O’Neill Uneasy Over Indian Uprising
Boyd County Part of Sioux Reservation and
Excitable Minds Envisioned Scalping Parties
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS
Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Jubilee Edition
Headquarters, Dept, of Dakota, St. Paul, Minn., Dec. 12, 1890.
—To Commanding Officer, Ft. Yates. N. D.: The. d,™‘°n
mander has directed that you make it your special duty to se
cure the person of Sitting Bull. Call an Indian g
operate and render such assistance as will best promote _thie pu
oose in view. Acknowledge receipt and if not perfectly cl a ,
«£a. balk -M. Barber, Asst. Adi. General. By Command of
Uen. uuger.
“Sittin’ Bull is dead." On a
grey December morning I met
Billy Hough on a street in O
Neill and he thus accosted me.
The above military order, which
I find in records at the Nebras
ka State Historical Society, had
been complied with. Colonel
Drum was in command at Ft.
Yates and hg called to his aid
the Indian agent, James Mc
Laughlin.
Before proceeding with the
story of the taking of Sitting
Bull and the battle—some call
it a massacre—that followed, I
wish to speak of the local color.
When news broke of Indian
trouble there was unrest in this
community. Boyd county at that
time was a.part of the Sioux res
ervation. With a considerable
population of red skins our near
neighbors, excitable minds vis
ioned scalping parties swooping
down upon us. This was light
ened when Bill Pettus, living
out 15 miles Northeast, drove
into town one morning early
with his family in the wagon
and horses on the run, announc
Chief Sitting Bull . . . pro
moter and leader of the Ghost
Dance that led to the Battle of
Wounded Knee.
ing a band of Indians passed his
place during the night. This
proved to be a false alarm when
it was learned two cowboys had
taken a herd down the trail
that night.
Denny Cronin and myself
were employed at that time by
Jim Riggs in The Frontier plant.
There had been talk of organ
izing home guards and a meet
ing was to be held at Brennan’s
hardware to see what could be
done to effect such an organiza
tion. That night following the
morning appearance of Pettus,
Denny and I went to the shop
and by the light of kerosene
lamps set the type for and
printed handbills for this meet
ing.
It was the humiliation of
two young printers when Otto
Muts, an educated cigar-mak
er who had lately come to
town looking the field over
for a location, pointed out on
our handbill the word until
spell with two "L's". The meet
ing, at Brennan's, however,
was well attended and the ul
timate result was the military
organization mustered in by
Governor Crounse. which
story appears elsewhere.
A portion of the Pine Ridge
reservation lapped over into Ne
braska just North of Gordon.
Troops and military equipment
were moved up what is now the j
North Western railroad, known
then as the Fremont, Elkhorn &
Misouri Valley line. From Gor
don North to Ft. Yates in North
Dakota it was pretty much In
I
dian country. Chief Sitting Bull,
of the Sioux, then an old man
as he had been engaged in the
Custer battle many years before,
was something of a medicine
man, religious fanatic and ghost
dance performer. This dance had
significance with him and his
followers in connection with the
looked-for Indian Messiah.
The war department deemed it
necessary to take a hand, so
the order printed above was pro
mulgated. Colonel Drum had
received word that Sitting Bull
and a band of his followers were
preparing to leave their hang
out on the Grand river so a de
tachment of Indian police were
sent out to arrest him, follow
ed by a considerable body of
soldiers. Eighteen of the Indian
police, under command of Lt.
Henry Bullhead, rode into the
Sitting Bull camp at dawn De
cember 15, 1890. There were two
log hovels that housed the Sit
ting Bull household. Into one of
these went 10 of the police and
eight into the other. The chief
was informed of their mission
and replied, “Alright, I’ll go
with you to the reservation. He
then asked one of his wives to
get his clothes from another ca
bin and directed that his choice
of a horse be made ready for
him. Others of the Indian po
lice had arrived, making 39 in
all.
When the arresting party
stepped out with their prison
er 150 ol his followers had as
sembled at the cabin. Sitting
Bull's demeanor changed. "I
will not go. I want to die and
I want to fight." Lieutenant
Bullhead stood on one side of
him. Sergeant Shavehead on
the other side and Sgt. Red
Tomahawka at his back.
Grunts were heard among the
assembled Indians, excitement
arose.
Then Catch the Bear and
Strike the Kettle, two of the
chief’s most ardent followers,
broke through the crowd. Catch
the Bear fired a shot that mor
tally wounded Lieutenant Bull
head, then shot Shavehead but
one of them put a bullet through
Sitting Bull and the three fell
together. A general free for all
followed, 36 Indian police that
remained standing against 150
of the chief’s band. Catch the
Bear, the instigator, was shot
down by Private Police Alone
Man. Four volunteers had join
ed the original force of 39 In
dian police. Of the 14 that were
shot down at the Grand river
camp all were killed or died in
a few hours but three who re
covered. These were Alex.
Middle, Brave Thunder and
Strike the Kettle.
Records of the war depart
ment commend the bravery of
the Indian police, men who
rarely have had their equal in
their pride of a United States
uniform or loyalty to the trust
reposed in them.
Big Foot took over after
Sitting Bull fell. The trouble
on the Grand river brought on
the battle to the South in the
Pine Ridge district known as
Wounded Knee. A former O'
Neill citisen. that perfectly
groomed and scholarly gent,
John McDonough, was sent
out from New York City to
write the story of Wounded
Knee for the Sun.
This engagement took place
two weeks after the killings at
Sitting Bull’s camp and was
largely in *the hands of Col. J.
W. Forsyth and his mounted
men of the Seventh cavalry. A
few soldiers lost their lives and
the bodies of 168 Indians lay on
- n
FOR A HALF CENTURY (
Specializing [1^^
in • * * Kii#
Fresh ^:|o‘|b> Id; '
Groceries i
Fruits and '
Vegetables
at 1
LOW COST
Many Find It Saying to Gat Their Supplies Hare.
GALLAGHER STORE
— South Fourth Street —
• __
SITTING BULL'S CAMP . . . The Sioux In- \
dian’s buried their dead on stilts (above). Boyd
couniy (Holt’s Northern neighbor) once was
part of the reservation.—Photos from the Sum
ner Downey (O’Neill Photo Co.) collection.
I V .*."■ " '
One hundred and sixlv-eight Sioux were slain in the his
toric Battle of Wounded Knee.
Pawnee Bill (on white horse at left) led U. S. troops in sub
duing Sitting Bull.
Combined Bank
Assets 6 Million
By EDWARD M. GALLAGHER
President, First National Bank
Apparently the first bank es
tablished in O’Neill, after the
town was settled, was the Holt
County bank. Word from the
Department of Banking at Lin
coln reports that records are
very meager at that early date.
Among the incorporators were
W. E. Adams, M. P. Kinkaid and
David Adams. The location of
the bank building was the
Southeast corner of the inter
section of Fourth and Douglas
Streets.
The First National bank of O’
Neill was chartered in 1884. The
bank was founded by W. G. Pal
matier, who became president o'
the institution. Ed. S. Kelly, W
W. Stewart and M. Flannigan
were other officers. In 1889, Ed
F. Gallagher and T. F. Birming
ham, associated with others,
purchased the bank, and since
that time the bank has seen
many changes in O’Neill and
the surrounding territory. Others
who have played a prominent
part in the management of this
bank are: J. F. Gallagher, J. P.
Mann, H. J. Birmingham, F. H.
Swingley, W. P. Dailey, M. R.
Sullivan and Joseph A. Mann.
Officers and directors of the
bank at present are: Edward M.
Gallagher, president; Ed T.
Campbell, vice-president and
Cashier; John C. Watson, as
sistant cashier: W. J. Froelich
and Elizabeth Gallagher. Capit
al, surplus, undivided propfits
and reserves are i>ziu,uuu.uu.
The Elkhorn Valley bank was
one of the early banking insti
tutions of the city. Again the
state records are incomplete in
regard to this bank. Owners of
the bank were Patrick Hagger
ty, B. J. McGreevey, H. W. Mc
Clure and Chas. Gardner. The
banking office was located on
Douglas street at a position
where the Royal theatre is now
situated.
According to the Department
of Banking, the State Bank of
O’Neill obtained Charter No. 307
which was issued October 1,
1895. Incorporators were: W. D.
Mathews, Bernard Mullen, M. D.
Long, John McBride, G. C. Haze
let, S. J. Weekes, Edgar Adams,
W. J. Canton, Neil Brennan, E.
S. Kinch, A. V. Morris, John J.
the frozen field. It is to the cred
it of the military forces that
strict orders were observed to
harm none of the women and
children. Betwen 300 and 400
Indian children in a school at
Pine Ridge were badly frighten
ed that they were to be killed
until assured by their teachers
that no harm would come to
them.
McCafferty, R. R. Dickson, A. C.
Charde, J. L. Hershiser, Arthur
Mullen, E. J. Mack, H. C. Mc
Evony and G. W. Wattles. John
McHugh was the active manager
of the bank. He later became
president of the Chase National
Bank of New York, the largest
bank in the United States at
that time. The State Bank of O’
Neill voluntarily liquidated in
1897.
The O’Neill National bank
was organized in 1901 by M.
Dowling and T. B. Purcell. The
bank opened for business in
April, 1901 with J. F. O’Donnell
as cashier and capital of $25,
000.00. In May, 1908, S. J.
Weekes, Dr. J. P. Gilligan and O.
O. Snyder purchased a part of
the Dowling-Purcell interest in
the bank and all were named to
the board of directors. S. J.
Weekes became the chief execu
tive officer of the bank and re
tained that position until his
death in November, 1941. In the
Fall of 1946, the Dowling-Pur
cell families disposed of their
entire interest in the bank to
Julius D. Cronin, F. N. Cronin
and Emma D. Weekes. The pres
ent capital accounts of the bank
exceed $185,000.00. Present of
ficers and directors of the bank
are: Francis N. Cronin, presi
dent; Emma Dickinson Weekes,
vice-president; James B. Grady,
cashier; O. D. French, assistant
cashier; W. D. Melena, assistant
cashier; Mary I. Cronin, E. F.
Quinn and Julius D. Cronin.
In 1906, the Fidelity bank
began business in O’Neill. Offic
ers of the bank were: E. E. Hal
stead, president; David B. Grov- I
idwuiT, ana wiu r. *»**‘*~
sell, assistant cashier. The Di
rector of Banking furnishes the
information that the Fidelity
bank was succeeded by the Ne
braska State bank which con
tinued until 1930. J. F. O’Don
nell and Sherman Welpton were
identified with the latter bank.
O’Neill finds itself today with j
two banks which have had a J
long experience in business in j
this community. Combined as
sets of the two banks are $6,166,
000.00. Total deposits are $5.
775,000.00 with capital structure
of both banks amounting to
$395,000.00.
Messrs. Lange and
McLain to Keya Paha —
Another 1880 item: Messrs.
Geo. T. Lange and James M. Mc
Clain, of Wahoo, have taken
claims on the Keya Paha, and
will return soon to make their
home with us. They called Mon
day and subscribed for The
Frontier, as thev all do who want
to keep posted.
INK EXPENSIVE
Ink normally accounts for
three to five per cent of total
printing expenses of newspap
ers, according to the Encyclo
paedia Britannica.
Loveliest Spot Ever
Seen by Mortal —
Under the heading, “A Trip
Across Holt County,” a gifted
scribe over at Niobrara flavor
ed his story with the fragrance
of the June roses of 1879 in his
opening paragraph:
“A week ago last Saturday
morning, in company with our
friend, Fred Fox, we left Nio
brara for a trip through Holt
county, that garden of the West,
where the sun in all its splendor
looks down upon one of the love
liest spots ever seen by mor-»
tals.”
This trip brought them to the
homes of the Lamonts and the
Tenny family, then to the Web
ster ranch on their first day out.
They were headed for O’Neill
city, 52 miles away from their
starting point, and mostly open
prairie where antelope and wild
eyed cattle and still wilder
horses we^-e feeding.
Night overtook them before
they reached O’Neill but eventu
ally pulled "up at the Johnson
House, a pioneer hotel run by
D. J. Sparks and located near
where the Burlington round
house was built. “Here,” the
writer says, “I met up with my
friend, Frank Campbell.”
Mr. Campbell at that time was
a member of the firm of Telber &
Campbell, of Niobrara, but later
was in business in O’Neill and at
one time postmaster. Remaining
with the genial Mr. Sparks for
the night and visiting the next
morning in O’Neill they drove
West, stopped at the home of
Judge Maloy, and refreshed
themselves at the ranch of Mor
gan Hayes.
Toward evening they reach
ed Atkinson, and. here, the
community to the manner
born, was a "Baseball game
being played by a group of
active young men." "We were
taken in charge by the gen
tlemanly proprietors of the
Atkinson store. Messrs. Bit
ney & Dickerson."
Discouraged from visiting the
domain of the Dutchers, Kid
Wade and other fearsome gents
to the Northwest, the gifted
scribe and his lawyer compan
ion started for Niobrara the
following day. Night and a vio
> - . —
lent June storm overtook them
on the prairie and they sat it out
’till daylight. It would seem such
a wetting would have dampened
the ardor expressed in the be
ginning of the writer’s story, but
he closed by saying, “Holt coun
ty’s future looks very bright to
us.”
754 Thousand Acres
Unappropriated Land —
Statement showing vacant
Government land in the O’Neill
land district on July 1, 1899, and
the counties in which it is lo
cated:
County Acres Unappropriated
Antelope _ 419
Boone _ 9,858
Boyd _ 30,167
Brown _ 5,900
Garfield _ 187,135
Holt . 136,652
Keya Paha _ 4,600
Knox _ 1,052
Loup _ 213,851
Rock _ 52,330
Wheeler _ 112,081
Total _ 754,035
ON THIS 75th ANNIVERSARY
— OF THE
Founding of O’Neill
We Wish to Add Our Word of Tribute to
the Memory of the Pioneers.
DEAN’S BARBER SHOP
Dean Streeter
O’Neill and Community
ON YOUR 75th ANNIVERSARY
★
1923
TO
1949
*
FROM THE BEGINNING
the people on the fron
tier have been wholly de
pendant upon livestock. First
came the oxen, then the
* horses and the family cow.
)
> TODAY, O’Neill stands at
the gateway to the
greatest cattle country in the
world. 1 oday, dairy pro
ducts from this great region
are shipped to distant points
throughout the world.
AS DOCTORS of veterin
ary medicine and as
guardians of the health of
livestock of all types, we ac
cept this trust with utmost
diligence and care. We’re
proud that our firm is an in
tegral and vital part of this
wonderful community.
Drs. Bennett & Cook
First Nat’l Bank Bldg. O’Neill