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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1939)
The Frontier , VOL UX O'NEIL! ., NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2,1939. No. 38. INTERESTING CHAPTER OF HOLT COUNTY’S EARLY HISTORY Third Installment (Contiued from last week) The last and most conspicuous and spectacular of all the many lurid scenes which had been en acted on Holt County’s soil, was the kidnaping and hanging of Bar ett Scott, County Treasurer of Holt County and the throwing of his corpse into the Niobrara River where it was later found. Scott was accused, tried and found guilty of embezzlement of county funds to the amount of $90,000 to $100,000. In the trial of the case Scott was granted a change of venue from the courts in Holt County to the courts of Antelope county and found guilty as charged by a jury of that coun ty. He was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary but took an | appeal from judgement and sen tence of the court to the supreme court at Lincoln being admitted to ^ bail pending the disposition of his | v case in that court. Previous to his * arrest and trail he had fled to Mex- j ico but was pursued and appre hended in that country and placed in jail by the authorities. A re quisition by the government at Washington upon the government of Mexico for the delivery of his body was duly honored and he was returned to Holt County. His trial followed. At the time he was kid napped he was out on bail. Scott resided in O’Neill but still owned his old homestead, the postoffice, of Sottville being situated thereon. He was on a visit to that place and neighborhood and when return- j ing therefrom with his family to O’Neill on the afternoon of Decem ber 31, 1894, he was held up by masked men, some of whom were in hiding and who shot down the I horses of his conveyance. The Scott party consisted of himselt, his wife and daughter, a young lady friends of the family and his hired man. In the shooting which occurred all of the party escaped injury except the young lady friend, who received a slight wound. Scott was surrounded by the Vigilantes and carried off to a secret hiding place. That was the last seen of him alive. Some days after, his body was fished from under the ice by a searching party, near Whiting Bridge in the Nio brara River. The body when found had on it a piece of % inch rope attached to the neck and about four feet long. It was found close to the Boyd County shore of the river having drifted into a little cove of still water out of the current. Half a dozen or more suspects 4 were arrested and tried for the per petration of this awful crime in the courts of Boyd County, the dead body having been found with-! in that jurisdiction, but were all acquitted and set at liberty. At this writing the culprits are still at large and unpunished. It can be truthfully said that whilst- many excuses which could not receive the approval of any God-fearing person, were laid at the door of the old Vigilance Com mittee all of which are to be de plored by every good citizen of Holt County who loves law and order; never-the-less the know ledge that the “Gulch Boys” were ever in the saddle and ready for business at all times, acted as a wholesale deterent on the vicious ly inclined element of the com ^ munity and finally, in a large mea x sure, succeeded in stamping out of existence the Hydra-headed demon of disorder and crime that had so long and successfully reigned with in her confines. Mr. Prouty in describing the Black Hills rush relates that in the fall of 1873, eleven men and one woman went to thd Black Hills in South Dakota taking with them supplies for one year. The Black Hills country belonged to the In dians, so the U. S. government sent troops the following spring taking the intruders out. The woman af terward returned and became Su perintendent of Schools. This stimulated the gold fever to a higher pitch and in 1874, Gordon at Sioux City, Iowa, started with a team of 36 wagons, well loaded, drawn by valuable mules, nicluding four light vehicles drawn by horses. They got to Snake River, when Uncle Sam’s soldiers ordered them to return, which they refused to do, taking the burrs off the wagon axles. This so perplexed the soldiers that they burned up nearly all the wagons, which were new, most of the supplies and part of the guns. Taking them to Fort Randall, they were tried and re leased. Two of the train, Collins Bros., escaped; one of them in the sand hills, the other while water ing his horses in the river. After riding 65 miles without any lay off, they arrived at Prouty’s ranch about midnight, got supper and after a few hours sleep, went on to Sioux City to procure legal coun cil for damages and release of their train men. Gold seekers rapidly rushed into the hills from all directions, some living mostly on parched corn and sugar, caring little about anything except gold. Fever ran high and a common sight was to see a wagon with the wording on the side “Dead wood or bust,” and later as they made the return trip as many did the wording “Deadwood and bust ed.” Different companies at various times arranged to settle at Long Pine, particularly on account of the timber. However, only one party went as agreed and not finding others there returned. Partly owing to quick temper a woman’s trunk was set out of a wagon on the bank of the river, where she stayed with it all night long, being rescued by a party of seven men who were going up the Niobrara Kiver. this party on their return camped at the mouth of the Eagle Creek and had a fight with the Indians, one of their num ber being killed and one injured. In the fall of 1873, Hon. Judge E. H. Crawford and others went up ; the Elkhorn River on a hunt. They called on some of the Wisconsin settlers, (of which the writer is one) who were fartherest west at the time near Rockford. After a days journey up the river, they, stopped for a short hunt, one of their number staying with the team and wagon to give an alarm on the approach of Indians. Soon a band of Sioux Indians came dashing for ward, their ponies dripping wet with sweat. The hunters quickly returned, arranging themselves around the wagon ready for de fense. With some difficulty the red-skins were held back from sur rounding the wagons. Only one Indian was permitted to come up. They gave him sugar and tobacco, after which they all left. The In dians were bound for the Loup River on a buffalo hunt for winter supplies. Never-the-less the hunt ers were frightened when they saw signals or rockets or fire brands thrown into the air in different di rections and lost no time returning to the settlement of Rockford near midnight. This proved to be the same body of Indians who after chasing the U. S. surveyors, who had been surveying the state line, to Fort Randall had tried to steal ponies from the Ponca Indians, who with the help of soldiers, had kill ed one of them, after which they fled to the Loup River. Mr. Prouty relates that two white girls of marriagable age sold themselves to two buck Indians to become their wives for thirty' ponies each. The Indians secured J the ponies, delivered them on an j island ready for crossing the river, i Then they went in search of the girls to complete the bargain. The girls found out that the bucks meant business just in time to escape and keep out of sight until ! they left. He says the first notary public and first postmaster and as sistant had to go forty miles to the nearest magistrate to have the oath of office administered, and that it cost fifty cents to send a letter from Ohio to California re quiring one year in transit. He also gives a glimpse of some of the rigors of pioneer life itself when he says that ague and chill fever were common on the trip out, and dogs shook to death if not doctored. Later on we passed j through a locality where migrating swarms of locusts had visited des troying the timber. The school houses were crude affairs, fur nished with plank or slab seats and a shelf against the side wall on which to write. Instead of per suasive methods of government the whip or ruler was commonly used. Necessity si the mother of inven tions and many of our present day conveniences are the outcome of the early settlers. He says there are two systems of education, the damaging radical graded hold back system, to restore the feeble, dead and lost talents to useful activity and the other the progres sive system, to educate the live and living talents for future use. In his “Frontier Life,” as he ex perienced it in the Buckeye, Bad ger and Goldenrod states he says, “Looking back about seventy years I find myself in the Buckeye state in a dense forest thickly settled; each family having a few acres from which to support it. Beech trees were felled in winter to sup ply the shortage of feed. The stock would eat the ends of the limbs and buds as a substitute for hay. Many of the hogs ran wild, living on beech nuts and roots, thus the saying, ‘Root hog or die!’ They became as w'ild and fierce as a pack of wolves. Wild fruit was plentiful as well as nuts and a wel come food. Money, more than enough to pay the taxes, was an unknown quantity. Prices were low as well as wages. School teachers were not expected to pay; first class carpenters could be had for fifty cents a day and board, and the board was poor. When a new house or barn was to be built a crew of about twenty men with teams some oxen and some horses were invited in order to complete the erection in one day. Some would fell trees or plow the sod as the case might be, some draw the logs or sods and the others put up the building. The women too were in vited and boys and girls to be there in time for supper. A generous en tertainment and social time would follow after supper. The houses were, if log, covered with long shingles or shakes shaved by hand. The cracks between the logs were chinked with wood fitted to fill the various sized openings, then plastered with mud, lime or mortar. The fireplace was usually of stone and the chimney of lath and mor tar. A crane on which to hang the stew kettle, a dutch oven to hake in and a skillet or spider for frying meat and pancakes, were the essentials necessary. The grain was cut by hand and thresh ed with a club or flail and separated from the straw and chaff with a wooden fork. The chaff was blown away by two men using a sheet for a fan. After dead timber was felled, the tops were burned and log rolling bees were made and logs were hauled and piled ready for burning, then dinner for all. An additional number, particularly boys and girls were invited for sup per. Supper over they played and sang songs, the amusement varing to suit the crowd, thus with hap piness, love and sunshine, life was prolonged and easier. If salaratus or soda was short they would go to a burned logheap, rake the ashes and get a crust or cake equal to the best of spda. Ashes when sold brought one cent a bushel. Shoes and boots were made from home tanned leath er and had had to last a year or go without. The fashions changed, men’s pointed vests and swallowtail coats, women’s quilted petticoats and bustles, lace or stay jackets. Little boys and large girls whittled hickory stays to rib or support the jackets. The middle stay was so annoying that they called it the “cussed board.” Fashions prevailed no matter how beautiful or ridiculous. One day we heard a roaring noise like the distant roll of thunder. It was a great cloud of wild pigeons that lit and devoured everything eatable. They bent the limbs of the trees so low that by using torches to blind them many were caught and killed with clubs and eaten. By the time we reached the Golden Rod state the country was rapidly building and railroads taking the place of freight teams. Cook stoves, matches, steel pans, brass clocks, instead of wooden ones, grain cradles and many other im (Continued next week) S. J. Weekes Reelected Director in One of States Leading Ass’n. The fiftieth annual meeting of stockholders of the OecidentalBuild ing & Loan Association convened at the association’s offices in Omaha last Thursday. Fred E. Hovey, president, told the stockholders that 1938 was one of the best years in more than a decade for the As sociation, which was founded here June 12, 1889. Plans are under way to celebrate the golden anni versary throughout the year. “We have continued to partici pate in the excellent showing made by all state-supervised building and loan associations in Nebraska and Wyoming,” Mr. Hovey said. “These associations have taken long strides in the direction of sound assets, liquidity, modern and up-to date loan prograniB, and attractive dividends.” He cited a substantial increase in new savings accounts opened with the Association in 1938, and said that the reserves and undivid ed profits of the organization— more than twice the amount re quired by law—are adequate “in surnace” for every investor. “Wage earners are appreciative of the fact that a dividend return of three per cent per annum with an incident demonstrated safety of investment is extremely attractive under present conditions.” Reductions in real estate hold ings, real estate sold on conttract, and foreclosures, as shown by the January 1st statement, all tend to the strengthening of the Associa tion, he said. S. J. Weekes, president of the O’Neill National Bank, of O’Neill, Nebr., was unanimously re-elected to the board of directors of the As sociation, at the nomination of E. S. Waterbury, Armour & Co. general manager. He was the only director up for re-election. __3> - Holt County Rainfall For Past Ten Years Following is the rainfall in this county for the past ten years, as compiled by Harry Bowen, official weather observer for this city, as prepared by his son, Elmer: Year Total 1929 - 31.80 1930 _18.00 1931 _16.05 1932 _ 22.58 1933 _ 16.67 1934 _15.40 1935 . 21.43 1936 _14.42 1937 ___20.93 1938 _ _19.54 Births Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Sterns, of Phoenix, announce the birth of a son on Wednesday, February 1. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth McIntosh, of Page, announce the birth of a son on Monday, January 30. Taxes Are Going Up Higher And Higher How hard taxes, national, state and local, hitting the average in dividual in the United States is in dicated in a recent report made by the National Tax Research Committtee, which has gone into the subject at great length. One of the most discouraging features is that the burden is growing com paratively greater, rather than less. The committee asserts that, according to best reports, the ratio of total taxes to national in come for 1938 approximated 24 per cent. This is just twice the ration for the year 1929. The esti mated ratio of public expenditure to national income is believed to have approximated 32 per cent. Back in 1929 the ratio was only 14.2 per cent. Some of our political demago gues declare that higher expendi tures don’t matter because the rich will be taxed to take care of the outlay. But the figures prove this is not the case. During the fiscal year 1936, for example, our direct taxes, which are principally income taxes, constituted less than half of the total federal revenue, 48.1 per cent, to be exact. This means that indirect taxes and cus toms receipts made up the balance. Now it is through the indirect taxes that the little fellow is hard est hit. It means taxes paid in higher rent, in more expensive food, clohing, automobiles, gaso line and the other things he buys. Continuing, the National Tax Re search Committee says: “A farmer, earning $600 a year, must pay approximately $60, or 12 per cent of his yearly income to1 federal, state and local tax col lectors. Idle ! on the average to the support of gov | ernment. ‘A salaried worker, earning $20, 000 a year, pays out in taxes ap proximately 37 per cent of his in come, or $7,459. “The price of bread is estimated to include 68 different taxes which | aggregate .64 per cent of the price. Milk contains 1% cents of taxes per quart; beef, 8.14 per cent; sugar 18.3%, including 45 different taxes; hosiery, hats, shirts, 20%; men’s suits, 10 to 20%; including 63 different taxes on $35 suits; shoes, 8% to 20%; drugs and medi cines, 33 1-3%; automobiles, 345 different taxes; cigarettes, 6 cents per package.’’ Here is something worth think ing about. We are being told now that additional billions will have to be raised for national defense, for spending and relief. All of this must come out of taxes. Of course, borrowing some of the money post pones the evil day, but even then, in this generation we cannot avoid paying higher interest on govern ment loans, as well as greater taxes to meet, in part, the running expenses of the government. This is in addition to saddling an un bearable burden on our children and our children’s children. But until the nation becomes really tax conscious, until the little fellow realizes be is paying his share in taxes as well as the rich man—even more than his share in proportion to his goods and earn ings—then it is going to be diffi cult to do anything about it. But steadily more people are beginn ing to see the dangers of greatly inerrasing our tax burdens. St. Mary’s Lose Strenous Game Here St. Mary’s lost a closely con tested basket ball game to the At kinson High team in the local gym on Monday night by a score of 19-20. The game was very ex citing, Atkinson forging ahead in the closing seconds of the gam i on a goal by Bob Jungman, forward. Both the second team and the eight grade teams of St. Mary’s defeated the Atkinson second team and the eighth grade team. St., Mary’s will meet O’Neill High on the High floor on Friday night in wi’bt is expected to be another close game. O’Neill Dress Shop Is Sold This Week Mrs. Cleota Carney, who has been an employee of the Bordson McCartney dress shop in O’Neill for the past year, has purchased the dress shop of Mrs. Helen Simar and took possession on Monday. Mrs. Simar retains possession of the millinary department and they will operate the two in conjunction Mrs. Carney has had considerable experience in buying and selling ready-to-wear, and plans to oper ate an up-to-the-minute dress shop —carrying a complete line of dresses. The Frontier welcomes her to the ranks of O’Neill busi ness people and wish her success. The Weather The weather has been fairly mild the past week until the last day of the month when we had a little snow and at times on Wednes day it looked as if we might have a real blizzard. But it did not amount to much as it cleared up before night and it is clear today with a slowly rising temperature. The snow fall, which amounted to about three inches gave us .13 of an inch of moisture. The coldest of the week was this morning when it was 5 above zero. Follow ing is the weather for the week: . H. L. M. Jan. 26_41 25 Jan. 27_63 21 Jan. 28_45 22 Jan. 29 _ 35 17 Jan. 30 37 16 Jan. 31 . 37 24 Feb. 1 84 7 .13 Holt County Pioneers Observe Golden Wedding On Sunday, January 29, about 100 friends and relatives gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. j Grenier, northeast of O’Neill, to help them celebrate their Golden wedding anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Grenier have lived in Holt county for twenty-seven years. Before moving to this | county their home was at Lyons, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Grenier are the parents of twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, nine of whom are living. They are: Frank, of O’Neill; Mrs. Mary Crippen, of Farmer, S. D.; Mrs. Hattie Kind lund, of Geddes, S. D.; Max, of Star; Mrs. Edith Cline, of Bassett; Vern, of Bassett; Mrs. Lucille Donohoe, of O’Neill; Cecil and By ron at home. There are nine grandchildren and one great grand child. They are: Charles, Eve lyn, Loris and Doris Crippen; Ardis, and Carol Grenier; Joan Donohoe, Mrs. Deloris Sawyer and La Vern Grenier and Arlene Sawyer. All the ' children and their families were there to help them celebrate. The house was nicely decorated, the color scheme was carried out in gold and white. A three-tier golden wedding cake was baked by M rs. Kindlund and decorated with j a bride and groom. Each guest received a piece of the cake during lunch, which was served at 6 o’clock. A smaller four-layer white cocoa nut cake was baked by Mrs. Hallie Crippen for Mr. and Mrs. Frank Grenier, this being their twenty second anniversary. Many nice gifts and cards were presented by those in attendance. Among the gifts were a set of six chairs and a set of silverware, service for eight. These were given by the children. After a day of celebrating it was decided to have a dance which lasted until the small hours of the morn ing. A delicious lunch was served at midnight, music being furnished by Elmer Juracek, Cecil Grenier and Harvey Sawyer. Out of town guests present for the occasion were: Joe Grenier and Mary Grenier, of Lyons; Mi-b. Lily Thiboult and son, Harvey, and Mrs. Drayton Thiboult and son, Dale, of Naper; Mr. and Mrs. I. J. Donohoe and daughter, Katherine, and Son, Francis, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Richter and daughter, Lou ella, of O’Neill. Guess It Was Dry And Arid Here in 1873 The sage of the southwest, now of the southeast, Romaine Saunders takes exception to a statement in the old time history of Holt county, written by the former county clerk of Holt county, M. D. Long, in 1901, in which in the early days this was classed as an “arid desert region.” In a letter written by John T. Prouty, one of the real pioneers of the county and published in the Nebraska Farmer in 1923, we take the following: “In 1873 most of us considered the land between the rivers worth less for agricultural purposes. Along the rivers and streams one might live by trapping and hunt ing. Land was then worthless be cause of lack of rain and the prev alence of grasshoppers and prairie fires. However, since 1873 the climate has changed. We get more rain and winters are harder and longer.” O’Neill Archery Team Meet Defeat at Norfolk The O’Neill Archery team jour neyed to Norfolk on Monday where they went down to defeat at the hands of the Norfolk recreation club by a score of 1410 to 1134. The members of the O’Neill team are: Jack Davidson, Fritz Gunn, Orville Green, A1 Gaskell, Vic Breidenhoft, and Clarence Selah. Mrs. F. J. Kubitschek returned Thursday night from Omaha where she had been visiting at the home of her mother, Mrs. L. B. Van Sant, for the past week. Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Waite, of Loup City, Nebr., spent Tuesday as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. D. H.' Cronin. Miss Van Waite, who had been visiting at the Cronin home since last Friday returned home with them. Holt County Farmer Kills Himself Saturday While in a state of mental aber ation Charles Arthur Shobe shot and killed himself last Saturday evening at his home about twelve miles east of this city, using a 12 guage shot gun, the muzzle of which he held under his chin and pulled the trigger. The funeral was held Monday afternoon at 2 o’clock from the Methodist church in Page, Rev. Leo D. Carpenter officiating and burial in the Page cemetery. Deceased was bom at Ewing on July 16, 1899, and was 49 years, 6 months and 12 days old at the time of his death. Except for the time he was in the army during the World War he had been a resident of the county all his life. He was unites! in marriage on April 5, 1930, to Mabel Duncan, who with a son and daughter, Charles A., of Ewing, and Marjorie, are left to mourn his passing. He is also survived by six sisters and three brothers. His death is another that can be charged up to the World War. He suffered severely from shell shock during the war and he never was able to shake off the effects of that horrible experience and since the close of the war was never strong mentally as a result of the shocks received. He had many friends in the eastern part of the county, where he was well known, who learned with regret of his tragic death. Judge Dickson Presides In Condemnation Court Judge R. R. DickBon and Court Reporter Ted MeElhaney, aecom pained by Mrs. Dickson and Mrs. D. H. Cronin drove to Loup City last Friday morning where the ladieB visited friends while the others were looking after legal matters. They returned that af ternoon. Judge Dickson and Judges Lewis II. Blackledge, of Hastings, and Adolph E. Wenke, of Stanton, were appointed by the State Supreme court a few weeks ago for the pur pose of appraising the power plant at Loup City, which the city has taken steps to take over as a municipal plant. The three Judges met at the Court house at Loup City last Friday as a Court of Con demnation and organized. Judge Dickson was selected to act as pre siding Judge and Ted MeElhaney as the reporter. April 10, 1939, was fixed as the time for hearing the evidence in the matter. Strengthens His Faith In His Fellow Man About two years ago a young man approached John Kersenbrock, then mayor, and said that he was busted and hungry. John says he was a clean-cut looking young fel low and that he felt sorry for him and staked him to a meal, gave him a dollar and sent him on his way. John said the young fellow was profuse in his thanks and said that he would remember it and pay it back. John forgot all about it un til Wednesday morning when he got a letter from the young fellow enclosing a money order for the amount he had expended on him. The letter was from Kansas City and he again expressed his appre ciation for the favor extended him. John is naturally elated, not so much for receiving the money as in the fact that again his judg ment of human nature was not mis placed and that not all the boys on the road are bums. BRIEFLY STATED Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Dunkerley drove to Bloomfield on Tuesday and visited relatives and friends. II. B. Hubbard, of Lincoln, ar rived here Tuesday night to look after some business matters. Miss Mildred Miller spent Sunday at Ewing visiting at the home of her parents. Mrs. Loran Nelson entertained two tables at bridge at her home on Tuesday night. Miss Grace Connolly won the high score. Mr. and Mrs. A1 Broderson an nounce the birth of a son on Mon day, January 29, at Neligh, where Mrs. Broderson is at the home of her parents.