Nebraska Newspapers

    NEBRASKA NEWS
WELL KNOWN NEBRASKAN PAS
SES AWAY.
HAD BEEN IN POOR HEALTH
Death Came to Him While 8uY
rounded by His Family on
Porch of His Omaha
Home. . i
W. A. Pnxton, pioneer resident of
Omaha, millionaire merchant, cattle
man, and identified with many busi
ness Interests In Nebraska, dropped
dead at his home In Omaha.
Mr. Paxton was born in Springfield,
Kentucky, seventy years ago. Ho came
to Omaha at the age of twenty and has
been Identified with the interests of
the city ever since.
Mr. Paxton, who has been In poor
health for two years past, spent last
winter in Texas without gaining any
considerable benefit, and his friends
have realized for some time past that
the end was near. In the evening after
a brief automobile ride he was sitting
on his rorch with Mrs. Paxton and his
two nieces, apparently in the best of
spirits. He took a package of chew
ing gum from his pocket, and passed it
around, remarking "This is on me,"
and instantly throwing up his hands
his head fell gradually forward and in
a few seconds he was dead.
Mr. Paxton came to Nebraska in
1857, and was made foreman of the
work of building bridges on the gov
ernment road from Omaha to Fort
Kearney by M. J. Ragan, for whom he
had worked for several years on his
farm in Missouri. In.l8G7 he secured
the contract to build the first ten miles
of the Union Pacific west of Julcsburg
and in the following year ho had an
army of six thousand men and fifteen
hundred teams at work on the con
struction of the road in Wyoming. In
1SG9, after his return to Omaha he as
sisted in the incorporation of the Oma
ha & Northwestern now a part of the
Northwestern system! He has since
taken an active part In the manufac
turing and commercial life of Omaha.
Mr. Paxton was one of the membero
of the syndicate which laid and de
veloped South Omaha in 1884. He was
one of the founders of the South Oma
ha union stock yards and 'was at the
time of his death president of that In
stitution. He also held the same posi
tion in the Paxton & Gallagher Whole
sale Grocery company, the Paxton &
Vierling Iron Works and the Omaha
Transfer company, besides being a
director in several Omaha banks and
other corporations.
He is survived by Mrs. Paxton and
their son, W. A. Paxton, Jr., a ranch
man of Keystone, Neb.
In politics he was an ardent demo
crat, and was a member of Vj twenty
fourth Nebraska legislature and of the
8tate( senate in the twenty-ninth ses
sion. Boy's Arm 8hot Off.
Eddie, the eleven-year-old son of
Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Sivey of Tecum
seh, was the victim of an accident
which cost him an arm. With his
uncle, Lute Ward of Marysville, Ohio,
who is visiting there, he had gone to
Holthus' lake, seven miles southeast
of the city, to hunt. Mr. Ward laid
a cocked gun on the ground and Eddie
picked it up with the muzzle toward
him. His left arm was terribly shat
tered at the elbow and a few shot
entored his face and he was powder
burned. The boy wa3 taken to his
home in Tecumseh where Drs. G. J.
Rubelman and B. P. Gay fould it nec
essary to remove the arm just above
the elbow.
Train Hits a Carriage.
Passenger train No. 6 ran into a
team and carriage at a crossing two
miles east of Oxford, killing the
horses and damaging the vehicle
slightly. One of the horses was car
ried on the pilot almost a mile before
tho train stopped. When it was
backed up to the scene of the accident
the driver could not be found, and as
tho rig was the property of Liveryman
McCarl, of Orleans, It was sunnosed
that he had boarded train No. 14 at
tho junction and returned homo. Tho
track In that vicinity is straight and
tho roadbed level.
Grand Island Safe Blown.
Burglars wrecked tho safe in th
Etting Fruit and Candy company'
place of business, Grand Island, and
got away with $00 In cash and some
checks, which will be worthless
them. The safe is a common size
and make. Both tho big plate glass
windows were blown out and broken
Into frngments. Nitroglycerin was
used, with bananas to make the holes
airtight. The clock in the office
stopped at 4:05 a. m. Thero Is no
0lU8'
MAN'S BODY FOUND ON TRACK
Greeks Report Discovery of Injured
Man at Central City.
Tho body of James McCurr was
found by the crew of Union Pacific
train No. 11 about seven miles west of
Ceuttal City. McCurr has boon work-
ng on tho sower ditch for a couple of
months and Is said' to live at Greeley
Center. He Is said to have been drink
ng. Some of the Greeks at work on tho
track found him around their cars and
fearing he meant mischief put him on
a handcar and took him a few miles
east and turned him loose. It
s thought that ho wandered onto tho
tracks and was struck by a. passing
train. A deep cut on the man's fore
head and the fact that he had been
taken away on a handcar by tho
Greeks led to the suspicion of foul
play. Close Inquiry by the sheriff and
coroner, however, seemed to satisfy
them that this was not .tho ease. The
action of the Greeks Is considered pe
culiar. MsCurr Is respectably connec
ted 'and during tho time ho. has been at
work in Central City has not been
!nown to-Indulge in liquor.
HUDSON CAUGHT IN" KANSAS.
Desperado Who Shot Sheriff Miner of
Johnson County Located.
Sheriff II. U. Miner and Deputy C.
W. Woolsey started for Kingsley,
Kansas, to bring back Simon Hudson,
tho desperado who forged checks at
Tecumseh and shot tho sheriff when
ho attempted to arrest him. A tele
gram came from J. A. Sheffer, sheriff
at Casper, Wyo., that Hudson was at
Kingsley and requesting the officers
to come for him. Two hundred dollars
reward was offered. County Attorney
J. C. Moore went to Lincoln and se
cured requisition papers.
Charged With Misuse of Mails.
Abe and Nicholas Rlemer, tho sons-
of 13. N. Relmer of Jansen, were,
brought before United States Commis-.
sloner J. E. Cobbey of Beatrice and
pleaded guilty to the charge of il
legally using the mails. They were
bound over to the next term of federal
court and their bonds were fixed at
two hundred dollars. They were able
to secure bond. The Relmer boys, it
seems, claimed to have purchased
jewels of Sear3-Roebuck and company,
not up to the standard and demanded
that their money be refunded, and in
several instances were successful In
getting it. In reality it is alleged
they purchased no jewelry from the
company, but secured Inferior articles
and sent thenf to the company to se
cure money back. Tho ca3e was turned
over to the government authorities.
Boy Drowned at Table Rock.
Leland Wood, the twenty-year-old
son of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Wood, who
live three miles south of Table Rock,
near the Burlington tracks, was
drowned while trying to rescue the
stock of a neighbor, just above a large
railroad embankment sixteen or eigh
teen feet high, and which was nearly
full. The house of this neighbor was
some two hundred yards from the
track.. With three or four others ho
was trying to rescue the stock, which
was In a Btable. He started back to
get an ax and went under, his com
panion narrowly escaping- by. hanging
to a fence. The body was recovered
within a short distance of where his
father and two other companions saw
him go under.
Boy Hat a Narrow Escape.
Eddie Schumacher, son of August
Schumacher of Pllger, narrowly es
caped death while a local freight was
switching. He grabbed on to the lad
der of a car and tho engine pushpd
tho car past tho Nye-Schneider
elevator. The space between the ele
vator and the car is very small, but
ho would have passed through all
right but for a step projecting from
the elevator. He was caught between
the step and car and about tMquare
foot of skin was scratched off his
body! Aside from this he received a
gash in tho abdomen and his hep
and legs were badly bruised.
j
Stanton to Own Light Plant.
.Stanton is to own its own electric
light plant. At an election held re
cently to vote bonds for that purpose
the bonds carried by a cote of 133 to
GS. The present lighting plant will
be taken over by the city, an agree
ment to that effect having been
reached a few weeks ago between tho
present owners, F. L. Sanders & Co
and the city hi case the bonds wore
voted. The bonds were opposed by
friends of the present owners, who
desired that ownership remain whor
It is. Frionds of 'municipal owner
ship are viewing tho result as do
elded victory.
Lost 2,200 Feet of Track.
Tho Burlington lost 2,200 feet of
track between Vordon and Salem,
Neb., by tho recent flood. It will take
several days jo repair this break, it
Is said the Burlington lines In the
Wymsro division sustained loss by
Hood during the imt week that will
reach between $50,000 and $75,000.
CAPITALGITYCHAT
-LABOR
COMMISSIONER RYDER ON
CHILD LABOR LAW.
SAYS MEASURE IS SEVERE
Cites Several Cases Where Law Has
Worked Serious Inconvenience
Thinks Measure Should
Be More Elastic.
Labor Commissioner J. J. Ryder, who
Is required to keep a list of children
to whom employment certificates are
isuod under the new child labor law,
has made some investigation and laid
tho information received before Gov
ernor Sheldon.
"I am of the opinion that thoro
should bo some discretion lodged with
those whoso duty it is to enforco tho
law," said Mr. Ryder, "ami that tho
law ought to bo elastic in its nature.
Tho law does not contain any elastic
qualities. It must be enforced to tho
letter or it will be a law without forco
and effect. Even if those charged
with its enforcement are disposed to
be lenient with certain cases, I find
that tho employers whom It would be
a pleasure for boys to work for will
not dare run, the risk of violating tho
law and good employers havo dis
charged boys who' were supporting
families. Employers havo taken this
action as a result of the advise of
their attorneys.
"The case of two boys employed In
the offices of a packing house at South
Omaha came to my personal atten
tion. Both boys were under fourteen
years of age. Each received $5 a week
for his services, which was probably
more than they could get la any other
employment. One boy carriod mes
sages and papers from one office or
one desk to another and the other boy
attended what was practically an out
side door. The firm employing them
finally discharged them rather than
run the risk of a prosecution for violat
ing the child labor law. Both boys be
longed to poor families and their earn
ings with what the widowed mother
in ono of the families earned was tho
solo sourco of suppoi't. One of these
families had been receiving aid from
the county. Now that the boys have
been discharged it is certain that at
least ono of tho families will havo to
look again to the county for aid and
perhaps the boys will bo allowed to
run the streets during vacation of tho
public schools.
"A Lincoln boy called on nie today
to ask about a certificate of employ
ment. He is eleven years of age and
he desires to work In a department
store in Lincoln as' a cash boy. I was
obliged to tell him that he could not
work in a store. He was to get fifty
cents a day for his work.
"In extreme cases, like the South
Omaha case, the law appears to work
a hardship and some say that it does
more harm than good and for that
reason those who enforce it ought to
have more discretionary poyor than
the law gives. If the law is not en
forced it will excite criticism and if it
enforced to tho letter I fear that
tho next legislature will not stop to
amend It but repeal it. The Intent of
the lawmakers was evidently good, but
practical men who have looked Into Its
workings have fears that It goes too
far. Howovor tho law should have a
fair test."
No child between fourteen and six
teen years of age shall be employed In
stores, places of amusement, hotels,
office, manufacturing establishment,
passenger or freight elevators, factory
or workshop as a messenge ror driver,
unless tho employer has on file an em
ployment certificate presented by tho
child, showing that the child has completed-
the eighth grade or its equiva
lent or Is attending night school.
No child under fourteen can be em
ployed while the public schools are in
tsesslon; or at any time In any theater,
concert hall, place of amusement, or
whero intoxicating liquors are sold, or
in any workshop, factory, mercantile
Institution, store, office, laundry, hotel
or manufacturing establishment, bowl
ing alley, freight or passenger eleva
tor, or as a messenger or driver there
of. No person under tho age of sixteen
'ytfars shall bo employed or suffered
- or permitted to work In any theater,
concert hall, or place or amusement, or
In any .mercantile establishment, or In
'any mercantile institution, store, oi
flee, hotel laundry, manufacturing
establishment, packing house, bowling
alloy, passenger or freight elevator,
factory, workshop, beet field, or as a
messenger or driver therefor, more
than forty-eight hours In any one
week, nor more than eight hours In
any one day, nor before tho hour of 0
o'clock In the morning, nor after tho
hour of 8 o'clock In the ovonlng.
The child labor law wont into effect
March 30. It provided that Immediate
ly upon Its taking effect It should bo
tho duty uf- tho governor to appoint
fivo persons,- two iit least of whom
should bo women, who should consti
tute a bard of insi.ectora to servo with
out pay. Th'e board has uot yet been
appolntod.
Will Go to Supreme Court.
Attorney General W. T. Thompson
notified A. S. Tlbbets, who Is a mem
ber of tho commltteo appolntod by
the domocratlc conference to confer
with tho attorney general on tho ques
tion of fusion under tho new primary
law, that ho would not change tho
opinion gWen out by him that fusion
could mot legally bo effected under tho
law for tho reason that tho name of
no caudtdnto could appear on moro
than ono party ballot.
Judge Tlbbets reported this to the
state chairman, T. S. Allen, and, as
agreed at tho conference, tho .matter
will bo taken up In a friendly suit in
tho supreme court. Tho democrats
aro very positive that fusion cannot
bo prohibited. It is said that tho at
torney gonoral is now of tho same
opinion, but having understood that
a friendly suit would bo brought to
test tho law on this point, did not
reverso his opinion. Tho suit will bo
filed at onco and a ruling obtained na
quickly as possible, on account of tho
nearness of tho timo for candidate?
to file their petitions.
Up in the Air.
Tho board of public lands and build
ings opened bids for tho proposed $20,
000' cattle barn at tho state fair. All
bids exceeded tho appropriation and
Secretary W. R. Mellor has written to
members of tho state board of agri
culture as to whethor the board cares
to put in enough of Its own funds to
complete tho work. Tho hoard of ag
riculture has spent $27,000 to Its own
funds on improvements and has sot
asldo $5,000 to "pay expenses and pre
miums in the event of a rainy fair
week and poor attendance. If tho
board Is willing to use most of this
fund the cattle barn can bo built. It
can not bo completed In tlmo for uso
at tho coming fair. .
Fair Appointments.
At a meeting of tho state horticul
tural board at Lincoln tho following
appointments wero announced: Super
intendent of hall at the state fair, G. A.
Marshall, Arlington; judge of fruit,
J. H. Hadklnson, Omaha; judgo of
floral exhibit, J. H. Swigart, landscape
1 r 41. T T .-. I . . Dnntfln ... i M ifin fl
The members of tho board comprise
the following officers and directors:
Officers: President, Harry S. Harri
son, York; first vlce-proaldent, Chas.
L. Saunders, Omaha; second vlco
presldent, C. H. Green, Fremont; treas
urer. Peter Youngers, Geneva; sec
retary, L. M. Russell, Lincoln. Direc
tors: J. A. Yager. Fremont, W. G.
Swan, Tecumseh, A. J. Brown, Geneva,
Counties Must Show Up.
The state board of assassmont has
called for the original abstracts of
assessments made by the county as
sessors of Douglas and Lancaster
counties. This move is considered nec
essary before the board considers the
question of reinstating values as orig
inally found by County Assessor Mil
ler of Lancaster which were reduced
by the county board 20 per cent on
personal proporty, or Increasing the
values of personal property as re
ported by County Assessor Reed of
Dougla3 county; The members of the
board still say thow Intend' to restore
the 20 per cent deducted from porsonal
property by tho Lancaster board.
What will be done with Douglas
county is not made known. County
Assessor Miller will probably go be
fore the state board as he has done
repeatedly, and protest against the
alleged undervaluation of personal
property In Douglas. Merchandise in
Omaha is said to be notoriously un
dervalued as compared with the same
class of porperty in Lancastor. Even
after the Lancaster board took off
20 per cont, some klndB of porsonal
property is still assessed higher Iq
Lancastor than Douglas.
Short Line Passenger Rates.
Tho state railway commission Is
sued an order giving tho Union Pa
clfic road permission to grant short
lino passenger ratos to competing
l.olnts. Tho Union Pacific has a long
line from Lincoln to Omaha and from
Lincoln to Kearney, and from Grand
Island to Central City and Lincoln,
and a short lino, from Lincoln to Be
atrice. If the company sells tickets
over tho long lines as low as tho
shortest lino rdad It will be at a rato
less than two cents a mile,
Vouchers Were Filed.
Vouchers from tho state university
were filed with Socrotary of Stato
Junkin for the purpose of aiding him
In approving claims for warrants on
tho stato treasury. While tho vouchors
wore reposing in his office, warrants
for tho same claims wore being drawn
in the ofllco of Auditor Searle, regard
less of tho secretary's approval. Tho
courts havo required tho auditor to
J draw warrants on uulvorafty funds.
AMUCK WITH AN AX
INSANE FARMER KILLS THREB
BEFORE HIS OWN DEATH.
IS SHOT BY HIS NEIGHBOR
No Warning Given of Awful Tragedy,
and Three Members of Fam
ily Are Slain One After
the Other.
Henry Schutchcon, a farmer about
fifty yoars old, living near Nunica,
Mich., ran amuck with an axe, killing
his Invalid son, his wifo and her
foator father.
Schutchcon was later shot by Henry
McClellan, a neighbor whom the
crazod murderer had also attacked.
Tim tnnil-
HENRY SCHUTCIIEON.
POLLY SCHUTCIIEON, his wife.
SCHUTCIIEON, his eighteen. .
year-old son.
GEORGE ANNING, Mrs. Schutch-
oon's foster fnther.
The SchutjCheon farmhouse had ap
parently nlways boon a happy homo
except for tho cloud vvhlch tho son's
Invalidism cast over it.
With no wnmlng, so far as is
known, Schutchcon suddenly murder
ously attacked his son with an axe.
He crushed tho boy's head frightfully.
Whon his wife lntorferrcd ho turned
on her and pursued tho frightened,
screaming woman, from tho house to
tho road, whore ho knocked her down
with his weapon. Ho then rushod
back to the house and murdered hid
foster fathor-in-law.
Next ho tried to destroy hlniBolf.
Tho maddened man gashed his throat
and wrists with n razor and took somo
Paris green. His wounds did not
weaken him and tho poison did not
tttko Immediate effect. Axo In hand
ho returned to tho road, whero ho ,
nearly killed his wifo a fow moments l
before. Tho first blow did not kill her
and she had been carried into tho
houso of Henry McClellan, nearby.
McClellan rushed to another neigh
bor's for help. Whon Schutchcon
found that his wifo was In tho Mc
Clellan homo alivo ho smashed a win
dow with his axe, Jumped through it
and again attacked her. This time ho
crushed nor skull.. He then left tho
McClellan home and returned to his
houso. When Mr. McClellan returned
from ills search for help tho crazed
man camo out and started over to
ward him, saying: "I want you, too."
"I will shoot you if you come across
the road," replied McClellan, who had
armed himself with a shotgun. Do
spite the warning Schutchcon camo
across: McClellan thereupon shot him
dead.
WANAMAKER'8 8TABLE8 BURN.
Loss of $100,000 Entailed by Blaze In
Fllg Barn.
The Btables on the John Wanor
maker estate, Lyndenhurst. near Jen-
kintown, Pa., were destroyed by fire,
entailing a loss estimated at $100,000.
Lyndenhurst, Mr. Wannmaker's coun
try home, was destroyed by fire Febru
ary last, causing a, loss of nearly
$2,000,000.
At the timo of this fire valuable
paintings, statues and bric-a-brac wero
stored in the stables. Tho paintings
had Blnce been removed, but many
articles remained.
FlameB wero discovered, and a fire
apparatus from Philadelphia and com
panies from nearby suburban towns
wero hurried to tho scene, but tho
fire had made such rapid headway
that nothing could be saved. Tho
Btables wero built when Lyndenhurst
was erected and were magnlficontly
equipped. Three hoises wore burned
In, their stalls and the loss on tho
building and contents Is estimated at
$50,000. The valuo of articles from
Lyndenhurst which wero In tho barn
13 estimated at $50,000.
Two Others Very Low.
The condition of two of the sur
vlvlng victims of tho accident of the
Georgia recently, Is nssumlng a sorl
ous aspect. Seaman .John A. Bush,
1 worse than at any time since ho
was taken to the hospital. Seaman
Louis Meeso had declined consider
ably. Most of thothers Injured aro
believed to be recovering. Two havo
so far convalesced as to bo ablo to
walk about tho grounds.
Small Bank Closed.
Tho Farmers' National Bank of
Boyortown, Pa., was ordered closod
by tho comptroller of the currency
upon a report of National Bank Ex
amlner Bingham showing. It. -to bo
insolvent. J. W. Scoflojd, bank ox
nmlner, has been appointed receiver.
The. bank has a capital of $50,00,0.