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The Frontier.
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VOLUMN XLV. O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1924. NO. 5.
Notes From The History of
O’Neill As Prepared By The
Late Jud£e J. J. McCafferty
The Frontier, through the courtesy
of Mrs. It. E. Gallagher, is permitted
to give its readers some reminiscences
• of the very early life of this part of
Holt county as gathered by the late
John J. McCafferty.
These reminiscences are taken from
the notes prepared by Judge Mc
Cafferty for a history of O’Neill and
Holt countv the compilation of which
the Judge was engaged at the time of
his death.
On the 12th of May, 1874, General
John O’Neill landed his first colony
on the present city of O’Neill. It is
needless to say that the town is called
in honor of the General, notwith
stnding the claim set up by Patrick
Fahy, who claims General O’Neill ^vas
in his pay and service and that he
(Fahy) named it after Red Hugh
O’Neill who flourished in Ireland in
the flime and reign of Queen Eliza
beth. His followers consisted of Neil
Brennan, Patrick Hughes, Timothy
O’Connor, Henry Carry, Thomas Con
nolly, Michael Dempsy, Thos. Kelly,
Robert Alworth, Ralph Sullivan, Pat
rick Brennan, Thos. Cain, Henry
Carry, Patrick M. Karney and others,
but many of them returned back when
they saw the raw and barren naked
ness of the vast and virgin prairies
undisturbed by the habit of man or
the sign of human life. O’Neill ad
vertised the country pretty thoroughly
in the east and although there were
a few trappers and nomadic settlers
in the northeast and northern part of
the county and the McEvony settle
ment a few miles east of O’Neill, the
thorough and systematic settlement
of the county starts with O’Neill’s
first colony, if it may be so called.
The o. iginal colonists dropped out
one by one until there was only left
in the fall or autumn, Patrick Hughes,
Neii Brennan, Tim O’Connor, Tom
Connolly, M. H. McGroth, and Thos.
N. J. Hines. Robert Alworth went
back east but afterward returned and
settled twenty miles above here in the
Eikhorn valley. The McEvony set
tlement was effected on July 13, 1873.
and consisted of H. H. McEvony,
Frank Bitney, John T. Prouty, Her
man Hoxsie and sons, Henry and Wil
son and E. H. Thompson, and in the
autumn of the same year they were
joined by David Wisegarver and Sam
Wolf. The next spring Eli and John
Sanford came.
It is said that years before any of
the present settlers came to the county
there wras an attempt to settlement
near the mouth of the Redbird creek
by some discharged federal sodiers
who selected claims and built cabins
out of cedar logs cut and dressed on
their own claims but were continually
disturbed, horrified and finally put to
flight, and at least one of their num
, her killed by Sioux Indians who had
: a reservation and lived just across the
river “qui court” or “Running Water”
now the Niobrara. But the first set
tlers who stuck to the claims and
maintained their posts of honor on
the frontier were Wm. T. Berry who
came in June, 1874, and T. H. Berry
and J. B. Berry who came in the fall
of the same year. J. B. was a man
of family who accompanied him but
T. H. was a bachelor. In 1875 Emery
Belezure from Iowa, moved his family
there. Ryland Parker and wife, two
sens and daughters moved in from
Wisconsin about this time and a little
later Clement Lamereaux.
The old settlement was called Tory
but about that time the star of A. S.
Paddock, one of the pioneers and early
statesmen 6f the state, and a very
worthy citizen, was in the ascendant,
and so, hence, the settlers discarded
the historic name and adopted the
name of the poppular Senator Pad- J
dock.
On November 1, 1874, Rody J.
Hayes, Jas. Ryan, John Reddy ar
rived and in May, 1875, General
O’Neill came with his second colony,
consisting of Patrick Hagerty, John
J and Thomas O’Neill, his nephews,
John Cantlin, Michael Ryan, Michael
Gastello, D. P. O’Sullivan, Herman
Strasburg, Wm. O’Sullivan and others,
a few bringing their families. In the
spring of 1876, General O’Neill
brought in his third colony consisting
of 102 men, women and children; and
in 1877 his fourth colony consisted of
about 70 people all told.
As those were grass hopper years
these new arrivals scattered in all
directions, many returned to their
former homes in the east accompanied
by some of the former colonists and j
homesteaders all the* way down the
valley from here to Wisner.
In speaking of the grasshoppers, I
was of the opinion before I came here
that they were natives of the high
and dry regions of the Rocky Moun
tains. I read that their natural home
and habitat was comprised between
longitude 43 and 53 north, and lati
tude 103 and 114 west, but you may
guess at my astonishment when I tell
you that one afternoon in the later
part of July, 1876, I went to the
house of Mrs. Patrick Murray, whose
clain later comprised the McCafferty
addition to O’Neill. We were all batch
elors and most of us got our washing
done and our bread baked by her as
she was the nearest woman. As I
passed south of her home I saw a
field of corn on second break
ing, of the most luxuriant growth that
I have ever seen. I may have been in
the house ten or fifteen minutes when
all cf a sudden everything became
dark and when we rushed out the door,
we were ankle deep in a mass of
grasshoppers and they were still
alighting. We were all awed and
I dumb-founded when we cast our eyes
i in the direction of the beautiful and
i healthy field of maize which I had just
i passed a fewr minutes before. Not a
j vestage of green growth, not even a
j stalk was left, all were downed in less
time than it takes to tell the dismal
story. The hoppers continued to
alight for hours ’till the ground was
covered to a depth of 4 to 6 inches.
The aerial flight of the insects was
about one and one-half mildS to two
miles wide and lasted for nearly two
days.
In the early history of the county
the colonists were over a hundred
miles from civilization and many of
them over fifty miles from a post
office. The nearest railroads were at
Wisner, Nebraska, and at Yankton,
South Dakota, and the supplying post
office was at Frenchtown in Antelope
county.
We had neither, clergy, doctor or
school teacher excepting one Father
Bedard, who was a combination of
priest, farmer and pedigog in the vil
lage of Frenchtown on the north side
of the Elkhoin liver east of what used
to be called the “Yellowbanks.”
A postoffice was established in
O’Neill about, the time I came here in
1876, and Patrick Hagerty was the
first mercantile store in the county and
first mercantile store in the cunty and
at one time did a vast business em
ploying from ten to twenty hands all
told; at time he took in $1,000.00 per
day. He was an old soldier, a stu
dent of men and possessed a college
education.
When Sanford Parker, who was the
first active county clerk, brought the
books and records from Paddock to
O’Neill on August 1, 1879, he located
them in a little building 10x12 feet,
standing, I think, about where Robert
Morrison’s grocery now is. And by
the way, that, was a very historic and
important land mark and building, be
ing O’Neill’s first court house, the first
school house, the first drug store, the
first grog shop, the first law office
and seat of justice as it was the place
when Chas. O’Neill opened his office
and where was held O’Neill’s first suit
of litigation before passing into the
hands of the WJcox Lumber <’o., to
become their office and hence O’Neill’s
first lumber office and is now a part
of the establishment of O. 0. Snyder
& Co.’s office.
In 1880 Neil Brennan, the senior
member of the old O’Neill hardware
firm of Brennan & McCafFerty, built
the house in which he now resides and
the county commissioners rented it
from him and moved the county offi
ces into it. It then stood on the block
south of Douglas street and on the
east side of the original townsite and
the first important legal proceedings
transacted in it was the trial of “Kid
Reed” for the murder of Holt County’s
sheriff, Barney Kerns. Through his
attorney, Mr. Cowan, Reed made a
favorable showing in his plea for a
change of venue, which was granted
and the case set for trial at the county
seat of Antelope county. That was
the first time I ever saw John 0.
Cowan, who defended the prisoner
Reed and finally got him acquitted.
When the trial was called in O’Neill
it was a very hot day and when
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the big Omaha attorney arose to ad
dress the court he took off his coat
and vest and removed his necktie and
rolled up his shirt sleeves like as if
he was going to do a hard days work
with a shovel, hoe or ax; and when he
got warmed up with his subject and
began rolling his big eyes Snd shaking
his black locks of curly hair, there
was a stream of eloquence and ora
tory freely flowing and which has
never been surpassed since or before
in the precincts of a Holt county dis
trict court which is saying a great
deal too. Well Mr. Cowan gained his
point, got the change of venue, and the
trial was sent to Neligh, where, at the
next term of the Antelope district
court he got Reed acquitted and it was
said W. A. Paxton, a big and burly
ranchman, living in Omaha, paid him
(Cowan) a big fee of five thousand
dollars (raised by subscription from
tihe owners of the big western
ranches-. The size of the fee was
commented on far and wide and it was
said to have been the largest ever paid
for such a purpose up to that time in
the history of Nebraska. But whether
the fee was the largest or not the
trial of the suit stamped John C.
Cowan as a great criminal lawyer, in
which branch of his profession he had
no successful trials for several years,
though he finally gave up the practice
of criminal law and devoted his entire
time and attention to the commercial
branch of his profession, in which he
has gained for himself a monument
of fame and a large fortune.
JERRY HOWARD SAYS
GEN. O’NEILL REMAINS
CAN BE MOVED HERE
Jerry Howard, of Omaha, writes
Hon. T. V. Golden, president of the
organization that will transfer the re
mains of General John O’Neill from
its resting place in Omaha to O’Neill,
that there will be no particular oppo
sition to its project.
Following is a copy of the letter
received by Mr. Golden;
Omaha, Neb., June 28, 1924.
Hen. T. V. Golden, Charman, General
John O’Neill Association, O'Neill,
Nebraska:
Dear Sir: The ideals of the Irish
is a puzzle to many of those not of
the Irish race, perhaps that is the
reason why Vicar General Colaneri
does not look with favor on this na
tional project to transfer the remains
of General O’Neill, the hero of the
Battle of Ridgeway, and the monu
ment erected to his memory, from
Omaha to O’Neill, the city founded by
this Irish Martyr patriot.
The* sentiment that prevailed in
transfering Colonel John O’Mahony,
O’Donovan, Rossa, Rev. Father
O’Growney and other Irish patriots
from this Republic to the Irish Re
public prevails in this national move
ment. The Irish World in its issue of
June 7th stated that the readers of
that great paper are interested in the
movement.
History repeats itself, General
O’Neill writing to the Irish World
during the colonization period of
O’Neill stated that the greatest op
ponents to his policy of getting the
Irish away from the cities were the
politicians. """
It is unfortunate for Ireland that
these politicians are everywhere.
“Tim” Healy & Co., replace Keongh
and Saddlier in infamous memory.
These rascals, too* often deceive the
clergy. However it is consoling to
learn that the hierarchy is getting on
to the political grafters. The latest
report, the new Bishop of Cloufret,
Iteland, the Most Rev. Dignan has
arrayed himself on the side of the
Irish Republic.
There are some small editions of
the despised and hated “Terrible
Timothy” in our midst, who through
their nefarious intrigues are able to
influence some of the clergy to look
with disfavor on any genuine Irish
movement.
It is universally known that there is
a pro-British Irish element (Shoe
neens) in America, who are opposed
to arousing any Irish agitation that
may disturb the ulterior motives of
the Wilsonian politicians.
Father Gannon’s paper, the True
Voice, in this week’s issue, has an
editorial headed “How Strange” that
throws some light on the schemes of
these political trimmers
Now, Brother Golden, the eccle
siastical authorities will not object to
transferring the mortal remains of
the hero of the Battle of Ridgeway to
the City founded and established by
this Irish Martyr patriot.
Yours truly,
JERRY HOWARD.
“AINT NATURE WONDERFUL”
(By Uncle Pete in Omaha Bee.)
O’Neill, Neb., June 29.—Doe Wil
kinson expects to re-establish himself
in the good grace of the horsemen of
Beaver Flats at the races at O’Neill
the Fourth of July through the ac
complishments of Jack McKenna’s
running horse, Sapolio, which the
doctor himself has entered in the
races, paying the entry fee and all in
an effort toward redemption.
Sapolio is the horse which although
possessed of remarkable speed, also
had a sheep’s heart which caused him
to quit at the last minute and come
in behind the money to the great
grief and financial embarrasment oi
his owner, Mr. McKenna.
Last fall, just before the count}
fair, the doctor endeavoring to over
come this defect in the animal’s make
up for Mr. McKenna transplantec
some glands into Sapolio from one oi
Glen Shiviey’s string of famous rela}
One Man And His Town
A man by himself is just—one man.
Multiply him by hundreds of thous
ands or millions and he becomes a
town or city or notion.
If he “gets on in the world,” so will
dozens or hundreds or thousands of
his associates. If he fails, so will a
greater or less number of others—for
no one man can affect only himself by
his actions.
Because of this fact of human
nature, our bank exists to help our
friends succeed. Any problem of
finance put up to it is carefully con
sidered and its best advice is freely
given. You are invited to take ad
vantage of this service.
The Nebraska State Bank
♦
horses, but by mistake got the glands
from Rock of Ages, Shively’s champ
ion bucking broncho outlaw.
As a result when the jockey tickled
Sapolio with the spurs in the finish
of the Beaver Flats derby the nag
threw his rider and kicked out several
pannels of the track fence, injuring
one or two rail birds. The doctor’s
mistake nearly resulted in a suit for
damages and malpractice, in Judge
Kir win’s court by the irate owner of
Sapol'io.
Since then and to avoid the litiga
tion Doc has been engaged in secret
experimentation with glands of vari
ous animals and several weeks ago
equipped Sapolio with a new set of
jackrabbit glands taken from Charley
Harding’s racing rabbit. The horse
.with his new glands was given a try
out on the private track at the doc
tor’s ranch just north of The Flats
last week, and showed even better
than his oldtlime form.
He also has apparently abandoned
his bucking proclivities and runs in
stead of sunfishing when spurred. On
the outcome of the races in which Sap
olio is entered at O'Neill the Fourth
will depend whether or not the doctor
and Mr. McKenna patch up their dif
ferences.
LOCAL MATTERS.
Rev. Father Kohler left Monday
morning for a visit to his heme in
Erie, Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Nellie Frawley left for her
home in Omaha after a three weeks
visit with frinds here.
Albert Herrick came up from
Waterbury Wednesday to attend the
Home Coming and Race Meet this
week.
R. H. Lienhart and Frank Huston,
from the South Fork country, trans
acted business in the city Saturday.
V. B. Jones and wife drove up from
Sioux City Saturday night in their
new Chandler. The roads are very
muddy.
J. B. Ryan left Saturday for Cedar
Point, Ohio, where he will attend a
National Hay Convention held there
this week.
Petersburg Index, June 27: Sr.
Radcgundis, of O'Neill, is visiting at
the home of her father, Edward
Everett, this week.
Petersburg Index, June 27: Mrs.
Grant White and daughter, Carrol
Jane, of O’Neill, are spending a week
at the Henry Hellrich home.
A new restaurant opened in the Joel
Parker establishment in South O’Neill.
The place has been thoroughly reno
vated and is a first class eating place.
Emil Sniggs has purchased a large
size tuba, in order to celebrate the
Fourth of July and three days race
meet and home coming in an appro
priate manner.
Mrs. Jesn Mills and two children,
Shirley and Bruce arrived in
O’Neill Friday from Omaha, for an
extended visit with her father, Emil
Sniggs and other relatives.
Dr. and Mrs. Vince Goldan and their
daughter, Miss Mildred, ca^ne over
from Creston, Iowa, this morning for
a visit with O’Neill relatives and to
attend the Home Coming this week.
Valentine Republican: Upon the
completion of the new Borman build
ing this week it was promptly occu
pied by E L. Davey with his panto
rium. He has a large, light room for
his work, with a tile building in the
rear for his cleaning apparatus.
ARE YOU TAKING
BITTER MEDICINE?
A shock is never pleasant
medicine to take, but many
have to take this medicine
often because of poor invest
ments.
Wise banking connections
will help wonderfully in re
ducing these shocks to a
minimum.
This bank carries no indebtedness
of officers or stockholders.
Resources over $600,000.00
T5he
0*Neill National
Bank
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