OMAHA ILLUSTRATED UliJi!.
The Byron Reed Collection
March 25, 1000.
Visitors to tho Omaha Public Library,
upon turning to ascend tho stairway at the
west sldo of tho cntrunco, will notlco a
bronzo tnblot upon which Is Inscribed:
IN KKCOGNITION OF THE LIBER
ALITY OF BYRON REED, WHOSE
QENEltOUS BEQUEST MADE THIS
BUILDING POSSIBLE AND WHO
GAVE THE PUBLIC LIBRARY HIS
COLLECTION OP COINS, MANU
SCRIPTS AND BOOKS.
Myron Meed, whoso generosity Is thus
commemorated, died Juno C, 1S91, at his
resldonco In Omaha, after n brief Illness, re
gretted by all his largo clrclo of friends and
acquaintances. H0 was born iMarch 12, 1829,
at Darlon, N. Y., and with his parents and
others removed In 1S49 to tho then territory
of Wisconsin, founding tho town of Darlen. In
1835 ho camo to Omaha and after a stay of
a few weeks went to Kansas, where ho ro
mnlnod a year, at tho end of which tlmo ho
returned to Omaha, opening nn ofllco In tho
Pioneer block nnd nnir.iilni? In Mm lunlnncn
or real estate anu conveyancing.
collection Is tho shekel, which Is familiar
to an biblical students.
Tho collection of United States coins Is
complete from tho ilrst Issuo of tho mint to
1891, tho year of Mr. Heed's death, slnco
which tlmo nouo has been added. They cm
braco all tho various coins from 1 cent to
n $20 gold piece. Tho coin of most Interest
In this part of tho collection Is tho $50
slug Issued by a prlvato mint In California
during tho gold cxcltemout In 1849 and
later, which novor becamo a government
coin, but passed for Its faco valuo becauso
It contained $50 worth of gold by actual
weight. Tho $4 gold plcco nnd tho silver
dollar of 1S04, of which there nro only
tour In existence, aro coins that attract
unusual attention.
llooliN, .ViMVNiuiiii-rN ntitl .MiinuHCi-lptM.
Ono can seo tho signatures of men and
women who havo ruled nations and of great
warriors appended to queer-looking docu
ments and letters In tho cases in which the
historical pnrt of tho collection Is presorved.
Theso documents uro vouched for ns the
originals and they look as though no ad
ditional testimony was needed to substantiate
tho assertion. Among tho earlier parchments
nru two written In French and signed by
Charles VII and Louie XII of France, tho
lattor bearing dato of 1193. There Is also a
TTn
" . v. - w wu.i.vuMblllt,) U 'JI1UO- "itHUI ULUI 111 ULIIU Ul llJ. 1 ilUI U IB U1HU 11
pered, but, unllko meet men, ho wa3 not document signed by Napoleon I, apparently
Sntlufl.1,1 tl'lttl llnunMnn nil nf 1. I t t 1 .I..... .11 ... .
...... ui, ui uis iiinu uiiii niiwuui. uuie, niiu a loner wrmcn an i
" ' ' '' '
MEMORIAL TABLET TO BYRON RUED IN OMAHA PUBLIC
LIBRARY.
THE BYUON REED COLLECTION OF
Photo by Heyn.
energies to tho acquisition of wealth. From
his father ho lnhorlted a studious and ob
serving disposition.
His fathor had founded n collection of
raro books, manuscripts, autographs, coins
and medals, and soon after coming to
Omaha tho son began adding to this col
lection, making it as complete ns possiblo
by employing for many years agents in
Now York and Philadelphia, who attended
all sales of curios and bought up coins of
ancient and modern times and other
articles prized by collectors.
After obtaining a collection that at a
fair valuation was worth $75,000 Mr. Rood
decided that In tho ovont of his death it
ought not to bo kept from tho public gazo
or sold, and ho rosolvod to donato It to tho
city. This resolvo ho carried out in his
will, giving tho city all tho raro books,
newspapers and periodicals, manuscripts,
documents, autographs, coins and medals, to
gether with tho property at tho corner of
Nineteenth nnd Harnoy streets upon which
tho public library building Btands, tho con
dition being that tho city should erect a
sultablo library building and set aside space
therein for tho reception and maintenance
of tho collection and permit it to be seen
by tho public frco of chnrgo.
K.vIciihIvu Coin Collection.
In tho cases sot apart for coins 1b ono of
tho most interesting exhibits that can be
found In any city upon tho globe. Syria Is
reprosonted by some ploces cf money bearing
the head In profllo of Antlochus I and bear
ing dato 240 years boforo Christ, whllo
tho head of Ptolmy II appears upon coins
dated 284 years before Christ. Thero aro
Jewish coins of from 135 to 137 years beforo
tho birth of tho Savior and in uso at tho
tlmo Ho was propounding His gospel In
Jerusalem and throughout Palestlno. Theso
lattor coins wero Issued by Herod, Pontius
Pilnto and Agrlppa, who holped to mako
now testament history.
Among other Jewish coins of this era was
n small ono made of copper, which Is
catalogued as tho "widow's mlto." Tho
Roman emperors, Hadrian, Tiberius, Augus
tus, Titus, Vespasian nnd Constantino aro
also well represented, as aro Popes Inno
cent, Benedict and Clemont. Thoro aro
many ploces struck by tho mlnters of tho
English, French nnd Spanish monarchs from
tho tenth to tho eighteenth century and
bearing tho likenesses of those rulers. Many
of tho larger coins nro of gold and sllvor
nnd nro corroded by ago, whllo tho Binollor
coins nro copper and what appears to bo
brass. Somo that aro of undoubted antiquity
nro still bright, causing tho spectator to
wonder how thoy escaped tho tarnishing
finger of tlmo. A notablo coin in the Jowisb
COIN'S, MANUSCRIPTS AND BOOKS
signed by Empress Josophlne, dnted at
Bordeaux, April 20, 1808. Thero is an origi
nal letter by Charles I of England to tho
lord warden of tho Clnquo ports, dated
Juno , 1C39.
Then thero Ih nn original warrant bearing
tho slgnnturo of "His Highness tho Lord
Protector Oliver Cromwell," which was given
at Whitehall, September 30, 1037. Tho name
of Henry IV of Franco and Navarro is ap
pended to a document issued In January,
1593. Thero aro a number of public docu
ments of the American revolutionary period
and also letters bearing tbu signatures of
men who wero conspicuous in tho contest for
American liberty. A veritable curlodlty In
tho original ledger of Georgo Washington,
kept by his secretary, Tobias Lear, In 1799.
It shows that Washington was then engaged
In running n tlllury and llshory nt Mount
Vernon, Vn. Of almost equal Interest nro
two verses of "America," written In 1832 by
S. F. Smith. They aro in tho author's own
handwriting and wero evidently copied from
tho original. There is also an autograph
poem by Robert Burne, sent by tho bard to
his frlond, Provost E. Wrlghntn. Tho lover
of classic- music will 11 ml autograph music
scores and letters written by Beethoven,
Haydn, Paganlnl, Roslnl nnd other famous
composers.
Horace Greeley, ono of tho founders of
American Journalism and who was for many
years conspicuous as n writer, lecturer and
politician, gnvo a friend, In his own chlrog
raphy, a table of contents of his then forth
coming work on political economy. In somo
way this document found Its way into Mr.
Reed's collection and ono of tho young
womon employed In tho library, after many
ovonlngs spent In deciphering tho strango
charactom used by Grcoley nnd with tho nlJ
of a copy of hla book, succeeded In making
a translation, which hnugs bclde tho orig
inal. A copy of Izaak Walton's "Complete
Angler," published In 1C53, Is said to bo of
tho first edition.
Thero nro many medals In tho collection,
nmong them tho fnmous "Waterloo" medal,
which Is as largo as a saucor and boars upon
its obverso tho heads of tho klngu of Eng
land nnd Germany nnd of tho ompcror3 of
Austria and Russia, who formed the nlllauco
thnt overthrew tho power of Napoleon I
THE LATE BYRON
LIBRARY.
nnd caused hint to
bo banished to tho
Island of St. Helunu.
With this aro Crim
ean war medals and
medals Issued by Napoleon ami Popo
Phm IX, together with tho Rubslnu and
Hanover creeses.
Tho books, of which thero aro several hun
dred, pertain mostly to the Northwest Terri
tory mid tho imrly history of tho western
country. They wero Issued between 1780 nnd
1810. Thoro nro several rnro sets of news
papers1 and other periodicals, which servo lo
give tho render an Insight Into 'tho history
nnd mnnner and customs of tho past cen
tury. Friendly Fight
For a Wife
The engagement of Miss Elizabeth Wnun
innker, tho youngest nnd only unmarried
daughter of former Postmaster General John
Wnuamnker, to Norman MacLeod has
brought to light a pretty romance, which bo
gan Just prior to tho Spanish-American
war.
During her rccont stay In Paris with her
bi other Rodman, Miss Wnnnmnkcr received
much attention.
Aspirants for tho hand of Miss Waua
mnkor in this country wero many, relnten
tho New York World. Conspicuous among
her numerous admirers wero thrco Philadel
phia. The trio wero mombors of tho samo
military organization, tho commander of
which Is Barclay H. Warburton, brother-in-law
of Mies Wannmakor. Tho thrco woro
Norman MacLeod, Edgar M. Church and
Georgo T. Nowhall. Tho former comes from
a sturdy Presbyterian Scotch family which
haB made Its abodo In tho Quakor city for
nearly two centuries. Ho Is a dlroct do
scendant of the famous Scotch clergyman,
REED, PATRON OF OMAHA PUBLH
. ' ' ' j
- v;
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMmMMMMMMMMtWMMMMMMMMmm.
wmmmmWmnummmWE-ylmMBM r mm mm- lurnm rcssIB--- IK-jdGHH
ImmmmmmmWtQB&tiMmJILJMmmvBS 1 mml : i mmm v 'j iH' HaiailjH. imm- 4Hk'Jil
HHojy Jjjjl gjjpi
gjj
OMAHA PUBLIC LIBRARY BUILDING.
Norman MacLeod. His father lu Dr. (leorgo
I. MacLeod, n prominent phslcluu In Phila
delphia. Lloutenanl MacLeod was graduated from
tho University of Pennsylvania and entered
tho banking llrm of Drexel &. Co. lie Is now
with tho llrm of William 11. Hurley & Co.,
bankers nnd brokers. Ho Is also n member
of tho Murkhnm, Rncquot, Philadelphia
Barge, Country, Huntington Valley Golf and
University clubs.
When Captain Warburton nssuined com
mand of Light Battery A, Phlladelphla'n
crack military organization, LleutenantH
MacLeod, Church nnd Nowall wero among
tho Ilrst to enlist. All three woro frequent
visitors to tho Wnnnmaker mansion nt
Jonklntown, where Miss Lily Wauanmker
as eho Is usually called was a favorite, her
beauty and accomplishments attracting many
of tho younger oloment to hor.
Tho threo young men woro Inseparable
friends nnd In n Bplrlfof friendly rivalry tbu
lovo fight for tho hand of tho heiress wns
entered Into by them with earnestness. For
a tlmo no apparent preference wns shown
for nny of tho trio. Ench was tho roclplunt
of marked favor and each thought his
chnnco of winning tho girl wns tho best.
President McKlnlcy'H proclamation calling
for volunteers for nctlvo service In Cuba and
Porto Rico brought a speedy nlllrmntlvo re
sponse from tho threo young men. On leav
ing Mount Gretna for Newport News o.ieh
had visions of nn acceptance from Miss Wan
nmakor on his roturn from thu war envoi cd
with glory nnd honors.
Throughout Uio campaign lu Porto Rico
thoso threo young mien performed their du
ties faithfully, us nil tho soldiers lu Uncle
Snm'B army did. On thu return to Philadel
phia Mr. Waimmnker wuh ono of tho Ilrst to
congratulate Captain Wnrburton and his flno
commnnd. Ho wns especially c Tdlal to tho
threo young men, with whom he was well
acquainted, owing to their many visits to his
homo.
On resuming their different vocations In
Ilfo Lieutenants MacLeod, Church and Nuw
hall were nsslduouH In their uttentlons to
Miss Wnnnmnkor. Nowhall was tho first to
givo up tho fight. Ho applied for and ru
celved a commltalon In tho United Statos
army in tho Philippines, whore ho is now
stationed. Tho dunl contest wns continued
by Lloutenants MacLeod nnd Church until
Inst Wednesday, when tho engagement of
Norman MacLeod to Miss Elizabeth Wana
mnkcr wns formally announced.
Lloutonnnt MncLeod, although but 20
yenrs old, bus established a good reputation
nuiong financial men for his shrewdness and
llnnnclal ability, and Is often consulted by
older mon on Important questions.
Miss Wnnnmnkcr is 21 yearH old and hns
been Hplondldly educated, both at homo nnd
abroad. Sho Iiob travolod extensively In Eu
ropo nnd Egypt, nnd Is noted for her many
accomplishments, grace and tact. Sho Is a
beautiful, etately woman, with n (pilot dig
nity which hns mndo her n grent favorite
with overyeno who lias been privileged to
meet hor. Of n naturally retiring disposi
tion, llko tho other members of her family,
sho Is fond of outdoor sports and exorcises,
A Merry Occasion
Indlnnnpolls Journal: "Mlstor," said
Broncho Bob, "kin you toll mo whoro thorn's
a policeman to bo found?"
"Havo you met that party of ruillaus who
havo been discharging firearms nnd torrlfy
Ing tho community?" suld tho citizen, trem
ulously, "I'm ono of tho party. Wo camo In from
Crimson Gulch nnd wo wanted a good tlmo.
Wo wanted n largo portion, nnd wo wnntod
It sorvod quick."
"I see. You havo realized what Is host for
your lawless companions, nnd you wnnt to
hnvo them arrested so they can't do nny
further harm."
"No, Blr. Wo'vo only got started. But
our ammunition's givo out nn' wo wunt to
find somo policemen bo's wo kin tnko their
rovolvers away from thorn."