Fast Horses, Packing Plant Have Trials
Building of Chicory hactory, Flour Mills ana
Railroads Require Promotion
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS
Ediior-in-Chief
Diamond Jubilee Edition
About everything from last
horses to packing plant _ has
been given a try-out at O’Neill,
It may be that not many who
§ee that picture of a chicory
field in this issue of The Fron
tier know what that is all
about. (See page 2, section F.)
Chicory was a root crop when
processed, ground into a meal
and put up in pound packages
at the factory that was built
just West of town with a rail
spur built to its doors. It was
a substitute for coffee. The se
nior Mr. Bazelman, father of
Fred, of O’Neill, was experi
enced in the culture of chicory
in his native land of Belgium.
He was put in charge of the
field work by a local company
that was managed by G. C.
Hazelet. The enterprise flour
ished for a few seasons but
when the price of coffee drop
ped about one-half the market
for chicory disappeared. There
was more “kick ’ in a cup of
black coffee.
Down along the railroad
tracks—there was but one rail
road in O’Neill at the time—
another enterprise was started.
The country was producing a
lot of livestock, why not have
a packing plant? That, too,
bloomed forth, flourished for a
minute when it was decided no,
that’s not the thing for our lo
cation—we’ll ship our meat on
the hoof to the big markets
After it had expired as a pack
ing plant the home guards got
into it as a drill center.
Well, let’s have a creamery,
a flour mill, a brick yard, an
artesian well, a coal mine, a
race track and a few other
things.
The hustlers kept on the
go. T. V. Golden, secretary,
published a call for a meet
ing al the court house Aug
ust 6. 1894. to meet with a
"gentleman from New York"
and formulate plans for the
development of an irrigation
canal.
The meeting was well atten
ded. M. P. Kinkaid was honor
ed with the job of president of
the Niobrara Irrigation Dis
trict, the route of the canal
from Cherry county to Ante
lope was laid out, finances to
be provided by proposed bond
issues, Holt's Share being $1,
266,000, Rock $980,000 and
Brown $90,000.
The “gentleman from New
York” may have been from
Sioux City and was interested
in the proposed bond issue.
With the coming of Spring,
1895, nature took a hand, soak
ed up the country and irriga-i
tion was forgotten and the cat
tle business has flourished
through the years.
There were rain-makers a
broad in the early ’90s. O'Neill
would try anything. A contract
was made with a rain-maker
and he missed collecting his fee
by an hour or two. He was to
Jiroduce at least one-quarter
nch rain wjthin a stated per
iod or no pay. The period ex
pired and a few hours later rain
fell. I do not recall what the
tin vessels that were made at
MeCaffedty’s tin shop and plac
ed at a few points by Tom Gol
den showed the rain fall meas
ured.
From remote times to the
present O'Neill has been the
commercial, professional and
cultural center for a large
territory, and today has a
boui everything that a city
of 100.000 can offer.
Among the various undertak
ings there was pulling of strings
at the seat of the federal
government. O’Neill fellows like
Fahy, McCafferty, Brennan and
some others went afteT the,
United States land office and
got it. In ’88 it was moved
from Niobrara to O’Neill, A. B.
Chard as receiver and John R.
Markley, register, coming with
'it. There were changes in offi
cials from time to time, B. S.
Gillespie and A. L. Towle suc
ceeding Chard and Markley.
Others who performed the
duties of register and receiver
during the years the land of
I fiee was in O’Neill were: Doe
Mathews, John Harmon, S. J
Weekes, Clem Deaver, Dick Jen
ness, Sanford Parker, Brantley
Sturdevant, Parnel Golden ana
possibly some others. The of
fice was moved to Alliance and
eventually discontinued. The
romance of the homestead was
over.
In the opening paragraph
mention was made of f a s i
horses. Ed Thompson had a
stable of Hambletonians and
Clyde King and I worked for
days getting out printed pedi
grees of Ed’s fast nags. Dave
and Matt Stannard were horse
men that knew how to handle
a fancy stepper. Ben DeYar
man spent most of his time on
a sulky, while Hugh McKenno
and Pete Duffy got into the
picture in later years. These
were the professionals. The
town was full of fast horses
and races were a daily event.
Col. Woodward Fined
for Using ‘Abusive’
Language on Streets
While riding a wild and vic
ious bronc, Andy Gallagher sus
tained a broken leg when the
horse fell. Drs. Shore and Con
olley set the limb. .. . Neil Bren
nan takes possession of his new
house opposite the skating rink.
. . . Gus Doyle and Frank Camp
bell went to Omaha to serve on
the federal grand jui>. . . . P. C.
Corrigan bought of the First Na
tional bank the brick building
adjoining the bank, considera
tion $6,000. . . . Col. Woodward,
of the Chambers Pickings, was
fined $5 by County Judge Lowe
for abusive language, on an O’
Neill street directed to the ven
erable ex-Judge Roberts. . . .
As a “man of destiny” County
Clerk Hazelet will compare fav
orably with the most fortunate
men of our times. He was re
cently re-elected to the clerk
ship by an overwhelming ma
jority, and following close on
the heels of this popular ap
proval he is now the father of
twins, both girls, all within a
week, and the mother and wel
come offsprings are in excellent
health.
'Jim' Returns —
James H. Riggs, better known
in O’Neill as “Jim,” formerly
compositor in The Frontier of
fice, has returned after a year’s
absence and accepted a posit
ion in the Banner office. We are
all glad, said The Frontier editor
on June 22, 1882, to have Jim
with us again, as he is one of
steadiest, whitest boys that ever
lifted a type or pulled a hand
press.
J. T. PROUTY
(Story below).
> «___
Prouty One of Holt
Organizers
I, J. T. Prouty, was one of three freeholders ...l-./-.
who was couniy treasurer oi Molt county, Nebraska, in 1878 I
kept the county treasurer’s funds in a secret combination vault
in the shingled roof of my dwelling house at Paddock, the county
seat. ^ This vault was merely a narrow board of the sheating two
feet long with a groove cut in the upper side. The groove was
covered with oilcloth. Was U. S. census enumerator in unorgan
ized territory North of Holt county in 1880 and in Holt connty in
1890. This biographical sketch is given to the Old Settler’s Picnic
Society as a souvenir of early settlements. Untold millions oi
army grasshoppers devoured most of the crops as late as 1875. This
once known desert was at that time unprofitable for cultivation.
Since then the climate has changed. Now it rains.
September, 1917. Signed: J. T. PROUTY.
The foregoing is copied from the back of a portrait of Mr.
Prouty that has been framed and hung in the county treasurer's
office. The portrait is shown herewith.
Judge E. R. Dickson . . . symbol of law and order . . .
helps build Holt county courthouse.
—-—-- i
Judge a Friend
of Errant Youth
•
Robert R. Dickson, eldest son
of John and Margaret Dickson,
was born at Lima Center, Wis.,
on Nov. 21, 1863, and died at his
home in O’Neill on June 18, 1941.
His parents were born and mar
ried in County Derry, Ireland.
Soon after their marriage they 1
came to America and settled in
Wisconsin. In the Spring of j
1870, the Dickson family moved
to Osago, la., where Judge
Dickson acquired his early edu
! cation in the public schools of
Mitchell county, Iowa, following
I which he pursued a course at
Cedar Valley Seminary. Having
decided upon a professional ca
reer he studied law in the of
fice of L. M. Ryce, a prominent ;
attorney in Osage.
Early in 1887, Judge Dickson
J came to Norfolk and was em
l ployed in the law office of D. A.
; Holmes and that year was ad
mitted to the bar of this state.
On September 10, 1887, he came
to O’Neill and began the prac
tice of law.
He successfully practiced the
profession of law until elected
district judge of the Fifteenth
judicial district in November.
1911. He entered upon the dut
ies of that office in January of
1912, and served the people of
J the district until his death, at
! which time he was the senior
judge of the state. During this
i period he sat as an associate
; judge with the State Supreme
court whenever the need was ur
gent, and the record of his decis
ions written into the law bhoks
on those occasions will be quot
ted by the bar for many years
to come.
During World War I, Judge
Dickson was chairman of the
county council of defense, of the
Liberty loan drives, and in a
great measure was responsible
for the patriotic feeling that ex
isted during the war among the
people of his district.
Judge Dickson married June
14, 1900. Miss Marion Slrir
ving. daughter of John and
Caroline Skirving. Her father
was a Union soldier during the
Civil war and for a time was
confined in Libby prison as a
prisoner of war. He was with
Sherman in the march to the
sea.
The three daughters of Judge
and Mrs. Dickson, all born at
O’Neill, are Marjorie MacElroy,
j Marion Dorothea and Nancy
! Roberta.
Judge Dickson was a Republi
can in politics but never held
any official position except that
of judge, and mayor of O’Neill
in 1893-’94.
He was a master Mason, hay
ing served the local lodge in
various offices and in 1924-’25
was grand master of Masons in
Nebraska. He was a Presbyter
ian by church connection.
He was interested in agricul
ture, devoting some time to gar
dening and flowers and had a
flock of chickens.
Up until aboitt 1900, there
were times when lawyers, edi
tors and other cultured gents
were involved In fisticuffs, and
"Dick." as he was universally
known, did not escape in the
turbulent times incident to
piooeer life. "Dick" combined
in his more than six-foot
stature the force and fury of
the ox and the gentleness of
the lamb; magnanimous but
just.
He once told the writer the
vay to get along with neighbors j
vas to neighbor with the folks i
>n the other side of town.
The modern building that
idorns the well-kept grounds on
ipper Fourth street, the Holt
county court house, may be said
to stand as a monument of
Judge Dickson’s crowning work.
There is a full page picture
of Judge Dickson and a write
up of him by the late Addison
M. Sheldon in “Nebraska, the j
Land and the People.” When a
news hound was prodding Judge
Dickson at one time for a write
up with some impatience, the
judge turned in his swivel chair,
reached for Dr. Addison’s work,
handed it to the reporter with
the remark, “I do not know
what he says about me and I
haven't looked at the picture
yet.” From this work the fol
lowing quotations are taken:
“There never was a man with
a keener sense of duty than
Judge Dickson. In wartime he
mounted a grain binder and
harvested 160 acres of grain. He
was Holt county chairman of
the council of defense (World
War I) and trouble loomed on
every side. His deft handling of
tangled situations, loaded with j
anger, racial hatreds and all the
human venom we work into,
were erased away by a master
hand until there was no trouble.
"In his younger days, many
used to assail the judge in and
out of court. Today few try this
or have grounds for an argu
ment with him. Who could strike
up a serious argument with a
judge who sometimes allows a
case to stand in abeyance for
months after it has reached the
sentencing stage for fear of
making an unjust legal pro
nouncement?
"As juvenile judge he seems
to understand the youngster
even better than some of their
guardians. Many a boy and a j
few girls have been before him
in bitter tears and felt the depths
of humiliation, only finally to
throw back their shoulders,
smile and thank a friend found
where they had expected con
tact with some deadly dragon.”
Attorney Wields
Poker in Court
In pioneer days the diginity
and decorum of judicial sittings
were sometimes upset by the j
lawyers. A case involving the
lease of a certain body of land
in which two settlers were af
ter the land was being heard
in the justice court of Mikq
Slattery R. R Dickson was re
presenting one of the parties
as attorney and H. E. Murphy
the other. Dickson’s client at
°5e,the hearing hand
ed him a paper which contain
ed the written contract for the
land Dick placed the paper on
beside him, when
Murphy reached over to take
it. Dick grabbed a stove poker
ajid. in language more forceful
than elegant told Murphy to
keep his hands off of that pa
per, threatening him with the
poker.
NEIL BRENNAN
AMONG EARLIEST
By BERNADETTE BRENNAN
Daughter of Neil Brennan
Born to John and Sarah Bren
nan in 1850 in Killebags, Ire
land. Began work in engineer
ing shops in Scotland. Sent
wages home to his parents and
saved overtime pay for passage
to America. Landing in Quebec,
tarried but few days before going
to Boston. Here at the age of 19,
he found w'ork in a sugar re
finery and promptly spent the
last of his British monev to
secure American citizenship
papers.
Joining the Irish organiza
tions of Fenians and fclan na
Gael, he was in the group
which decided to take Canada
from the British, was captured
and returned by General
Meade.
™ef,°,re Jong General John
O Neill advertised for Irishmen
to go West and settle. Neil
was the first to answer the ad.
Others followed and the little
colony came as far as Wisner.
Nebraska, by rail and walked
the remaining 125 miles, ar
riving here about noon of Mav
12, 1874.
Acquiring a leam and wa
gon. Neil Brennan freighted
supplies from Wisner and
Yankton. On one of these
trips, he met Margaret Keys,
daughter of Thomas and El
len Keys, and persuaded
them to move on to O'Neill.
In 1877 he opened his own
hardware store, and having
help he continued the freight
ng business. One of the jobs
A'hich pleased him most was
the the bringing of material
for the first Catholic church
n O’Neill.
In 1881 Neil Brennan and
Margaret Keyes were mar
in St. Patrick's church
in O Neill. Together they
l~
NEIL BRENNAN
worked to establish a home.
To most CQuples raising a
family of eight and running
a store successfully would be
a full time job—not to the
Brennans; they were so de
termined to have good
churches, schools, etc., they
worked incessantly toward
the betterment of the com
munity in which they lived,
as recocds of church and ci
vic groups of that time prove.
Their combined hobby was a
five acre plot of ground in
North O Neill—from a barren
sand hill, they transformed it
into what was recognized as
one of Nebraska’s most beauti
ful parks; trees' and shrubs
were brought in from other loT
calities, water for this project
was first obtained by hauling
it by barrel from the Elkhorn
river; later a well with an ov
er all watering system was in
stalled. On this site in 1909 was
built their house, which they
promptly turned into a well
loved home.
In 1914 Neil Brennan suffer
ed a stroke which confined
him to his home. Being a semi
invalid did not stop the ment
al process of planning, were
he to get active enough to be
able to carry on. This was not
to be, however, and on Aug
ust 9, 1915, he passed away.
His ideas were carried on by
his wife, Margaret. Several
good business houses were built
on the streets of O’Neill; pro
grame for city and county were
aided by her unwavering sup
port. In 1939 she saw her long
dreamed of building completed,
a most modern store, on the
site of their orginal hardware
store; within a month, she was
taken ill, and on January 10th,
1940, death claimed her.
Organizations which paid
tribute to these two pioneers
were the Knights of Colum
bus, Catholic Alter Society,
Royal Neighbors of America,
Royal Highlanders, Modern
Woodmen.
Living survivors are John T.
Brennan of Salt Lake City,
Neil P. Brennan, of Rapid City,
Mrs. J. A. Pfeiler (Margaret)
of Hot Springs, S. D., Thomas
J. Brennan of Lincoln, Nebras
ka, and Bernadette of O’Neill.
Mrs. J. B. Ryan (Sarah), Mrs.
Ed S. Donahue (Nellie), and
Col. Francis M. Brennan, hav
ing passed away.
! Besides six grand daughters,
there were 17 living grand
sons—15 of these ser
ved their country in World War
i II: Lt. Thomas Pfeiler, serving
, in the Alaskan area, lost his life
when his plane chashed intb
the sea.
Boone Judge Looks
for Ranch in Holt
Judge Riley, of Boone county,
was in O’Neill in the Autumn of
1883 when he visited this ter
ritory looking for a location to
launch a cattle ranch. Initial
plans were to locate 10 miles
South of town but the ranch
was established in Wyoming
precinct West of Amelia, and is
still operating in the hands of
the Riley family.
TO O’NEILL ON HER
SEVENTY -FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
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