1 he Omaha Sunday Bee
PART III.
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THE OMAHA DEC
Best & West
PACES 1 TO e
VOL. XXXVI NO. 4.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 10, 1W,
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
JACOB WEBER PRUSSIAN REBEL AND NEBRASKA PIONEER
How a Boy Bora Amid the Romantic Scenes of the Bhine Valley Finally Pound His Way to Nebraska and Became a Factor in the Building Up of a Great Commonwealth.
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rHE village of Whorm. Germany, li romantically situated la
one of the beautiful valley of the Rhine. The few house,
built along a single, narrow, crooked street, are of an
ancient style of architecture. Built of stone, with sagging
tile roofs and wooden shutters, they look as though they
were weary with ace and a surfeit of experience. They look like
old people whose day Is past and who find no pleasure In the
frivolities of a new generation. The Rhine province is today pop
vlous and active in industry. But the Rhine province In history
has been a rtage on which some of the greatest of the drama ot
the world have been enacted.
In one of these old. sleepy-looking houses a pioneer of Dougla
courty was bora. It eeems almost sacrilese to Juntp from that
romantic country wlih a history of centuries to the newness o.f
Nebraska. April 9. 133. there mas much visiting from the several
houses of Whurms to a certain sag-roofed house where' there was
a new baby. The child was Jaf-ob Weber, who has been a resident
of Florence, Neb., for more than fifty years. His father was a
farther of a few acres of the beautiful country around the village,
Well might the crooked old houses look sleery and wearied,
for they had witnessed great things In their day. They had seen
mighty armies sweeping over the country. They had witnessed the
conflict of men for centuries. The Rhenish rrorinee abounds In
history and legend. Only a few miles away is the city of Bingen,
whence came that great soldier who, in the poem, "lty dying la
Algiers." To the east He Frankfort. To the north fifty miles is
Cologne with its great cathedral. Brussels, Paris and other cities
of world importance are within half a day's journey. The boy grew
up In the little village, playing in the narrow streets or venturing
out into the broad fields and sometimes down to the swimming
hole In the Rhine. (Think of having a swimming hole in the Rhine.)
But there was one spot toh'.ch the village boys never ventured.
On an island in the river a few miles to the south stood a ruined
castle, its crumbling battlements covered with the growth of cen
turies. This, it was whispered, was "where the rats chewed the
bishop." -The boys might venture upon the island, but they always
gave the castle a wide berth. In hushed voices they told each other
the terrible story of how the Bishop Hatto in the year SI 4 receive!
h.s Just deserts. That was the year of the great famine. No one
had food except the blshep, whose granaries were full of corn. The
people begged him for enough to sustain life, offering him anything
in return. Finally he announced that on a certain day he would
distribute corn to all who gathered in his great barn. The people
rejoiced and gathered in crowds. When all were within the barn
the bishop locked the doors and set the barn afire. Then he went
primly back to his house. Horrors! as he entered his home he saw
s number of rats gnawing a picture of himself Trom its frame. He
turned away in terror. The rats followed him. He ran shrieking
to the river. Looking back from time to time he could see a great
army of rats, thousands of them, pursuing him. He leaped into a
boat The rats followed, swimming in the river. Gaining tie castle
he shut himself into the tower. Sharp teeth were at work in a mo
ment on the stout floor and soon the little black sverjers came
pouring through, sprang upon the hapless bishop and devoured him.
Early in a Rebellion
)fc Young Weber was to get a taste ct the turbulent romance of his
Cirthplace. He was hardly 16 years of age when the great period
of unrest which had settled upon the fatherland while the waxlike
Frederick William IV. occupied tne uirone oarsi an ever u rm-
plr. It was the dissatisfaction which threatened to disrupt tne
country and the emergency which raised up the great Bismarck
shortly afterward. Delegates were sent from the Rhenish province
to Berlin to state the grievances and to threaten secession unless
their demand were complied with. These Frederick received with,
nmmtua hut nnthine rcore. An armv had been Quietly
griuuiiwM.vu. v - - -
organlxed and a considerable body was stationed at the Tillage ol
Whurms. And Jacob "Weber, less than 16 years old at the time,
carried the drum and beat out the music to which the sturdy pa
triots marched. A detachment of the imperial troop was stationed
at Main to the northward. From Main the "Paris hieh road"
runs to the southwest, passing through the village of Whurms.
Down this road one day in March. 1548. started the imperial
troor. The revolutionists heard of their coming and made prepa
rations for resistance, though In a pitiful minority. On one side
of the road stood the village , cemetery, surrounded, according to
custom, with a seven-foot stone wall. On the other tide was a sim
ilar enclosure used for a different purpose. Loopholes were quickly
cut in the part of the wall commanding the road and the troops
were placed within. With those stern looking men was one whose
boyish face caught the eye of the commander. Major Silage of
Main.
"How old Is that boy?" he demanded. When he was told he
ordered him back to hi home at once. And the boy went, though
protesting fiercely. And he only w from a distance what hap
pened when the Prussians swung in between those two stone walls
filled, like the great wooden horse of the Greeks, with armed men.
He saw, with a cry of Joy. the demoralisation of the splendid body
of imperial soldiery when the unexpected fire burst upon them. He
paw the tumult, the breaking up of the well-formed military body,
the rushing hither and thither like ant, the writhing bodies on the
ground. Then he saw them reform, saw them move in two flank
upon the stone enclosures, saw the fight at the rear gate of the
cemetery, saw the gleaming helmets of the imperial soldiers dis
appear swiftly within the wall. The bloody conflict that took place
there hsmd to hand above the graves of the silent sleepers he did
not see. though he later helped bury the bodies of his dead fellow
townsmen In the blood saturated ground of the little cemetery.
Leaves Under Amnesty
The revels Uon of the Rhenish province resulted in a conference
at Franfort. where certain concessions were made to the revolu
tionists. Among these concessions was the privilege of leaving the
fstherland without giving military service and without a royal per
mit. Young Weber took advantage of this when he was 19 years
old. Had it not beea for the revolution he would have been com
pelled to remain and give his services to the army for the time de
manded by law. Bidding goodbye to the family in the crooked stone
house, he walked down the green hills to the banks of the Rhine,
where he took the boat bound north. Down the beautiful stream
he drfited day after day past many an historic castle and city until
he arrived at Rotterdam. There he took a coast boat for Havre
and at that port embarked on the sailing ship St. Dennis, bound for
w York. The little vessel was beaten about on the Atlantic forty
clce days, and during some of that time the few passengers prepared
hemselves devoutly for death, for it seemed the vessel could not
reather the storm. But it did and sailed into the harbor one sunny
day in the spring of 185:. Young Weber disembarked and took the
train at once for Columbus. O.. where he remained only a few day
and then went on to London, O.. where hi uncle was a baker. There
he remained three jears learning the business.
There he learned also the English language. In which task he
received material assistance from a charming young daughter of
the fatherland. She was Miss Amelia Rattler. Having learned hi
trade, the young folks iecided to make a venture for themselves.
They were married and moved at once to Bloomington, 111., where
Mr. Weber opened a bakery. One afternoon a stranger came Into
the store. He had been wet and was on hi way back to his old
home in New Englsnd. "A mighty fine country Is the west." he
said In response to a question. Then he enlarged and particularised.
He said the finest locality of all was a place called Florence. Just
across tke Missouri river. It wa a booming place and bound to
I -" ' -- '- y , 1
JACOB WEBER.
become populous and a commercial center. That evening the matter
was talked over by the Weber and they decided to sell out and
venture farther Into the west.
The man who could not see a brilliant future In Florence in
1857 must have been a pessimist. Indeed. It took but one look
to make Mr. and Mrs. Weber decide enthusiastically In favor of the
locality when they arrived in June. 1857. Mr. Weber started his
bakery at onoe and bought one-third of a lot for $200. Upon this
he built a three-room Cottonwood cottage at a cost of $600. Six
months after his arrival the panic swooped down upon the young
community; he was forced out of business and secured work in the
rawmlll operated by Alexander Hunter. For more than a year money
disappeared absolutely from the community. Mr. Weber received
his wages In cattle, while his employer sold lumber or bought logs
with the same medium of exchange. Grains or other necessaries of
life were used for the same purpose. During this time the people
lived without coffee, e-ugar and imilar luxuries. A a subsUtute
Mr. Weber roasted rye, barley and wheat They made a coffee with
this, and when the hard times were over they found they hsd lost
all taste for coffee and It was some month before they could culti
vate a taste for it again.
Hunter, the owner of the sawmill, sold the lumber for the build
ing of the ferryboat across the Loup river near Columbus, and young
Weber made several trips overland with loads of lumber. On one
ct these trips he was resting one day when an Indian appeared with
Dla two squaws. The Indian was evidently a chief. Mr. Weber
found later that he was Stick-ln-the-Mud of the Omahas. Mr. Weber
more garrulous than most Indians. He had a club Into which were
driven a number of gold-headed tack. As he and Mr. Weber were
smoking the pipe together he proudly exhibited the club, explaining
that the tacks indicated the number of Pawnee scalps he bad taken.
He showed a supply of looVe tacks which he kept ready to drive into
the club whenever he should take more scalps.
Effect of High Water
There was great rivalry between Omaha and Florence In those
early days, andMr. Weber declares that it wa only a strsw's weight
thst msde Omaha the city and Florence the village. Had it not
been for the fact that the Missouri river was very high on a certain
day he believes the great city would now stand on the site of Flor
ence. This fateful day was the time when James Durant, genius
of the Union Pacific road, with Engineer Day. drove out to Florence
in a carriage and looked that site over with a view to the location
of the Union Pacific bridge. The railroad men had been bought out
by James M. Parker the banker, member of the firm of Cook. Sar
gent t Parker of Davenport. Durant. Day. Parker and Weber stood
down where they could get a view of the Missouri. It hppn'ed
that the river waa considerably out of Its banka and did not present
an encouraging outlook for the erection of a bridge. Had the water
beea within the banks. Mr. Weber believe the bridge would have
been located there. This would have been the entering wedge for
all that came afterwards and built the city.
One day soon after Mr. Weber reached riorenoe a large party
of people was sen approaching the town from the imiith. As they
came nearer they proved to be run. rrany of them In frock coat.
They were. In fact, members of the legislature of Nebraska who had
"seceded" from that body in session In Omaha and traveled to the
town on the north. They looked around for a place to meet imme
diately upon arriving in Florence. An empty store building was
selected and the lawmakers found wats on boxes, kegs and other
thing!" The entire town turned out to attend the session of the
state lfgiflstere. Florence een dreamed of becoming the capitol,
but within forty-eight hours the trouble had been patched up and
the "secessionists" had returned to the authorized state house la
Omaha.
Baked for the Mormons
In the trading which was incident upon the Mormon movement
Mr. Weber took a part. He operated his bakery during a consider
able portion of the time of the immigration and sold many hundreds
of dollars' worth of bread to the apostles to be distributed among
the faithful. He traveled through Iowa for a time purchasing cattle,
which he sold to the Mormon for use in drawing the overland trains.
This was after the push-cart days. He saw many a line of the
faithful start out from Florence up the bill to the westward and
out to the land of promise lying somewhere across the prairie and
mountains 1,500 miles away. Just east of the mill where he worked
during his first year was a large tabernacle built of tree and
thatched with green boughs, in which services were held each even
ing at sundown and there special services were held to ask a blessing
on those about to start upon the perilous Journey across the plains.
Mr. Weber fell a victim to the western fever and started once
for Pike's Peak in company with Alexander Hunter and George
Haag. Thej had a wagon draw-n by three yoke of oxen and loaded
with the necessities of life. arm, ammunition and mining tools.
They had seen many wagons going through Florence, and upon their
white canvas wa painted the brave legend, "Pike's Peak or Bust."
They pursued their Journey tow-ard the west until they arrived at
a point a short distance this side of Fort Kearney. It was a place
known as "the great turntable." A large camp was found there of
men who had become discouraged over the prospect and were rest
ing, either undecided or preparatory to returning to the east. There
they. too. turned and Tainted upon their wagon the cheerful watch
word of the eastbound, "Busted, by Gosh."
Building Up His Home
Mr. Weber pronounces this turning back the best thing he ever
did. Upon reaching Florence again he and George Haag rented a
farm three miles northwest of the town end began farming. Be
tween this man, George Haag, and Mr. Weber there exists a friend
ship which is like that of David and Jonathan. They met soon after
reaching Florence. Mr. Haag having been there a year before the
' arrival of Mr. Weber. They struggled together In the early days.
Where the one was there the other could be found. They worked
In the mill together, they farmed together, they went west together,
they bought the mill together and both of them still work at the
mill, Mr. Haag presiding in the engine room and Mr. Weber sewing
op sacks of flour and bran. Today at the age of 74 and 76. re
spectively, they are closer than ever. Mr. Hasg, who has not mar
ried, lives with Mr. Weber in the letter's pleasant home in Florence.
Both of them pronounce Florence an ideal town in which to live
. and Nebraska unsurpassed among the countries of the world. To
see the two men walking on the street, at work or about the house,
one would say they were twenty years short of their real ages.
And their laughs are hearty and deep. With their steins and their
pipes they are quite happy.
Mr. Weber regards with distrust the advance of invention. Of
course the steam engine is all right, for that serve to drive hi mill,
but Use camera, the motor car, the telephone and kindred modern
ideas are likely to lead to no good. In October, 1903, Mr. Weber
was in Omaha to view the Ak-Sar-Ben parade. Since that time he
has not been in Omaha nor has he been anywhere else outride of
Florence. He has never talked over a telphone and has had only
one photograph taken in his life. He has been a moderate smoker
and drinker all his life, but has always been in good health. Two
years ago he was very sick and nearly died. In fact, he expected
to die, for a fortune teller had stated that he would live to be 71
years old, and that was his exact age during that illness.
The relis1on"of this man Is that summed up by the late James
B. Kitchen in the funeral sermon written by himself, nsmely that
man knows not whence he came nor whither he gees; knows not
whether or not there is a God or a future life. i
Mr. Weber was mayor of Florence one term, school director
three years, treasurer of the school board nine years and delegate
to the county convention several times. Other political honors he
could have had. but declined them.
Three of his sons, Emil, William and Walter, operate the roller
mills at Wayne. Neb. The fourth, Jacob, is associated with him
in the little mill at Florence. One daughter. Mr. P. D. Smith, lives
three miles north of Florence. The other. Mrs. Mary Griffin. Uvea
with her parents.
Nails for the Millions Made Annually in America
TTTHAT becomes of all the nailsT Well.
1J the hardware man, "that wouldn't
1 V b so difficult a question to answer as you
might think, though we certainly do use
a lot of nails; a lot of nails.
"I haven't the figures for 1906 at hand, but
there were produced in this country rn 1105 of
cut Calls 1.1 57.5 4 kegs, and of wire nails 10,
854. S2 kegs, making a total production for that
year of 12.211.441 keg, or. the kegs each con
taining 100 pounds. 1.221.244.100 pound ot
nails.
"As to the number of Individual nails, why. I
don't believe we'd have time to count "em. or not
today; but. getting back to pounds. 1,221.244,100.
and for the sake of easy figuring, counting the
population of the country at 50,000.000. we would
find our home production of nails for the year
1105 to have been at the rate of about fifteen
pound for every man. woman and child in the
country. And you will bear U mind that we keep
on turning out nails like that year after year, and
that tho consumption keep pace with the produc
tion. "But now suppose we should get down from
those million end billion figures a little into fig
ures a little more condensed, and on such a basis
you would find that our nail production in 1105
amounted to I10.C22 tons. We export some nails,
our present exportation amounting to about 4,-
000 tons a year. If our production now were the
same as la 1J05, that would leave about 570.000
tons as our annual home consumption; but while
1 haveu't the figures for 10 by me. I don't doubt
that our production and consumption have both
kept pace with our Increasing population, and fig
uring on that basis and omitting fractions. I
should say that our present production of nails is
at the rate of about 640,000 ton Annually, and
so. deducting the 40,000 tons exported, onr an
nual consumption would now be about 600,000
tons, which figures. I imagine, would be found to
be substantially correct.
"And, taking 600,000 ton a the country's
present consumption, let us come down a little
closer still and do a little figuring on the con
sumption of nails right here in our home
t town. To get things Into round number let us
put New York's population at say 4,000,000.
which would be on-twentleth of the country"
80,000.000. and putting it so and assuming that we
consume one-twentieth of the country's nail con
sumption, we find that we use right here in thia
city alone 10.000 tons of nails annually, or 600.
000 kegs-
"Nails are eommoniy shipped 100 kegs to the
car. some cars hold more, but l&O kegs is the
usual carload. So of such carload we take, here
la New York. 2.000 carload a year, or an average
of more than five cars of nails coming along dally
and day after day through the year. And. com
ing back to round numbers sgain. for the corre
spondingly easy figuring, and so counting J 00
working days la the year, we find that we eat up
here on our working days somewhere about 2.0y0
keg, or 100 tone of nail a day; and, yes. even
figured in that cloee manner, dow n to daily con
sumption. It makes quite some nails, quite some
nail.
"And you wonder what become of them all?
You haven't bought a pound of nail yourself, you
say. In twenty year? I know, but if you were
going to build a $5,000 house you'd buy three or
four kegs of nail or more right in a lump to put
into that house; and if you were building twenty
uch houses you'd buy twenty times as many, and
as many more still if you were putting up build
ings at half a million or a million dollars apiece.
"Theie are great builder who would think
nothing of ordering a couple of thousand kegs of
nails Just for "current use, and orders for 2 5,000
or 50.000 kegs of nail from great dealer or dis
tributer would be nothing remarkable. And.
though you may never buy a pound of nails your
self, yet you get your share of the nails made in
some way Just the same; they are In the house
you live In or in your furniture or other belong
ing?;, put there by the people who made them.
You get your fifteen pound a year all right, or
more, for we can hardly use or own snything
without having the use of or owning some nails.
"For while building construction is what we
might raturally think of first, anyway, when we
thought of the uses of nails yet the moment we
come to dwell upon it we realtie that nails are put
to well nigh innumerable uses. Nails are made
in almost endless vsriety snd there sre few things
of more common use. We can scarcely look in
any direction anywhere In any clvlllxed country.
Indoors or out. without the eve resting on some
thing In whose construction nails are used; and
when we come to realize that fact the natl figures
may seem a little less stupendous.
"Still, we might think, here the nails keep
coming by the millions of kegs yearly and every
year; and don't enormous quantities ,of them go
Into more or less permanent construction where
they don't have to be replaced every year? They
do, they do; but with the growth of the country
there is constantly going forward an enormous
amount of new construction calling for mora
nails; and enormous quantities of nails are an
nually required for temporary construction of
various kinds and for the million and million ot
boxes and barrel, for instance, used for shipping
purposes, and they 6ooner or later are destroyed.
Of course the minute you come to think of It you
realize that many thousands of tons of nail hav
but this one brief use, to be then bent or broken
scattered and lost. In some places where many
nails are used the bent and broken nails may ba
swept up for iron scrap, tut the bulk of such nails
simply goes to waste.
"And enormous quantities of nail are re
quired in the replacing of Innumerable other
things of a more or less destructive character,
from which, when they are worn out or broken,
the nails are never recovered.
"Why. It would require a lot of rail Just to
take the place of the new nails that are dropped
and never used at all. Nails are cheap now and
time is valuable. In old time, when nail cost
three or four times w hat they do now. people were
careful of their nails and they used to save their
bent nails and straighten them out and lay them
away for future use.
"Nowadays the farmer who dropped a nail la
the dirt would be likely to let it lie there rather
than look for It, tnd take another out of hi
pocket ft drive., The 1-arpeuter who dropped half
a doz-n or a dozen nails from a scaffolding
wouldn't go down the ladder' to look for jhem.
In vai-ioi: similar ways many new nails are lost
without ever having been driven."