Lincoln City (part 18 of 19)

Prairie Home on section 12, Stevens Creek Precinct, was laid out by Charles and Betsey Harman and Phoebe Fox. The plat was filed for record February 21, 1891. The Farmers Bank of Prairie Home was established in 1905. J. D. Dasenbrock is the president; Ellen Westland is the vice president; and J. B. Dasenbrock, cashier. The bank has a capital stock of $7,000; a surplus of $500; and deposits of $25,000. The Methodist Episcopal is the only church society in the village.

Princeton was laid out by James and Harriett Kilburn, John and Mary Biron and Sevilla Peter, upon farms owned by them. The survey was made by W. S. King and the plat filed for record July 8, 1886. The community is located upon the Union Pacific Railroad. The Christian Reformed Church was started in 1896 by a number of residents; besides this society there now exists a Methodist Episcopal Church.

Railroad. The town was laid out by T. P. and Lioina K. Kennard and surveyed by J. P. Walton. The plat was filed at the county seat on April 19, 1880. The Bank of Raymond was started in 1901 and is now ofificered by the following: W. J. Weller, president; H. H. Forke, vice president; J. C. Denser, Jr., cashier; B. B. Jennings, assistant cashier. The capital stock is $12,000; the surplus, $3,200 ; and the deposits, $80,000. The Presbyterian Church was organized and incorporated in February, 1881, by John D. Mulvane, Willard Kinyon and L. L. Larimer. The Methodist Episcopal Church had its beginning in 1911, the incorporation being made by W. J. Weller, H. H. Forke, H. S. Weaver, J. M. Nord, T. W. Van Tuyl, J. C. Denser, Jr., S. Yonker, J. W. Bennett and D. F. White. A Methodist society existed here years before, but the above date is the first record of incorporation. The Raymond Review, weekly, is published by the Interstate Company of Lincoln.

Saltillo is a station on the Burlington, located on section 36, Yankee Hill Precinct, and section 31, Grant Precinct. The town was laid out in September, 1872.

The Town of Sprague is located upon sections 27 and 28, Middle Creek Precinct, and was laid out by L. H. Wilcox, the plat being filed for record May 3, 1888. The Bank of Sprague was started in 1910. Following are the present officers: Albert Egger, president; M. Miles, vice president; Frank F. Miles, cashier; William Krull, assistant cashier. The capital is $10,000; the surplus, $2,000; and the deposits, $35,000. The Sprague Booster, a weekly paper, is issued from the Atlas Company of Lincoln. The Presbyterian Church of Sprague was incorporated and organized July 23, 1893, by John W. Taylor, James Andrei, Henry F. Mitchell, William H. Finley, Allen P. Ferguson. M. O. and Chauncey F. Diehl, and Thomas L. Sexton.

Walton is a hamlet located on section 31, Stevens Creek Precinct. The Farmers and Merchants Bank of this place was organized in 1909. T. C. Wilson is president ; FI. W. Mayer, vice president ; and L. A. Berge, cashier. The capital stock is $10,000; the surplus, $2,500; and the deposits about $70,000. Walton is located upon the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

Woodlawn, on section 31, Oak Precinct, was laid out by N. B. Kendall and Charles D. Smith and the plat filed March 29, 1878. In 1902 the town sprang into momentary notoriety by the robbery of the Burlington train near here, $35,- 000 being taken by the bandits.

Other stations in the county, which have no postoffice, nor any community of size, are : Arbor, Berks, Burnham, Cobb, Hawthorne, Pella and Rokeby.

The State Penitentiary

The act providing for the construction of the state penitentiary south of Lincohi, on land donated by W. T. Donovan and G. H. Hilton, was passed by the Legislature on March 4, 1870. W. W. Abbey, W. W. Wilson and F. Templin were appointed prison inspectors, to manage the disposal of 34,000 acres of land granted by the Government for prison purposes and to superintend the building. The sum of $5,000 was appropriated for the construction of a temporary prison, to be completed by the 28th of April. Perkins & Hallowell were the contractors. The inspectors named above advertised for plans and specifications for the penitentiary, fixing the following June as the time of opening. William H. Foster of Des Moines, Iowa, was successful and upon these plans proposals were advertised for, which resulted in the acceptance of those of W. H. B. Stout and J. M. Jamison. The contract price was $312,000 and the contractors completed the building, to the extent of the state contract, in the fall of 1876. The quarries of Saltillo, twelve miles south of Lincoln, supplied the hard magnesia limestone for the walls. Additional cells and more building space has subsequently been added to the penitentiary grounds. The first warden of the institution was Henry Campbell.

Penitentiary Revolts

The first mutiny at the state prison broke out about 4 o'clock on the afternoon of January 11, 1875. The instigator of the trouble was Convict Mc Waters, accompanied by Convicts Bohanan, Worrell, McKenna, C. W. Thompson, Gerry and Elder. Their first step was to surprise and overpower the guard in the workshop. Deputy Warden Nobes was also seized, robbed of his keys, stripped of his clothes, McWatters putting the latter on. Nobes was left in care of three ,of the mutineers, while the others armed with crow-bars, started for the main building. Blacking the sides of his face to represent the warden's whiskers, McWaters marched the four up to the main door in prison style, so that the door guard thought it to be the warden with a file of men, and opened the door. The prisoners sprang upon this guard and then rushed up stairs, broke into the armory and captured guns and ammunition. The deputy succeeded in loosening his bonds without being noticed by his captors, suddenly seized a hoe which was near by, and with a few blows compelled the convicts to flee. They joined their companions in the main building. Their plan was to get into citizens' clothes, obtain arms in the armory, kill the guard in the southwest turret, and just before dark make their escape through the board wall at the southwest corner. But the fortunate escape of the deputy and the alertness of the guards in the eastern turrets defeated this plan. Guns were brought to bear upon the door and the mutineers were unable to leave. Mr. Ayers, who was posted in the northeast tower, saw the prisoners as they marched out of the old prison to the main building. But as McWaters had disguised himself as the deputy warden and as the convicts marched in single file, prison order, he suspected nothing wrong. But when the alarm was given and he saw that the main building was in the hands of the convicts, he stepped down from the tower and sought shelter behind the fence. When the convicts left the door and started for the gate he fired four times, driving them back into the building.

Warden Woodhurst and two of the guards were in the hands of the mutineers. The alarm soon reached the people of Lincoln and many citizens armed themselves and hastened to the penitentiary. Every time anyone appeared at the door of the main building a volley was fired in that direction, which was effectual in keeping the convicts confined there. About i o'clock the next morning Company I, Twenty-third Infantry, arrived from Omaha, under command of Major Randall, and immediately stationed guards around the walls until morning. After the arrival of the troops firing began from the besieged building and was returned by the citizens and soldiers. The soldiers intended to rush the building from the south and charge the convicts in the morning, but when daylight came, and the imprisoned men saw the military, they lost hope. Mrs. Woodhurst. the wife of the warden, had been confined in the main building during the whole night, unable to join her husband who was on the outside. The convicts did not molest her as they held her in great respect. When they decided to surrender in the morning they stipulated that it would be only to her. Mrs. Woodhurst came to a window and told the besiegers what the convicts desired. Accordingly she led McWaters and his gang outside and delivered them over to the law. Mrs. Woodhurst has been given practically all of the credit for her success in persuading the prisoners to surrender without further fighting. Julius Grojean, a guard, was shot in the knee, but this was the only bloodshed.

The Second Revolt

On May 27, 1875, occurred the second revolt at the prison, again led by McWaters, who this time met his death. McWaters and his accomplices had planned this coup for a long time, and decided to kill Kolkow, keeper of the wash house, then Deputy Warden Nobes, after which a general rush was to be made to get possession of the prison. Sixteen men were counted upon. After dinner on Tuesday, May 26th, the time fixed for the uprising, the prisoners were not allowed to leave the main building. But the following day they were marched out as if nothing were suspected of the plot. The guards had instructions to shoot anyone who made a suspicious move. The convicts went to work industriously. John Geary shortly was granted leave to go to a toilet and as he emerged McWaters held up his hand and started for the same place. The two convicts met directly under the guard cage and as they passed McWaters touched Gearv and made a threatening remark. The guard heard the sound of Mc-

Waters' voice and held his gun in readiness. McWaters picked up two stones and was about to hurl one of them at High Blaney, the guard, when the latter fired, the bullet entering McWaters' jaw, severed the carotid artery, and passed out just above the left kidney. McWaters never spoke after the shot. He walked over to Overseer Cochran, about twenty feet away, and fell into his arms where he died. The guard trained his rifle on Geary and the latter, though threatening, went back to work. The other convicts in the yard continued their work, although they might have all mutinied had not the guards taken such prompt action.

The I912 Revolt

The trouble which came to the penitentiary in 1912 started with the stabbing of Warden E. D. Davis by Albert Prince, a negro convict, at the close of the chapel exercises on the morning of Sunday, February 11, 1912. Davis lived until 11.45 that night and then passed away. This stabbing had nothing to do with the subsequent revolt, but came so close to the latter that the two have been associated.

At 2.15 P. AL, Thursday, March 14, 1912, Warden James Delahunty, Deputy Warden Henry Wagner and Usher E. G. Heilman were killed and Thomas J. Doody severely wounded, in a battle with three convicts, namely: Charles Taylor, alias Shorty Gray, alias Murray, alias Rogers, a three-termer, bank robber, serving 28 years, from Aurora ; John Dowd, serving 20 years, from Cass County for burglary committed at Louisville, Neb.; Charles Morley, serving 15 years for highway robbery, from Omaha.

In the afternoon these three men entered the prison chapel on a peaceful pretext. When once there they gathered together and rushed to the office of Deputy Warden Henry Wagner, at the southwest corner of the chapel. Wagner was shot in the breast as he sat in his chair and died almost instantly. In the meantime Guard Doody had followed them into the chapel and as the three convicts turned from W'agner's door they faced the guard's fire. They replied and at the first salvo Doody fell, wounded in the leg. From his position on the floor he fired six more shots at the prisoners who took positions behind three iron pillars. Doody was again wounded and dragged himself to the door. The convicts hurried to the iron cage which barred their way to the warden's office and the outer corridor. Covering Turnkey Pahl with their revolvers Morley and Dowd cleared the way for Gray, an expert in explosives, who soaped the steel lock and blew it with nitroglycerin. They rushed into the turnkey's room and took the keys from him. As they turned Usher Heilman appeared at the door of his office. They shot him in the breast, after which he staggered back into his office. Warden Delahunty had come to the door of his own office across the corridor from that of Heilman and to the right of the hall. He opened fire upon the convicts and they returned the shots. Delahunty received a mortal wound and fell to the floor, where he expired. This gave the three desperadoes a clear path and they hastened to their freedom, facing a blinding snow storm.

They went at once to the home of J. S. Dickman, Twenty-seventh and Van Dorn streets, and remained there until late in the evening. Then they forced one of the Dickman small boys to drive them in a milk wagon to Twentieth and

R streets. From here the trail was lost until ]>ieked up at the Hall house near Prairie ilome. The men had walked to Havelock and stayed in a barn loft there for several hours, then proceeded into the country.

Posses were formed and started to scour the country for the escaped men and a company of militia was placed on duty at the penitentiary to prevent any further uprising. Four days after the revolt the men were traced from Murdock, Neb., where they had robbed two stores. They stopped at the Hall home for shelter, and also at the Blunts. Roy Blunt, a young farmer, newly married, was forced to hitch his horses to a wagon and drive them away. In this conveyance the posse in charge of Sheriff Hyers first caught sight of them after a pursuit of fourteen miles along the road. A running fight ensued, the first to be killed being Roy Blunt, the driver of the wagon and the innocent victim of the bandit party. At a point y/i miles outside of Gretna, northeast, the sheriff' and those who had maintained the pace got within good rifle range of the fleeing men. Hyers stopped his horse, rested his gun on a telegraph pole and ^red. Shorty Gray, the most notorious of the three bandits and the leader, was killed by this shot. Dowd, seeing that his leader was out of the game, placed his gun to his head and killed himself. This left Morley alone and he jumped from the wagon and started back toward his pursuers, with his hands raised in the air in token of surrender. He was taken into custody and hurried back to the penitentiary, with the two bodies of his associates. Morley is now serving a life sentence for his complicity in the revolt. He testified that Gray was the leader of the three and that he had not known of the plot until the morning of the day it was put into eft'ect. Revolvers, explosives and knives had been smuggled into the prison by some outside friends of the convicts. No further outbreak occurred at the prison, due to the strong guard of troops held there.

On Friday morning, March 30, 1912, John Strong, a negro convict, was killed by Thomas Davis, a white convict. The killing occurred just after the morning breakfast had been served at 6.30. This made the eighth death since the murder of Warden Davis in February.

The State Hospital

The State Hospital for the Insane is another of the state institutions located at Lincoln. Prior to the location of this hospital the insane were sent to the asylum in Iowa.

By the act providing for the sale of the unsold lots and blocks ih Lincoln the commissioners were directed to locate near the town a site for a state lunatic asylum and from the proceeds of the sales the sum of $50,000 was to be taken for the erection of a suitable building. Accordingly a site of 160 acres located about two miles southwest was selected and, after having issued the notices required and adopted the plans of Architect D. Winchell, of Chicago, the contract for the construction of the building was let on August 15, 1869, to Joseph Ward, for $128,000. On December 22, 1870, the hospital was opened for the patients. A short time previous to this a small fire occurred and a little damage w-as done to the roof. Doctor Larsh, of Nebraska City, was appointed the first superintendent of the asylum and had twenty-six patients when he took charge.

ground. It has never been determined whether the blaze was caused by accident or purposely set by some person. The City of Lincoln immediately appropriated $4,500 for the temporary care of the patients and this sum was afterwards repaid by the state. The building carried $96,000 in insurance. On June 6, 1871, a bill was passed by the Legislature authorizing a new building which was not to cost over seventy thousand dollars. The insurance almost paid for the rebuilding. Gray limestone from the Atchison quarries was used in the construction. William H. Foster, of Des Moines, Iowa, was the architect of the second building and R. D. Silvers the contractor. The work was finished on October 2, 1872. The original contract called only for the main building and one wing, but the Legislature of 1875 appropriated $25,000 for an additional wing. Additional wings and buildings have been added since.

The State Fair

Every year in September there is held at Lincoln the Nebraska State Fair. Thousands of people from over the state crowd the hotels of the Capital City during this time and witness one of the most complete and best fairs of any state in the country. The fair is well patronized, not only by attendance, but in exhibits of every kind of produce, especial attention being paid to the agricultural and dairy exhibits, the departments in which the state is most strong.

The first fair, territorial fair, was held at Nebraska City on September 21-22-23, 1859. The fairs of 1868 and 1869 were also held there. In 1870 and 1871 Brownville drew the exhibition and in 1872 Lincoln was given the honor for the first time. In 1873-74-75 the fair was held at Omaha; in 1876-77-78 at Lincoln; from 1879 "it'l 1884 at Omaha; from 1885 until 1894 at Lincoln; from 1895 until 1897 at Omaha. In 1898 and 1899 there were no fairs held in the state owing to the Trans-Mississippi Exposition held at Omaha. The Legislature of 1899 passed an act, approved March 30th, providing for the permanent location of the state fair at Lincoln. Under this act the first fair was held in 1900 at Lincoln and has continued annually since this time.

The old Lancaster County Fair Grounds north of the city were purchased, enlarged, and many new buildings constructed. The state fair enclosure is now well supplied with exhibition space and has racing track, amphitheater, coliseum and other appurtenances of a fair ground which compare favorably to any in the Middle West.

Chapter Xxx Miscellaneous

June 9, 1871 - Terrific rain and hail storm at Lincoln, doing nearly ten thousand dollars damage to the town. Cellars all over town were flooded and streets filled.

September 5, 1872 - The B. & M. Railroad brought to Lincoln on a single train 720 passengers, over six hundred of them being from the State of Iowa.

November 21, 1872 - The Lincoln Coal Mining Company filed articles of incorporation. They proposed to mine for coal disclosed while boring for an artesian well. A 43^-foot coal vein was discovered 850 feet under the ground surface.

December 10, 1872 - The mail between Fremont and Lincoln was being carried on foot, due to the prevalence of a horse disease known as epizootic.

July 5, 1908 - Lincoln was again flooded. Salt Creek overflowed and the gas works were put out of commission. Railroads were compelled to suspend business, hundreds were homeless and nine were dead.

(Parts of Garfield Precinct were annexed to Lincoln City in 1906 and igio; a part of Lincoln City was annexed to Garfield Precinct in 1901 and 1906.) Grant Precinct 2.149 1-494 893

( Parts of Lancaster Precinct were annexed to Lincoln City in 1906; parts of Lincoln City were annexed to Lancaster Precinct in 1900 and 1906.)

The first effort made by Lincoln in the direction of a pageant was in 1889, when the Tartarrax Pageant was held in the city. Mr. Robert McReynolds was the originator of this pageant which was held on the Fourth of July of that year.

In 191 5 the Pageant of Lincoln was held on June 5th and was such a success that it is to be repeated each year. The first pageant, 191 5, depicted the early history of Lincoln, the settlement by the salt basin, the founding of Lincoln as the first state capital and the subsequent growth of the city. The idea originated with the Alumni Association of the University of Nebraska, and they sought co-operation of every business in town. The Lincoln Commercial Club aided them very materially and helped to make it a success financially. Two performances were given on the university athletic field and were attended by about three thousand people. A slight rain in the evening threatened to spoil the night performance, but fortunately did not. The book was written by Hartley B. Alexander and the music was composed by Howard I. Kirkpatrick. Robert D. Scott was director of the pageant and Bessie F. Park was assistant director. The pageant was divided into six scenes entitled: Westward Ho!; The Salt Gatherers ; Choice of the Site of Lincoln, June 29, 1867 ; Proclamation of the Capital City, August 14, 1867; Medley of University Life; and The Grasshoppers and After. The pageant was partly symbolical, partly historical. The symbolical scenes were set to music and made free use of allegory ; the historical scenes were dramatic in form, and aimed to be vividly reminiscent of the events of early days rather than to reproduce these events with fidelity. Each scene was divided into three groups of two scenes each. The total cost of the production was $2,800. In 1916 the pageant will be given again, this time dealing with Omaha, the Gate City of Nebraska.

A Pioneer In Lincoln

The experience of Mr. Adam Bax in the early existence of Lincoln is typical of others who were here at that time. Mr. Bax died in 1915, at the time of his death being one of the few pioneers left. Taking up the story of his life after his arrival in Lincoln an article in the State Journal on the date of the Bax golden wedding said :

"Mr. Bax was induced to go into business, and Nelson Brock, at that time a banker at Nebraska City, gave him a loan of $75 to start into the shoe business. 1 le sent the money to a firm in St. Joseph, and instead of sending the $75 worth of stock he had requested, the company sent him $300 worth of leather, and oft'ered to trust him for the balance. Mr. Bax got as much as twenty dollars for a pair of boots in those days, and a good share of the work was done by Mrs. Bax, who helped in the shop. The little shop where they worked was built for them by Robert Bain, at that time the county clerk. The building was 12 feet square, and stood on the rear of the lot where the First National Bank is now located. The rental was $12 a month. From there they moved to Eleventh and O streets, in a two-room house owned by Jacob Drumm. Mrs. Bax had tired of boarding, and accomplished the moving unknown to Mr. Bax. She made an excuse to have him go to the new location, where he found his evening meal awaiting him. There were only two rooms, and this was to be the shop and home. Mrs. Bax at one time kept seven boarders at this place. They paid $30 a month for this house.

"George Ballentine offered to furnish the lumber to Mr. Bax for a shop to be built on the lot two doors west of the southwest corner of Tenth and O streets. This he did, Mr. Ballentine accepting his entire account for lumber in shoes. Mr. Bax built up a good trade in a short time, keeping one part of the shop for the seven or more workmen, and the other for stock and sales room.

"About this time the Legislature of Nebraska voted to send three men to Germany as emigration agents. Mr. Bax was chosen one of these, his salary to be $200 a month for two years. Nelson C. Brock provided the funds for the tickets with which Mr. and Mrs. Bax started for his old home in Germany, leaving on April 15, 1871. Mr. Bax was exceedingly homesick one day when seeing the stars and stripes floating at a Washington's birthday celebration, and he decided to return home, which they did not long after.

"On reaching Lincoln he bought a shop on the lot where the south wing of the Lincoln Hotel now stands. South of him was a grocery store of Torry & Reed, and north of him at the corner of Ninth and P was the Graham saloon. One morning he came down to the shop to find it was leveled to the ground from fire, together with the other two business places in the block.

"Mr. Bax then went to work for C. Ji. Parker, who was in the tombstone business. He traveled to the country districts taking orders for work, most of the customers being homesteaders. From this he went to work for W. A. Dogget, selling sewing machines, and later for the Davison, Shamp & Co., implement and machine business.

"About this time a syndicate of Lincoln men was organized to give work to the convicts at the penitentiary, starting a shoe factory. The company was composed of A. J. Sawyer, N. S. Harwood, Sam McClay, R. H. Oakley and Mr. Fisher. Mr. Bax was engaged to take charge of this shop, and had a gang of twenty-three convicts working under him.

"Mr. Bax left this position to become one of the first mail carriers of Lincoln. There were five carriers, the others being William Gillespie, John Simmons, Mr. Whitmore and Mr. Tarbox. The work laid out for Mr. Bax was to make two deliveries of mail each day, and to gather up the mail from the boxes over his district and bring it to the office before 6 o'clock each morning. His route was bounded by Salt Creek to the west, twentieth Street East, and. from G Street to the city limits south, beyond South Street. His salary was $850 a year. Mr. Bax would not work under a democratic administration, so when President Cleveland went in the front door of the White House, Mr. Bax stepped out the back door of the postoffice. He was then appointed the carrier of the mails between the state house and postoffice, which position he held for ten years. Then he was for seven years the assessor for the fifth ward in Lincoln.

"One of the incidents in the life of Mr. Bax was the starting of the German Methodist Church in Lincoln. The first Nebraska Legislature in the year of 1869 donated three city lots for the German Methodist Church at the corner of Fifteenth and M. There was no German Methodist Society and no German who was a member of a Methodist church, except Mr. Bax, who was connected with the St. Paul's Church. Governor Butler called on Mr. Bax and insisted that he should huild the church, and that it must be done before July ist, in order to retain the lots, which would revert back to the state if not occupied by that date. The governor offered to contribute $125 as a starter to the building fund. Colonel Cropsey volunteered a donation of $120; Tom Kennard. then secretary of state, gave $75; John Gillespie, auditor, contributed $50. These were all voluntary contributions, the men understanding the value of having churches in the community, and even if there was no German organization they were willing to contribute toward a cause that would tend to bring settlers to the community. The presiding elder of the Methodist Church was appealed to to find a German preacher, and enough interested people gathered together to complete an organization. Mr. Bax went over to the east side of the 'square' and by buttonholing his friends and acquaintances, he got the promise of just $840 for the new building.

"There were no buffalo in this part of the state when ]\Ir. and Mrs. Bax came. There were great numbers of antelope, and one morning Mr. Bax counted a herd of sixty-two on the hill which is now Franklin Heights. There were also a great number of prairie chickens and quail.

"Mr. Bax filed on a homestead in his earlier years. His wife and a young woman held the place as their residence, while Mr. Bax was working at the shoe trado in Lincoln. The homestead was six miles from the present site of Germantown, in Seward County. The nearest neighbor was seven miles away.

"In recalling the boom in city property, Mr. Bax tells a story about Charles Morrasey, who purchased for $14 a corner lot at Seventh and S streets. He was ridiculed and joked to the limit. As he made his appearance among his chums he was greeted with a noise imitating the frogs. At that time these particular lots were under water. In less than a year, however, Mr. Morrasey sold his lot for nearly five hundred dollars. About this time Tom Robertson offered lot No. 2 in the block where the Rudge store now stands to Mr. Bax for $300.

"Airs. Bax claims the honor of making the first American flag which was unfurled to the breezes in Lincoln. The material for the flag was bunting, and was furnished to her for sewing by the Grant and Tanner Club Society, in the year 1868. The flag was twenty-one feet long, and the stars were placed in such a way as to form one big star."

Animals In Early Lincoln

It is said upon good authority that the growth of the new Town of Lincoln was so rapid during the first few years of its existence that the wild animals which had occupied comfortable quarters upon the site could not accommodate themselves to the presence of civilization and ventured to remain with the hope that the mysterious enemy might leave, but which hope generally resulted in the enrichment of the fur dealer's business.

Deer, wolves, and many smaller species of animals were captured and killed in the Town of Lincoln as late as 1872. Simon P. Benadom was a fur merchant of Lincoln at that time. In the winter 1871-72 he went East with a stock and returning, found that Rich & Oppenheimer had bought a quantity of furs. He immediately bought these and also another batch of Simon Kelly, who had traded a few casks of whisky to trappers on the Blue River for the pehs. Besides this trade in animal pelts Benadom shipped inside of two months 16,000 each of prairie chickens and quail to New York, each bird in a frozen condition. In 1868 Benadom killed about fifty deer upon the present plat of Lincoln, also about twenty wolves. Deer were especially plentiful in the Salt Creek bottoms.

An Early Club

One of the most successful and energetic of the clubs of early Lincoln was the Red Ribbon Club, which was organized by John B. Finch in November, 1877, at a place on the east side of Tenth Street, four doors north of N. For years the meetings were held in what was known as the Red Ribbon Hall at the corner of Twelfth and M streets. The roll of membership grew to large proportions, fully seventeen thousand persons being members here and in the state at one time. The purpose of the club was to help the moral condition of the city and to do charity and rescue work in general.

Reference has already been made to the jjioneer hotels of Lincoln, the Pioneer, the Cadman House and the Atwood House. In 1869 a Mr. Wilson constructed a store foundation on the southwest corner of P and Eleventh streets. Tliis site was sold to James Griffith, who in turn disposed of it to Cropsey & England. This firm passed the property over to Doctor Scott, who completed a building there and opened a drug store about 1869. In 1870 he converted the building into a hotel, which was managed by John Douglas and was called the Douglas House. The house continued under this management until November, 1873, when J. J. Imhoff bought it, called it the Commercial Hotel and enlarged it. The business of the hostelry increased rapidly and the building was again enlarged and made three stories in height. It became the political headquarters of the state and a general meeting place for the citizens. In 1886 C. W. Kitchen bought the place and changed the name to The Capitol Hotel. He managed it until May i, 1887, when Edward P. Roggen became the landlord. This hotel continued for some years as the leading hostelry and is still operated, although in recent years it has ceased to have the popularity it once enjoyed.

The next hotel was Opelt's, at Ninth and O streets, which was completed by 1880, having been built by J. S. Atwood. At that time it was one of the largest hotels in Nebraska. It was then named the Arlington. The next hotel to be constructed was the Windsor, first called the Gorham House, located at the southeast corner of Eleventh and Q streets. This hotel was erected by T. F. Barnes in 1884, and was opened January 5, 1885. by Gorham & Brown. This hotel, when Iniilt, was a notable addition to the city. The Windsor has in recent months been renovated and placed under an incorporated management and is now regaining prestige and popularity which was suffered to decrease for a number of years.

The Lindell is one of the leading hotels of Lincoln at the present time. The site of the Lindell has been a hotel location for about forty-eight years. In 1869

J. N. Townley opened a boarding house there, which was managed by John Douglas for a short time. The property passed through various hands and finally was bought by Doctor Hoover in 1885, who removed the old frame to one side and erected a brick structure the next year, two years later enlarging it again. The Lindell Hotel at present enjoys the distinction of being the political headquarters for Lancaster County and most of the state. It bears the same reputation in this respect as did the old Capitol Hotel in its palmy days.

Flood Of August, 1 889

On Monday, August 12, 1889, and a part of the following night an extremely heavy rain fell in Lincoln and nearby territory. The water began to gather in the vicinity of the basin on Monday and rose rapidly all the night. Before Tuesday morning all of the lowland was practically covered, land where hundreds of families lived in their cottages. In many of the homes water was three feet deep. Many of the people were marooned in their houses, not being able to find the way along the submerged streets and paths to high ground. On Tuesday morning rescuers were at work and the unfortunate people transported to high ground. For the most part the people were poor and the question of food, clothing and shelter for them was a perplexing one. During the day Mayor Graham and other city officials threw open the Park School House to the refugees. By evening of the 13th the water had reached the highest point and then began to recede, requiring most of the week, however, to regain its normal height. Fortunately, the weather was pleasant during this time and it was comparatively easy for the people to renovate their homes and dig them from the mire and refuse caused by the flood waters. No lives were lost, but quite an amount of property ruined. The railroads also suffered from the deluge, both the Union Pacific and Burlington requiring several days to get their trains running. The water did not quite cover the crown of the pavement at Seventh and N streets, but the paving blocks were displaced and had to be repaired. In point of property destroyed this flood was the worst Lincoln ever experienced, but there have been several times when the water was higher. One flood was in 1868, one in 1869, 1874, 1887, 1892, 1902 -and 1906. The water of 1902 from Salt Creek reached the highest point of its history.

Territorial Representatives

The following were the men who represented the district of which Lancaster County was a part in the Territorial Legislatures: Session of 1856: L. Nuckolls, councilman ; J. M. Latham, William Kempton, J. D. N. Thompson, house. Second session, 1856: S. M. Kirkpatrick, councilman; John F. Buck, William Laird, J. McF. Hagood, house. Regular session, 1857: S. M. Kirkpatrick, councilman; W. M. Slaughter, H. C. Wolph. Broad Cole, house. Regular session, 2d, 1857: S. M. Kirkpatrick, councilman ; E. A. Donelan, T. M. Marquett, L. Sheldon, Joseph \'an Horn, house. Extra session. 1858: E. A. Donelan, council; William R. Davis, William J. Young. T. M. Alarquett, R. G. Doom, house. Regular session, 1859: John H. Cheever, council; J. N. Stephenson, W. S. Latta, W'. R. Davis, Samuel Maxwell, T. M. Marquett, house. Regular session, i860: T. M.

The only lynching which ever occurred in Lancaster County was on August 23, 1884, at about 4 o'clock P. M. The victim of the mob was Luciano Padillo, a Mexican, formerly employed at Mrs. Southwick's boarding house in Lincoln on the site of the present Globe Laundry building. The crime for which he was hanged was the assault upon little Anna Grange, a fourteen year old girl, living in the vicinity of Burks .Station, Highland Precinct, Lancaster County.

On the afternoon of August 16, 1884, Padillo walked through the country and met young Anna Grange who was in quest of plums in the nearby wood. The Mexican accompanied the young girl and later committed the crime for which he paid the greatest penalty just a week later. A few days afterward he was arrested at Beatrice, Nebraska, and brought to Lincoln and lodged in the jail, until he could be brought to trial. On Saturday, August 23d, Sheriff Melick received word that the young girl was dying and that it would be advisable to bring the culjirit to the Grange home in order that he might be identified - the Mexican in the meantime having stoutly denied his guilt. Shortly after noon, Sheriff Melick boarded the train with his prisoner, accompanied by Chief of Police Beach. Judge Parker and Professor Bluehdorn, intending to proceed directly to the girl's house and return upon the east bound train at 3:30 P. M. After traveling a few miles by rail someone suggested that it would be safer to leave the train and resume the journey in another manner. This suggestion, apparently a good one, was acted upon and the party left the train at Denton, with the exception of Judge Parker, who went on to Burk's. Melick, Bluehdorn, Beach and the prisoner procured a buggy and a team at the farm of Maxey Cobb and started to the Grange home. Again, after traveling a short distance, they decided that the buggy was too conspicuous. The horses were unhitched, Melick mounted one and placed the prisoner on the other, and the two continued upon their way, leaving Bluehdorn and Beach at the point where they had abandoned the carriage. Melick and Padillo had not gone far when they met two men, mounted, who inquired where the prisoner was, and turned their horses to accompany the former. In the meantime Judge Parker had reached the Grange home and, not having seen any suspicious persons in the vicinity, dispatched a messenger back along the road to meet Melick and his party and to inform them that the coast was clear. . When they had about reached the Grange home four men rode up, on horseback, and demanded the prisoner, remarking that their purpose was to hang him. After parleying for a short time all of the men started back to the point were Beach and Bluehdorn were waiting, all the time under guard of the "mysterious horsemen" who were bent upon having revenge upon the Mexican. Upon the way Sheriff Melick noted men in numbers in several directions, evidently watching them, and awaiting the word to seize the prisoner. In a last effort to save his man he whipped up his horse, also the Mexican's mount, and there ensued a chase of several miles. The horses upon which Melick and his prisoner rode were common farm nags and were not sufficiently strong to withstand many miles of the grueling pace. By the time they had reached the place where Beach and his companion were waiting they were exhausted and the pursuers caught up. Three of the horsemen remained with the party and the fourth rode to the top of a hill and gave a signal, whereupon fifty or sixty horsemen appeared upon the scene from every direction. Again Sheriff Melick tried to plead with the men, but they were obstinate and demanded the person of the prisoner. Realizing that his efforts were futile Melick released the handcuffs from the prisoner's wrists in order that he might have a last chance for his life, which was a mighty slim one.

Suddenly five men jumped upon Sheriff Melick and downed him, a like number having taken care of Beach. The Mexican was taken into custody and all started for the Grange home, leaving the sheriff and his friends without horses. Melick luckily discovered a pony, upon which he mounted, and rode fast enough to reach the girl's home before the lynchers came. Padillo was brought before Anna Grange and after several dubious answers she positively identified him as the assailant by a scar upon his left arm. This established his guilt in the minds of all present. The lynchers immediately placed the condemned one in a lumber wagon and started for the timber.

They traveled to the identical spot where just a week before the Mexican had committed his dastardly crime, placed a rope around the limb of a tree upon the edge of the creek bank, and pushed the Mexican over the edge of the slope. Here, upon the limb of the same tree imder which he had assaulted Anna Grange, Luciano Padillo expired in the hangman's noose. The scene of the hanging was on what was known as Cheese Creek, in Highland Precinct, sixteen miles southwest of Lincoln, and one mile from the B. & M. Railroad.

Padillo's body was cut down the next day and brought to Lincoln, to Mr. James Heaton's undertaking parlors. It is related that the Mexican, despite the enormity of his crime and his degeneracy of character, went to his death and expiated his deed without flinching. He was gritty to the end. Efforts were made to discover his relatives, but were not successful, and his body was turned over to a medical college. The young girl, Anna Grange, was not expected to live, owing to knife wounds upon her body, but after several days of doubt she survived.

Crimin.Al Cases

Lincoln and Lancaster County have been remarkably free from brutal murders or complicated crimes, and resultant criminal trials, but there have been a few cases of this type which have attracted a great amount of attention. Perhaps the most notable of the murder cases in thecounty was known as the Sheedy case.

Sheedy, the victim, was murdered, or struck upon the head, from the result of which blow he later died, in January, 1891. The case had many ramifications and complications, most of them not of the character to be written into the story. Mary Sheedy, the wife, and a negro. Monday McFarland, were the suspected ones and were indicted and brought to trial. The negro was thought to have struck the blow and the wife to have been the one who hired him to do it. Other people were implicated, but not in such a way to stand trial. The case was begun in the courts on May 12, 1891, and on May 29th the jury brought in the verdict of "not guilty." It is presumed that the defendants were guilty, but sufficient proof could not be found. This was the last of this case.

Perhaps the next important case which ever occurred in Lancaster County was that known as the State of Nebraska vs. Quin Bohanan. the latter charged with murder in the first degree. On March 3. 1882, the defendant was arraigned and pleaded not guilty, and on June 5th the trial was begun. On the 9th the jury brought in a verdict of "guilty" of murder in the second degree. Bohanan was sentenced to life imprisonment. Bohanan was kept in confinement, pending an appeal. On January 4, 1884, a mandate came from the Supreme Court reversing the lower court and remanding cause for new trial. .\ change of venue was secured and the case taken to Otoe County, at Nebraska City. Here the defendant was again found guilty, this time of murder in the first degree, and was sentenced to be hanged. Quite an interesting technicality of law was brought up, owing to the fact that the lawyers for Bohanan claimed that another court could not sentence a man for a higher degree of murder when he had previously been sentenced to a lower degree. The higher courts finally decided that the second trial, in this and every other case, was independent of the first and that when the new trial was begun the verdict of the first jury was entirely set aside and void. This ruling is now a statute of Nebraska law.

Another celebrated case was the Montgomery-Irvine trial. Irvine was a real estate man and Charles E. Montgomery was the president of the German National Bank of Lincoln. Ir\ine believed Montgomery to be in league with his wife and followed him to several places in the country to convince himself of the fact. Finally he appeared in Lincoln and shot Montgomery, while the latter was seated at a dining table in the Lincoln Hotel. On October 13. 1892, the case was brought into court and continued until the 24th, when the jury decided that Irvine was not guilty of the crime as charged. This ended the case.

On April 23, 1889, a meeting was held at the council chamber at the corner of Tenth and Q streets, at which the Old Settlers" Association was organized. Mr. A. J. Sawyer was chairman of the meeting and J. P. Hebard, secretary. A committee, composed of N. S. Harwood, M. Tower, A. ]. Sawyer, A. W. Field. Levi Snell and S. C. Elliott, were appointed to draft a constitution for the association. The members of the association planned and held a big celebration at Cushman Park on June 19, 1889.

The formation of this association is chiefly interesting because of the personnel of the membership. A list of the early members will be found to contain nearly all of the settlers who came to this county and began the development of

In 1889 Mr. T. H. Hyde, editor and founder of the Lincoln Daily News, compiled a list of business and professional men who were engaged in business prior to 1875 and continued at that time. This list follows:

Chapter Xxxi John W. Prey

Could you look back to June, 1856, you might see a canvas top wagon, to which was attached a span of horses at the pole and a yoke of oxen in the lead, wending its way along buffalo trails and crossing imbridged streams. Its objective point being the Valley of Salt Creek, Nebraska, then a part of the great American desert. Its occupants, the pioneer settlers of what is now Lancaster County.

In the spring of 1856 my father, John D. Prey, a Scotchman by birth, accompanied by myself, John W. Prey, started west from Milwaukee, Wis., to seek a location, expecting to locate at or near Council Bluffs, la. We went by boat to Chicago, from there by rail to Alton, 111., and from there by steamboat to St. Louis and Council Bluffs. At the latter place we fell in with Zebediah Bufifington, who, with his family, were also seeking a location, his conveyance being a good span of horses and wagon. With him we concluded to travel and crossed the river to Omaha. Here we purchased an ox team for which we paid $105. They were placed ahead of the horses and a start was made for the Elkhorn Valley. On our arrival there, finding that section of the country too much occupied and hearing that there was a large body of timber on Salt Creek, south of the Platte, we headed this way, and entered Lancaster County from the north and on the night of June 15th struck camp on Salt Creek about three miles south of where the City of Lincoln is now situated.

At that point we found a rude log house that had just been erected by some land hunters from about Plattsmouth, among them James Cardwell, Simon Thrapp, a man named Whitman and others, seven in all. We had met them on their way out, as we were coming in. They had been staking out all the best claims from about where the Village of Hickman is now located north along Salt Creek to the salt basins. We supposed these people would soon become permanent residents, but found later that they only held their claims for sale.

Mr. Buffington took a claim on Salt Creek about one mile north of where the Village of Roca is now situated, remained a short time and returned East. Our claims were located in what is now Centerville Precinct, on the west branch of Salt Creek. The claim of John D. Prey was on section 34 and John W. on section 24. We also staked out claims for my four brothers, Thomas R. Prey's being on section 25. After we had filed our claims, my father returned to Wisconsin for the rest of the family. I remained with Mr. Buftington and during the absence of my father assisted him in erecting the log house. The first Fourth of July we spent on the American desert was in cutting and hauling logs for this cabin.

The family arrived July 26th. The first move to be made then was to build a bridge across Salt Creek to enable us to get to our claims, which was a short job for seven strong and hardy pioneers, and was completed in one day. We next set posts in the ground, around which was stretched common muslin ; a roof was formed of brush and hay, and our first temporary dwelling on section 24 was complete. This answered for a shelter for the family from the sun and the rain for a period of six weeks, during which time we completed our first log cabin and had put up a considerable amount of hay. By the time winter set in we had secured for ourselves reasonably comfortable quarters.

The winter of 1856-7 is known the country over as the winter of the deep snow. The first three days of December were probably the most severe days of blizzard ever experienced in this section of the country. \V'hen the storm was over the snow was over two feet deep in the timber and the draws and creeks were on a level with the high s^round.

Game was quite plentiful at that time. Our meat during the winter consisted almost entirely of venisor, and wild turkey, which were easily captured on account of the severe cold and the extreme depth of the snow.

The following spring quite an addition was made to the neighborhood, .\mong the settlers were J. L. Davison, Joseph Weeks, John G. Haskins, James Goodwin, C. L. Bristol ancl others. John Davis, a bachelor, also located on the creek about eight miles sovjth of the present site of Lincoln. He made his brags that he would shoot an Indian before he left Salt Creek. One day, very uncalled for, he resented the entrance of two marauding Pawnees, and killed one of them. This aroused the wrath of the Indians, and the settlers made a quick trip to Weeping Water and Missouri River points, without stopping to pack up their belongings. A few weeks later, on their return to their claims, they found that three u'jiles north of Prey's the Indians had rifled, breaking and destroying anything they could not use. Clocks were torn to pieces and scattered about. The conte;nts of straw and feather beds could be found strewn all over the prairie.

VV'e left our claims, and upon our arrival at Weeping Water we found several settlers there from all sections of the country. jNIajor Downs from Nebraska City was acting as military instructor. After a few days scouts were sent out, wh;o encountered one lone Indian, who was brought in as prisoner of war. Jo.bn W. Prey and two others were stationed guard over him, and were instructed to shoot without mercy if any attem'pt was made to escape. In the evening, however, the fellow made some desperate efforts in that direction. Seiveral shots were fired, none of which took eli'ect. It was then discovered that ou'e man had been standing guard without a load in his gun. The Indian escaped, noiiie the worse for bad marksmanship of the guards.

the excitement had subsided and the settlers began to feel a desire to return to their claims, Cicero L. Bristol and myself were delegated to precede the return of the others and see if the coast was clear for their return. This we clid and after a dav and a half walk we arrived at our destination and found that there were no Indians in the country. Ten days later, on our return from a short hunting expedition, we were surprised to find about our house a large company of Government surveyors, sitting about, smoking their pipes and making themselves generally at home. During that summer, 1857, they surveyed this section of the country and remained until late in the fall.

In the spring of 1859 the Indians were quite troublesome. One Indian was shot that spring by a man named Garritt, about two miles southwest of the present site of Sprague. Farther down the creek considerable trouble was experienced. The settlers succeeded, however, in routing the Indians, driving them clear to the Platte River, and obliging them to swim" the stream to get away.

In July, 1859, a band of Redskins came through our section. At our house there was no one about except my mother, my brother David, then about sixteen, and my youngest sister. Rebecca, then about thirteen. The girl was badly frightened and tried to conceal herself in a wheat field. She was soon discovered, however, and taken by the Indians, who started away with her. Mother, however, had sent brother David down the creek about one mile where four men were at work, to notify them that their assistance was needed. Seeing the girl taken by the Indians, mother concluded to accompany her. They were headed down the creek toward where the men were working. They had proceeded not to exceed a quarter of a mile when they discovered the men and the boy returning. The Indians, seeing they were about to be resisted, allowed the girl to accompany her mother home, and the Indians went their way.

Charles L. Retzlaff

In the fall of 1858 Joseph Gilmore and wife, Robert Farmer, Henry Pettit and myself fitted out three wagons, consisting of three yoke of oxen to each wagon, in Walworth County, Wisconsin, and started for the "American Desert," then the Territory of Nebraska. It took seven weeks to make the trip, ivhich was filled with many incidents of hardship. The streams were then unbridged, and at nearly every one of them we were obliged to swim our oxen and considered ourselves very lucky many times that they were not drowned. We crossed the Mississippi at a small town above Dubuque and got along fairly well uOtil we reached the Skunk Bottoms in Iowa. These were crossed in what is now Jasper County. They were wide, muddy and covered with water for a distance of nearly three miles. Our route we picked out by means of a boat, one man going ahead and sounding, sticking stakes, with rags or grass on the to]), wl?ere it seemed most safe.

One of the early pioneers of Jasper County, in speaking of this route acrc)ss the bottom says: "In 1859 this same road was lined from morning to niglit, week in and week out, with Pike's Peakers, and during the entire season the bottoms were almost impassable. The amount of real sufi^ering they caused is almost beyond human understanding. If you will go to Denver, Colo., and attend the meeting of the fifty-niners you will be sure to hear some horrible stories of misery and sufifering while crossing the Skunk Bottoms." We succeeded in crossing, however, only to encounter other obstacles almost as bad.

At the Des Moines River, at Ft. Des Moines, our cattle were carried by the current and landed about one-half mile below our starting point. The Missouri

River was crossed at Plattsmouth on a ferry boat. After crossing the "Big Muddy" we remained for a few days about Plattsmouth, and then pushed farther west, our objective point being the Valley of Salt Creek.

We struck Lancaster County on the old Mormon trail and stopped at Salt Creek just above where VVaverly stands, and where we found a shanty inhabited by John Loder. The prairies were broad and barren of trees and as void of settlement. Nearly every pioneer coming from the east thought he must have a claim with some timber, therefore most of the early settlers located along the streams. We spent some time in this locality looking for suitable location.s. Joseph Gilmore located near Loder's, making some improvements the following spring, where he remained for a few years and went to freighting for a Air. Porter from Plattsmouth to Denver. Robert Farmer also located near Loder's and made Lancaster County his home until a few years ago, when he removed to Kansas. Henry Pettit remained in Plattsmouth for a number of years, then took land in Lancaster County, buying out the Captain Donovan claim. After a few weeks' stay here, I came up to the mouth of Stevens Creek, and gave $50 for a claim of 160 acres, the east one-half of the southeast quarter of section 5, and the west one-half of the southwest quarter of section 4, buying it from a man named Brown. After placing two logs for a foundation for a cabin, I filed my claim and returned to W'isconsin. During the winter I was married, and the following spring, accompanied by my brother Carl, Peter Gardner and John Lemke, I again started West to establish a permanent home. On our arrival here my companions, not finding timber enough in this section, located in dift'erent parts of the state, my brother at Table Rock and the others in Pawnee County.

We supposed when we first took our claims here that we would have the use of them for at least a year or two before they would come into market. The following year we understood they would soon be on the market, and many of the settlers, not possessing money enough to buy land and make improvements too, the latter suffered very materially. Our first crop consisted of a few potatoes, some melons and pumpkins. In the spring of i860 our land not having been sold from us, we made some substantial improvements. I broke out seven acres and planted it to corn, chopping it into the sod with an axe. This crop was an entire failure owing to the dry season. I succeeded, however, in raising a four-acre patch of wheat that went sixty bushels to the acre. Fifteen bu.shels of this was traded for corn, which we had ground into meal. This, with our wheat, furnished out breadstuffs until the follov;ing crop, prairie chickens supplying us with meat.

Indians were plenty in those days, but all were friendly. The only thing I ever knew of their doing was to kill a neighbor's cow, which they cut to pieces and carried away. We had one Indian scare in 1862, when it was reported that the Indians were going to drive all the whites from Nebraska. Many of the settlers left their homes and went to Nebraska City. I loaded my rifle, a single shot affair, after which I felt secure from a thousand redskins, remained on my claim and never saw an Indian.

Now that we have ourselves located we will look around a bit. (hir market place was Nebraska City, our mill at Weeping Water. It would take five days to go to market and three days to go to mill. These were some of the disadvantages

August I, 1869, found the writer with his wife and two small children in Greenwood, Neb., doing grading on the B. and Al. Railroad. After viewing the beautiful prairies that surrounded us, we concluded that Nebraska would eventually be our permanent home. I tried to induce some of my Eastern Iowa friends to come to the same conclusion, but, as they were reasonably well fixed at their homes, they declined my kind invitation. I left Greenwood, which was then simply a camping place, September ist, for, I knew not where. Our conveyance was a mule team and wagon. On arriving at Lincoln, which was then a town of about seventy houses, we concluded to stop and find what we could learn. I met a man by the name of Elijah Hull, and after explaining to him that I was looking for a range for cattle, he informed me it was not necessary to go outside of the bounds of Lancaster County to find good land, and plenty of range, and invited me to call at his house which was then on section 20, in what is now Little Salt Precinct. The following day we started for his place and on our way there we stopped at the house of Alva Brown. His wife, after finding out what we were in pursuit of, informed us that if we wished to raise cattle in that location we would not make a mistake, but in general farming she believed we would starve to death, as it was considered then that no grain could be raised outside of the valley land in Nebraska. We followed Oak Creek and found Seth Linderman and Silas Pratt living where the Village of Raymond is nov; situated. Further on we found Ezen Tullis on the farm now owned by Willard Kenyon. We stayed that night with a man named Laymond ; that was the first night I ever stayed in a dug-out. We resumed our journey the next morniifg and on crossing the divide between Oak Creek and Little Salt we got a grand view of the latter; not a house or a living thing in sight. The creek was skirted here and there with cotton-wood, ash, box-elder and plum thickets, an ideal place for stock raising. On arriving at Mr. Hull's we found them located in a large dugout. We traveled three days looking for land, located the north half of section 20, 12, 6, and returned to Lincoln. In November I went to Plattsmouth for lumber. On my return I found that a claim had been taken on section 8 by Joseph Carter and a small shanty erected. Another claim had been made on section 28.

My shanty was completed in Deceniljer and when we moved in the floor, which was Mother Earth, was considerably frozen. When the fire was made we soon had a mortar bed to walk through. This became dry, however, in a few days. That winter I spent in cutting and hauling wood, which I borrowed from the B. and M. Railroad land, and which has not, to this day, been returned. There were plenty of deer and antelope at that time, but as I was not a successful hunter very little of my time was spent in hunting. The following year I succeeded in raising twenty acres of wheat and ten of oats, but when harvest time came we were entirely out of eatables and only a $2 bill in the pocketbook. How to secure the necessaries of life for a time was a question. This, however, was again solved by again borrowing a cord of wood, which was hauled to Lincoln and

My first trip to mill was in October, 1870. I loaded forty bushels of wheat and started at 3 A. M. That night I became lost on the prairie and slept under the wagon. On my arrival at Milford the next morning, I found the mill with plenty of grain to grind for six weeks. I then drove to Camden, where I found I could get my grist ground within the next ten days. I borrowed 100 pounds of flour and returned home, having spent three days on the trip.

In 1872 we had a fair prospect for small grain; corn, however, had suffered considerably by the drouth. About the 1st of August the grasshoppers came by the multiplied millions, which sounded like a train of cars and in such dense clouds as to obscure the sun. Most of the wheat was in the shock but was damaged very materially by these pests. No pen can thoroughly describe the trouble they caused. They would fall into the well in such quantities as to render the water unfit for use, and apparently in no way could you guard against their ravages. Cottonwoods two and three years old would be bent to the ground by their weight.

The winter of '73 and '74 was a trying time for the settlers. It was a problem to obtain the necessaries of life for both man and beast. Horses were fed their grain by measuring it out with tin cups instead of peck measures. The crops raised in those days, if they could be set beside the crops of today, would give the present generation a much better idea of the hardships passed through, than can be given in a pen picture.

William Krull

The traveler, in passing through Centerville Precinct and seeing the large and well managed farms, commodious houses and barns, churches, villages and schoolhouses, and all other things which make life a pleasure, never fails to receive a favorable impression of this section of Lancaster County. The present condition of the precinct, however, is not a matter of luck, Init it is the fruits of many years of persistent hard labor, combined with hardships and sometimes of untold hard suffering, which was endured by the pioneers, the present generation following up with energy and zeal, assisted with modern machinery.

In the year 1863 the parents of the writer of this article cast their lot among the settlers of Centerville Precinct. The quarter section taken by Frederick Krull, as a homesead, is still the home of his widow and part of the family.

From 1864 the emigration from the East became steady. They came from Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri, mostly from the two latter states. Many only stayed one or two years, and packed up their few belongings, which in every instance was less than it was when they came, and returned East. Many more would have left but were too poor to get away. It required more courage than a great many of them possessed to stand up under the hardships which they had to bear. The country was a wild wilderness in which deer, antelope, wild cats and catamount roamed in abundance. \Miite men were scarce, while Sioux Indians were plentiful. Houses were a thing unknown with the exception of an occasional log hut. The others were dug-outs. One would hardly question, under these circumstances, why the people should become disheartened. My father constructed his dug-out in the middle of December, but did not get it quite finished, when on Christmas Day a heavy shower of rain filled it with water to the depth of a foot. That night it turned bitter cold and in a short time the water was frozen solid. There was no thought of finishing the digging until the following spring. There was nothing left to do but move in as It was, so on the 7th of January, 1863, in the most severe kind of winter weather, the family, which consisted of father, mother and two small children, moved into their humble quarters. Rude as it all seemed, they had the satisfaction of knowing that it was their own home, something they had never possessed uj) to that time. Listead of springs and a comfortable mattress to sleep upon, they covered the ice in the dug-out with hay and a few old blankets, and spent their first night without a fire, a night never to be forgotten. The sufifering was intense, for all the clothing that could be spared was given to the children. In thinking back over it now they say, "It seems like a long, miserable nightmare." The following day a fireplace was built in the corner, and by keeping a good fire they managed to get the ice warmed up enough so that it could be broken up in chunks and carried out. The following spring the dug-out was completed and served as a shelter for the family for over seven years, when they began the construction of the present house, which was built entirely of limestone. The stone was quarried near Roca and two years elapsed before the stone was on the ground ready for the building. All the lime used in its construction was burned by my father. He had no thought of buying anything which he could make himself, as money was scarce and all other building material must be hauled from Nebraska City, nearly sixty miles distant. There were only two loads of lumber used in the entire building and that was the only material that required a cash expenditure. The poorest grade of lumber cost at that time from seventy-five to ninety dollars per thousand.

Let us go back to the days of dug-outs and consider some of the hardships endured. It must be said that the wives and mothers sufi'ered as many hardships and, in many cases, more, than the men. It was only too often that they were, from necessity, left at home alone with the children ; their greatest fear in those times was of Indians. About twice a year the men would go to Nebraska City for supplies and the mail, for it was also their postoffice. At those times it seemed the Indians invariably made their apjiearance, and the fear that was experienced by those left at home is beyond description. About one-half of the male population in the neighborhood would go to the city at the same time. It was not considered safe for one or two men to attempt the trij) alone, as any small squad of Indians could have overpowered them. On the other hand, the more that went on those trips, the weaker was the force which was left at home. It was often hard to decide which was better, to take or leave the strongest force.

It was in the latter '60s when the Indians seemed the most hostile ; all the white settlers were continually ready to fiy for their lives at a moment's notice. The team of our family were not unharnessed at one time for three weeks. No one thought of undressing when going to bed as it would occupy too much time to get ready for flight in case it was necessary.

Next to the Indians, prairie fires were most to be feared. Many were the poor settlers who saw the fruits of several years' hard labor go up in flames in a few short hours. One family named Bouten, who had their (hig-out near the north line of section 26, had all that they possessed destroyed in this manner. The lady, with her little six-hour-old baby boy, was removed in all haste to a log hut about a mile distant. The child survived the shock but the mother died a week later.

Another great obstacle in the farmer's way in those days was to market his produce. It must either be taken to Nebraska City or sold to freighters. The north line of Centerville Precinct is a portion of the old freight road between Nebraska City and Denver. The freighters were the fellows to sell to, but their coming was a little uncertain. Settlers often took garden stuff, corn, oats, wheat, pork, etc., and hauled them as far as Fort Kearney. The prices received for them were always very satisfactory, but the going and coming recjuired a week's time.

Advancement made rapid stride until the latter '60s and early '70s, when there came a shock from which recovery seemed next to impossible. The grasshoppers at this time made their appearance, and in the west it looked as if a heavy thunder shower was coming up. The sun was entirely hidden from view and as they came over and fell vipon the ground all vegetation disappeared in a few hours. Large and small trees were soon stripped of their leaves. Clothing that happened to be out was devoured by them. They were so thick that a B. and M. train was stopped by them near Hickman. Their crushed bodies were like so much grease on the track, which caused the wheels to slip and the engine unable to do its work. Not only did they destroy the crops at this time, but deposited their eggs, and for the four years that followed it was almost impossible to raise anything. The little hoppers were on hand to take the crop as soon as it peeped through the ground. The spring of the fifth year, 1877, was very wet and the grasshopper was exterminated. Corn was worth at this time 95 cents to $1.50 a bushel. One farmer in Centerville Precinct mortgaged his best team to pay his hired man. The good years that followed placed the people on better footing and the grasshopper years became a matter of history.

Going to mill was a trial to the early settler. For a short time there was a mill at Beatrice, which soon burned down, after which all milling was done either at Ashland, Weeping Water or Milford. Weeping Water seemed to be the favorite place. At these places the grinding was on the principle of '"first come, first served," and many are the instances the settlers relate of being obliged to wait from a week to ten days for their grist, oftentimes their lunch baskets running low. Mr. Crozier, Mr. Her and Mr. Krull had at one time an experience of this kind, and for several days subsisted upon bread that they received from the miller's wife by chopping wood for it, and on the legs of bullfrogs caught out of the stream. During this experience their families at home fared equally poor as provisions were low there also. My mother and the children lived for over a week at that time on nothing but roasting ears.

The first death in Centerville Precinct was a girl from a family named Brown, who lived on the north half of section 22. She was buried a short distance from the house on the banks of a small stream. As there were no cemeteries in those days, nearly all burials were made on private ground. This girl is still resting where she was first placed. On the northeast quarter of section 26 three children were buried in the early '70s, one of which still remains where it was placed.

On the southwest quarter of section 13 three bodies are buried, and it is doubtful if there is any one Hving today who knows the exact location of these graves.

The first election was held in a little log schoolhouse located on the northeast quarter of section 22 in 1866. Prior to that time there were hardly enough men in the precinct to comprise an election board. There were many hardfought battles in and about that little schoolhouse, the republicans coming out victorious each year until 1890, when the populists gained the day.

The first church organization was made by the German Methodists in 1869. They soon built a small church on the northeast corner of section 21. In the early '80s it was taken down and replaced by a fnore commodious structure. In 1874 the German Lutherans organized with a large membership and built a large and handsome church on the southeast quarter of section 35. In 1891 the Presbyterian denomination built a church on section 28. In 1900 the English Methodist Episcopal organized and used the schoolhouse in District No. 85.

In the early days the education of the youth was sadly neglected. For a number of years there was but one small log schoolhouse in the entire precinct. Today, however, there are five, well equipped and well attended.

The first settler in what is now Elk Precinct was Chester Crawford, who took a homestead in the northeast portion of the precinct in 1864. That fall Charles Crawford took a claim adjoining on the west branch of Oak Creek. They usually remained on their claims during the summer season, but in the winter would take their teams and go to some point on the Missouri River to secure work and earn money enough to tide them through the next season. This they followed for about three years. In 1872 Charles Crawford sold his claim to Doctor Anderson, who was the first practicing physician. Other early homesteaders were Mr. C. Reason, W'm. Breeden. W. Deagon and F. Payne.

In the early part of 1857 James Riddell and wife, accompanied by three other families, came to Nebraska and located claims about twenty miles south of the salt basins in what is now Centerville Precinct. Here they erected log houses, broke small patches of sod, in which they planted corn and potatoes. That fall a trip was made to Nebraska City, sixty miles distant, to obtain provisions. As there were no roads and the streams were yet unbridged, much time was spent in making this trip. On their return, to their dismay, they found that their corn and potatoes had been appropriated liy the Indians, who had also killed and stolen most of the settlers' cattle. Later all of Mr. Riddell's stock was taken but one span of horses and one yoke of oxen. On account of the loss by the Indians and the fact that fever and ague were prevalent, most of the settlers left their claims to go to Missouri River points, traveling by night to avoid the redskins.

In March, 1865, James Riddell and family removed to Nebraska City and for a time was engaged in buying and fitting out freight teams to cross the plains to Fort Kearney. The same year he took a homestead in Lancaster County, four miles south of Lancaster, in what is now Yankee Hill Precinct, on Salt Creek.

For the harvest of 1867 he went to Nebraska City and purchased a comhincd McCorniick reaper and mower. This machine did all the reaping and mowing in the county that year and was oiled with butter.

Farming in those days was not very lucrative; the grain when threshed was too far from the market; everything must go to the Missouri River, and from there by boat to its destination. On this account very little grain was raiseil, most of the settlers turning their attention to stock raising.

Wild game was plentiful when they first came to Nebraska. Antelope were numerous, and deer and wild turkey were also to be seen. The coyote and catamount were also in evidence. Mr. Riddell, not enjoying the sport of hunting, allowed his neighbor, Redman, who was a good marksman, to do the shooting while he did the hauling of the game to market, which business at times was quite profitable.

On the northeast quarter of section 2, at an early date, was found a large pile of stone supposed to have been placed there by Indians as a landmark of some kind. Later on the settlers drew the stones away to make use of them for building purposes. The last of the pile was taken by F. Payne, J. Barten and W. W. Riddell. After the stones had been removed they discovered that a hole had been dug and in it were the skeletons of four horses and six white men.

Township 12, range 7, otherwise known as Rock Creek Precinct, is one of the most wealthy and populous townships of Lancaster County. It receives its name from the little stream that crosses it from the northwest to the southeast, which in turn received its name because of the stony deposits near its source in Saunders County. The surface of the eastern portion of the precinct is generally undulating, gradually growing more rolling and broken toward the west. The soil throughout is rich and fertile. The population is industrious, thrifty and prosperous. The Irish, Danes and Swedes predominate. These different nation- .alities have grouped themselves together into separate settlements and a review of the early days of the ])rccinct most naturally clusters itself among the pioneers of the different groups.

Because of its distance from any of the railroad lines that first crossed the western prairies, Rock Creek cannot boast of as ancient history as some of its sister precincts, but what it lacks in age is made up in progress and development.

To the Irish undoubtedly belongs the honor of first being on the ground. A little company of the thirfty sons of Erin arrived as early as 1868 and settled in what is now the northwestern portion of the precinct. Among them were Michael O'Connor, John Dooly and Michael Davey. Also Robert McCartney, Burris Crawford, J. E. Shotwell, Samuel Kline, James Meyers. James Riddell and \Mlliam Looch.

During the following years the little company of pioneers was reinforced by William Drinkwater, Warren Hallet, M. L. Trester, Jack Croy. John Wilcox, A. E. Willard, Horace Taylor, John Truell. F. Truell, S. M. Clark and Peter Melick, several of whom are still residents of the precinct.

arriving in 1870, and took up homesteads in the southwest portion of the precinct. Among those were John Johnson, Alexander Knudson, Rasmus Johnson, John Olson and Henry Hanson.

The Swedes were the last to arrive, but have steadily increased and spread until now they outnumber any of the other nationalities. The first of these light-haired sons of the North to take up their homes within the boundaries of Rock Creek were the three Warner brothers, John, C. Y. and S. G. They shipped from Alton, 111., to Omaha, by rail and from there overland to their destination, the trip taking three days. They brought with them all their earthly possessions, which consisted of three horses, a cow, "one pig and an old wagon, some lumber and a few tools. On the 13th day of March, 1871, they pitched their tent on what is yet known as the S. G. Warner place, and two of them have ever since been residents of the precinct and all of them residents of the county. They set to work at once and in a few days had dug a cellar and erected a shanty 12 by 18. In 1872 this little settlement was added to in the persons of Peter Asplund, C. A. Ruddeen, Carl Anderson and some others who came in a year or two later.

The history of these early settlers, Iri.sh, Danes and Swedes alike, is very much the same as other frontiersmen in different parts of the state. It is the same story of privation, suft'ering, labor and disappointment on the one hand; pluck, enterprise, hope and success on the other. The nearest towns were Lincoln, Wahoo, Waverly and Ashland. There were no roads and the streams were yet unbridged. The pioneers, as they went to market, selected their own way across the prairies and forded the streams. Corn sold in Lincoln for fuel and the price fluctuated with the temperature. A load on a bright, warm day often sold for the price of a cheap pair of boots, $1.50.

While we have so far mentioned names of early men, let it not be forgotten that the faithful, loving and loyal wives played their important part in the settlement also. Their industrious hands provided the family with clothing and from the wild fruits gathered on the prairies prepared most appetizing delicacies. Often it fell to their lot to guard alone the little home while the husband and father was far away earning a few dollars wherewith to purchase the necessities of life.

All of the early settlers were not fortunate enough to have the help of a faithful wife. Many were young men who braved it alone. The first of these to bring a young bride into the precinct was J. M. Meyers.

Some of the early births in Rock Creek w'ere Lena Meyers, Hattie and Julia Crawford, Charles Asplund, Allen McCartney, Hulda Warner, Selma Anderson, Frank D. Eager and S. J. Warner.

The first political meeting in the precinct is recorded as early as 1871. This meeting was held at the house of M. L. Trester. Judge S. B. Pound. M. M. O'Connor and Colonel Philpott appeared as speakers. In preparing for the meeting a flag pole was raised and a messenger dispatched to Lincoln to purchase a flag, but none was to be had. He secured some red, white and blue muslin, however, and Mrs. Trester made a flag and the feeling of patriotism was given an opportunity of expression.

The first precinct election was held in 1870, the polling place being the residence of Mr. Denton, one-half mile west of the Cameron School. Eleven votes

A daily stage passed through this section from Fremont lo Lincoln in iHfig, and in July, 1871, the first postoffice in the precinct was established on the southwest quarter of section 18, and was named Enterprise. M. L. Trester was the postmaster; J. G. Ncsbit, assistant. A salary of about one dollar per month was paid. An average of from two to three letters per day constituted the mail.

Religious matters have not been neglected in Rock Creek. Its seven churches are indicati\e of the devotional character of its people. Public services were held in the precinct as early as 187 1. The first church was St. Patrick's in 1876. The charter members were Edward Mealy, John and Timothy Finnegan, John Mara, Michael O'Connor, Patrick McGeer, Patrick Dorr, Michael Brady and John Enright. Father Pyrne was the first priest.

The English Methodists erected a church in 18S8, which, in 1891, was sold to the Catholics and known as St. Mary's. Michael Davey was one of the main pillars of that organization. The Danish Lutherans began work in the fall of 1875. Rev. T. F. Heilman ]ireached his first sermon at the house of John Olson, on section 20. From that time on regular services were held in the schoolhouse in District No. 81. In 1891 a church was erected at a cost of $1,100. The organizers and chief workers of this church were Hans Louis, Andrew Hanson, Louis Christerson, and F. G. Everson. The latter served as chairman of the building committee. In the fall of 1890 another Danish Lutheran Church was erected at the X'illage of Davey and is known as the Danish Lutheran Mission. The charter members were Alexander Knudson, Peter Jacobson, Hans Larson, Henry Hansen, Andrew Hansen, James Larson and Gilbert Knudson.

The first Swedish church services were conducted by Rev. S. G. Larsen at the home of Warner brothers in 1872. From that time on Swedish pastors of various denominations visited the settlement, preaching in the different sod schoolhouses and at residences, but not ttntil 1882 was there any church organization perfected. The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Church was then organized, with C. A. Ruddeen, John Holmquist, John Warner, John M. Samuelson, S. G. Warner, E. Greld, ,E. V. Noren, C. A. Johnson, J. A. Johnson and C. G. Gustafson as charter members. Andrew Halmer was the first pastor of the church, which was erected in 1882 at a cost of $1,100. In 1888 a parsonage was erected and N. A. P.lomstrand served as the first resident pastor. He was followed by F. A. Slaberg, who served eight years. In 1901 Rev. E. Wallis took charge and the same year a $5,000 church was erected.

The North Free Mission Church was organized in 1885 with Peter Asplund, C. W. Johnson, S. W. Warner, Peter Erlandson, E. Grell, and John Sandstrom as charter members. A church building was completed the same year on a lot donated by Peter Asplund.

The Swedish Methodist Church was built in 1894 at a cost of $3,000. The first pastor w^as A. R. Melin. Charter members were S. G. Warner, Peter Peterson, Fred Anderson, August Anderson, E. Grell, H. Miller, C. W. Johnson and Peter Swanstrom.

In 1887 the Elkhorn Railroad was built through this precinct, and the Town of Davey located within its borders, named in honor of Michael Davey, on whose

Township 12, north range 8 east, now called Mill Precinct, was formerly a part of Camp Creek, which was composed of what is now Mill, the east half of Rock Creek and the north half of Waverly. Camp Creek was formed by an act of the board of supervisors April 14, 1864, and so remained until after Nebraska was admitted as a state in 1867.

In 1865 a man named Atkinson, with his sons, located on the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section 35. in what is now Mill Precinct and erected a sawmill on the east side of Rock Creek. This little mill supplied the early pioneers with lumber to erect shanties on their claims and proved a boon to them. The Atkinsons soon after erected a grist mill on the west side of the creek, with one set of burrs. This was a very primitive afl'air but was capable of grinding all the grain the early settler could raise. This mill also proved a great benefit and was patronized for miles around.

The old Pike's Peak Trail passed through Mill Precinct. It came into the township at the southeast corner of section i, and ran diagonally through the section, intersecting the trail from Rocky Ford, just over the north line of the section in Saunders County. The trail was traceable for several years through the growing crops, the last trace being obliterated in 1902.

In 1869 the B. and M. Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad had been granted every alternate section of land ; with this and the homestead law, which was then in eft'ect, emigration set in in earnest. May 20th, J. L. and R. B. Graham settled on section 21 and commenced the erection of a grist mill, consisting of two runs of burrs. A rock dam was put in, which was the only safe crossing place for teams for several years. R. B. Graham afterward sold out and removed to Lincoln. The mill jiroperty was sold to J. E. Bundy.

A. N. Owen settled on the north half of the southwest quarter in pioneer days. Other pioneers were S. Parks. George Sherman, J. H. Sherman, J. W. Stewart, E. E. Lowell, J. R. Noren, N. V. Noren, J. W. Kelley, Mrs. J. Snyder, W. J. Nordstrom, J. F. Reiner, Byron Clark. I. N. Strawder, John Vosler, H. M. Almy and J. R. Long.

For several years Graham's Mill was a polling place for the precinct. Later a schoolhouse was erected one-half mile west of the mill, which was used for election purposes.

Vast has been the change in Mill Precinct since the pioneer first located within its borders. Instead of unbridged streams and Indian trails, the township is supplied with many miles of graded roads and good, substantial bridges, great credit for which should be given G. W. Welton. Rural mail routes place the daily mail at nearly every farmer's door in the precinct. Large dwelling houses of modern style are dotted over the diflfercnt farms. The wealth of the county has increased proportionately.

County in the fall of 18(15, taking a homestead on section 23. He is a native of England and came to America in 1849, ''"'l served during the Civil war from October, 1S61, to the fall of 1865.

Mrs. S. A. Jessup

On the nth day of May, 1868, my husband, Menry Jessup, with myself and two small girls, left our native state and started west to establish a home on the great rolling prairies of Nebraska. We left Erie County, Penn., on Monday and arrived over the Northwestern Railroad in Council Blufi's the following Friday at 4 o'clock P. M. The next morning we were ferried across the Missouri River at Nebraska City and by noon we had a man engaged with team and wagon to take us to our claim or ranch, as we afterward termed it. I will never forget that ritle. I have enjoyed many a one since, but never one equal to that. As far as the eye could see was a great sea of waving grass, sprinkled with wild flowers of nearly every color. We arrived at our destination at i o'clock the following day, which was six miles southeast of Lincoln. My fatherin-law, Phileste Jessup. was there waiting for us. The house on the homestead was sod, 16 by 16. There was not a tree in sight; just the bare prairie, but I don't think that any one could Ije happier than we were in what we called our home.

Prairie chickens were here in abundance and occasionally antelope could be seen in the distance. It was not long, however, until they disappeared entirely. The coyote, however, was very much in evidence and succeeded many times in making the nights hideous.

C)ur first crop was twenty acres of corn that yielded twenty-five bushels to the acre and one acre of wheat that yielded thirty bushels. The wheat was taken to the Rock Creek Mill. The miller remained up all night to grind the grist so that an early start might be had for home the following day. This furnished our breadstufTs for one year.