NEBRASKA III BRIEF
NEW3 NOTES OF INTERE8T FROM
VARIOUS 8ECTION8.
ALL SUBJECTS TOUCHED UPDN
Religious, Social, Agricultural,. Polit
ical and Other Matters Given
Duo Consideration.
S. P. Clark, a pioneer of Polk coun
ty, hanged himself last week.
Botty, the 11-ycar-old dnunhtor of
P. M. George of St. Firul, waB severely.
Kicked by a vicious horao she was try
ing to load. Her skull was fractured
and alio Is In a sorious condltlou.
Flro starting In-Michael's restaurant
nt Sterling destroyed flvo business
buildings, causing a loss of about
$10,000. The flames woro checked
Just In tlmo to save a largo two-story
brick building on Main street.
At Fremont ono Flotchor felled his
wife with an alarm clock. Tho woman
grabbed a pistol and ho double
.qulcked from her presence. Now she
has left him, and gono back to her
folks at Culllnvlllo, Wash.
A telegram was received In Ne
braska City telling of tho sudden
death of Charles M. Hlcklln at Den
ver, Colo. Tho deceased was born
and reared In Nebraska City and was
aged 43 years.
Orvlllo Bloggott, tho 12-year-old son
of Alfred Sloggett, n woll-known
farmer living five miles cast of Broken
Bow, Is dead from tho effects of In
juries rocelvcd by n horse falling on
him.
Soven farmers In Rockford town
ship, Gage county, living along Mud
creek, lost over 100 acres of wheat
owing to tho high water. "The grain
had boon cut and was in tho shock
when tho high water carried it away.
Sheriff Mencko of Blair wont to
Herman, where ho searched tho real
denco of J. A. West for liquor and
found flvo largo boxes, containing 165
pint bottles full of whisky, which were
solzcd and stored to bo used as evi
dence. Reports from tho southern part of
Gago county nro to tho effect that
hundreds of acres of corn and wheat
are standing in water and will bo a
total loss. Thousands of bundles of
wheat have been Been floating down
Btream.
"Stevenson (Wash.) dispatch: Pros
per Marlon, wanted at Boiling Springs,
Neb., on n chargo of having killed
John Murphy in 1884, was arrested
hero this afternoon, and is being held
awaiting instructions from ofllccrs In
Cherry county, Nebraska.
Peter Unruh, former postmaster at
Tyndall, S. D., after languishing in
Jail, at Madlsen, Nob., for over a year
awaiting trial at tho fall term of tho
district court, was released on $3,000
ball, and htyleft for his home and
family at Tyndall.
A young man by the name of Mar
lott, of Long Pino, was run over by a
train between Long Pine and Bassett
and was literally cut to pieces. It Is
not known how tho accident happened
but It Is supposed ho was riding on
the rods under a car of tho cast-bound
passenger train and fell off.
Duo to tho negligence of the en
gineer or flroman nt tho Hastings asy
lum, so Dr. Baxtor, superintendent,
has written to tho state board, tho
boiler exploded there, and it will coat
$400 or $500 to mako repairs, The
letter said tho water was permitted to
gbt too low in tho boiler.
N. C. Abbott, superintendent of tho
Institute for Jo blind at Nebraska
City, is making a campaign for nioro
pupils for his school. Ho has written
letters to all tho Junior normal .schools
and to tho ministers he knows and to
school teachers, asking them to send
him tho name and address of any
blind child they may know.
Some of tho farmers In Gage county
have equipped their harvesters with a
small gasoline engine, which is at
tached to tho gear of the machine,
for tho purpose of assisting them in
cutting their wheat in muddy weather.
Tho Idea 1b to oporato tho harvesting''
mechanism by power from tho engine,
thus relieving the team of the oxtra
work of furnlsliing power for driving
the machinery.
Plans are being formulated to com
bino tho next boys' nnd girls' agricul
tural contest for Adams county with
tho projected county Instituto and
have tho two held In Hastings in Oc
tober, in connection with a stock show
and exhibition of grains. The scheme
contemplates a county fair on a some
what miniature though Intensified
scale, with tho Instituto as tho chief
feature
Dr. J. G. Neff, a dentist of Sterling,
was brought into the county court nt
Tecumsoh on a statutory chargo, his
17-year-old daughter, Lora Neff, sign
ing tho complaint. Tho enso was
heard boforo Judgo Jamos Livingston,
J, C. Mooro appearing for tho state
and E. R. Hitchcock for tho defend
ant. Dr. Neff refused to plead. He
was placed under bond in tho sum of
$1,000 to appear for trial at tho dis
trict court.
For years Mrs. Minnie Green haB
"been a trusted employe in tho store of
Miller & Paine at Lincoln. Sho was
ambitious and thrifty and was allowed
to buy stock In tho onterprlso. Now
sho Is in Jail, and will havo to account
for about $2,500 worth of purloined
goods.
MrB. J. E. Caldwell, formerly of
Lincoln, manager of tho Renoau hotel,
in Broken Bow, nearly mado a fatal
mistake wheu sho unconsciously sub
stituted a bottle of carbolic acid for
ono containing medlclno. Doctors
worked long and vigorously boforo sho
was out of danger,
B jp -
1 1 'in warn i mmmi x vvw &r
DWARD PAYSON WESTON, aged 72 yenrfl,
is tho youngest old man In the world. Not
satisfied with n mcro statement of this
fact, Weston has proven it by walking
from Now York to San Francisco, a dls
tnncw) of 4,000 miles, In 100 days, Sundays
excluded.
Ilia arrival in 'Frisco Just'tho other day
is proof enough that there Is only ono
Woslon. It was one of tho grentost walks
ever undertaken by, any pedestrian.
With tho chilly "March winds making
walking n difficulty along Broadway, Now
York, Weston on tho fifteenth of tho
mouth started his long, tedious, coast-to-coast
lope nnd tho biggest plcasuro of his
II to camo whon tho cool afternoon
breeze, as if In greeting, seemed to
rise out of Golden Clntc, San Francis
co and mnko tho homo stretch to tho
'Frisco city hall moro pleasant.
Greeted by tho people of San Fran
cisco with oven more hospitality than
ho had cxperloucod along tho routo, if
ouch a condition woro possible this
interesting old man wns indeed nt the
height of his glory.
Think ot it you who brag about a
ten-mile feat of pedestrlnnlsm this
72-year-old New Englnndor during his
years of walking, has traversed moro
than 20,000 miles, which Is tho dls
tanco around tho world, land and wa
ter included.
His latest achievement was accom
plished at a rate of 40 miles each day,
a hard proposition in consideration of
tho fact that Weston returned tho
publlo's llttlo courtesies by address
ing his admirers along tho route.
Some days over lovol country whoro
fast tlmo was posslblo, ho would ne
gotiate 50 and 00 mlleB. Tho record
wns sot when on his walk from Port
land, Mo., to ChJcngo n year ago, ho accom
plished a stretch of 90 miles In n day. Then,
however, ho walked almost tho entlro 24 hours.
Always carrying a regulation breakfast food
smllo this quaint old character, who, by the
way, can address nn audience as well as ho
can walk long distances, novel lost Bight of
tho optiniletlc side of his venturo. Happy,
halo, hearty and a picture of color, ho laughed
gayly at mention of tho vicissitudes which ho-
wns compelled to undergo In making good In
his determination to span tho continent afoot,.
Facing tho sun-baked westorn desortB, ho
woro tho same typical Yankeo Binllc. Only
once did the relentless heat of tho sands causa
him to falter, That was, whon In crossing tho
Great Salt Lake desort on tho twenty-second
of Juno ho was forced to stop and rest nlmost
two hours at Lemay, Utah. Ho rested almost
against his will, but ho realized that tho llttlo
snatch o'f sleep, at Lemay waB for tho best.
Leaving Hogup, Utnb, at G:30 that morning,
ho Btarted his doficrt tramp. That night he
was at Lucln, 41 miles awny. At four o'clock
tho next morning ho saw dawn break over tho
town ot Lucln, and he was several miles to tho
west, walking with tho snmo steady Btrldo
which marked his progress along better roads
in the enst.
Ho suffered a slight Injury from a fall In tho
west, and this hurt augmented by tho effects
of tho heat, promised to mako his dally walks
shorter. Sheer perslstonco kept him at his
task, and his will power overcame his ail
ments. Consequently, when ho crossed tho
west state lino of Utah, ho was In splendid
physical condition.
All was not milk and honoy for tho pedes
trian. At Laramie, Wyoming, his manager
forced him to stay Indoors for an entire half
day In order to conserve his energy.
Perhaps the states cast of Illinois which
greeted Wcsjon a year ago when ho mado his
memorable trip from Portland, Mo., to Chi
cago, woro not quite as enthusiastic over tho
aged podestrlan a's they wero in 1008, but If
such wns tho caso young Mr. Weston failed to
soo tho lack ot hospitality.
Ono of tho speediest "laps" which tho walk
er accomplished before entering California,
was that from Ogdon lb Hogup, Utnh. Leav
ing Ogden ono hour after midnight ho reached
tho smaller city lato In tho afternoon of the
.samo day, It was a tramp of Gl tulles, and In
declared it was tho best time ho hn! ;ni)
during tho trip.
To every ono along his routo of travol, wlu
saw him appear on tho horizon to tho cast
and then vanish again toward tho sottlngjmn
ho was tho samo cheery, halo, hearty, happy
old gentleman. His feet might ho clogged
with mud, If tho weather happened to bo in
clomont. his clothes rain, or dew soaked. It
'nl 110 difference with tho Weston smllo
howouor. It shone no matter what tno condi
tions.
Smiling' upon everyone In general, bowing to
the mntrons, throwing kisses to tho misses,
his whole being reflected tho powor or tho
,good nature which his manager declared as
'slsted him In his dlfllcult task.
Trending tho albpo of tho Rockies sovoral
dayB behind tlmo, ho only saw tho silver lin
ing in tho clouds that threatened to blast his
hopes of reaching tho Pacillc coast at 4 p, tn.,
on tho Sth of July.
At his Journoy'B end tho wholo city of San
Francisco nbandoned Its Inst hour of tho busi
ness day In tho hope of making tho pedestri
an's welcome a warm ono. Juat as other woat
ern cities had turned out to wave a cheery hol
lo and good-by to Weston, big, rojuvennted
'Frisco was proportionately hospltablo to this
remarkable character,
With tho eastern slopo of tho Rockies tra
versed thoro wero somo who questioned tho
possibility of tho pcdestrian'H snfo nrrlvul ut
tho Golden Gate on tho day set for his wol
como. "I am still a young old man," ho said laugh
ingly, "and I havo shown tho pedestrian young
sters of GG nnd CO years that my heyday is not
on tho wnno.
"Thcro havo been plonty of obstnclos to
ovcrcomo, but with n path to tread and a will
behind mo, nothing la Insurmountable."
Fairly BWlmmlng through a Ben of mud wus
ono of tho ovorydny happenings wltli tho
walker.
'T agreed to walk fr.oni ocoau to ocean, but I
had no idea I'would bo compollcd to swim purt
of tho way," ho said. "But that la Juat what
I had to-do In Colorado. My walk into Denvor
wns ovor roadB which woro torrlblo. I carried
tons of mud on my foot, it seemed to mo, and
it was a oupromo effort to lift tho dirt ltsoir
with taking a step which carried my own body
besides."
It took Pedestrian Weston Juat 73 days to
reach Denver from Now York,
leaving hliu 27 days for tho trip
from the Colorado metropolis to
the Golden Gate.
Even wheji Weston had bo near
ly completed his Journey ns to
safely traverso tho Great Salt Lake
dosert ihoro wero boiuo people in
tho great cities who woro skeptical
b to tho walker's ability to
ma uostinntlon.
"Can't roach" 'Frisco, eh?"
queried Weston with an arching ot
tho eyebrows which seemed to echo
Itself nil over his wrinkled visage.
"Why, I'll reach tho const with
time to spare.'' And tho squnro
Weston Jaw scorned to nugur well
for tho success of his resolvo
In every big city through which
tho Now Englnndor pnssed en
routo to tho Pacific ocean, police
protection from tho ovor-enthusl-antic
public wbb necessary, and ho
declared that of all tho friends ho
mado tho city minions wero hearth
er In tholr wishes Tor his ultlmnto
success thnn tho thousands and
thousands who woro Interested In
his long tramp.
"obstacles" to
w h I c h It o
called atten
tion whon no
counting for
tho d o 1 a y.
Many cour
tesies of various character wero extended to
him and it wns nocessnry to acknowledge
them. In so doing, a llttlo speech and por
haps a stopover for somo local festivity nocca
Hltatod lots of fast walking when the trail was
again taken up.
Cow paths, big paved city stroots, country
roadB, ditches, rights of way belonging to rail
roads, and often moro trails through tho woods
furnished tho lino of travel for tho groat Jour
ney of this uged nthlelo.
Intense enthusiasm wns nianlfoste'd all
through tho west, and truo hospitality of tho
plains was accorded him after ho departed
from Chicago. Only n year previous, ho had
passed along tho samo Now York-Chicago
routo, and ho scorned nn old frlond to tho
countrymen. Consequently, Ilka every old
friend, his font did not cnuso nearly bo much
consternation there ns in tho west.
"Mercy, how do yqu tnko care of your coniB,
wnlklng as much no you do?" n whlto-halrod
grandma In Indiana nskod Weston, as he
quenched his thirst nt her well.
"O, thoy'ro Just ordinary foot. I havo a fow
corns, but cold water Is tho best medlclno
thoy know. It 'koeps them in great? trim."
Weston woro out dozens N)f pairs of shoes
dilrlng tho Journoy. Ho hud to havo an cspo.
dally pllablo shoo, ono. which neither pinched
his feot nor waa too looso, and ono of tho dlf
Acuities of tho trip was procuring Just tho
correct footwoar.
It was 40 years ago and moro that Woston
startled tho country by ono of his especially
long walks. When passing through Illinois on
his last venture, ho encountered nn ngpd
farmer who was sunning hlmsolf In front or
his farm home.
Hard work had told .on tho llllnol3nii'a
phyBlquo. Ho looked llttlo llko tho young man
who had stopped his plowing ono spring morn
ing bnck in tho nineteenth century to offer tho
then 30-year-old Woaton n meal nt tho farm
liifUffniiiiinii i m mriOTMrntnarmnrn wl
houso. It was 40 years later, yet Wes
ton recalled the nie.nl, and; the old
mau's eyes sparkled ns if In memory
of the good things tho young wlfo had
.put before him.
Weston Inquired after tho man's wlfo
and was told that sho had been doad
20 yenrs. Tears camo Into tho eyes of
tho aged Illinois farmer.
Then tho pair, like two old cronies,
set out down tho road togothcr, West
on abandoning his long, sweeping stride
reach
for shorter, Blow
er steps, moro In
keoplng with tho
physical condi
tion of his friend
of four docadea
ago.
Their good-by
at tho cross
roods, a quartor
of a milo from
tho farm or a
nbodo waB touch
ing, and for the
flrst and last
tlmo during tho
ontlro trip, toars
appeared in tho
podostrinn'fl oyoB,
It wns tho recol
lection of tho old
days whon Wes
" ton was compara
tively a young
ster, and waB be
friended by the
big-hearted 1 n-
habttuntB of tho
country through which ho had Joumoyod.
Woston nnd Dan O'Lonry woro youngstora
as woll as pioneers in the buslneBB ot pedes
trlnnlsm yearn ugo. Then tho O'Lcary "walk"
waB a distinct rlvnl of tho Weston "walk."
Their feats on tho thoroughfares of tho coun
try nttrnctod far moro nttontlon than thoy do
In these biiBy days, and people
wero gottlng up enrly In tho morn
ing to tear oft a Journoy of from
IB to 20 miles boforo brenkfaat,
using tho strido of their favorite
walker.
Tho O'Leary strido thon, consist
ed ot oxecutlng motions with tho
hips, Bhouldors, ad woll as limbs,
along with a good deal of arm
swinging, whllo tho Now England
or'fl stylo consisted of a straight,
swinging stop, with tho head,
shoulders and hips moving In har
mony with tho lowor limbs.
"What does ho got out of it?
What good does It do him?" tho
practical matter-of-fact twentieth
contury man will ask. r
In nnswor, Weston's frlonds do
claro that In tho flrst placo every
man Imb somo hobby or other.
Weston's hobby Is long dlstnnco
walking. In tho second placo It
may turn Itself into n financial ven
turo somo day. Weston Is n good
orator, and on his tours Is always
in demand as u lecturer.
But nt tho samo tlmo tho podestrlan is Bald
to bo comparatively n poor man. On his walk
In 1908 from Portland lo Chicago, ho en
tered tho Windy City with tho expectation of
lecturing. Ho did a llttlo speaking, but not to
any great extent.
To hIiow his absolute integrity la an offor
which was mado to him, nnd rojected by him
nlmost Immediately, of n Arm manufacturing
n shoo devlco. Ho could havo turned his sig
nature to tho company's testimonial Into sev
eral thousand dollars on the spot, had' ho
chosen to sign a paper, stating that ho, had
worn tho shoo coutrlvnnco on his Journoy nnd
found It satisfactory. Ho had not worn It, and
reruscd tho offer without a socond's hesitation.
For him pedostrlnnlBin Is one great round of
ploasuro. Ho likeB to walk and tho ngrooment
ho mndo to' traverso tho contlnont In 100 days
simply furnlshod moro than threo montliB of
enjoyment.
That waB Weston's idou. Tho agroomont was
In a senso, n secondary matter. His vigor, vi
tality and rocuporatlvo powors aro doclarod
wondorful by phyalclnna who have Btudled him.
Ho 1b probably tho groatoat athloto of tho uge,
ovorythlng considered.
Ily post roada the distance from New York
to Snn Francisco is 4,300 miles, but nccordlng
io the ostlmnto furnished by Mr. Weston and
his manngor tho distance Is 4,000 miles, which
being accomplished In 100 dnyB, oxcludlng Bun
days, necessitates n tramp nvoraglng 40 mlloa
each day.
Considering tho many setbacks which are
bound to occur on such n Journoy as tills tho
progress which Woston mndo wus considered
rcmnrkablo.
It waa declared that tho automobile which
was following Weston deserted him In tho west
because that particular ninko of enr failed to
get tho amount of publicity desired. This waa
something of a setback for tho old man, be
cnuso the muchlno cnrrlod provisions, refresh
monta and other necessities.
