Custer County, Nebraska - The whole text, 1901 (part 5 of 9)

Near the place where Ea^le Feather. The young chief of the Dakotas. Met his fate by the Paduchas. Came the pale-face, walking slowly. Thinking of the growing dty They were building on the Muddy. For many men had come together. Brought their wives and children with them. To populate fair Custer county. And the people of the Muddy Now must name this fair young dty. For a new name searched they often. Oft rejected, half discouraged. While out walking on the Muddy Came he where the bow lay broken; Pondered he of how It came there All alone beside the Muddy. Pondered he. this pale-faced Hewitt. As he homeward walked more quickly. - 1 have found a bow that's broken." Said he to his fair wife waiting. "An Indian bow that has been broken And left beside the Muddy river. Let us name our city for it. Name our city Broken Bow: Sent the name. It was accepted. Never was a name just like it. Never one half so romantic. Full of wonder came each stranger. "Such a strange name for a city." Said each stranper when they heard it. Broken Bow. in Custer county. Built befslde the Muddy river, .Near beside those wondrous canons Where the Indian tribes had waged war. Where the coyote warned the red chief. While he dreamed of dark Winneta: Where he suffered death by torture. Died and left his Broken Bow - I^ft to us his Broken Bow.

Note - The funny part of the story is Mr. Hewitt prized this broken bow very much as a relic, but one day the hired girl was cleaning up and put the broken bow in the fire with other rubbish.

The townsite was located and plat filed in June, 1882, by Jesse Gandy. The i)ostoflSce, which was then kept by C. D. Pelham, who had a small stock of goods half a mile from the townsite, was moved to the new city, and hence Mr. Pelham enjoys the distinction of being the first merchant of Broken Bow, as well as its first postmaster. Wilson Hewitt had been elected county clerk the fall previous, and had built a sod house near the proposed townsite, which he occupied as his oflSce. The county treasurer, C. T. Crawford, and the county superintendent, D. M. Amsberry, occasionally held forth in the same buflding in the discharge of their respective duties. Soon after the townsite was laid out the townsite promoters provided temporary frame buildings for the county officers. County Clerk Hewitt and County Judge J. S. Benjamin occupied a room on the west side of the public square, and the county treasurer and the county superintendent a building on the east side. This arrangement waa continued until the fall of 1884, when the county built a frame buflding large enough to accommodate all four of the offices. The question of rdocating the county seat was an issue during the summer and fall, in which Broken Bow and Westerville were livals. The coiiDt.v seal tiiid l>wa located previoiislv near tlie South Lioup, Ijut tlie site bad never been occupied, as the eininty recordB were always kept at the homes of the several county officers. The yictory inspired courage and many iinportanl battles bave since been fought and won by a combined effort of its citizens. The only change in county officers up to this time was the election of Dr. R. C Talbot an treasurer to succeed C. T. Crawford, in tbe fall of llSS;t. One of the first houses bnilt was a sod building by R. U. Miller, on tbe corner where the Broken Bow State Bank now stands, which wan used for tbe family residence and also for a printing office. Mr. Miller established the first uewspaiwr of the town, the Custer County Republican. Tbe first ipBue of the Republican was June 29, 1H82. The pap4T is still published in tlie city, and not only claims the distinction of being the first newspaper publistied at Broken Bow, but of bein;; the oldest paper in the county. The present editor and publisher bought the paper of Mr. Miller March S, li<8T.

Pioneeb History Of Cdsteb Cocntt

log house ID which he kept a few (^oods and accommodated the traveling public with meals and lodging until a hotel was erected. J. H. Fleming built the first hotel od the corner now occupied l»v tiie Grand Central. As the lumber and all bidding material bad to be freighted from Kearney by teams it was a tedioiis ta!n^ to build. By Angiixt Mr. Fleming had the Itrnken Bow bote), a two-Story structure, nearly completed to accommodate the public, and tbey had frequently to put up with scanty fare for lack of teams with which to freight the necessary provisions, but as Mrs, Fleming was a most excellent cook she made the best of what she had and all were satisfied. Frequently a team would be sent twenty-five miles to purchase butter, and would return with only a few pounds. J. H, West was the proprietor of the first drag store, and G. W, Trefren established a law oflice, being followed soon by J. S. Kirkpatrick. who is now a member of the Nebraska Supreme Court Commission. Mrs. T. E, Wheeler & Co. put in the first stock of general merchandise in October, 1882. Mrs, Wheeler had come from Aurora in August and con- tracted with the townsite company to build a store room to lease to her in <;onsideration of bringing in a stock of goods. She freighted the goods from Grand Island by way of Loup City and Westerville. That winter Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler lived in the back part of the store room, with only a carpet for a partition. C. T. Crawford built and occupied his house as a residence, restaurant and treasurer's office the same fall. J. L. Oxford, one of the county commissioners, built the first feed barn, just east of the present site of the Grand Central hotel, near where Mr. Lee's barn now stands. Jesse Gandy put in the first butcher shop that summer, and bought his first beef from Judge Benjamin, who lived on a homestead adjoining town on the north. The first school was taught by Mrs. M. E. Lewis in a sod house.

With the spring of 1883 the population had more than trebled. Frank Crable added a lumber yard, a much-needed branch of business. H. G. Rogers, the silent partner of T. E. Wheeler & Co., located here, bringing with him an additional stock of dry goods valued at $10,000. He built a new store building in which to accommodate his goods, and Mrs. T. E. Wheeler & Co. also added a line of hardware. Miss Litta Mengle put in a stock of millinery and associated with her Miss Laura Morrison as dressmaker. Both have since married, but each is still engaged in the same business. Marcus Reyner added the second drug store, and in October of the same year L. H. Jewett established the Custer County Bank, which was the first bank in town, with S. H. Bumham of Lincoln as president, and Mr. Jewett as cashier. Silas A. Holcomb, subsequently governor of the state, and at present a member of the Supreme Court, located in the town that season and engaged in the practice of law. S. C. Beebe, publisher of the Custer County Jjeader, moved his paper from Westerville to Broken Bow in the spring of 1883, and continued to publish it until June, 1888, when the plant was sold to the Central Nebraska Bank. R. H. Miller succeeded Mr. Beebe as editor.

The first church was built by the Methodists in 1883. It was the first brick building in town and is now occupied by Dr. C. L. MuUins as a sanitarium. During this year the townsite was enlarged by additions made by J. P. and A. W. Gandy, and the sale of town lots to prospective residents became brisk. The students of Blackstone were increased bv two that winter, James Ledwich, who engaged in the law and real estate business, and who is one of the prominent attorneys of the county at this time, and C. J. Elliott, who came from Illinois, returning to that state after a few years. Up to this time the town had been without a practicing physician. The only one in the vicinity was Dr. R. C. Talbot, who lived some eight miles away on a homestead, and who protested against practicing medicine. Dr. Wyman Hull appeared on the scene and Dr. Talbot proposed to him that if he would locate

And Short Sketches Op Eably Days In Nebraska

In 1884 the population of Broken Bow largely increased and the demand for both residence and bnsiness houses caused a number of buildings tu be built. L. Ijivender and \V. D. Harloek, brick makers, put in two yards and ern part of town, and two dwelling houses by Isaac Men-bant and Steve Chaple were built in the fall, and the frame biiildini;^ pnt ii]i were niitufroiis. With the intlii.\ of l!^S4 came H. M. Sullivan, now district judce. A. R. Humphry, who was subseiinently commissioner of public lands and buildings, and Fred (J. Waiie, a brilliant young lawyer from Chicago. This seaaon County Treasurer Talbot and County Superintendent Amsberry moved tbeir families to town and each put up a residence. Of the new enterprises started in 1884. the jirinctpal were: Holland & McDonald, hardware and implements; the Broken How Times, by Trefren & Meseraull; Kioman & Arnold, bank;

In 1886 the town received another substantial lift that came as a surprise by the arrival of R. O. Phillips, president of the Lincoln Townsite Company. He bought a half section of land adjoining the town on the north, at big figures, and it resulted in corner lots going sky high. This was soon followed by the B. & M. surveyors up the Muddy valley, who included Broken Bow in their line of survey. Not only townsite speculators and business men rushed in to secure desirable town property, but within a few mouths homesteaders had filed on all the desirable fanning land in the vicinity. Among those who preceded the locomotive, or came soon after its arrival in that year, were: Freisheitner & Ilaeberle, druggists; S. 11. Tlionipson & House, and B. S. Lilly, rea! estate agents; C. B. Hayes, boots and nhoes; J. C. Bowen, grocer; Hans Dierks, lumber; Bogue & Sherwood, lumber: Hie Chicago Lum-

And Bbort Sketches Of Eably Days In Nebuaska. Sos

Wilde & Squires, hardware; S. B. FroBt, restaurant; S, A. Barstow. contpaetor and builder; Edwards & Emil, blacksmiths and wagon makers; C. A. Thiim, <;lothing; J. H, Inman, agent for the Lincoln Townsite Company. The railroad addition was surveyed and put on the market and a number of new buildings erected or commenced on the new addition, including a number of residences as well as business buildings. On the old townsite was built the

Pacific hotel and llrahani Bros, store, which has since bei-niue the property of Mrs. T E. Wheeler, and is known as the Grand Central hotel, one of the best equipped and best conducted hostelries in central Sebrjiska. Thi- It & M. railroad let no time go tu waste after the survey was made, and on .\uiriist 26, 1886, the road was complefed to Broken Bow and Ihe first hii-nniotive made its appearance in Custer county's rapidly growing capilal. ('. E. Wilkin son of Lincoln was the flrBt station agent and telegraph operator, and afterwards served as mayor of the city. In the latter part of this year O. P. Perley, a capitalist of Maine, located here and invested a large sum of money in the Custer County Banlc. On the 15th of February, 1886, it was organized aa the First National Bank, with S. H. Burnham, president; L. H. Jewett, cashier, and 0. P. Perley, assistant cashier. The following year the Central Nebraska Bank was established, with O. J. Collmau, president, and J. H. Inmao, cashier. The North Side Opera block, the luman hotel, the bank buildin stoo Biug and a number of smaller buildings for both business and residence purpoees, were erected on the Lincoln Townsite Company's addition, including the large ftouring mill by G. W, Frej-. now owned and operated by 8. J. Loner^an, and the large planing mill of S, A, Barstow, In this year were established the additional business enterprises of T. M. & J, W, Balisbury, dry goods; Thompson. Wilson & Drake, dry goods; Ryerson & Leslie, books and stationery ; H. Walton, drugs, and the Custer County block was bnilt by R. C. Talbot- O. W. Trcfreu and D. M. .\msberry; also an opera house by Trefren and Hewitt. The growth of the city continued gi'adually until 1S94, many substantial buildings being erected, among which we may mention the Union block, by Taylor Flick. H. Walton and M. Reyner; the Realty block, the Inman and Globe hotels, Walton's and Blackman's barns. Morrison & Gaudy's and W. C. Luce's feed mills, the Baptist. United Brethren. Presbyterian, Catholic, Christian and Episcopal churches, tbe court house, two brick school houses, the postofBce, tbe I. O. O. F. building. Tbe water works plaot was pat in under the eupervieion of C. A. Weeks by a local company. The Bank of Commerce was established in 1889, witb C. J. Stevens, president, and F. M. Rublee cashier.

In 1888 the town had outgrown the rank of a village, and it was organized as a city of the second class. The first officers were: O. P. Perlej, mayor; B, S. Lilly, J. L. Cobb, S. A. Barstow, Hans Dierks, councilman; E. P. Campbell, city clerk; H. M. Sullivan, city attorney. In 1894, owing to a severe drought and a financial panic, the population of the city decreased fully one- third, and several of the bnsinoas houses suspended the year following. The number included Kloman & Arnold's bank, the Central Nebraska National Bank, Baretow's planing mill, Wm. H. Cline, D. S. Lohr, Graham Bros, and many others. Since 1895 the population has been gradually increasing, and several busineHs Arms have been added. The population in 1890 had reached over 1,600, and in 1894 it was estimated at 1,800. In 1895 the number did not exceed 1,100. By the census of 1900 the population was 1,375, and it is now estimated at 1,600.

Amonp the prominent business firms now in the city are the Broken Bow State Bank, the Farmers' Bank, which was ORlablished in 1890. with E. W. Clawgon, president, and J. A. Ilarrig, cashier; the Bank of Commerce, Wilson & Drake, merchants; J. C. Bowen, grocer; Grand Central, Commercial and Globe hotels; Walton, Farmenter, Globe, Lee's, Wantz's and Thompson's bams, John & Knerr, general merchandise; Kyerson & Sons, grocers; Peale's

And Short Bkrtcheh Op Zably Days In Nebraska

The city has a school ixipulatiou of ovlt «()U and a most excellent high school, of which J. E. Adamsou is siiiH-riutcndont. It has also an excellent telephone system and water works.

When Broken Bow was youger than it now is, much trouble was occasioned by stock running at large in the streets, and as a consequence of ill feeling engendered thereby, one man lost his life, while another got a term in the penitentiary, although he was afterwards pardoned and is now filling an oflBce of public trust in a neighboring county. It appears, however, that using a gun came quite natural to members of that family, as the following incident will show:

Harry, a nephew, found John Sanderson's horses trespassing, captured them and started for Broken Bow on a load of hay, leading the horses behind. Sanderson met him on the outskirts of the town and attempted to take the horses away from the young man, when Harry drew a 22 calibre revolver and commenced blazing away at him. Sanderson fell over, apparently dead, and Harry, horror stricken at what he had done, ran his horses and load of hay into town, rushed into the sheriff'.s office and gave himself up as a murderer. In the midst of the excitement occasioned by this dramatic episode, Sanderson arrived on the scene and said: ''See, here, young man; if you ever do that again, and I find it out. Til slap your face." It appeared that Harry had aimed at Sanderson's head, but the latter had thrown up his arm, warding off the bullet, which glanced and struck him in the mouth, doing but little damage. Harry had a trial, but was acquitted.

"You have now crossed the Custer county line; prepare to meet your God," shouts the brakey at the top of his voice, flinging open the door of a ear on the western bound passenger train on the B. & M. as it slows up at Mason City.

It is the spring of 1887. Custer county has a pretty tough repntation, and many good people back east consider coming out here equivalent to committing suicide, and advise their friends who are foolhardy enough to make the venture to draw up their wills before leaving home. While the brakey was, of course, only joking, there was an old man in this car who took it in

And Short Skbtchbs Of Eablt Dats In Nbbba8Ka

This individual was rather tall, of uncertain age, with shifty blue eyes, very thin, sandy beard and carroty hair. He wore a broad-brimmed hat and high top boots, and was masticating a huge quid of tobacco.

"Well, my friend, perhaps you can tell me something about the people of your county. I am going to Broken Bow, and am very anxious to know what sort of folks I am likely to meet there. I have heard some pretty tough stories about them."

"You're right, sir; they're a bard lot up hyar, and the sheriff is the ringleader of the hull outfit. Why, sir, he oughter be in the pen this very minute."

"Better ask what he hain't done. Well, I don't mind tellin' ye a few of his exploits. He uster live out on Spring creek and got so handy with a gun that the fellers up and 'lected him sheriif. He had a sheep ranch, and the cattle men didn't like it, because ye know that sheep and cattle don't git along any better together than cattle men and settlers. One time a big fellow moved onto Penn's claim and told him he was goin' to contest it. They say Penn told him there was plenty more vacant land, and he was a poor man, and not able to go to law about it, and that if he would go with him to some of the neighbors he would show him that he was holdin' the claim accordin' to law. Now, ye see how smooth and fair-talkin' he kin be when it suits him."

"Well, I can't see where Penn was to blame for keeping a sheep ranch, nor why he should not resent the intrusion of the big man on his claim."

"I see, sir, that ye don't catch onto the situation. Ye see the cattle men had fenced in about fifteen square miles for a pasture so as not to have to herd their stock, and Penn and a few other fellers had the cheek to go right into that pasture and take up claims. As soon as they did that a lot of other fellers follered suit, and the big pasture was soon busted up, as them settlers went out and cut about fifteen miles of wire fence in one single night."

"Well, the big feller he wouldn't hear to it, but swore he was goin' to stay, anyway. Then Penn he up and said: *Say, mister, I see you have a watch; I want you to set it with mine. It is just half past 11 o'clock. Now you go back to your wagon and don't speak to me again. I want my dinner and I supiwse you want yours, and if you are on this place at ten minutes after 1 o'clock, in just five minutes after that either you or me will be in h - .' You see Penn intended to shoot the contest off with the feller. That's a way he has of settlin' such disputes. Well, the feller he went back to his wagon.

got his Winchester and set down on the wagon tongue to wait for Penn to commence the shootin'. Penn went over to his sod house, which was located on the north side of a draw called Spring creek, but it hain't got no water in it except when it rains real hard. He got his dinner and then commenced to load his gun, appearin' calm like, but I guess he was hopin' all the time that the big feller'd get scairt and git out of thar before 1 o'clock. Well, the feller didn't git worth a cent, but jest kept on a-settin' thar a-watchin' Penn out of the corner of his eye. Penn finally come out on the prairie and set down a little ways from the house with his gun across his lap, just as onconcerued as if shootin' folks was an everyday occurrence."

"I'm ashamed ter tell ye what a coward that there big feller was. Of course Penn acted kinder bold and that bluffed the feller, and he concluded that the claim wasn't wuth kickin' up a fuss about, and jest about five minutes before the shootin' was to open up he hitched his mules onto his wagon and .pulled out."

WhOe the foregoing conversation was going on the participants did not notice a small, dark-eyed man sitting on the seat immediately behind them, who appeared to take it all in, and smiled occasionally as the dialogue proceeded. His companion, a lady, seemed greatly annoyed by the talk, and the small, black-eyed man said something in an undertone that caused her to arise and take a seat in another part of the car, while he settled back in his seat to listen to the braggart filling the old man with yarns about the bad people of Custer county, especially the sheriff.

"Yes, that's all right; but this man Penn has bin up to lots of meanness. He got inter a quarrel with some fellers one day and one of 'em laid fer him with a gun, and fired two shots over his head jest to scare him. What does Penn do but up and fired straight at the feller, and would have killed him if it hadn't ben fer Penn's bullet goin' right inter the feller's gun barrel, where it lodged so tight he had ter have it bored out. Only a few days ago a couple of cowboys was in a little town up the line a few miles from Broken Bow, havin' a little fun paintin' the town, as the boys call it, and makin' fellers dance by shootin' at their feet, and other innocent amusements. Some of the citizens sent for Penn and he come up and shot 'em both fiom behind a house, never givin' 'em the ghost of a show fer their lives. The cattle men was so mad it would only needed some one to say, ^Come on boys,' to had a gang go down from the sand hills and wipe Anselmo off'n the map of the universe and Penn along with it."

And Shobt Sketches Of Bably Days In Nebraska

Know him I Well I should think I did. The man that lives in Custer county and don't know Charlie Penn must be a tenderfoot, sure. He's mostly alius at the depot when the trains gits in, seein' if there's any fellers gittin' oflf there's a reward offered for, and I'll show him ter ye."

As the train approached Ansley the young man settled back in his seat and prejjared to enjoy his quid of tobacco. Shortly after the train pulled out of the last named station the little black-ej^ed man behind him tapped him on the shoulder and invited him to take a seat facing his own. Looking him square in the eye, the black-eyed man said :

"Now, young man, you have been making some very serious charges against the sheriff of your county, in regard to that Anselmo affair, and they don't tally with the sworn statements of men on the ground at the time."

"Young man, you are talking to Penn, and you know you are a consummate liar." Then whipping out a huge 44 revolver he continued: "You are a cowardly, dirty, low-lived puppy. Now, you pusillanimous, lantern-jawed, big-mouthed wind-bag, pull out your gun and shoot away. I will fill your hide 80 full of holes that it wouldn't make a good sieve and throw your worthless carcass out of the car window."

He needed no second invitation, and as his coat tails disappeared through che door leading into the smoker, Penn gave one of his low, guttural laughs,

\nd the passengers who had gathered around expecting to see some fun, resumed their seats. The old man reached out his hand and took Penn's, saying: **Mr. Penn, I am glad to make your acquaintance, I have heard you are a pretty tough man, but I guess you are not as bad as I have been led to believe."

**Ha! ha! ha!" replied Penn, with his peculiar guttural laugh: "I thought 1 w^ould just scare that fellow, and I guess I did it all right.''

In 1879 Mr. Westervelt took the land upon .which Westerville now stands as a homestead, built his house, a little soddy. on the west bank of Clear creek. His was the first building in Westerville. The next year, 1880, Seneca, a small village, was moved on Mr. Westervelt's laud and the name was changed to Westerville iu honor of the owner. Mr. Westervelt also edited a paper, the W'estern Echo, which some years afterwand was sold to parties who lived in Ansley, and the name was changed to the Ansley Chronicle. A son of Mr. Westervelt is now editor of the Scott's Bluffs Republican, published at Scotts Bluifs, Nebraska. Tlie county seat of Scotts Bluffs county, Gering, was also named after one of the early settlers of Westerville, who moved to that county. Fifteen years ago Westerville was the principal town in Custer county, as it was situated in the eastern part where most of the settlements were made, and it had a considerable trade. Clear creek flows along the north and east sides, but why it was named "Clear" creek I never knew, for it has been muddy ever since I saw it, some sixteen years aga On the north bank of Clear creek is the flouring mill, operated by water power. Several years ago, in the '80s, we had very heavy rain storing during the spring, dangerously raising Clear creek. The water worked its way under the banks and caused great pieces of earth to cave into the water. The people feared that some of the buildings nearest the bank would be undermined. The flouring mill stood so close to the water that men had to work night and day to save it. One man standing on the bank happened to look behind him and saw the ground cracking all around; he had scarcely time to escape when that portion upon which he had stood dropped into the water below.

ber was transported from (irand Island, a distance of eighty miles. Our nearest railroad stations in those da,va were Grand Island and Kearoey. The first church hell in Custer county was hung in the Methodist church at this place. It had bet'Q there but a shoi-t time when, as it proclaiineil liberty to the world at Wester V ill e, its fate was like that of the old Liberty bell. A few years ago it was taken from Westerville by some one who wanted it as a relic, but the people caused it to be promptly returned. It now reposes in the par- yard, filled with soil in which during the summer season beautifui blossoms grow to dclifjht the eye of the passer by, and to cheer the heart of the pastor when he is weary. It was not made to be unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air. Its mission is somewhat changed from that for which its founders intended it, but it is still serving a oseful purpose, and who shall say that it was made in vain? A new bell took its place in the belfry long ago. Bev. Brooks was the first regular minister at Westerville, and Elder Hale, of the Orleans district, in western Nebraska, was one of our early preachers.

The reason Westerville is not the county seat of Custer county, we are told, is because the first settlers were not willing to make a sacrifice of about one hundred dollars deemed necessary to secure this distinction, and while Westerville slumbered and felt secure. Broken Bow worked and soon won the prize. Tills was mistake number one for Westerville.

attended the one in 1884, and remember seeing two things which interested me very much; a turtle that had been taken from Clear creek and a fawn that was captured a few miles north of here. The turtle was nearly as large as a washtub in which it was exhibited. A number of the people of Broken Bow attended the fair in 1884. The question: "Where shall the county fair be held next year?" was submitted to the people, and when the votes were counted it was found that Westerville had lost the privilege of having it, which she never regained. Mistake number two for Westerville.

In Westerville's most prosperous days we had several dry goods and grocery stores, a large hardware store over which was a public hall, three hotels, a flouring mill, two blacksmith shops, a cutlery store, a good public library, a bank that carried on quite an extensive business, printing oflBces, a drug store, and a good school and church. We could boast of two doctors, Waterbury and Morris. J. A. Armour, now county judge, was our lawyer. We are proud to say that we have never had a licensed saloon in our town. In the summer of 1880, as the Fourth of July drew near, the people of Westerville were desirous of celebrating the day. Mr. Westervelt had a red cedar log which he said he would give for a liberty pole, but it was not long enough, and Mr. Baker was patriotic enough to go to the cedar canons and get another. The two were spliced together and raised so that "Old Glory" waved above the people upon that eventful day. The pole now stands in the middle of the main street, which was named Loraine, in honor of Mrs. Westervelt. The flag rope has been lost or taken within the past few years, so that since then no flag has been flung to the breeze from the old liberty pole during late celebrations of our natal day. But not only flags have fluttered from the top of this pole, for the people were awakened one morning following hallowe'en, and wondered why one of the neighbor's geese had been hung up there until it was limp and dead.

During the winter of 1880 a lady went visiting. Her hostess had nothing in the house to cook for dinner, until one of the boys caught a rabbit, and some wheat was ground in the coffee mill. With stewed rabbit and bread made of the ground wheat a very good dinner was prepared. Some of the I)eople were compelled to go to bed while their children were at school in order to save fuel, which could not be gotten. Those who were here during that winter know something of the hardships of pioneer life. Still, the hardy pioneers say that after all, such good will prevailed among the settlers that it was really an enjoyable time. When the weather finally became better a man living north of here went to Grand Island for a load of flour. He never reached Westerville with it, for the people went to meet him and bought it all except a little which he kept for himself. Thus these people made sure of

Bomething to eat. At ooe of tlie early weddings the bride's mother wanted to f^ipear stylieli; so she informed her husband that "he must present the bride to the bridegroom. When the critical moment came, after being reminded of bis duty two or three times by his better haJf, he toolc the daughter by the band, croesed the room, and, swinging towards the young man the arm that hdd her hand, Raid: "Here." This done, he considered that he had done the thing np in style, and left the room, and when search was made for him he waa foand in front of bis store with bis bnntis full of crackers which he had promised to the winner of a wrestling match which he was watching between two urchins.

We haye always had a good school, although we have never bad but the one room. The first term was taught in an empty building in the western part of the town. Then a frame school house was built on a hillside in the southwestern part of town, where school has since been conducted. Of late years we have studied all of the branches that are taken in the high school at Broken Bow. One of the Westerville pupils, L. L. Thomas, became quite a noted evangelist. Many of the students have become teachers and are among the best in the county. The first teacher's institute in Custer county was held at Weiterville in 1881. There was no place for the meeting, but permistion was obtained to use Blowers' warehouse for that purpose. The warehouse was afterwards converted into a livery barn. Before the next teacher's institnte was held the school house was built and they used that. They also held the meetings there the two following years.

When the B. & M. railroad went through to the Black Hills a majority of the i)eople of Westerville moved to Ansley, a station eight miles south which furnished better business advantages. Thus Westerville was left a little country viUage. Traveling men used to call it the "Sleeping Beauty." Yet it is hardly asleep. Another name has been proposed from the number of flowers that spring spontaneously from its fertile soil.

A correspondent of the Chicago Drovers' Journal says: **I have seen the stag hunt in Scotland and the steeple chase in Ireland, but compared with a wild horse hunt on the Haskell & Co. ranch in Nebraska, these are tame sports.''

In the summer of 1884 we had a herd of 600 horses on our ranch. One evening about sundown we were driving them across a small bridge, when they became frightened and commenced to run. This raised a dense cloud of dust, which added to the fright of the animals, causing them to stampede, breaking through a fence on either side and killing five of them, the balance of the herd flying in every direction in to the hills. During the night they became mixed up with a herd of wild horses of which there were large numbers roaming over this country at that time. One would naturally suppose that a wild horse could outstrip his domesticated brother in a long race, but in separating our stampeded herd from the wild ones we discovered that such is not the eaae. Tlie domesticated horse, being better bred, proved to have superior powers of endurance. As the wild horse has long ago disappeared from Custer county, a short description of his habit« and the manner of hunting may be interesting to the reader.

Wild horses roamed over the prairie in small bands, each led by a stallion, who was the head of the familv. The first business of the hunter was to shoot these band stallions, which would cause the mares and colts of that family to unite themselves with another band. By repeating the operation of shooting the leading stallions quite a bunch of horses would soon be gathered together.

the object being to uhase as Diany down at ouce as possible. Having goiii; thus far, the work of the hunter has juat begun. When pursued, we found that wild horses always traveled in a circle, and that they would eventually get back to the place from which they started. After getting a bunch of the required size together by shooting the stallions as described, our next move was to establish camps along the course we concluded the animals would run, with a man at each sttition to take care of the saddle horse, which were used in relays. Two men. well mounted, then started the herd of wild horses and crowded them to their utmost limit, giving them time to neither eat nor rest until they were completely run down and would permit themselves to be corraled. It usually took about five days of constant motion to accomplish this, although sometimes a herd would succumb in two or three days. Whenever we reached a relay camp our saddle horses were changed, thus keeping the wild horses on the constant move day and night. The long race generally broke the old ones down so that they were seldom of any use afterwards, but the young ones seemed little the worse for their chase after a few days' rest.

Occasionally we would start a bunch led by an old stallion that would, when pushed hard, start out and run for fifty miles in one direction, taking OB away from our camps altogether and compelling us often to ride a hundred miles witbont a change of horses. At intervals in the chase one or more of the wild horses would drop back, not able to keep up with the flying herd.

These were always roped, thrown and hobbled, so that we could return and get them after the main bunch had been run down. We had a one-armed man on our ranch by the name of Jim Hunnell, who could rope and hobble a wild horse with the best of them. With one end of his lariat tied to the* horn of his saddle, he would take the bridle rein in his teeth, and, holding the coil and loop both in his one hand, would catch and throw his horse every time, putting on the hobbles by using his hand and teeth. Those who have tried to rope a wild horse and hobble him with two good hands will appreciate the work done by Jim HunneU. The most favorable time to chase wild horses was when there was snow on the ground, as we could then follow the trail much easier during the night. We carried small, dark lanterns with us, to be used when it would be impossible to follow the trail without them. We would sometimes be caught by a bMzzard in the middle of a chase and be obliged to give up and get back to the camp as best he could. In February, 1883, my brother and myself started out to catch a small bunch of eleven horses headed by a fine roan stallion. One of the neighbors had been catching the colts for two seasons. We had six good saddle horses with us, expecting to locate them at two different points along the course we thought the wild horses would take; but when we reached our friend's house he said he had chased the bunch several times and thev took a circle onlv of ten or twelve miles, so we left our extra horses at his place and set out with but one feed of corn and a lunch in our pockets. We soon located the herd, and away they went like the wind, the fine old roan stallion in the lead. When the old fellow found out that some one was after him that meant business he struck off on a tangent at the top of his si)eed in a southwesterly direction. Late in the afternoon we struck the North Platte valley northwest of Ogallala. The roan then changed his course to northwest, and traveled at such a killing gait that had it not been for the snow on the ground we would hardly have been able to foUow him. As we neared the B. & M. railroad the snow became quite deep and after the darkness came on we lighted our lanterns and followed the trail without any trouble. At about 3 o'clock in the morning we concluded to stop and give our saddle horses a rest, as they had been ridden hard all day and night, except when we had stopped to feed them the corn and to eat our lunch. We scraped a little round place in the snow, which was twelve inches deep, and lay down on the frozen ground together, holding our horses by the bridle reins. We were so cold that our teeth chattered together, while our horses stood and shivered. As soon as daylight appeared we arose from our downy bed and rode up to the top of a high bluff, from which we discerned the wild horses huddled up in a smaU vaUey with their heads down, taking a much-needed rest. Hearing the bark of a dog, we proceeded in that direction and came to the ranch of Carl Gross, southwest of Lakeside, where we remained that day and the following night. We were both snow blind. Early the next morning we took up the trail of the horses and followed them back to the place from which they had started. We procured fresh saddle horses, set out after them again, and two days later had the entire bunch in a corral at our home ranch. While in pursuit of this roan band, we sighted another herd of fourteen, headed by a fine brown horse, and next month gave them chase and had them corraled in two days. This was our last horse hunt.

Wild horses have almost entirely disappeared from Nebraska, although it is said there are still a few small bands in the vicinity of Blue river. The writer has seen hundreds of them on Tallin Table in Custer county, and it was a grand sight to see the fat, sleek feUows watering at the pools which stood there as late as the month of June, each leader herding his family to keep it from mixing with other bands.

To show how wild Custer county was in the early days we give the following incident: We drove up to a settler's house to make a picture of it, with the family group in front. Before we could get the camera focused, one of the children, a lad of seven or eight years, made a break for the tall grass that was growing about three feet high in the vicinity, and hid. The balance of the family hunted for him about a quarter of an hour while we stood patiently awaiting the round-up in the boiling hot sun. They were unsuccessful in their search, and returned to have the group taken without him. Just as we were about ready to make the exposure, away went another of the boys, which resulted in another hunt and another failure. Then the old man got mad and said: "Take what you've got." I secured six of the children and the two old i)eople. Two of them got away for sure, and how many more I did not stop to figure out, but left that for the parents when they counted noses.

Chapter

The story which leads up to the lynching of Kid Wade, the horsethief, opens at the Custer county fair, whicli is in progress at Broken Bow in the fall of 1883. It is the last day of the show and the PuUiam race horse has made such a fine record that the owner is besieged by sports all aDxioiis .o procure the wonderful animal. Mr. PuUiani finally sells the Lorse to John Carney. On the same day a gentlemanly-apiK-aring young man stopped at Pulliam's place at West Union for dinner. He was a pretty i^mooth talker and soon led Pulliam's son. Ed, into n discussion of the good points of his father's horses, especially the racer. When he left the stranger told young Pulliam that he was going to Jack Roath'a, about six miles distant, to collect some money that Koath owed him for some ponies. It was discovered later that this story was a fabrication. The stranger had been at Roath's the previous night, and had sold one pony to an employe of Roath's, receiving pay for the same, but that was all. Instead he went to James Abemathj's,

The young man retnrned to Pnlliam's on i^unday following and gave his name as Sam Gordon, representing that he was by profession a bronco buster. The boys on the place, with a number from neighboring ranches, who wertthere at the time, led out a particularly wild and vicious bronco and invited the stranger to give an exhibition of his prowess. Nothing loath, Gordon vaulted into the saddle and shouted; "I*t "er go!" and go she did - straight up into the air as if shot from a catapaiilt, her head down between her forelegs and her back arched in the shape of a rainbow. While poised in midair she performed a series of movements too complicated for description, reversed end, and came down with her four feet in a bunch, jarring the earth and nearly knocking the teeth out of her rider. Without stopping to take a breathing spell this acrobatic feat was repeated again and again, each time embellished with a variety of contortions, the plucky rider keeping his saddle and rising in the stirrups to break the terrific shock that terminated each descent. Finally, out of sheer exhaustion, the bronco, finding that she had met her master, desisted and stood still, panting, quivering in every muscle, and covered with foam, while Gordon sat in the saddle as cool as a cucumber and smiling like a morning in May. The young man was the recipient of lavish compliments from the witnesses of this exhibition of skill, which was considered a great accomplishment in those days. Gordon's own horse was a fairly good animal, although somewhat ridden down, and he struck a trade with the boys by which he came into possession of the bucking mare and f25 to boot. The next morning he rode up the river about six miles, where he sold the pony to Perry Lytle, and, taking his saddle, said he was going to wait at the Walworth bridge for the stage, and he was not again seen in the vicinity.

The day after this episode Mr. Pulliam missed a fine saddle horse named Frank, which had been taken out of a stall in his stable, where he had been in the habit of keeping the race horse previously referred to. He came to the conclusion that the thief had supposed he was getting the racer, but that animal had been taken home by his new owner, John Carney. It was then discovered that one of Will Sargent's ponies was missing, and Jack Roath reported that he had lost a good work team and a pony, making in all five horses that had mysteriously disappeared from the neighborhood.

Roath followed the trail of the thief who had taken his horses to the North Loup river and there lost it. He went on up the river as far as Northup's ranch, and thence to Ainsworth, eighty-five miles from home. At Ainsworth he learned that the rough country along the Niobrara river was infested with horse and cattle thieves who had their hiding places in the dense pine timber that grew along that stream and in the adjacent canons. Roath continued his search to Long Pine, where he was told by Ed. Burch that Pulliam and Elmer Sweet, from West Union, had been there a short time before and had gone on to O'Neill. Burch accompanied Roath to the latter city, where they found Pulliam and Sweet.

In the meantime two farmers, Barney Crowell and John Grimet, hao found the trail of the stolen horses on the north side of the North Loup river, near where Roath had lost it, and they followed it until they struck the Calamus, where they came suddenly upon the thief. In this predicament they discovered that they were unarmed, and there was nothing for them to do but to return home, leaving the outlaw unmolested.

started home. They passed the night at Swan lake, quite a large and deep body of water. In the morning, as they were about to resume their journey, they saw a boy herding a bunch of about 300 cattle, and they asked the boy to drive the cattle in the lake so that they could see them swim. The boy complied and the herd was soon iu the water, where, being urged on by the boy and the men, they swam out, headed for the opposite shore. The wind was blowing quite a gale, dashing waves in the faces of the leaders, and they turned around to get back to land. This confused the rest of the herd and the whole bunch commenced to swim around in a circle. Fright was soon added to their bewilderment, and in a short time the scene was one which beggars description. The frightened and maddened animals became a rolling, surging, boiling mass, churning the muddy water into foam in frantic efforts to climb upon each other's backs to escape drowning, while their bellowings contributed to the general pandemonium. The men looked on with a species of fascination, riveted to the spot; then realizing that they had been the cause of the catastrophe, they put spurs to their horses and fled, the deafening roar and beUowing of the struggling brutes ringing in their ears all the way to their homes, but were greatly relieved soon afterward to learn that the cattle had come out of the lake in good shape without the loss of a single one.

Upon their arrival home, Pulliam and Roath decided to prosecute their search for the man who had stolen their property. They did not care so much for the value of the horses as they did for the principle of the thing. The idea that a strip of a boy could come down from the sand hills and take five horses out of Custer county at his sweet will was not to be entertained for a moment. They immediately fitted up a wagon with provisions and other necessaries for a journey through the wilderness, and with several good saddle horses, set out once more. The first night found them at T. 8. Northup's ranch, twelve miles west of Brewster, on the North Loup river. This ranch is one of the oldest and best known landmarks in that part of the country. Mr. Northup located in the southern part of Custer county in 1878, but soon afterwards moved to the ranch in Blaine county which bears his name.

From Northup's Pulliam and Roath went up Groose creek in a northwesterly direction, having been joined by a farmer by the name of E. D. Oldham. Thev reached Valentine, where the sheriff informed them that the old man. Wade, and the two Belzador boys had passed through town a few days before with a small bunch of horses, and from Pulliam's description the sheriff thought the Sargent and Roath ponies, at least, were among them. A consultation was held and it was decided to keep on in pursuit of the thieves. Roath was sick from exposure to the weather, which had turned very cola. and the horse he rode left tracks of blood in the light snow that coY^red the ground. But th^se men were inured to hardships from a long life on the frontier, and were not to be disheartened by small difficulties. They left Valentine on the trail of Wade and his companions and proceeded without incident until they came to John Shores' ranch on the Niobrara river, about thirty-five miles from Valentine. Here Roath grew worse and had to lay over to recruit, while the other two kept up the chase as far as the Rolling Springs ranch. Having neither sighted nor heard of the thieves, they concluded that the chase was almost hopeless and retraced their steps to Shore's, where they found Roath much worse. Oldham was sent to Valentine for a doctor, but not being able to procure one, he purchased some medicine and returned to Shore's, where he found poor Roath in a delirium, raving about horse thieves, drowning cattle and irrelevant subjects of all kinds. Pulliam thought it best to return and send Mrs. Roath to her husband, as it was thought he would die. He recovered, however, and believes to this day that his life was saved by the care he received from his nurse, Mrs. Shores, whose husband is now a retired cattle man and ex-senator, and who has a beautiful home at Valentine, Nebraska.

Chapter Ii

It is a wad, bleak day. The thermometer registers almost zero and a dense bank of dark clouds in the northwest portends one of those dreaded storms prevalent in Nebraska known as blizzards. A covered wagon is toiling slowly along in a northwesterly direction against a heavy head wind which comes in fitful gusts that threaten at times to overturn it. The occupants of the wagon are a man and a woman, and they have traveled for several days through a wilderness of interminable sand bills and through intervening vallerg where icy lakes obstructed their progress by compelling them to make large detours. It has been a scene of. dreary desolation and monotony that establishes the claim that this part of Nebraska is a part of the Great Amer^ lean Desert. Not a tree nor even a shrub has been seen to relieve the awful sameness of the scene since they left the North Loup river, and the only signs of life they have seen on the way have been an occasional jack rabbit or w^olf. When in camp during the night the solitude has been intensified by the demoniacal howl of packs of hungry coyotes from the tops of the surround ing hills. But the scene suddenly changes and the wagon comes to a standstill on the brink of a canon that seems to be a barrier to their further progress. x\t the bottom of this cleft in the earth the Snake river winds in and out among rocks and pine trees like a thread of silver. The jagged and almost perpendicular fiides of the canon, rock-ribbed and seamed by the elemental war of apes, are softened somewhat by pine trees which shoot out of crevices skyward to a heio:ht in some cases of seventy-five feet. It is one of the most romantic and picturesque landscape^j in Nebraska, and our travelers gaze up and down long and earnestly, not so much to admire the beauties of nature here bestowed with lavish hand, as to discover whether there be any means of gaining the opposite side of the cleft. Away to the northeast they discern what appears to be a road hewn out of the rock, twisting around huge boulders and dragging its serpentine length up the steep sides of the canon until it emerges on the table land on the other side.

"Yes, ma'am, I think it is, and I've struck a kind of a trail leadin' down the river, and if I am not mistaken the crossin' is about a mile from here We can't get there none to soon, neither, for I think we're goin' to have a blizzard, and I'm not stuck on bein' caught out here in one of them things. When we get acrost this miserable river it won't take us long to make Shores' ranch.''

The rcjider may have guessed that the lady passenger in the covered wagon is none other than Mrs. Veschta Roath on her long and tedious journey to the bedside of her sick husband. What suffering, what privation, will a noble woman not make for the man she loves?

"Gee-whiz I did you ever see sich a road as that?" exclaims the driver, as they come in sight of the crossing. "Whoa, Jane! Ill have to tie all the wheels, or the wagonll git to the bottom afore the horses. Mrs. Roath, it's a good twenty rod to the bottom of this canon; d'ye think you can hang on while we're faUin' down?"

"Ill try, John. I know you are a good driver and I'm sure we ouglit to get down safely if the ranchmen can haul logs up the same road out of the canon."

"Then let 'er go," answers John, as they tilt over the edge of the precipice into the narrow groove that winds into the depths of the defile. Mrs. Roath grasps hold of the bows of the wagon cover, while the driver braces his feet against the end board to prevent himself from being precipitated onto the haunches of his team.

"\\Tioa, there, Jane I Steady now. Bill! By Jimminy, this beats all the roads I ever see, and if any thief ever steals a horse of mine and escapes into this country he needn't think I'll ever foUer him.''

They reach the bottom without accident, and have no diflSculty in finding the ford, which they cross and begin the ascent of the other side. They accomplish the climb in safety and emerge upon the level table land abave.

The snow is falling thick and fast and is driven against the faces of the travelers with a stinging force that makes them wince. A discussion ensues as to the advisability of pursuing the journey, but as their team is almost exhausted and night is at hand, they seek the kindly shelter of a solitary haystack that is seen a short distance away and prepare to pass the night as best they can. The horses are unhitched and attended to, and a very passable meal is prepared from an ample store of cooked victuals in the wagon. Having an abundant supply of robes and blankets, they wrap themselves up and pass the night in tolerable comfort. They made an early start in the mominj^. the storm having subsided, but the traveling being heavy through the snow they did not reach Shores' until 5 o'clock in the evening. Mr. Roath had taken a turn for the better, after thirteen days of raving. A doctor had been procured before the arrival of Mrs. Roath, and the patient was on the fair way to recovery. In a few weeks he was able to get up, when they returned to their home in Custer county.

Chapter Iii

In January, 1884, following the events related in the preceding chapters, Pulliam and Roath had been corresponding with parties in the northern part of the state with a view to getting some trace of the stolen horses. Among the replies received was the following from a place caUed Cam's Bridge, in Brown county:

Roath proceeded to the place named and was informed by Burnham that the bay horse had been sold by Kid Wade to Frank Ellison, who lived at Keya Paha, and that the black mare had been sold to Henry Brockman. The vigilantes had taken both of the horses and had possession of them at. the time the letter was written to Roath, but they had subsequently been replevined by Ellison and Brockman. Roath was induced to have Brockman arrested as an acomplice of Kid Wade, who, thinking he was about to be hanged as a horsethief , compromised by delivering up the horse and paying f 35 to help pay the expenses of the vigilantes. They then went up to Keya Paha and got Roath's bay horse, and after leaving there thought it would be a good plan to return and hang Ellison and see if he would not tell where Kid Wade was secreted. But Ellison got wind of their intention and made his escape. An exciting race ensued, with the vigilantes close at Ellison's heels, but he having shoes on his horse, was able to ride down the bed of a frozen creek, take a short cut and get away from his pursuers. During his stay in Brown county Boath spent ten days with this band of eighteen vigilantes trying to run down Kid Wade and his accomplices. A description of their method of working may be of interest to the reader who did not live here when "Judge Lynch" had a monopoly of the hanging industry.

When the vigilantes found a man whom they suspected of knowing anything of the gang they would hang him up until he began to choke, then let him down and question him. If he proved stubborn they gave him another lift and were not always particular to let him down in time. Upon one occasion they got hold of a man named Allen who was suspected of being pretty close to the thieves. They took him to a barn, adjusted the noose about his neck and then called upon him to tell what he knew about Kid Wade. He protested that he knew nothing about Kid Wade, whereupon they kicked out t:he box from under him and let him dangle in the air about the proper time. ^When they let him down he fell to the ground limp and apparently lifeless. JBEe was laid alongside the barn by his executioners, who seemed to think it <)uite a joke. When they returned half an hour later to get the body they ^Uscovered that the corpse had fled. Allen had regained his senses during "their absence and cleared out to prevent a second hanging. Upon another they had corraled in the postoffice at Cam's Bridge a very innocent mnd harmless-appearing young man of about twenty years of age, who did mot appear to have any more fight in him than a rabbit, but who was sup- 3>08ed to know something about the outlaws and their haunts. How to get lim out of the postoffice where they coi^d catch him was a question. They sent a messenger in who told the young man that Jim Smith wanted to see ilm outside, but the youth apparently understood who wanted to see him and replied: "You tell those fellows out there that they can't run any blazers on me; if they've got any business with me let them come inside.'' Upon the delivery of this ultimatum by the messenger the vigilantes held a consultation and then rushed into the postoffice in a body with their guns presented and cocked. In a second the leader had the muzzle of a double-barreled gun within six inches of the young man's body and had ordered him to throw up his hands. The innocent looking young man obeyed, but his right hand went up with a 44 Colt's revolver in it, which tickled the end of the vigilante's nose before he knew what had hapx>ened.

The two men stood glaring at each other, toying with the triggers of their weapons, and the room was as still as death for several minutes. ReaSO PIONEER HISTORY OF CUSTER COUNTY

The situation was dramatic and promised to become tragic. The men well knew that they could send eighteen fatal bullets into the young man's body, but thev also knew that before one of them reached him a bullet from his revolver would penetrate the heart of their leader. The vigilantes were in a most embarrassing predicament, and much as they disliked it, had to back out of the room leaving the young man master of the situation. The next day Roath was expressing his admiration for the boy's pluck, which somewhat nettled the vigilantes, and they gave him to understand that he had better not refer to the subject again in their presence. That afternoon they met an old gray-headed farmer whom they suspected of being able to give some of the information they sought, and they inquired of him if he knew where Jim Smith was.

Eighteen guns were instantly leveled at the old man and several bullets whizzed so closely past his head that he was almost scared to death. The vigilantes sent two men to a place about three miles distant to get a rope, which they were to take to a clump of trees not far distant. While waiting for the men to return with the rope, the sheriff of Brown county drove up. He was a neighbor of the old man and he prevailed upon the vigilantes to let him go. The vigilantes finally found Jim Smith, took him to a convenient place, adjusted the rope and then said:

Three men were sent to I^emars to have Wade arrested, the \igilantes meanw^hile continuing their work of running down others of the band in Brown county. Sheriff John Ennis of Lemars, and his deputy. Kirk Eld^ who now reside at Anselmo, Custer county, Nebraska, made the arrest. When apprehended Wade had in his possession PuUiam's saddle horse, Frank. The prisoner was turned over to a Nebraska sheriff, but in some mysterious way he fell into the hands of the vigilantes, who took him to Brush Creek and kept him there ten days and plied him with questions. They gave him to understand that he would be delivered over to the authorities, while at the same time they had a canon, and even the tree, picked out to hang him on.

The people of Long Pine had raised quite a large sum of money to help rid the country of outlaws, and the vigilantes concluded to take Wade to that city and exhibit him. Hundreds of people came in to see the show and Wade appeared to enjoy the notoriety he had achieved immensely. He would see some young fellow approaching to look at him and would ask the guard his name. When the young man came up the Kid would say: "Hello, Sam; how are you?" Of course Sam would respond to his name, wondering how the Kid came to know it.

"Say, Sam, where have you been the past year? Don't know me? Why, of course you do. Don't you remember the time we stole that bunch of ponies down on the Platte river three years ago?"

The feUow would grow indignant and deny all knowledge of the Kid or his pony deal. This was great fun for the Kid, who always insisted that he could not be mistaken. He came very near getting his head shot off one day by a young man who could not see any fun in that kind of a joke.

At this place he turned Pulliam's horse, Frank, over to Roath, to be taken back to his owner, telling him to take good care of him, as he might be down after him again. He manifested great affection for this animal, and before Roath left gave an exhibition of a number of tricks that he had taught old Frank. It seemed almost incredible that he could have taught the horse so much in the short space of five months.

From Long Pine Wade was taken to Bassett, a small station on the Elkhorn railroad, and on the night of Febniary 8, 1884, he was left in an old store building in charge of two guards. At midnight a band of masked men appeared, took him away from the guards and hanged him to a telegraph pole. Word went out that Wade had been hanged by some of his pals to keep him from squealing on them. Be that as it may, nobody seemed interested in the matter suflBciently to make an investigation. Thus ended the career of one of the coolest and most daring outlaws that ever infested central Nebraska. His father had been hanged but a few months before for stealing horses and his body shot full of holes by vigilantes, but the charge of horse stealing was stoutly denied by the friends of the old man, and that they took a belt from his body containing |1,000.

While the vigilantes were organized to protect property, there is no doubt but many innocent men suffered at their hands. Kit Murphy and his son of Custer county went up into the northern part of the state about that time and were both hanged as cattle thieves. They had allowed a bunch of cattle to be put in their corral to be branded. The cattle had been stolen by some one, but whether by the Murphys or some one else, was never determined, but the Murphys paid the penalty of the crime, guilty or innocent.

It has long been desired that a history of Custer county should be written. To me has fallen the lot of gathering that part which relates to Douglass (rrove. I could only wish that some more able pen than mine had been selected to draw the picture of the early hardships, the trials, the hopes and the achievements of the people in this township - the first and oldest settlement in Custer county.

In 1873 the unorganized territory west of Valley and Sherman counties was marked on the maps of Nebraska as Kountz county. Some time in this year Mr. H. H. Travis of Loup City was appointed by Colonel Noteware of the state immigration bureau as immigration agent for this territory.

The first claim taken in what is now Custer county was what is known as Oak Grove, and entered in the winter of 1873 by Edward Douglass, who died the following summer at Loup City. For him the town was named. L, R. Dowse followed as the next settler in the winter of 1873; W. H. Comstock settled here in the spring of 1874 with D. J. Caswell, Sam Wagoner, B. D. Allen, James Oxford, E. D. Eubank, C. A. Hale, A. E. Denis and Thomas Darnell. A. A. Higgins came in the spring of 1875 and brought with him a family of twelve, which greatly added to the population of the little settlement. Mr. Higgins was a patriarch in Jesus, a staunch upholder of the teachings of Wesley, and it was under his roof that Elder Lemin, the pioneer of Methodism in Nebraska, preached and held the first quarterly conference in the county.

Frank Ingram bought from the heirs of Edward Douglass the Oak Grove claim in 1875. Oak Grove is a beautiful place. The country around is rough and rugged in the extreme, and known to aU the old settlers on the Loup.

Of Early Davb In Nebba3Ka

Bhaggy bark, Bhowiug that "Buffalo Bill" had camped here in some of his bantiog or Bconting tripa. Opposite the grove were three large piue trees standing four miles back from the river. Two of them were cut in the winter of 1873, taken to I^oup City and sawed into boards, which were taken to Omaha and Lincoln as an advertisement for Kountz county pioneers. In 1880 the last of the three pine trees bad disappeared. They bad stood for years, faithful seqtinetB in the dreary sand bills - a guide for the weary hunter to bis camp. All the early settlers miss that last lone pine, which could be seen for miles on either side of tbe river. None bat a tenderfoot could have destroyed the last remaining relic of early times.

The first cattle ranch in this section was established by Nimrod Caple and Manly, bis son, in 1875, on the head of Spring creek, where bursts forth from the side of a steep hill one of the largest and purest springs in the conntry. Hr, Oaple sold out his cattle and left in 1876. In his departure many a settler rejoiced, for bis cattle were always doing some damage to crops. Mr. Caple always offered to pay, but invariably carried a fifty-dollar bill, which none of his neighbors could ever "bust." He always, in this way, got bis cattle, but the farmer seldom got any pay. Manly Capie was a chapter in himself - a physical athlete, daring and generous, but with an insatiable pasrion for gambling. He was always getting into trouble, and always got out by getting some one dse in. He was afterwards mixed up in the Olive-Ketchum feud and report says finally died at the end of a rope for horse stealing in the far west. The Caples were succeeded by Elisha Taylor and Charles Clayton, who in turn gave place to W. S. Wescott, and what has since been known as the Wescott & Gibbons ranch.

In the fall of 1874 the settlers entitled to vote had to go to Ord, but in 1875 were grafited a voting place for judicial purposes as a part of Valley county. The first postoflBce established in the county was named for Edward Douglass, and Calvin Douglass was appointed postmaster. He failed to quialify, and W. H. Corastock was appointed, thus becoming the first postmaster, and holding the office for over a quarter of a century, or until the past year. A. B. Crouch was the first mail carrier, and made weekly trips to Arcadia on foot, fording the river.

With their inherent love of liberty and intelligence, these early settle rs. with the aid of Oscar Babcock, superintendent of Valley county, organized school district No. 1 in the fall of 1875. with Mrs. E. D. Eubank as teacher. The first sermon was by E. D. Eubank; the first marriage, A. E. Denis and Miss Josie Eubank; the first birth, Alice Dowsee; the first justice of the peace, W. H. Comstock, and before him the first lawsuit. The first assessment of taxes was also made bv Mr. Comstock. whose territorv embraced what is at present Sargent, West Union, Lillian, Douglass Grove, MjTtle, Westerv^ille and part of Garfield. During the winter of 1875 a bill was introduced in the state Legislature and passed both houses bounding a new county west of Valley, twenty-four miles square, to be named in honor of the governor. Governor Garber vetoed this bill, but for two years the county was known as Garber county. The next legislature, in 1878, bounded the present county and named it for the gallant Indian fighter, General Custer.

The year 1876 was the most trying in the history of the township. Kn mors of Indian outbreaks kept the settlers in constant fear. It was during this summer that Messrs. Comstock and Wagoner, having been called to Omaha on a jury, saw in the **Bee'' the announcement of an Indian massacre of the settlers in the Middle Loup valley. They left immediately for Kearney, over the Union Pacific, arrived at 2 o'clock p. m., and started for their home, walking the entire distance of eighty miles in twenty-four hours. They found the settlers from Victoria creek and other points for thirty miles up the river, except Douglass Grove, assembled on Spring creek, just back of Oak Grove, expecting an Indian attack. However, the Indians did not materialize, but what was nearly as bad was a visitation of grasshoppei**! which destroyed every growing crop. Not enough wheat was left for the spring seeding. Yet the people had the sand to stick it through, and the following year were rewarded with fine crops and a big immigration, which made good prices for all they had to sell. As a result of the Indian scare, Fort Garber was built in the summer of 1876, a square fort with bastioned corners, of sufficient capacity to hold all the settlers. A well was dug for water supply. Forty stands of arms were obtained from the government, and a company of state militia organized called the Garber County Regulars, with W. H. Comstock as captain.

Douglass Grove received its full share of the pioneer inflow until 1884, when practically all government land was occupied. The first settler in Dry valley w^as James Wagoner, who settled on what is now the Len Town place in 1878. Frank Muthic took the next claim, followed bv N. W. Alberts, Dewitt Konklin, W. Bener, J. W. Scott, John Campbell, the Amos family, Brumbaugh family, Joe Armour, J. Roth, John Jems, the Twombly family, Worley brothers, Mr. Mattox, Swanson brothers, C. Gollier, A. Kohn, W. Newcomb, L. L. Wood, James Boggs, Mr. Bowers and others who have made Dry valley a neighborhood of permanence and thrift.

The first purely stock or ranch interests, aside from the Caple, were those of M. E. Vandenberg, who located at the mouth of Sand Creek in 1878, where he now lives; the Payne ranch in Dry valley, in 1880. the property since 1884 of S. L. Glover & Sons; the Charley Hill ranch, 1880, on Wagoner creek, occupied in 1883 by Anthony & Warren, but now a part of the farms of numerous settlers.

Not to make too lengthy this paper, and yet do justice to those who helped to make the history of Douglass Grove in its first decade, we mention the three Mickle brothers and their families, the Glazier family, I. C. Buck, John Stewart, the Stevens family, Cleveland family, W. Hudson, Dewitt Comstock, W. S. House, H. H. Mcintosh, H. G. Stockes, J. A. Kenyon, G. E. W^hitcomb, W. D. Hall, J. H. Walton, W. C. Gaddish and W. P. Higgins, who twice has represented the county in the state I^egislature.

As trials and hardships are the common heritage of all pioneers, there is no need to go into the details of what these early sufferers experienced. One or two incidents wiU jwrtray what all were liable to endure. In March, 1878, J. F. Henderson^ from Harrison county, Missouri, settled on Lillian creek. February 27, 1879, he went into Hunter s Shanty canon to cut cedar for fuel and posts. He had nearly completed his day's work when, in felling a twentytwo inch tree it turned on its stump as it fell, in such a way as to strike Mr. Henderson, throwing him down the steep canon side, where he struck on a pile of brush. His left arm was broken in two places, the left hip dislocated and the leg broken below the knee. In this condition, with snow on the ground, he laid from sundown nntil aft^r sunrise the next morning, when he was found by his wife. Unahle to move him iu any way, she went for help to the nearest residence, that of ber daughter. Mrs. James Oxford. It was noon when, with oxen and a wagon, they came back and the bruised and broken sufferer was taken a mile to the home of James Oxford. To get help was the next thing, and remembering that three trappers had been at the month of IJUian creek, Mrs. Oxford started for the camp, two miles away. One man was there, and as she told him of the accident to her father and asked him to go for hdp to the nearest neighbor's on Victoria creek, eight miles distant, the trapper said: "I know how to sympathize with you, for I lost my wife and child in a blizzard." He started on his sixteen mile run, and came baok the next morning with Isaac and Temp Merchant. Temp was diE^tched tor the nearest doctor, haring to go to Loup City, fifty miles down the river. Dr. Hawkins reached the Oxford home Sunday morning, the fourth day after the accident, nnder the influence of liquor, and iucompetent to do the snr^cal work required. Bnnning his hand hastily over the broken leg, he said: "Toor leg is all right, but the arm will have to be amputated." With knife and saw he cot the arm square oft. took two or three stitches from skin to akin across the freshly cut flesh, and said it was all that was necessary for him to do. Mr. Merchant insisted that the leg was broken and must be dreased. With reluctance the doctor roughly tried to put the broken bonea iu place and bound them with splints, then left for his home. Seven months Mr. Henderson lay in that pioneer home, unable to get from his bed, when he was moved to Mrs. Comstock's home. Every settler from Loup City to Victoria creek vied with each other in rendering kindness to the sufferer. Connected with this incident is the pathetic death of little Daisy Oxford, the pet granddaughter of Mr. Henderson. A slender child of eighteen months, she sat at his bedside on the Saturday before the doctor came; rocking forward, she, in some way, caught the bail of the tea kettle, sitting on the edge of the stove, and the contents of boiling water was poured over her head and hands. The little sufferer, under the care of Mrs. Comstock, who had been sent for, lived nearly a week. Mr. Eubank preached her funeral sermon, and then remained four days, expecting to be called to preach the funeral of Mr. Henderson. Mr. Henderson is still a resident of Douglass Grove, intelligent, companionable and with a heart thankful beyond expression to the old settlers who lilled the office of good Samaritan to him in those days. Another incident that speaks of the privations of the pioneer's life and love for his family, was the death of Amett on the Bayh offer place. Christmas was near, and no money to get the loved ones a present. The father took his gun, in which the breech pin was secured with a piece of wire, and went to the cornfield, thinking to get chickens to sell and buy Christmas presents. They found him next day with the breech pin blown through his head.

As a township, Douglass Grove has exhibited a remarkable stability. While Custer county shows a census loss of nearly 2,000 inhabitants, Douglass Grove shows a gain of forty-nine. Probably eighty per cent, of her settlers yet hold their original claims. Strictly an agricultural community, her citizens have constructed an irrigation ditch at an expense of ?20,000. A farmer's club, organized in 1890, has on its list of members over 100 names, sustains monthly club meetings, and has held ten annual institutes. A temperance society, organized in the '80's, still holds monthly literary exercises. There are good churches and abundant common school privileges, a hall for public gatherings, a good roller flouring mill, a route has been mapped for rural mail delivery, which will reach some 125 families, or over one-half the population in the township. Telephone connections reach all county points.

It is fitting that in this brief history special mention be made of the wives of the earliest settlers. Brave and uncomplaining, upon them fell most heavily the unpleasant part of pioneer life. The preparation of food with scant supply of cooking utensils, and sometimes even without a stove. Silent moulders of the future destiny of our tow nship, they are worthy the homage of generations yet to come. To Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Comstock the writer is beholden for much of the data used in this paper. Identified with the settlement from the first, they have preserved newspaper clippings and incidents relating to those early days. Having laid her own little ones away to rest in their infancy, the mother love in woman's nature has expanded to grasp the suffering and sorrow of the entire community, and none know Mrs. Comstock but to bless her for her kindly ministrations in hours of pain and destitution. Worthy is she of the encomium of Master to Mary : "She hath done what she could." The advent of the railroad has changed the old conditions that required a round trip of 160 miles to the nearest railroad town, and Douglass Grove, profiting by past experience, enters on the second quarter century of her existence strong in the assurance of ever-increasing prosperity.

In company with D. J. Caswell I started from Moingona, Boone county, Iowa, in March^ 1874. In due course of time we arrived at Loup City, the metropolis of Sherman county, and which consisted of a log hotel kept by C. Y. Rossiter, and a general store of which Frank Ingram was the owner and proprietor. About this time Frank had some friends who had come to make him a visit. His family consisted of himself, wife, one child and a hired man and hired girl. The house was small and sleeping rooms scarce. But Frank's mind was active and he soon had a plan to help himself out of the difficulty and provide sleeping apartments for the visitors without seriously inconveniencing the family. He went to the room of the hired man and told him that it would be necessary for him to vacate his bed, as he had company that would have to be taken care of. He then went to the room of the hired girl, woke her up and laid the situation before her. He said either her bed or the hired man's must be given up for the company. He didn't like to make one of them sit up all night, but he thought that as the hired man and the hired girl had been keeping company, and intended to get married, anyway, they might just as well get married then and there and thus settle the whole difficulty about the beds. This seemed to meet with the approval of the two parties most interested, and Mr. Ingram, being the county judge, immediately issued a license and married them on the spot.

At Lo\ip City we became acquainted wifh B. D. Allen and Rberman ^\agner. We all started in April 1874. and drove to DouKlasa (irove. where -^we selected our homesteads and commenced to improve them, but just as ^he ears o( corn began to foi-m, the grasshoppers apj>eared and in a few hours ate up every green thing. Uncle Dave had some tobacco plants in -he edge of a draw which was very choice, and anticipated the pleasure of

^^ smoking the weed of his own raising the coming winter. But. alas! his hopes "^^**Te blasted. He covered the plants with anything he conld get. but the "*^^?Btive hoppers eat holes in the covering and chewed Uncle Dave's tobacco as ^- as it lasted. The settlers were left entirely destitute, not having produced thing for the support of themselves and families during the winter. The ^^^overnment at this time had troops stationed at a point about nine miles ^f^bove Ord, the county seat of Valley county, and it had been decided to erect commodious quarters for the soldiers. There was plenty of sand and ^^^ravel and work was commenced on the garrison. The walls were constructed ^af red cedar, of which there was an abundance in the canons not far distant. ~A sawmill was put in operation, and teams were hired to haul the logs and lumber, as well as all other material needed in constructing the fort. The settlers flocked in from all directions and all were given employment by the goTernment.' Allen and myself and Caswell went over. Allen got a job working in the mill, while Caswell and I hauled gravel from the pit and assisted on the walls of the building.

In the spring of 1885 a man by the name of Eberlin, with his wife and a companion by the name of Hancock, started on a hunting trip up the Middle Loup river. When about eight miles above our settlement their attention was called to the peculiar antics of a horseman on the east side of the river. He was riding at a furious pace, coatless and hatless, with his long hair streaming in the wind behind him as he flew along. The hunting party was badly frightened and immediately started back to the settlement, arriving there with their team covered with foam. As soon as they were able to tell a rational story, they reported that they had seen Indians on the east side of the river. Every settler was at once notified, a council held, and a decision reached to proceed at once to make preparations for the protection of the settlement against an attack from the red men. Volunteers were called for to go to Fort HartsutT and notify Captain Munson, the commander, and ask him to send two or three regiments of soldiers down. D. B. Allen offered to perform this duty, while four or five others volunteered to go up the river to investigate the story told by the hunters. All were instmct'ed to ride all night and report at 8 o'clock the next morning. It was laughable to see Ben Allen as he started for the fort, and a photograph of him taken at that time would be a most valuable contribution to this history. His dress suit confdsted of an old pair, of blue overalls, with a heavy fringe around the bottom, he was barefooted, and had on no other clothing except a striped shirt and an old straw hat. He was mounted, bareback, upon an old horse belonging to Mr. Higgins. About eight o'clock the next morning the people met to consult, and hear the report of the scouts when they should return. Soon a sdiitary horseman was seen coming from the direction of the river, and four or five others from the north.

The single horseman proved to be the valiant Ben, and before he was fairly within speaking distance he shouted: "It's all right; General Munson said if we were killed by Indians to let him know and he would come over and give them h !" The other party now rode into camp and reported that they were unable to discover any Indians, but they had found out that the horseman who had frightened the hunters was a half-crazy fellow who lived on the east side of the river. This news was a great relief to the settlers, but they nevertheless decided to build a fort where all could congregate in case of any sudden attack from the savages. The site selected for the fort was in the center of the northwest quarter of section fifteen. A description of this wonderful fortification will be found in the history of Douglass Grove township. It was afterwards named Fort Disappointment, for the peason that no Indians ever appeared in that vicinity.

Lee's Park is a beautiful valley lying one-half in Custer county and onehalf in Valley county. It also lies midway between the Middle Loup and Clear creek valleys. Surrounded by hills and slightly rolling, it contains over 4,000 acres of the choicest land. The soil is a dark loam, and very fertile; capable of withstanding very dry weather, as there is no underlying hardpan.

Lee's Park has always furnished more than its share of farm products for exhibition at the state fair, and especially was this the case in the fall of 1890 when the drouth injured the crops so very much all over the state. At the Custer countv corn show in the winter of 1S91-2 Lee's Park furnished the premium corn. In the early days, when parties from the more southern counties crossed this valley, it was supposed to contain but a few hundred acres of not very good land. It was known that the central part of the valley was a school section, and so but little was thought of its settlement so far from markets. In September, 1874, however, James Lee, seeing this little valley located on a central quarter section of land, and made it his home. The following summer he entered the quarter on which he lived as a pre-emption, and also the adjoining quarter as a tree claim under the old law which required forty acres of trees planted. Although parties often passed through the park, no one seemed inclined to locate. Mr. Lee kept bachelor^s hall in a sod house, and began to subdue the native soil. He evidently succeeded, as his first wheat crop of one acre testified. He obtained from it forty bushels of wheat, which is supposed to be the largest }ield ever raised in the park.

The following spring he continued his operations on the farm, and planted some trees on his timber claim, but the grasshoppers again found him, and ate up his com crop, and also all of his little trees. During these years, as hunters and adventurers passed through, they occasionally stopped at the bachelor's sod mansion, and the fact of his being the only settler, and working with his trees on his timber claim, caused the travelers to name the valley "Lee's Park." Here then this settler dwelt, year after year, in solitude - farming, planting trees, and doing his sewing, cooking and washing. He tried to get others to locate, but no one volunteered. Nearly four years had passed by, and his courage, which had remained firm for years, began to wane, and he at last decided to leave his beautiful half section of land.

And Sbobt Sketches Of E&Rlv Days In Nebraska

About this time, however, Frank Wright offered to locate in the park, providing Mr. Lee surrendered to him his pre-emption, on which was his houae and well. This Mr. Lee agreed to do, and soon after, Mr. Wright started to claim his new possessions. On his way he fell iu with some land lookers who seemed to be headed for Lee's Park, so they went together, and on arriving at

Mr. Lee's, Wright asked for the papers, whirh were immediately surrendered. Soon after, however, this Mr. Wright sold the place for $25 to F. E. Morrison. These land lookers were William and Joseph Murray, who, in February, 1878, took claims in the park, and tlieii- families arrived in May the same year. Soon after this, in March, Benjamin ICnight located iu the park, and returned to his Wisconsin home to claim the hand of his "best girl," and together they journeyed to their frontier home. Fiom this time on, settlers flocked in rapidly, and James Ia-o, no longer solitary, decided not to leave. His pre-emption right, however, being gone, he proceeded to the extreme end of the park and filed a 160-acre piece as a homestead, on the bank of the little stream afterward known as "Lee's creek."

In July Messrs. Overton, Chandler True, Jay Hamlin, George Hamlin, Jr., E. Stephens and William Vanalstine settled. In August, T. J. Johnson and Amos Smith; then followed Parish Freeman and his son Charles; William Hall, Joseph Peacock and James Thompson. In 1879 Edward Knight, Philip Lynch, James Wisely, N, Mehrhoff, Nelson Potter. Sam Minchell, and Mr.

Abel located here. In 1880, Thomas, David and Archie Tod, F. E. Morrison, and James Bradford, also Thomas, John and Sam Beiridge, who afterwards commenced the importation of Enj^lish shire horses, under the firm name of Berridge Bros. They made three importations, among which were some very choice specimens of the breed. In 1881, J. L. H. Knight settled permanently here with his father, Edward Knight, and as this youngster was a lover of fine stock, he early sought an opportunity to obtain some thoroughbred hogs. Hia first purchase was in 1885, and was a Poland-China pig, which cost him f30. Two years after this he purchased three head of shorthorn cattle, and from that time he continued to show his belief in good blood by frequent purchases. He purchased 520 acres of his father and brother in the southern end of the park and named it **Pleasant Hill Stock Farm," where he had choice specimens of Shorthorn cattle, Poland China hogs, and Plymouth rock fowls. Although not confining himself exrlusively to hogs, still he made the raising of fine pigs a specialty, and was often si>oken of as the "hog man.''