty , Mo .

San Franc isco , Cal i f .OmahaOmahaBeatr i ceBeatr i ceBeatr i ce


NEBRASKA STATE HI STORICAL SOCIETY.

NAME . ADDRE S S .

Gregory , Lewis 1800 Li nco l nGrennel l

,E . N . 1878 Linco l n

Gr iggs,N . K . 1887 Linco l n

Hal l , P. J.

! Ham i l ton,Rev . Wi l l i am 2

Hanna . Charl es H . Li ncol nH ard ing , N . 5 . Nebraska Ci tyH ardy , H . W . Li nco l nHarsha

,W . J.

Hart l ey , E . T .

Hartman, Ch r i s .

! Hast i ngs,Maj or A . G.

Hast i ngs,George H .

Hendershot , F . J. HebronH iat t , C. W . Li nco l nHoover

, W . H . Li nco l nH oward , Pro f . George E . Pal o A l to

, Cal i f .Humphrey . Aust i n Li nco l n

! I ngerso l l , Pro f . C. L .

J oh nson , Had ley D. 12 1887 Sal t Lake Ci ty , UtahJones , D. J. 1801 L inco l nJ ones , W . W . W . 1870 Denver, Co lo .

! Kal ey , H . S .

K e im,H . R.

Kendal l , F . L .

Kennard,Hon . T . P.

Kenyon,F . B .

La Maste r , Hugh 1803 TecumsehLa Master , J oseph E . 1888 TecumsehLambert , W . B . 1804 Nel ighLambertson , G. M . 1805 Linco l nLeav i t t

,T . H . 1880 Li nco l n

1878

1886 Fal ls Ci ty1804 Ridgev i l l e

,I nd .

1878 Li nco l nTufft

’

s Co l l ege , Mass .

PROCE EDINGS .

NAME .

! Lemon,T . B .

Lewis,Henry E .

Lewis , F . W .

L i tt l e , Pro f . C. N .

L i tt l e , Mrs. C. N .

Lob i ng i e r , C. S .

Longsdor f , H . A .

Loom is , M iss L . B .

Lowe , S . E .

MacCuaig , DonaldMacMurphy , J. A .

McConnell, J. L .

McFarland , J. D.

McGrew , B . C.

McIntyre ,E . M .

McReynolds, Rober tMacy , Pro f . J esse cManat t , Dr . I. J.

Manderson , Gen . C. F .

Man l ey , M iss Rache lMarshal l , J. L .

M athewson,Dr . H . B .

Maxwel l,J udge Samue l

M i l l e r , George LM i l l e r , Oscar A .

M i n i ck , Mrs . A l i c e A .

! Mone l l , G. 5 .

Monroe,Pro f . A . A .

Moore , M iss Sarah WoolMorton

,Hon . J. Sterl i ng

Mullon , Oscar A .

M urphy , W i l l i am

Neal , C. F . 1804

Newton , Mrs. M . B . 1800

ADDRE S S .

Li nco l nL i nco l nPalo A l to , Cal i f .Pal o A l to

,Cal i f .

Omaha

G r i nne l l,I owa

Prov id ence,R. I.

Omaha

Los Angel es , Cal i f .Fremont

Omaha

Beatr.ce

Sou th Omaha

A rbor Lodge ,Linco l nTecumseh

Aubu rnOmaha

L i ncol nL i ncol nNebraska Ci tyB eatr i ceL i n co l nL i nco l nCraw fordSeward

NEBRASKA STATE HI STORICAL SOCIETY.

NAME . ADDRE SS .

Norval, J udge T . L . 1888 SewardNye , Theron 1878 Fremon t

O’

Linn ,M iss Fann i e 1805 Chadron

Orr , J. C. 1802 A l exandr iaOsborne , George 1883

! 0wen , S . G. 1880

Paddock , J. W . Omaha! Parker

,H . W .

Perry,Pro f . D. B .

Persh i ng , Li eu t . J J.

Phebus , J. S .

Platt,Mrs . E . G. 2

Pound,J udge 5 . B .

Pound,Mrs . S . B .

Quai n tance,H . W 1803 Li nco l n

‘! Reed , ByronR ich , Edson P.

Ri chards , L . C.

Richards , Mrs . L . C.

Rol fe,Hon . D. P.

Rosewater,Dr . Vic to r

a“Savage , J. W .

Sawyer ; Hon . A . J.

Sayer , J. J.

Shaw , J ames C.

Shedd , H . H .

Sheldon , A . E .

Sheldon , George L .

Show , A . B .

1“Shyrock , L . B . W .

Shug ar t , E . Be atri ce

CreteFort Ass i n ibo i ne .

Beaver Ci tyTabor , I owaLi nco l nL i nco ln

Li nco l nS iou x Ci ty , I owaTekamahAsh l andChadronNehawkaPalo A l to , Cal i f.



NAME . ADDRE S S .

Woolwo rth , J. M . 1880 OmahaWright , S . L . 1880 Li nco l n

Yates,H . W 1804 Omaha

CONSTITUTION OF THE NE BRASKA STATE

H ISTORICAL SOCI ETY .

I. NAME .

—Th e name o f th i s soc i e ty shal l be TheNebraska State H i stor i cal S oc i e ty .

I I . OBJECTS .

— The obj ec t o f th i s Soc i ety sh al l be ,gen

e rally, to encou rage h i s to r i cal research and i nqu i ry ; t ospread h i stor i cal i n fo rmat ion and i n p art i cu la r

,i n t rust fo r

the state o f Nebraska ; to es tab l i sh a l ib rary appropr i at eto such pu rpose , and a cab i n et o f re l i cs and an t i q u i t i esw i th espec ia l re fe rence to th i s S tate , an d to p reserveand col l ec t mater i al s re l at i ng to- the early h is to ry o f th isState . The l ibrary and oth e r persona l p roperty o f th eSoc i e ty and th e o thee o f th e Secre tary shal l be l ocated i nth e c i ty o f L in co ln .

I I I . M EMBERS .

— The Soc i e ty shal l co ns i s t o f th reec l asses o f m embers : ac t ive

,co rrespond i ng , and hono rary .

No one can be an act i ve member who is no t a res i d en t o ft he stat e o f Nebraska . Persons d i s t i ngu i sh ed for l i t e raryor scie nt ifi c atta i nments

,o r fo r t h e p romot io n o f h i stor ical

s tudy , -may be e l ec ted ho norary and correspond i ng members ; th ey shal l h ave al l t h e p r i v i l eges o f t he Soc i ety except vot i ng and hol d i ng offi ce , and shal l b e exempt fromthe paymen t o f fees and d ues .

PROCE ED INGS . 237

M embers may be e l ec ted at any regu l ar meet i ng . Theel ec t i o n shal l b e by bal lo t , and th ree adverse votes shal lrej ec t . ’ Ac t ive members sha l l pay an adm iss i o n fee o ftwo dol l a rs , and sh al l be qu al i fi ed as members on pay ingth i s fee and mak i ng acceptan ce in

.

wr i t i ng .

Any member may be d ropped from the ro l l s o r expe l l edat any meet i ng by a tw

’

o - th i rds vot e o f those p resen ta fte r no t l ess than twen ty days’ no t i ce o f t he charge saga i ns t h im and th e t ime and p lace o f t r i a l by regi steredl e tte r d i rected to h im at h i s l as t known address .

IV . OFFICERs.

—The offi ce rs”

o f th e Soc i ety shal l be aPres i den t , two Vi c e Pres id en t s , a Treasu re r , and a Secre tary , who shal l b e e l e cted by ba l lo t at t he annua l meeti ng , and hol d the o t hee u n t i l t he i r respect ive su cc esso rsare e l ec ted and qua l i fi ed . The offi ce rs sha l l const i tu t eth e Board o f D i rec to rs o f th e Soc i e ty . A vacan cy i n anyothee may be fi lled by the Board o f D i rec to rs for th eu nexp i red term .

The Pres i den t shal l p res i de at th e meet i ngs o f th eSoc i ety , and i n gene ra l s ha l l p e rfo rm th e dut i es usu al lyi n c i den t to th e offi ce .

The Vi ce Pres i de n ts i n t h e orde r o f t h e i r e l ec t i o n , sh a l lh ave al l th e r igh ts and dut i es o f th e Pres i d en t i n h i sabsence .

The Treasu rer sh al l col l e ct and have charge o f th e fu ndso f th e Soc i e ty ; he sh al l k eep th e moneys o f the Soc i e tyi n i ts n ame i n some sa fe bank i ng hou se i n the c i ty o fL i ncol n ; h e sh al l ke ep a deta i l e d accou n t o f rece i pts andexpend i tu res ; keep h i s books and accou n ts Open fo r inspect ion by th e Board o f D i re cto rs ; make a fu l l repor t toth e Soc i e ty at i ts an nual meet i ng , an d at a l l t i mes whenrequ i red

,and pay no moneys excep t o n warrants d rawn

by the Pres i den t o r a Vi ce Pres id en t and coun te rs i gnedby th e Secretary . H e shal l g ive a bond fo r th e fa i th fu lp er formance o f the du t i es , i n th e sum o f two thou sanddol l ars

,and su ch add i t i o na l sum as the Soc i e ty may

require , and file th e same wi th the S ec retary .


The Secre tary sh al l h ave th e custody of the Soc i etyand th e genera l su perv i s i o n and managemen t o f i ts work .

H e sha l l k eep th e records o f t h e meet i ngs o f th e S oc i e tyhand conduct i ts co rrespondence . I n connect i o n wi th th ePres i den t h e shal l make th e report to th e governor , requ i red by law , and p rocure the pub l i cat i o n o f th e same .

H e shal l make a fu l l report o f h i s do i ngs at t he annualmeet i ng , and p er fo rm such o ther du t i es as may be re

qu i red by th e Soc i e ty .

The Secre tary and Treasu rer may each rece i ve su chsal ary as th e Soc i e ty sh al l by vote prev i ous ly det erm i ne .

No other offi cer sha l l re ce i ve any remu nerat i on for h i sserv i ces

,bu t may be al lowed h i s ac tu a l expenses i n per

form i ng th e du t i es o f h i s offi ce .

Any offi cer may be removed at any meet i ng by a tw oth i rds vote o f those p resent .Offi ce rs 2220 222222022 may be chosen by th e Soc i ety atat any meet i ng i n th e absen ce o f th e regu l ar officer .

V. SEAL .

— The Soc i ety shal l h ave a corporate s ea l,o f

su ch des ign as i t may adop t .VI . ME ETINGs.

— The regu l ar meet i ngs o f th e Soc i etyshal l be the annu al meet i ngs , wh i ch shal l be h e l d i n th ec i ty o f L inco l n o n t h e second Tuesday i n J anuary .

Spec i a l mee t ings may be cal l ed u nde r th e d i rec t i on o fth e Pres i den t , fo r th e t ransact i o n o f su ch bu s i ness as maybe specified i n t h e no t i ce the reo f , and no oth e r bu s i nesscan be fi nal l y d i sposed o f at su c h meet i ng .

Not i ce o f a l l meet i ngs shal l be sen t b y mai l by th e Secre tary to a l l ac t i ve members at l east t en days be fore th edate o f su ch meet i ng .

Ten act i ve members shal l const i tu t e a quorum for thetransact i o n o f bus i n ess .VII. AmeNDMENTs.

— Th is Const i tu t i o n may be amendedat any annu al m eet ing by a two - th i rds vote o f those

p resent ; That th e p roposed amendment shal lhave been subm i t t ed i n wr i t i ng and en tered on them inu tes at a prev i ou s meet i ng , at leas t three mon ths



A Comm i tte e o n Pub l i ca t i o n , o f wh i ch th e Secretaryshal l be ex oj ficz

'

o ch a irman , to sel ect and p repare al l matter fo r pub l i cat i o n , and to superv ise th e pr i n t i ng thereo f .A Comm i ttee on L ibrary and Cab i ne t , to ass i s t th e Sec

re tary’

s co l l ec t i o ns , and wi th h im have gen era l superint endence th ereo f .A Comm i tte e on Obi tu ar i es , whose du ty i t sha l l be top repare memo i rs o f deceased members , and to co l lec tmate r ia l s fo r th e same .

A Comm i tt e e o n Programmes , o f wh i ch th e Sec re taryshal l be ex ofi a

'

o cha i rman , to arrange for su i t ab l e l i te raryand oth er exe rc ises at t h e var i ou s meet i ngs o f th e Soc i ety .

4 . The regu l ar meet i ngs o f t he Soc i ety sha l l be hel d i nth e c i ty o f L i nco l n , at such hou r and p lace as shal l bedes ig nat ed by the Sec re tary .

5. The order o f bus iness at meet i ngs sh al l beRo l l cal l

,o r o th er proceed ings to ascerta i n th e

names and numbers o f th e members p resen t .Read i ng o f m i nu tes .Reports o f offi ce rs.

Reports o f stan d i ng comm i tt ees .Reports o f spec i a l comm i tt ees .Commun i cat i o ns and pet i t ion .

Elect i o n o f members .E lect i o n o f offi c ers .M isce l l an eou s bus i ness .Ad j ou rnmen t .

6 . Cush i ng’

s Manu al s hal l be au thor i ty on ru l es o f o rde rat t h e meet i ngs o f th e Soc i ety .

CH APTER XCV .

An act to encou rage th e N ebraska S tate H i stor i ca lSoc i e ty .

B e 22E 22222225! 632 [122 Leg z'

slamm of N eémséa :

SECT ION 1 . That th e N ebraska State H i sto r i cal Soc iety , an organ i z at i on now i n ex i s t enc e

— Robt .W. Furnas,

PROCE EDINGS . 241

p res i den t ; J ames M . Woolworth and E lmer S . Dundy ,v i ce p res i den ts ; Samue l Aughey ,

secretary,and W . W .

Wi lson , t reasu rer , t he i r assoc i ates and su ccesso rs— be ,

an d the same i s h e reby recogn i z ed as a S tat e i ns t i t u t i on .

S EC. 2 . That i t sha l l be th e du ty o f th e p res i den t andsec retary o f sa id i ns t i tu t io n to mak e annual ly repo rts toth e Governo r , as requ i red by other State i ns t i tu t i ons .Sa i d repor t to embrace th e t ransact i o ns and expend i tu reso f th e organ i z a t i on , t ogethe r w i th a l l h i s to r i ca l addresseswh i ch have bee n o r h erea fter may be read be fore th eSoc i e ty , o r fu rn i sh ed i t as h i s tor i ca l matte r , a data o f theState or adj acen t western reg i ons o f cou n try .

S EC. 3 . That sa id reports,add resses

,and papers shal l

be publ i sh ed at th e expense o f th e State , and d istr ibu tedas o th e r s im i l ar offi c i a l reports , a reasonabl e number , t ob e dec i ded by the State and Soc i e ty

,t o be fu rn i shed sa i d

Soc i e ty , fo r i ts u se and d i s t r ibu t i on .

S EC. 4 . That th ere be and i s h ereby appropr i ated annual ly th e sum o f hy e hu nd red do l l ars for th e useand benefi t o f sa i d Nebrask a S tate H istorical

,Socie ty ,

to be u sed under the d i rec t i o n o f i ts offi cers exc l us ive lyi n de fray i ng expenses , co l l e c t i ng and p reserv i ng h isto r i ca lmat te r , data , re l i c s , fo r th e benefi t o f th e S tate .

Approved February i 7th , A . D. 1883 .

Laws o f N ebraska , 1883 , pp . 340—341 .

B IENNIAL APPROPRIATI ONS OF TH E LEGISLATURE FOR TH E

STATE H ISTORIRAL SOCIETY , 1883— 1805.

Law s of 1883, p . 340

2 Laws of 1885, p . 414

2 Law s of 1887, p . 729

Law s of 1889 , p . 610

Law s of 1891, p .

00 Law s of 1893 , p . 424

00 Laws of 1895, p . 40

In th e t ranscrib in g of the app rop riation b il l of 1889. the w ord H isto rical” w as w ri tten H ort icultural , but the mon ey w as turned over by the Hort i gultural Soci ety, thatorgan izat ion havmg a app rop r iat ion be51des .


PARTIAL LIST OF DONATIONS OF RELICS ,

BOOKS AND PAPERS , CONCERN ING

NE BRASKA , RECE IVED 1803—05.

DONOR

C. F . BENTLEY : Letter wr i t ten from Nebraska J anuary

JULES A . SANDoz : Origi na l sett l e rs’ p l at o f weste rn Sher

i dan cou n ty , and photograph o f th e dono r .CHARLES RI S ING : 01d sword dug up at E l even th and L,

du r i ng grad i ng o f s t reets , found by donor .ROBERT W . FURNAs : Two photographs o f I nd i an s , and

one o f t h e secre tar i es o f S tate o f N ebraska .

CLYDE B . AITCH ISON : Photograph o f Governor B u r t,

and an album o f the au tographs o f th e governorso f t he Stat e and Terr i to ry .

H . W . YATE S : State Bank five dol l ar b i l l , Bank o f Tekamah

,Neb raska Terr i to ry , 1857 .

VANDERWALL AND VA IL , B la i r : Pho togragh o f W . H .

Woods , Fort Ca l hou n .

M . M . WARNER: Warner’

s H z

'

sfory of Dakota Coz222zy .

SUPREME COURT : 3 2222222222 Court Ref orm.

W . W . WATSON : B i l l fo r fe rry i ng Omaha I nd i ans ac rossth e M i ssou r i R iver , Feb . 18, 1854 to Ap r i l 2 , 1855.

W . W . WATSON : Fa i rv i ew , Nebraska Terr i tory , townshare ce rt ificate , dated J an . 2

, 1857 .

M I SS EMMA BOOSE : Photograph o f L ibrary Bu i l d i ngbe fo re comp l et i on .

5 . A . GARD INER: Two p i ec es o f Ci ty o f L i n co l n money .

J. Q . Goss : Cane made from the t imber o f th e o l dt rad i ng fort that u sed to stand c l ose to the r i ver atB el l evue . Bu i l t p erhaps as, early as 1823 and torndown i n 1872 .



DONOR

C. M . OSBORNE : Par t I L i nco l n P i c tu resqu e and Descr ip t ive .

ALEXANDER SCH LE GE L : L ist o f th e p reempt i on s i n Ne

braska Terr i to ry from December 28, 1855, to October 28, 1856 . Cop i ed by the donor .

5 . P. B INGHAM : H 2510731 of Lancaster Co2z 221y ,N eémséa .

S . W . CH APMAN J ou rn al o f J oh n Wood i n a t r i p acrossN ebraska i n 1 850.

ALICE C. H UNTER: Three Un ive rs i ty c l ass -canesT . H . LINE : F i l e o f t h e M arquefle (Hami l ton Cou n ty)

[ndefi endm fi

S . A . GARD INER: F i l es o f t h e 522223 2222 5 2222.

W . H . ELLER: N eéms/ea 222 1857 , by J. M . Woolworth .

OTH ER BOOKS , PAPERS , AND RELICS .

L . G. TH AYER: Mex i can co i n .

M I S S L . G. GREEN : Co lon i a l advert i sement o f E lix i r

M I S S L . G. GREEN : M i nu tes o f t h e K e tocton Bapt i s tAssoc i a t i on , 1814. M inu tes o f t he Co l umb i a Bapt i s tAssoc i at i o n , 1824 , 1832 .

M I S S L . G. GRE EN : Ci rcu l a r to th e voters o f Fa i r faxu pon th e cand i dacy o f W . H . Harr ison , 1840.

M I S S L . G. GRE EN : Bu l l e t from the fi e ld o f Bu l l Run .

C. W . KALE Y : Mormon scr i p , Span i sh Fork co -operat ivecu rrency .

W . H . WOODS : A box o f B r i t ish farth ings o f anc i en t date .

W . H . P . BUCH ANAN : Au tog raph l ett er o f H orace Gree l ey ,1870.

C. E . BESSEY : Fi l e o f th e L i nco l n one -cen t da i ly , 1804.

C. E . BE S SE y : Copy of th e new const i tu t i o n o f N ew York .

W . H . Woon s : Box o f army bu t tons and Hi n ts .CATH ERINE BURT , Ga . : Con fed erate b i l l .S . C. BAS SETT : Two l et ters ; Plat tev i l l e , W i s . , 1837 1 and

Lancaster , W i s . , 1841 .

PROCEEDINGS . 245

DONOR

A COMMITTEE : Wash ington Cen te nn i a l b ron z e medal s .M I S S L . G. GRE EN : A war - t ime copy o f th e 672227 1212072

T22 W’

eekly C022222272 .

3 . A . GARDINER : Campaign money o f 1802 .

D. D. FORSYTH E : Massachuset ts co lon ia l co i n , 1788.

GEO . F . PARKER: Two speeches o f Pres i d en t GroverCl eve l and : one be fore the New England Soc i ety o fB rook lyn , Dec . 2 1 , 1801 , i n h i s own handwr i t i ng ;and one be fore th e Commerc i a l Cl ub o f Prov i dence ,J u ne 27 , 1801 , i n M rs . Cl eve l and

’

s handwr i t i ng .

Handsomely bou nd at th e expense o f the p res i den to f th e H isto r i cal Soc i e ty , Hon . J. Ster l i ng Morton ,and obta i ned from Mr . Parke r th rough h i s influence .

S . A . GARDINER : L z

'

fe of a é/z'

nB oston,1815.

W D. REED : Facs im i l e o f Vicksbu rg Da i ly Ci t i z en , J u ly

2 , 1863 , p r i n ted on wal l -pape r .

S . A . GARD1NER: 24222222222 22 Revoluz‘z'

on, 2 Vols . , wri t te n

in th e s ty l e o f anc i en t h i s to ry ,”

Ph i l a ., 1 703 .

J. P. BOBB : Poems of Py t/zagom s and p r i n ted

A rgenmm fi ( 222221 My lz'

um,

”I 565.

R. H . STRAUSSMANN : Con federate money . (Loan Col

l ec t i o n) .

MI S S STELLA B . KIRKER: Co l l ec t i o n o f s to nes and woodsfrom Pal es t i n e . (Loan co l l e c t i on) .

MRS . ABBA DOTON CH AMBERL IN , Woodsto ck , Vt : A l a rgecol l ec t i o n o f val u ab l e co i ns , bough t by th e Soc i e tyfrom her at a very smal l p r i ce : I t i nc l udes a M as

sachuse t ts Pi ne -Tree sh i l l i ng , 1652 ; seven FrenchMedal l i o ns ; Gen . McClellan medal ; Method i sm

Commemorat i on Medal ; Ch icago Memor i a l Meda lo f t h e Gran t recept i on , Nov . 1 2—17 , 1870; Ch i cagoExpos i t i o n Medal , 1873 ; Worl d

’

s Peace -J ub i l eeSouven i r

, 187 2 ; Amer ic an In dependence Medal ,1876 ; Pol i t i ca l co i ns , 1830

—1845 ; Severa l Con t i n en ta l

coppers , 1785—1700, i n c l ud i ng th e fi rst i ssu e o f the


DONOR

governmen t, 1787 ; a nearly comp l e te se t o f o l d cop

per cen ts,1 794

—1857 , two o f each date ; and many

ha l f- cents . Cal l ed“Tfi e C/zaméeflz ’n Collection .

”

J. S . K 1NGSLEY : Au tographs o f J. S . D icken son , Gerr i tSm i th

, C. Delano , Ham i l ton F ish , an d oth ers .

5 . A . GARD1NER: Pew number from the o l d Nor th chu rch ,Boston

,t h e chu rch made famous by th e r id e o f

Pau l Revere . (Loaned .)W . D. RE E D : S i lve r k nee and shoe bu ck l e o f revo lu t i on

ary t imes.

J. STERLING MORTON : A des ign [th ree and one -hal f feetby five feet] fi nely framed ,

showi ng the Decl arat i o no f I ndependence ; th e members o f th e adm i n i s t rat i o n o f th i s Governmen t at two importan t ann ive r

saries o f the Un ion , J u ly 4 ,1876 ,

and Octob erth e 400th ann iversary o f the d i scovery o f Amer i ca ;show i ng al so a fac s im i l e engrav i ng o f th e pa i n t i ngby Trumbu l l , i n th e Nat i onal Cap i to l , rep resen t i ngth e s ign ing o f th e Decl arat i o n o f I ndependence .

J. STERLING MORTON : A framed des ign show ing the seal so f th e government and i t s var i ou s departments .

One o f th e p i kes made at th e order o fJ ohn B row n i n Penn sylvan i a and u sed at Harper’s

Ferry .

J. L . H OYT : Demonolog z'

a S cum , Ed i nbu rgh , 1735.

W . H . WOODS : Span i sh co i n o f 1798, fou nd at For t Calhou n , Nebraska .

F . N . JAYNES : List o f em igran ts to Amer i ca , 1600— 1700.

C. W . BUTTERF IELD , Sou th Omaha : An u nc i rcu l ated copyo f a book on s cl zza fz

’

mz by C. W . Butterfi e ld .

ELWOOD M EAD , State Enginee r o f Wyoming : A photograph o f Shoshone and, A rapahoe I nd i ans i n a

ghost dance , summer o f 1894, near Fort Washak i e ,Wyo . Taken by Mr . Mead , and used i n th e preced i ng number o f the Quarterly as a fro nt i sp i ece .


INDEX TO VOL . IV

Abbott. D.

,243 .

Adair , NVi lliam ,229.

Address of Presiden t , 1893 , 195-210.

Ad journed session , 222.

Admin ist rat ion , 117 .

Agen ts , U. S . Ind ian ,

Agr icultur ists, 205.

Ain sworth ,D. H . , 247 .

A i tch ison , Clyde B . 25-38 , 123 , 219,

220 229, 242.

Alexander, COL,

170.

Alexander , Dr . ,170.

Al len ,B . F . , 70.

Al len,E dw in A. ,

151.

Al len ,Rev. J . N .

,96, 102.

Al len J . T. ,229.

Amendmen ts to const . of N . S . H ist .Soc .

,238-239.

Amer ican Agr z’

cultum lz’

st,92.

Amer ican Independen ce Medal , 245.

Amer i can Revoluti on ,1793

,245.

Ames, J . H .,229.

Ancien t Metropolis, Ch i l l icothe , 59.

Anderson ,R. H .

, 170.

Anderson , S . C.,38.

Andrews, I. W . , 229.

Annual meetin g , 122An telope i n 1849 , 41 .

Appmpriations for the N . S . H ist .Soc .

, 191 , 217 ; l ist oi , 241.

Arapahoes, 133 , 136, 137 , 246.

Arikari Conquest,1823 , 211.

Ar i stotle,197 .

Armbus,V . ,

102.

Ashbury ,102.

Ash H ol low , 174, 175, 177 , 180.

Ashton , Ia .,10, 19 .

Assessmen t for local improvemen t,85.

Assistant Secretary ,212.

Asylum,63 .

A thens, G reece ,197 .

A thens, Ga . , 59.

Auburn , 220.

Aud itor of ci ties, 82.

Aud itor of the Terr i tory , 203 .

Aughey , Samue l,228

,229 ,

241.

Augusta , Ga, 164.

Aust in ,B

,102.

Aust in ,L . L . H .

,220

,229.

Autographs, 246.

Ayer , Mrs. Lois M .,102.

Ayer , S . C., 102.

Bad lands, 141, 143 .

Baer , J . N .,220, 229.

Baird ,A. M .

,243 .

Bal l,Fran k l in ,

123 , 220, 224, 229, 213 .

Ban kers, w or ld’s con gress of, 68.

Ban ks, p ion eer , 197 -209 ; char ters,

1856 , 202-203 ; Ban k 01Dakota , 7 1,Ban k of Nebraska , 70.

Bapt ists, 187 , 188.

Barrett , A,102.

Barre tt , J ay Amos, 2, 221,229

,

223 . 224. 225. 226 ,227 , 229.

B arron ,P . J .

, 123 .

Barter, 12, 14, 196, 197 .

Bassett, S . C. , axt icle by , 87-102 ;

Bates, Barnabas, 160.

Bayley , J . M . , 102.

Beal l , Roger T. ,151.

Beatrice , 59-61.

B eatrice Land Co.,243 .

Bedford P recinct , Nemaha Co ., 58.

Beef, amon g Ind ians, 12.

Bel levue, 36, 77 , 202.

INDEX .

Remick , E . C. ,188.

Benn ett , 0. E . ,229.

Bessey , O. E .,123 , 210, 222, 228, 229,

244.

Ben t ley , 0. F ., 44, 242.

Bethany H e i gh ts, 221.

B icameral counci l , 86 .

B i g B lue , 167 .

B i g Foot, 143 .

B ig Sandy Creek , 167 , 168.

B i l l iard tables for beds, 5.

B imetal l ism, 204, 205.

B ind in g, 53 , 213 , 214, 222 of papers,51.

B ingham, S . P.,244.

B lack , Gov. Samue l W . ,68

, 75, 105,

B lackb ird Creek , 155.

B lack H i l ls, 165, 173 .

B lackfox , Liz z ie , 144.

B lair,159

,187 .

B lakeley , Milton ,212

,229.

B lan chard,F . F .

,102.

B l izzard , 1856, 175 ; 1857 , 179 ; Apr i l

B loomfi eld,K y . , 185.

Board,Ban k in g

,69 .

Board,city ,

84, 86.

Board of Directors, H ist . Soc.,237 .

Boardman,F . D. ,

102.

Boat-hands,r i ver steamers, 1856, 7 .

Bobb,J . P . , 245.

Bones of an imals, 17 .

Bonnel l vs. G ilpin , 109.

Books on Ind ians, 55.

Boose,Miss Emma

,242.

Booth , J . ,102.

Boston ,North Church ,

246.

Bottomly, Augusta. C.,58.

Boundary, U . S . and Mex ico, 57 .

Bound fi les, of papers, 124-126 .

Bow en ,John S .

,230.

Bowen,Will iam

,230.

Bow en ,Leavi tt L .

,202.

Bow er,R. C.

,141 .

Bow ers, W D.,230.

Brad ley, J ames,153 .

Brady, Wi l l iam, 102.

B rayton , C. E .,102.

B raz i l , 117 .

B ri cks,1872, 100.

B r idger , J im ,8 .

Broady , J . H . ,213 , 230.

B rockman,John M . ,

212,230.

B rodfeh rer , J . C. ,230.

B rown ,George W 102.

B rown ,H . W .

,230.

B rown ,J ohn ,

246.

B rown ,J . H .

,230.

B rown , Sen eca , 102.

Brow n vil le , 9, 59, 77 .

Brule S ioux,141

,143 , 174.

B run er,Law ren ce , 220, 230.

Brun er,Ur iah

,220, 230.

Buchan an , W. H . P .,123, 244.

Budd,J . J .

,230.

Buffalo , N . Y . ,92.

Buffalo Coun ty , 91.

Buffalo, Robes, 14 ; skul ls, 17 , number in 1849 , 41.“B ug E aters,” 224.

Bui ld in g Mater ial , 88.

Bun ker , I, 102.

Bur ial amon g Indian s,14

,15 .

B . M . R. R. , Seward Co 61.

Burnham ,Leavitt , 230.

Burn ing Prair ie , 168Burt Armstead , 37 .

Bur t, Gov. Francis, 25-33,219 ; father ,

25 b irth , 25 marr iage,26 ch i ld

ren ,26 ; career in South ,

27-29 ;

commissioned governor 29 ; de

parture for Nebraska , 33 ; sickn ess, 34 death

, 35 ; return of the

remain s, 37 .

Bur t, George Abbott , 26.

Burt , Kather ine , 26, 244 .

Burt Coun ty, 153 , 154, 157 .

Bushon g , J . ,102.

Butler,H on . David

,61-64

,

Butter , Price of, 1866 , 47 .

Butterfi eld, C. W . ,

246.

B y-Laws, 212-213, 239-240.


52 INDEX.

Uom promise Of 1850, 31.

Comptroller ofCurrency ,report cited ,

68.

Confederate mon ey ,72

,245.

Connor , MosesM , 57 .

Const i tutron ,N . S . H ist . Soc .

,236.

Con st itut ion of Nebr . ,1866 , 7 7 ; of

Con st itut ional con ven t ion , 1871. 61.

Con st i tut ion s, w r itten , 116 .

Con t in en tal coppers, 245.

Con ven t ions, pol i t ical , 1860, 247 .

Corn, pr ice oi , 22.

Coronado,220.

Corre l l,E . M .

,224, 230.

Cooke,H . F .

,225

,230.

Cottonwood Spr ings, 178.

Counci l,c ity , 79, 80, 81-82 ; Beatr ice ,

60.

Counci l B luffs, 11 , 92.

Court H ouse , Buffalo Coun ty , 100.

Court H ouse Rock . 172.

Court , effect of leg islat ion Upon ,

103-118.

Cour ts, 1858, 106, 107 .

Cox , S . D. ,225

,230.

Cox , W . W .,

217,230.

Crab le , D. P . ,102.

Cra i g , Andrew , 102.

Crai g , H iram ,230.

Craven ,W i l l iam , 102.

Cr im in al Code of Tern ,104.

Crockw el l , J . D. M . ,160.

Crook , M rs. Gen . ,216.

Crops, 1858, 159 .

Croun se , Loren zo. 210, 212, 218, 219,

228,229, 230.

Crox ton ,J . H . , 62, 230.

Cul ver , J . H .,225

,230.

Comin g,Gov . T. B . , 25, 37 ,

Cur ios and cases, 216 .

Currency , 67 , 195-210.

Custer’s regimen t , 144.

DDakota City, 155, 159, 160.

Dakota Coun ty . 153 , 154, 156 .

Dakota Indian songs, 131-150.

Dakota. Ind ians, 199, 201.

Dal las, 001. A. J . ,170.

Dan ces of Indian s, 131-150.

Darby , John ,102.

Dar l ing , CharlesW . , 231.

Davidson ,S . P .

,231.

Davis,D. ,

102.

Dav is, J . A .,221 , 231.

Davis, P . T. ,102.

Davis, Warren R.,26.

Dawes, H . E ,221

,231 .

Daw es, J . W .,231.

Daw son ,Mrs. Will iam H . ,

26 .

Day , U . A . ,102.

Debts, suits for , 106, 107 ,Decatur , 17 , 155 ; townsite . 4

,9 ;

grow th ,11 ; statist ics of ear ly

p ion eers, 19, 20, 21, 22.

Decatur , Mr 14,15

,18.

Declarat ion of Independen ce , 103,

117 -118, 246.

Defebaugh ,Ann ie E 58.

Delano,C.

,246.

Democracy of Decatur , 17 .

Demonologz’

a S acra,246.

Den ver,70

,169 , 211 .

Deposi ts, early ban ks, 68.

De Soto ,158, 159 , 162.

Dew ey System,226.

Deve lopmen t of Nebraska , 85 , 89, 90.

Dicken son , J . S . , 246 .

Din smore,J . B . . 229, 231.

Directors,Board oi

,237

,239 .

Distr ict , th ird jud icial , 150- 163 .

Divorces. 108.

Dixon Coun ty , 155.

Doan e , G. W .,152, 160, 231.

Dobbs, H ugh , 225 , 231.

Dodge , August , 31.

Dodge Coun ty ,186.

Dole,A lmira. T.

, 61 .

Donat ion s, 242-247 .

Dorsey , G. W . E .,1

Dougherty , M . A.,231.

Douglas, S tephen A.

,3 1

, 32.

Douglas Coun ty , 153 . 155, 202.

Doyle , James, 37 .

INDEX . 53

Dred Scott Decision , 103 , 114, 115.

Dress of Ind ians, 13 .

Drouth,1889-1890, 132.

Dudley ,E . S . , 231.

Dugdale , H en ry , 101.

Dunbar’s w ri ting concern in g Indians,55.

Dundy, E . S . , 57 , 228, 231, 241 .

Dun k in ,H . J . ,

102.

Dun lap , J . P ., 225, 231.

Dunn, C 18.

Dunphy, L . A 221, 231.

Duties, law of ad valorem,206.

Dyer , H eath Co. , 180.

EE arly N ebraska Currency and Per

Cap i ta Ci rculation, 220.

E conomic law ,208.

E dgfi eld Distr ict . S . C. ,25.

Ed itor ial Notes, 50-52.

Effect of early legislat ion on courts,

103-118,220.

E lbert and Town send , law fi rm, 107 .

E lection pow -Wow s, 15.

E lection of Gov. Butler, 62, 63.

E l i zabeth , Queen , 203 .

E l ler,W . H . ,

2,66, 211, 221, 225, 231,

E l l iot,Mr . ,

181, 183 .

E l lswor th ,Mr . ,

169.

Emigran ts, 152, 173 .

En gin eer , city , 84,E astabrook ,

E xper‘ence , 160.

E st imates,217 .

Exchange books,227 .

E xodus to gold fi elds. 1849, 40.

Expend itures, 1893 , 218.

E xposi tion of 1873 , medal , 215.

Ex tracts from early documen ts, 220.

Fai lures, 1857 , 203 -204.

Fa ir,Wor ld’s, Nebraska Reg‘s

ters,213 .

Fairch i ld ,H en ry , 102.

Fal lsCity, 58.

Fargo, E . M . , 102.

Farnham,George L , 231.

Fawcett, Asa, 102.

Ferguson ,Fenner, 37 , 153 , 162.

Ferry in g , Missour i B . , 92, 93 .

F iatism . 204 .

F ieldgrove , H en ry , 102.

F ifi eld,L . B .

,231 .

Fi les of Newspapers, 119-121, 124-126.

Finances of Nebr . Tern ,195-210.

Fines,157 .

Fire Departmen t , 83.

Fish , H ami lton ,245

, 246.

Fisher , K ingman , 102.

Fitz gerald , D. J .,220, 221, 222, 231 .

F letche r, Miss A l ice , 231.

Fl ing,P r of. F . M . ,

221,231.

F lorence , 77 , 187 .

Flour in g mi l l , Buffalo 00 1873 , 100.

Folsom,B . B .

,22.

Folsom,John B .

,22.

Fon tanel le,H en ry ,

225, 231.

Fon tanelle Ban k,char ter , 202.

Form 01 H ist. Soc . Pub l icat ion s, 221,

Forrest,John , 10

’

Forsythe , D. D. ,123 , 245.

Fort,I. A. ,

225,231.

Fort Atk inson re l ics, 246.

Fort Atk inson,or Ca lhoun , 155. 157 ,

158.

ort H al l , 132.

Fort Kearn ey , 164, 168, 173 , 174, 177 ,179

,183 .

Fort Leavenworth ,164, 165, 167 , 18

Fort Washak ie , 246 .

Fran k l in,L ife of, 1815 245.

Free Coinage,204-207 .

Freedom and slavery, 103 .

F reigh t rates,23 .

Frei gh t , Missour i trafli c, 6.

Fre igh ting,44 49

, 50, 164-184, 220, 223.

Fremon t,John C.

,57 .

French medal lion s. 215 .

Fren ch traders, 173 .

Fren chmen at Decatur,9 .

Fron t ier i nconven iences, 9.

Fue l,1872, 99 .

Fugit i ve slave law,114.

Ful ton,E . R. ,

57 .

Fulton , S .A. , 57 , 281.

54 INDEX .

Functions ofGovernmen t,23 .

Funerals amon g Ind ian s , 14, 15.

Furnas, H on . R. W . ,2, 66, 214, 219,

220,221

,222, 223 , 225, 228, 229,

231, 240, 242, 243 .

Furrough road , 18.

GGage Coun ty, 61 ; supervisors

of, 60.

Gagin , John ,10"

Gal lagher,Mr .

,Ind . Agt . , 134.

Gal lagher,J ohn

,231.

Gamb lers, 6 , 9 .

Garber , H on . S ilas, 229, 31.

Gard iner , S . A . , 123 , 242, 244,245, 246,

247 .

Garfi eld , James, 102.

Geisthardt , S . L .,2,66 , 211 , 212, 218,

219,220

,221

,222

,225

,231.

George , A. D.,102.

George , Dr . I. P ., 102.

George,L . D.

,102.

George , N . C.,102.

Georgia,164.

Gere, C. H . ,

2,66

,210

,212

,220, 225,

243 ; treasurer’s report,

Gere,Mrs. C. H .

,212, 231.

Ghost dan ces, 223 , 246 .

Ghost son gs, 13 1-150.

G ibbon ,93-102

,220.

G i bson ,A. F .

,102.

G ibson . W. W .,102.

Gil le tte , Lee P ,170.

Gi lmore,George , 102.

G ilmore Will iam ,23 1 .

Glass, H eman,22.

Glass,M r .

,102.

Glenn eville ,Mrs. Anne , 102.

Gold,204,

205,206 .

Gold -d i gging , 39 .

Good Thunder,134

,136 . 137

,138.

Goods, 4, 12.

Goss,H arry ,

102.

Goss, J . Q 242

Goulds, the ,75 .

Governmen t fre i gh t , 45.

Government , functions of, 116-118.

Governmen t , Mun icipal , 76-87 , 219.

Governmen t of U . S . , persons com

posin g , 1876, 1892, 246.

Grabach ,John ,

102.

Graff,George B , 160.

G. A. R. rel ics, 190.

Gran t medal,1679 , 245.

Grasshopper raids, 101.

Grattan,Ft .

,172.

Gray, Marcellius, 102.

Gray, W i l l iam, 102.“Great Amer ican Desert ,” 43 , 171.

Gree ley , H orace , autograph letter of,244.

Green,H . C. , 102.

Green ,Miss L . G.

,123

,225, 231, 244,

245.

G reen ,Will iam

,225

,231.

Gregory , Lew is, 232.

G ren e l l,E

,N .

,210, 232.

G resham Law ,203 .

Gresham , S ir Thomas, 203 .

G r i ggs, N . K .,232.

Gr imes, R. B .,170.

G rocer ies, etc 1856,156.

HH a11, Augustus, 162.

H ai l, George Abbott , 26.

H al l,P . J .

,225, 232.

H a l l, W illard P ,

30.

H a istead ,Murat , 247 .

H ami i ton . Father Will iam,34

,

232.

H ammond B ros 214.

H ancock , 0. C. . 102.

14an ks, E pu, 177 .

H anna , C. H .,225, 232.

H ard in g , N . S . ,525

,232.

H ardy,H . W . 232.

H argus,Mr. ,

105.

174.

H arper’s Ferry ,

246 .

H arr ington,Major Olney , 160.

H ar risburg , 119.

H arsha, W ,

J . , 232.

H art ley , E . T., 221 , 232.

H artman,Chr is. , 232.

H arwood, N. S . , 211, 213 .


256

J udicial Distr ict,Th ird

,150-163 .

Jud iciary , 108.

KKaley , O. W 244.

Kaley , H . S ., 232.

Kan sas, 6, 8, 32, 33 , 152, 199.

Kansas City E n terpr ise , 164 .

Kan sas-Nebraska Troub les, 5.

INDEX .

Kansas-Nebraska B i ll : effect onDemocratic party , 29 ; legislat ive powers in

, 77 , 103 ; pol it ical ly , 103 ,114.

Kansas H ist . Soc . , 215, 217 .

Kearn ey , Fort , 1849, 42 ; 164,

168, 169, 170, 171. 173,174, 177 ,

178, 179, 180, 181 , 183 .

Ke im , A . B . ,210, 232.

Kel ly , W . H .,102.

Kelsey , J . E . ,102.

Kendal l , F . L. , 221, 232.

Kennard,T. P . ,

232.

Kennedy , A.,102.

Kenny, Mrs. F . W . ,188.

Ken tucky, 185.

Ken yon ,F . B .

, 221 , 232.

K ick in g Bear , 138.

K i lgore, C. ,

102.

K ingsley , J . S .,246.

K inney , Judge , of U tah ,105.

K inn ey, W . F .

,102.

K inny ,L . B .

, 202.

K irker , M iss S tel la B . , 245.

Kn epper , Samue l , 202.

Kn ight , H . C. , 102.

Knox , Theadore , 102.

Koun tz Bros.,71.

La Barre,J . D. ,

102.

Lafayette 185.

L . S . M . S .,92.

La Master . H ugh ,212 232.

La Master , (1. E 210,232.

Lambert , W . B .,221, 232.

Lambertson , G. M . ,224

,232.

Land Gran ts, U . P. R. B .

,88

Land in gs, 8.

Land offi ce , 160.

Land , prices, 23 .

Laramie R. ,17“

Last Chan ce saloon , 1858, 9.

Law , early Decatur , 17 .

Laws, terr itor ial , 55.

Le avenworth ,5 , 166, 174.

Leavitt , T. H . , 232.

Lee , H . A. , 91, 102.

Legislat ion , 1856, 202-203 .

Legislat ion, effect on cour ts

,103-118,

219.

Legislat i ve pow ers, 78.

Legislature,213 .

Legislature , 1855, 37 , 153 -154.

Legislature , 1857 , 153 .

Le icester , Mass , 58.

Lemon,T. B 23

Lew is, F . W .,233 .

Lew is, H . E . , 233 .

Lex ington ,Mo .

,165.

L ibrar ian ,191

,212.

L ibrar ian , offi ce of, 239.

L ibrary board , 84.

Library bui ld in g , 190, 191 .

L ibrary Comm ittee , 2, 66 , 130, 194.

Li bral y , Lin coln Pub l ic , 211.

L ibrary of the Society , 215, 221, 223 ,

Life and Trust Co . ,204.

Lincoln ,Presiden t . 115.

L incoln ,43 , 58, 63 , 187 , .320

,

221 ; pub

lic l ibrary ,211.

L ine , T. H .,244.

Liquor Laws, 1858, 107 , 108.

Liquor , results of free use , 19, "0.

Li t t le , 0. 233 .

Li ttle ,Mrs. C. N 233 .

Li ttle , E lder , 177 .

Li tt le Thunder , 174.

Li v ingstone , Gen .,170.

Lobingier ,, C. S . ,

Local Institut ion s,116.

Lockwood, W . F . ,

160.

Loomis, Miss L . B . ,221, 233 .

Lon gsdorf, H . A.,212

,233 .

Lots , Decatur town site , 4.

Loup Ri ver w ood.

Love, 0 102.

INDEX .

Loveall , E , ,102.

Low e,E nos, 22.

Low e , S . E .,224

,233.

Low el l , S . B . , 102.

Loyd ,John ,

102.

Lucas,John ,

102.“Lumbar , Old ( Lambert) , 10, 11 , 13 .

Lumber busin ess, Beatrice , 60.

Lunbury , O. ,185 .

Lynch ing , 1857 -1858, 105.

Mac Cuai g , Donald , 212,233 .

Mac Murphy , John A . ,

021,223

,229

,233 ; art icles by ,

t t an Medal , 245.

MeClelland ,M i ke , 39.

McClure , W . F .,102.

McConnell , J . L .,233 .

McCown ,Maj . , 170.

McCraney , M rs. E . P 102.

McFarland , J . D. 2

Mel n ich ,John ,

58 , 59.

McIn tyre , E . M . ,233 .

McK in ley , William ,102.

McK in leyism ,207 .

McLaughlin ,Mr . ,

Ind . Agt .

,135.

McLeod ,H . D 198

,204-5 .

MLM ahon,Ph i l l ip J . ,

202.

McMonegal, H . , 10°

McReynolds, Rober t , 233 .

Macy ,Jesse , 233 .

Majors,A lexander , 171 .

Majors, T. J .,170.

Mana tt , Dr . I. J . ,229

,233 .

Manderson ,Gen . 0. 233 .

Man ley ,M issRachel , 225 , 233 .

Marke t , 73 .

Marque tte , T. M 219 , 224 ; articleby , 103

-118 .

Marque tte Independen t , 244.

Marsh,John , 39.

Marshal,ci ty offi cer , 82.

Marsha l l , J . L .

,221

,233 .

Martin , C. D 160.

Marysv i lle ,Kan sas, 58, 167 .

Mason , 0. P . ,109.

Mason ic temple, Beatrice, 60.

Massachusetts H ist . Soc .,217 .

Massachuse tts P ine Tree Sh i l l ing,245.

Massacres,131.

Massasauga, 18 .

Mathew son,H . B .

,233 .

Matt ice, S . , 102.

Maurier,Du

,208.

Mauvais Terre , 141, 143 .

Maxwel l , Samue l , 210, 233 .

May , Charles A .

,170.

Mayor of ci ties, 80, 81, 83 .

Mead ,E lwood , 246 .

Meals, Mo . R. steamers, 7 .

Med icine men,132.

Meet in gs of the N . S . H ist . Soc. ,122

,

238, 240.

Mel lo (Braz i l ), 117 .

Member List , 229-236.

Membersh ip in the Society, 236-237 .

Memph is, 233 .

Mercer , V . T. , 102.

Merchand ise for Ind ian s, 12.

Merchan ts, 1857 , 106.

Message of. Gov. B lack , 68.

Messiah craze , 131-150.

Method ism medal , 245.

Metropol itan class of ci t ies, 83 .

Mex ico, 117 .

Mich igan,153 .

Midland Pacifi c, 187 .

M ie tonga , 13 .

Miles, Gen eral , 170.

Mi les,Katherine , 25.

Mil i tary , effect of settlemen t , 90.

Mil ler,Dr . George L . 66

,71

, 170,221, 225, 228, 233 .

Mil ler,OscarA °33 .

Mills,J . H .

,102.

Mm ick ,Mrs. A l ice A . , 225, 233 .

Mission H ouse at Be l levue,34.

Missouri,39, 59, 68 , 108.

Missour i Compromise , 31.Missour ian s of ’

58 , 8 .

M . P . R. B . ,152.

Missour i Ri ver , 4, 6, 7 . 92, 93 , 153 ,156fi174.

Moffatt , D. H . , 70.

Monel l , G. S . , 229, 233.

258

Money , 196-210; paper , 67 -76.

Mon ey ,

“Ind ian paymen ts,”12.

Mon ks, C. , 102.

Monometal l ism ,204.

Mon roe,Supt . A . A . ,

225,233 .

Monroe Coun ty ,Ind .

,61 .

Mon tan a,133 .

Moore,Miss Sarah WOO1

,233 .

Mormon mai l,177 .

Morr is,Ma jor

,170.

Morrison,Mr . ,

18

Mor ton, H on . J . S ter l in g , 2, 62, 66 ,

218,219

,220

,222

,223 . 225, 228,

229,233 , 243 245 , 246.

Mullon , O. A .,233 .

Mund le,Thomas

,102.

Mun icipa l Gov’t , 76-87 , 219.

Murphy , W i l l iam , 221, 233 .

Music , ghost dance , 141.

Myers, A imee , 185.

Names,Ind ian , 13 .

N a ti on al E q'

a, 126.

Nation al Pol i t ical Con ven tion s, 1860,247 .

Neal, C. F . ,

221,233 .

N E BRAS KA : Kan sas-Nebr . B i l l , 29,

31, 32 const i tution al con ven t ion ,

61 ; Coronado ,220; courts,

103- 118 ; c i ties,76-87 ; develop

men t , 90; fre ight in g and

emi gran ts, 39-49,50, 164- 184

,220

,

223 ; K an sas-Nebr . troubles,5 :

legislat ion ,103 -118 ; mun icipai

govt , 76-87 ; n ewspapers, 119

121 , 124- 126

,51 ; p

r e -empt ion s,244 ; populat ion ,

68 ; pub l icat ion s, 227 ; rem in iscen ces

,150

163 ; state publ icat ion s, 227 .

TERRITORY : te rr . socie ty , 17,

92 93,103 - 118

,150-163, 173

,

195-210,220; terr . bourts

,150

163 ; ban k in g , 68 76 ; occupa t ion s,68 ; O rgan ic Act , 1854,114 ; populat ion , 68 ; w i ld cat

banks, 67-76 ; traders, 9, 173.

INDEX .

Oakham ,Mass

,59.

Obituar ies, comm i ttee , 2, 66 , 221,

25,57 -64. 185—189.

Ob jects of the H ist . Soc . w ork,54.

O’Fallon

’s B luffs

, 172.

Offi cers, 212, 228 , 237 , 238.

Offi cers of ci ties,79 .

Ogallala Tr ibe , 136, 137 , 174, 175.

Ogi lv ie , James, 94, 102.

Oh io ,92

,115

, 204.

Oh io ci vi l code , 109.

Oh ioRi ver , 164.Ohio S tate J ournal

, 59.

N eb mslmH ouse,Independen ce , Mo.

,

39.

Nebraska Ci ty , 9 , 45-48, 77 , 81, 187

211 .

Necrology, 57 -64, 185 .

Negro w itnesses, 109, 110, 113 .

Nehaw ka , 221.

Ne l i gh ,119

,221 .

Nemaha Coun ty , 58, 59.

Nevada ,132.

New E ngland,158.

New E ng . Soc . of Brook l in ,191

,245.

New sPub . Co.

,226 .

New spapers, 54, 119-121,124-126

,191 ,

New ton ,Mrs. M . B .

,234.

New York , 204.

New York Ci ty ,3,58 .

New York civ11 code ,109.

New Yorkers, 1856, 4 , 8 .

New Y ork Tribune ,92

,126 .

Niles, Col . H . D. ,102.

N i neteenth Century ,204-205.

North Dakota , 135.

North P latte , 172.

North P lat te Route , 36.

Northup ,M . ,

102.

Norval,T. L . ,

229 °34.

Nuckol ls, S . F . , 7 1.

Nulliflcat ion con ven t ion,1832

,27 .

Notes on Neb r . H ist . 53 -56, 190- 192.

Notes,early ban ks, 69 .

Number books and pamph lets, 53 .

Nye , Theron ,234.


260 INDEX .

Porter, J . B .

,62.

Pound , Judge S . B 2,66

,194, 212,

213,220

,228 , 234 .

Pound, Mrs. S . B .

,2,

225,

234.

Pow ers of legislature,78 .

Preempt ion s in Nehr .,89, 244.

Presiden t of the Society , 237 .

Pr ice of pub l icat ions, 228.

Pr ices, 22, 47 , 98.

Probate Judge, 155.

Providen ce ,R. I 191.

Publ ic Library B oard , 84.

Publ ic L ibrary , Lin coln ,211.

Publicatlon of laws, 104.

Pub l ication of the Society , 50,226

,227

,228

,241.

Punctuation,246 .

Putnam, C. , 102.

Putnam, J .

,102.

Pythagoras and Phoeylz’

s, poems of

,

Quaintance , H . W .,212

,234.

Quarters of the Society ,53

Quorum ,238.

Rai lroads,73

,111 .

Rai lroads, C. A. Q .

,152 ; M .

P . ,152, 187 .

Rai lroad legislat ion,63 .

Ranchman,95.

Ran k in,B . P . ,

160.

Rece ipts, 1893, 218,Recollections of a Civi l E ngi neer , 247 .

Records and thei r Conservati on,211 .

Reed,Byron ,

234.

Reed , W . D.,245

,246.

Registers ofCen tenn ial , 1876 , 243 .

Registers of Cotton E xposit ion ,

1884-85,243 .

Registers of Wor ld’s Fair , 1893 , 243.“Regulars” : traders, 11 .

Rel ics, e tc . , 54, 242-247 .

Remi n i scences of E arly Times near

N ebr . Ci ty ,210.

Remi n i scences of the Thi rd J udi ci al

District, 1857-1861, 223 .

Removal of the Soc iety to new quarters, 213 ,

Repea l of Law s, 1857 , 104-105.

Report of Secretary : 1893,214 ; 1894,

225-228.

Republ ican s, 105-106.

Repub l ican Va l ley , 220.

Reservat ion , Omaha In dian s, 11 .

Resurrect ion,idea. among ind ian s,

132.

Rich,E dson P .

, 234.

Richards,L . C.

,212

,234.

Richards,M rs. L . C.

,212

,234.

Richardson Coun ty ,58 .

Richardson ,Will iam A.

, 30, 187 .

Riches,Decatur P ion eers

,21

,22.

Richmond , bat tle before , 106 .

Rising , Char les, 242.

Road,Emigrant , 1849 40.

Road,Decatur , West Poin t and Co]

umbus, 18.

Roberts, Mrs. George ,26.

Rober tson ,Bever ly , H .

,170.

Rockefe l ler , 75.

Rocky Moun tains, 15Rogers, H . P . , 102.

Rolfe , D. P .,225

,234.

Rosebud Agen cy , 141 .

Rosew ater , V ictor , 219, 221. 234 ; art icles by ,

76-87 .

Rothchi lds, 75.

Ruggles, Gen . , 170.

Rulo, 9.

Russe l l , Majors and Wadde l l,164

,

183 .

S t . Lou is, 4, 5, 152.

Salary ,L ibrar ian ,

21

Sales ofR. R. lands, 89.

Sa lt , among Indians, 12.

Sal t Creek F lats,” 43 .

Salt Lake Ci ty ,169 , 177 .

Sammon s,B . F .

,102.

Sand bars, Mo,R.

,6 .

Sandoz , Jules A .,242.

San Fran cisco , 169.

San ta Anna , 117 .

San tee Agency, 144.

INDEX .

Sarp y Coun ty , 153.

Sarpy ,John R.

, 202.

Sarpy ,Peter A 11, 13 , 22, 202.

Saunders, A l vin ,170.

Savage , JamesW 234.

Saw mi l), Decatur , 5 , 10.

Sawyer , A . J . ,213

,224

,234.

Sawyer , Mrs. A .

Say , M .

,economist , 198.

Sayer , J . J . ,221, 234.

Sch legel , A lexander , 244.

Schools, Beatr ice , 60.

Schools, B nfi'

aloCo . ,98

,99.

Schuyler S un ,244.

S cz'

oto Gaz ette,59,

Scotch Ir ish ,185.

Scotts B luff, 173 .

Seal of Governmen t , 246.

Sea l of Society ,238.

Second class ci ties, 79, 80.

Secre tary of the Society : 210 21

212, 238 ; report , 1893 , 214 ; repor t

1894, 225-228.

Secretary of S tate , 61 .

Seeley , S . V . ,102.

Sett lemen t of land , 88-89.

Seward coun ty , 60, 61.

Sew ard , Mr . 115.

Sew er P ipe Company ,60.

Shaw,J . C.

,225, 231.

Shedd,H . H . ,

234.

Sheldon ,A . E , ,

225, 234.

Sheldon ,George L . , 221.

She l v in g , 226.

Shemokeman , 13 .

Sherman ,170

Sh irts, ghost dan ce , 139.

S honga 13 .

Shoot ing , 1857 , 5 , 6 .

Shor t,N . W . ,

102.

Short Bul l , 134, 137 , 141.

Shoshon ee Indians , 246 .

Shoshonee Agen cy, 132, 136, 137 .

Show ,A. B . ,

234.

Shryock , L . B . W . , 234.

Shugar t , E . ,234.

S ickels,Miss Emma, 136, 143 .

S idewalks, local economy, 85.

S i l ver , 204, 205, 206.

S i l vern ai l, C. T.

,102.

S i l vernai l . G. H .,102.

S i lvern ai l,John ,

102.

S ioux City ,156 , 157 .

S ioux Ind ians,133 , 134 . 136

,172

,

175.

S ister Kather ine ,27 .

S i tt ing Bul l,135, 143 .

S ix th U . S . In ft . , 169.

S k inn er , W . H . ,235.

S k ins, Ind ian trad in g , 14.

S labaugh , Warren H . ,225, 235.

S lave law , 104.

S lavery , 30, 31, 32, 103 , 104, 111, 112,

Smith , Adam,24.

Smi th,George N .

,102.

Smi th,Gerr it , 246.

Smi th,Jared , 123 .

Smi th , J . P 102.

Smi th , Sereno , 102.

Smith ,W . H . , 235.

Snakes, 18, 19.

Society ,Nebr . S tate H ist . , 210-231 .

S oldi ers’F ree H omestead Colony , 87

102, 220.

Sold iers, settlemen t in West , 90.

S ome Character S ketches, 210.

S ome F i nancial F allaci es, 195-210.

Songs of Indians, 131-150.

Sorenson ,A lfred , 235.

Sorenson ’sH ist . Omaha

, 70, 71 .

South Dakota , 134, 141.

South P lat te , 132.

South P latte Route, 36.

Span ish Coin ,246.

Spearman,Fran k H .

, 212, 235.

Special session ,78.

Special legislat ion , 78, 79, 110,

111.

Speed of trains,1869

, 9°

S pel l in g of Ind ian n ames,13

Spotted E lk, 148.

Sprague , W . H . , 102.

Spr ick ,H en ry , 212, 2

3

5 .

S taley , Ann a , 57 .

S tanding Rock Agency, 135.

262

S tar , Buck I. , 102.

S tate J ournal Company ,214.

S ta te pub l icat ion s, 215 , 227 .

S tates represen ted in Gibbon Colony,97 .

S tate Teachers’ Assoc .,243 .

S tate Un i versi ty , 216.

S tat ist ics, ban k , 68.

S tatistics, ear ly Decat ur settlers, 19,

S teamboats,Mo . R 151, 156.

S te arley ,George , 101.

S tearns, John ,102.

S teer in g , Mo.R. , 6.

S teven s, J .,102.

S tock . 17 .

S tock, ban k , 203 .

S tock ing,Moses, 225, 22, 9.

S tockmen , 95.

S tores, Decatur , 1856 , 5.

S torms ; Apr119 ,187 1

,96 Apr i l 14-17 ;

S tout , O. V . P .

,221 , 235.

S traussmann,R. H 245.

S tron g,Fran k

,221, 235.

S tump tai l”currency ,

204.

Success of men,elemen ts of

,23 .

Summers,W . S .

,225

,235.

Summers, John E . , 170.

Sump ter , 169.

Supervisors, Gage Co .,60.

Suppl ies, 5.

Supreme Cour t , 153 , 157 , 242.

Sutton,Major

,of Cal if. , 39.

Sword,Maj or George , 136 , 138, 143 .

Sword,found in Repub . Val ley ,

220,

Sydenham ,Moses H .

, 122, 223 , 225,235 ; ar t icle by, 164- 184.

System , free tex t book , 1872,

9 9.

Taffe,John

, 156 .

Taggart,J . M .

,185- 189

Taggart , Mary, 188.

Taggar t,R. M . ,

188.

Taxat ion,78.

Taxes, 83 .

Tecumseh , 221.

INDEX .

Tekamah , 155 160.

Tempe i an ce , G ibbon ,97 .

Term of Office,Mayor , 81.

Terr itor ial fi nan ces, 195-210.

Terrtorial law s, 55.

Terr itor ial legislat ion ,62.

Terr itory of Nebr .

,4, 68

-85.

Terr i tory of the P latte , 29 , 30.

Tex t -books,free , 99.

Thatcher , T. D. ,102.

Thayer , John M .

,170.

Th ayer , L . G.,244.

Th ird Judicial D istr ict , 150-163 ,

Thomas,M .

,102.

Thompson . Dr . , S t . Louis, 4.

Thompson , J ohn ,204 .

Thompson , 0. E .,102.

Thorpe , Col. John , 91 10°

Timb l in,A . L . , 235.

Toledo B lade,92.

Ton gueR. Agen cy , 133 .

Tootle,

22.

Totem for Nebraska ,224.

Tow n P lats, 157 , 158 .

Traders, 173 ; me thods of settlemen t,

11, 12, 13 ; sprees of, 12, 13 .

Train ,George Francis

,62.

Tran sactions and Rep orts, IV

V 214 .

Traut , S . B . . 102.

Travel,modes of

,1854

,34.

Treasurer of H ist . S oc .

,211

,212

,237 ,

23

Treasurer’sReport , 1893 , 218.

Treasurer of ci ties, 82.

Treeman,L . B . 218 , 219 , 235 .

Tree P lanters,123 , 224.

Tremain ,M i ss Mary A .

,235.

Trew ,F . S . , 91 , 102.

Trew ,W . P .

,102.

Trials,jury , 161.

Tr i lby ,208.

Trip ,Missour i P. , 1857 69 .

True,M . B . C.

,235

Trumbul l, pain t ing , 246 .

Turck,John C 160.

Tutt le,Le roy , 70.


264 INDEX .

Wood Yards, Missour i B . ,7 , 8.

Woolw or th, J . M .

,2,63, 194, 221, 225,

Worcester , Mass , 58.

Work of the Society , 54. X enopben ,197 .

Wor ld’s Congress of Ban kers, 68.

Wor ld’s Fai r Registers, 243 .

Wor ld’s Peace J ub ilee Medal , 245.

Wor ley , D. B .,102.

Worth ington, L .

,102.

Wounded Kn ee,141

,144.

Wounded Kn eeCreek , 148.

W ri ght, S . L 221 , 236.

Wyman , A. 70, 7 1.

Wyomin g , 99, 133 . 135 201.

Y ates, H . W . ,

ar t icle by , 67- 7 6.

Y e l low Kn i fe ,134 ,

137 .

Youn g,Mrs. D. M .

,26.


Documents

Nebraska Historical Society - Forgotten Books