Excavation Shows Holt
County Was Once The
Home of Many Indians
By J. B. O’Sullivan
(Continued from last week.)
The Pawnee were said to be the
proudest people in all the world when
first the white had contact with them.
To show this highly developed trait,
the following, taken from a report
made by Major Long, regarding con
tact his command hail with Pawnee in
October, 1819 and printed in the Ne
braska History magazine, Volume X,
No. .1, 1927:
‘‘On October 9, messengers who had
been sent yesterday for the Pawnees
returned, having met with them on the
Elk Horn creek, 2fi miles distant, on
their way hither.
‘‘They arrived about noon, seventy
in number, consisting of ind.ivduals of
the three tribes, called Grand Pawnees,
Pawnee Republicans and Pawne Loups,
or Pawnemahas, (the last band sup
posed to have lived on the Michael
Gallagher farm here) and halted at
some distance from our camp.
“As we approached them we ob
served the majority of them standing
in a forest of young willow trees, hold
ing their mules by the bridles, and
looking dubiously around.
“The chief of the principal band,
Long Hair, wus harranguing them in u
loud voice, ‘take off your saddles; why
do you stand peeping and trembling
in the bushes? You ought to have
tremebled when the whites were seen
near the Konza village, etc.’ We sal
uted the principal men in the usual
manner of shaking the hand, though
not with much cordiality. Major
O’Fallon then said:
“ ‘Pawnees, camp here and smoke
your pipes in security; you huve con
ducted yourselves badly,but the whites
will not harm the red skins when they
have them thus in their power; we
tight in the plains, and scorn to injure
men seated peacefully by their fire
sides. Think well of what you will
have to say to me in council tomorrow.’
“These assurances seemed to annul
their present apprehensions, and they
proceeded to encamp.
“Three boats came from Camp Mis
souri to take on board a quantity of
provisions which are stored here for
the troops; we exchanged salutes with
them. The noise of the artillery ex
cited the apprehensions of the Indians;
who, being sensible of having grossly
offended the whites, now anticipated
some examplury punishment, and were
not at ease until reassured of their
safety, and the cause of firing such
great guns so near them was explained.
“In the evening, accompanied by
: everul gentlemen of the party, we
visited the camp of the Pawnees,
whom we found sitting around their
fires, smoking their pipes in silence.
Some were employed in making bows,
having found plenty of hickory, and
hop-horn-beam-wood here, which are
not to be procured in the vicinity of
their villages. Their mules were tied
to trees, feeding on the bark of the
cottonwood. The three tribes were
seated around, different fires.
“We sat down in the group of the
Grand Pawnees, and smoked with their
chief, Tar-ra-re-ca-wa-o, or Long
lluir.
‘This is an hereditary cmet, of a
lofty ami rather haughty mien; his
mouth is, perhaps thru habit, drawn
down a little at the corners. He has
the appearance and character of an
intrepid man, although not dis
tinguished as a warrior, huving dur
ing his life killed but a single man,
who was a Spaniard. He is, however,
artful and politic, and has performed
some laudible actions.
"At another fire, surrounded by his
particular band, sat the Knife Chief,
La-ehe-le-cha-ru, principal chief of the
Fawneemahas. He is a large portly
man, with a very prepossessing count
enance; the hair on the sides of his
head is gray; he has a deep scar on
the right side, from a wound which
was inflicted by a female prisoner, of
the Padouca nation, whom he had
adopted and taken into his family.
"This squaw, becoming infuriated
at the prospect of slavery to which
she supposed herself now reduced,
stabbed her child to the heart, mortally
wounded the brother of this chief,
and before she could be dispatched,
had inflicted this wound, thru which
the bowels protrud'd. The individuals
of this band live in great harmony
amongst themselves, owing probably
to their having but two chiefs, who
are unrivalled. The second chief is a
Mestizo. Against this band we have
no accusation; (here again is favor
orablc mention of some early Holt
county people, the I.oups or Skidi
under another name) they have alway
demeaned themselves well toward the
American whites.
“In a third group were collected
representatives of the Pawnee Repub.
licans. This nation or clan stands
accused of whipping, robbing, and
otherwise abusing a white American
and his son, whom they found trapping
beaver on the Arkansas this season;
of killing two American citizens, two
years since, who were al«o trapping
Iwaver on the same river, and of rob
bing our party of sundry articles and
horsas, near the Konza village, whilst
under the protection of the flag of our
country, of the nature of which they
had been instructed, and perfectly
well understood.
“These outrages, and many others,
they had committed on lands to which
they did not pretend to have any claim,
situated far from their own territories,
and in the immediate vicinity of na
tions with whom they then were, and
still are, at war.
“On the following day the Pawnees
were summoned to council, and in a
short time they appeared, marching
leisurely in a narrow pathway, in In
dian file, led by the Grand chief. Near
this pathway the musical band was
stationed, and when Long Hair arrived
opposite, they struck up, suddenly und
loudly, a martial air. We wished to
observe the efFects which instruments,
which he had never seen nor heard
before, would produce on this dis
tinguished man, and therefore eyed
him closely, and were not disappointed
to observe that he did not deign to
look upon them, or to manifest, by any
motion whatever, that he was sensible
of their presence.
“The Indians arranged themselves
on the benches prepared for them, and
the cessation of the music was suc
ceeded by stillness, which was sud
denly interrupted by loud explosions
of our howitzers, that startled many
of us, but did not appear to attract the
notice of the Pawnees.
“MajorO’Fallon arose and addressed
them in a very austere tone and man
ner; stating the offense they had com
mitted against the white people, and
admonisheing them to the reforma
tion in their conduct, and to restore the
articles they had stolen from us.
“The council terminated after much
of the property taken from us near
the Konza village was restored, and
a promise given that the offenders
should be punished by whipping.”
Here is u speech by trie Knife Chief,
head of the Loup bond of the Pawnee,
the tribe thought to have lived in
Holt county long before the whites
had even a name on the area. At the
meeting mentioned above, each chief
was usked to speak and the Knife, also
called La-ceech-ne-sha-ru, said:
“Father, Here 1 am' before you.
You see me. I urn poor.
“Father, I am a Pawnee Wolf, and
those you see there, (pointing to his
band) are Pawnee Wolves.
“Father, look at my people, and see
if they have anything belonging to a
white man.
“Father, 1 tell you I am poor.
“Father, Amongst my people, I be
lieve there is not an individual that
has injured you. If anyone of the
other bunds can say they have, let
them speak.
"Father, This medal which hangs
upon my breast, I received from my red
headed Father below (Governor Clarke)
I listened to his words, and on my re
turn tI told them to my people, and
they believed.
“Father, you see 1 am old; but I
do not recollect that myself, or any
of my people ever injured any of the
whites.
“Father, Neither my hands, nor
those of my young men, have ever
been stained with the blood, of the
Americans.
“Father, that is the reason why I
have come to listen again to the words
of my Father.
nave to nay.
i'tuner, mat is an i
I have finished.”
It should be interesting to read some
notes set down by Lewis and Clarke
on the tribes of the Pawnee:
“(Panias Proper) With respect to
their idea of possession of the soil, it
is similar to that of the Otoes; they
hunt on the south side of the river
Platte, higher up and. on the head of
the Kanzas. A great proportion of
this country is open plains, intersper
sed however, with groves of timber,
which are most generally found in the
vicinity of the water courses. It is
mostly fertile and well watered; free
of stone and lies level. They have
resided in the country which they now
inhabit, since they were known to the
whites. Their trade is a valuable one.
from the Jarge proportion of beaver
and otter which they furnish, and it
may be expected yet to increase, ns
those animals are still abundant in
their country.
“The periods of their residence at
their village and their hunting, are
similar to the Kanzas and the Oxnges.
Their population is increasing. They
are friendly and hospitable to all'
white persons; pay great respect and
deference to their traders, with whom
they are punctual in the payment of
their debts.
“They are, in all respects, a friendly,
well disposed people. They cultivate,
corn, beans, melons, tobacco, etc.
“(Panias Republicans) Are a brunch
of the Panui proper. About ten years
since they withdrew themselves from
the mother nation and established a
village on a large northwardly branch
of the Kanzas, to which they have
given name. They afterwards sub
divided, and lived in different parts of
the country on the waters of the Kan
zas river, but being harassed by their
turbulant neighbors, the Kanzas, they
rejoined the Panias proper last spring.
What has been said with respect to
the Panias proper is applicable to
these people, except that they hunt
principally on the Republican river,
which is better stocked with timber
than that hunted by the Panias.
“(Panias Loups) These are also a
branch of the Panias proper, who sep
arated themselves from that nation
many years since, and established
themselves on a north branch of the
river Platte, to which their names also
was given. These people have like
wise no idea of exclusive right to any
portion of country. They hunt on the
Wolf river about their village, and
on the river Platte above the mouth
of that river. This country is very
similar to that the of Panias proper,
though there is an extensive body of
fertile, well-timbered land between the
Wolf river below their village, and the
river Corn-de-Carf, or Elkhorn river.
They cultivate corn, beans, etc. The
paticulars related on the other Panias
is also applicable to them. They are
seldom visited by any trader, and
therefore usually bring their furs and
peltry to the village of the Panias
proper, where they traffic with the
whites.”
(Continued next week.)
Old Timer Praises Qualities
Of Late Bernard McGreevy
The following tribute to the late
Bernard McGreevy is from the pen of
Jack Graham, formerly a neighbor of
the McGreevys northwest of this city.
Jack was one of the pioneers of this
county, his parents having come to
Nebraska in 1878 or 1871* and he grew
to manhood in this county, leaving
here in the nineties for San Jose, Cal.,
where he has since made his home.
For many years he has been an em
ployee of the Mercury Herald, San
Jose’s leading newspaper. His article
follows:
Just being informed of the death
of Bernard (Barney) McGreevy, by
another old timer, Mayme Welch
Cherry, of Denver, I am wondering
just how many of the newer genera
tion of the O’Neill people realize the
worth of this sterling man of the
pioneer days, realize what a prominent
part Mr. McGreevy played in the
history making of O’Neill and Holt
county.
“It was my privilege to know
Barney McGreevy, as a youth and later
to know him as a man and to know his
many fine qualities.
“Mr. McGreevy came to Holt county
about 1878, from Scranton, Pa., with
his father and mother, the late John
and Bridget McGreevy, settling on a
homestead northwest of O’Neill,
where the family erected a log house
made of cottonwood timber, hauled
by ox teams from the Niobrara river
district and there he grew to manhood.
“It was the mistfortune of the Gra
ham family to be burned out of house
and home in the dead of winter, only
to be taken in by the McGreevy family
in their small log house and there
cared for until spring opened and
frost thawed out so that another small
sod house could be erected.
“Barney McGreevy became of age,
and homesteuded and located a timber
claim, which he planted to ash trees,
grown from the seed, the timber still
growing there.
“Having a poor school education,
he began to study, mastering math
ematics and even going into higher
mathmetics, mastering algebra and
geometry and olher knotty prablems.
He became a school teacher and taught
successfully for a number of years
in district No. 8.
it was in me mg Diizzaru oi moo,
that he showed courage, when with no
fuel in the school house, he gathered
his little band of children, consisting
of Nellie and Tom Joyce, Pat and John
Handley, Pat and Mayme Welsh, and
thru the blinding snow storm piloted
them to the Joyce home a quarter of a
mile distant, to warmth, fire, a hot
meal and safety, and was only sorry
that he did not have his violin to play
for them. McGreevy’s violin was
famous as he was the master violinist
of the country and he could make that
instrument talk. Every one remem
bers Barney McGreevy and his ‘fiddle.’
“Mr. McGreevy later became a busi
ness man but misfortune overtook him
in the banking affairs and he later
traveled to Washington and other
parts of the country.
“As a young man he married a
hieautiful lady who bore him four
children, she later passed away.
“The many virtues of Barney Mc
Greevy will never be forgotten by the
old timers of Holt county and it is
only those of us who suffered the cold
ami hunger, the wild hlizard, cyclones
and hail storms as well as drouths and
grasshoppers and prairie fires, when
there were only a few acres under cul
tivation, that can .^preciate Barney
McGreevy the fiddler of those early
days, and as the old song, ‘The Bliz
xardville Boys’ stated: “There is Lord
Edward Fitzgerald and Big Tony Mur
ry, Tade Welsh and Jim Conley and
Red headed Pete, McGreevy the fiddler
who always willing to play us a Hoe
own when ever we meet!’ "
Nebraska News Items
A Hit at the rarest kind of luck re
sulted in the saving of lives at a grade
crossing at Bayard. L. l>. Hughes was
towing motorists to town and as he
watched the car he was towing, a train
appeared and passed between the first
and second automobile as occupants
gasped. The tow rope became un
tied just as the leading car passed over
the tracks.
A new method of robbing oil station
attendants was tried at Blair, working
perfectly. Ditloff Wolfmann, carrying
$100, answered a knock on his door.
One gunman stood guard while the
other entered the home and pocketed
the money as two guns were held
ready for business.
One of the big Nebraska industries
is that of searching for oil. Thousands
of acres are under lease and the quest
for black gold continues, a report
says. Many firms stand to lose or
gain stakes up in the millions. Chances
of finding oil in Nebraska are said to
be as good as they were in Oklahoma,
oil men say.
The Nebraska State Softball associa
tion is being formed, and teams of the
following towns have signed up or
agreed to enter teams: Plainview,
Battle Creek, Meadow Grove, Creigh
ton, Hartington, Bloomfield, Neligh,
Madison, Walthill, Wakefield and
Wayne. Towns of at least 12 counties
are expected to furnish teams.
A small son of Mr. and Mrs. Rad
cliff, of near Stuart, lost two joints
of his right hand small finger in a
cream separator. The child placed his
finger in the works of the machine
while it was in motion.
One House Legislature
Donald. Gallagher, an O’Neill boy
doing big things in a big way at
Lincoln, sent literature relative to the
campaign of Senator Norris for sub
mission to the voters of Nebraska of
his proposed one house legislature.
Donald is secretary of the Norris
Amendment Committee, headquarters
at the Cornhusker hotel, Lincoln.
At the head of the petition which
was enclosed is this explanation:
“The object of this petition is to
submit to the electors of Nebraska for
their approval or rejection a proposed
amendment to the constitution of Ne
braska relating to the legislative auth
ority thereof, and providing in sub
stance in so far as any changes in
the constitution are made, that be
ginning with the regular session of the
legislature in 1!).‘57, the legislative
authority of the state shall be vested
in a legislature of one house consist
ing of not less than .‘10 nor more than
50 members, the members to be nom
inated and elected in a non-partisian
manner for a term of two years, the
aggregate salaries of the members to
be $.‘J7,5UU per year divided equally
among them, each member to receive
in adtlition to his salary an amount
equal to his actual expenses in travel
ing by the usual route once to and re
turning from each regular or special
session of the legislature, the lieuten
ant governor to act as presiding of
ficer, the sessions of the legislature to
he biennial except as may otherwise
be provided by law.
“The request by any one member to
he sufficient to secure a roll call on
any question, the vote upon the final
passage of any bill not to be taken
until five legislative days after its
introduction nor until it has been on
file for final reading and passage for
at least one legislative day, and all
provisions in the constitution and laws
of the state relating to the legislature,
the senate, the house of representa
tives, and joint sessions thereof, to
mean, in so far as applicable, said
legislature of one house.”
Highway Association
Elects New Officers
Randolp Times-Enterprise: A meet
ing of highway No. 20 Good Roads
Association was held here Friday even
ing. This group is comprised of rep
resentatives from communities ad
jacent to the highway from O’Neill
to Sioux City.
The following officers were elected
for the ensuing year: Harry Houston,
Piainview^ president; Dr. G. E. Peters,
Randolph*, secretary-treasurer and five
vice presidents, Dr. R. P. Carroll,
Laurel; George Lamar, South Sioux
City; Matt Liewer, Osmond; Will
Hammond, O’Neill and E. P. Van
Kirk, Brunswick.
THE Royal Road to tlio
Poor House is paved with
debts and passes on to the
Pauper’s Grave,
THE
O’NEILL NATIONAL
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Capital, Surplus and Undivided Profits,
$125,000.00
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ness of officers or stockholders.
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