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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1963)
The Best of . . . "Prairieland Talk" By ROMA INK SAUNDERS Reprinted from March IS, IMS (Editor's note: Seventy nine years ago In Febr uary the Illustrious life of Kid Wade ended traglc aliy at the hand* of a hand of “regulators”. The recent anniversary of thl* ‘'whistling po*t'' hang ing of one of this region’s brst-know'n historical characters has promised the retelling of tills epic story.) Wednesday night, February G, 1H8-1, Kid Wade was hung to an F. E. and M. V. whistling post one half mile east of Bassett. A coroner’s jury empanel ed in Brown county (of which Rock was then a part) said he came to his death by hanging at the hands of unknown individuals. Those who knew considered it a time when silence was golden. After justice had laid an in exorable hand on Doc Middle ton, the Kid was the recognized leader at the eastern end of a hand of outlaws operating from the Black Hills to the Missouri. At the time of his apprehen sion young Wade he was 22— was under indictment in Iowa, _ _ Nebraska, Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. .Some distinction Hn muter* for a Holt county citizen! He had been schooled in the craft of a horse thief by the elder Wade, whose ranch on the Big Sandy nearly due north from Atkinson was a ren dezvous for the outlaws. There were always pro visions in abundance in the Wade cabins. Hams, sides of bacon, antelope meat and beef hung from flora The operations of the Middleton band caused the settlers of the Niobrara valley to organize what was known as regulators or vigilanters. They were officed with captains and lieutenants. It was often suspected but seldom proved that some of these “regulators” were using the organization as a blind to cover up their misdeeds. On the strength of the various indictments as well as general four Holt county citizens, "Capt.” C. C. 1 >odge, “Lt.” Peter Hansen, Charles Mess enger and Michael Coleman, undertook the task of apprehending the Kid. On January 12, 1881, they swung into their sad dles, reining their horses eastward. Information had l>ecn received that the Kid was near LeMars, la. On the evening of the 16th they arrived in LeMars. Here they learned that the object of their quest was at Mansfield, 16 miles out. The morning of the 17th Messenger, not known to the outlaw, rode out to Mansfield and located Wade, with whom he negotiated the purchase of a horse. A forfeit was posted and Messenger informed Wade if he would accompany him in to LeMars they would get the money from the bank for full payment. The Kid consented to this, not without some mis givings. On the way into LeMars he cast frequent searching glances at Messenger w'ho rode stoically on. As they were leaving their horses to the care of the livery barn attendant in LeMars, the com panions of Messenger quietly closed in from three sides and drew their guns—and the Kid, the terror of the Niobrara, was a prisoner. After 24 hours in the saddle, the Kid in irons, they .arrived in Yankton, S. D., the evening of Janu ary 18. lie had agreed to accompany fhem without a requisition on the promise of the four that he should have a fair trial in Holt county. They re mained two days in Yankton. Here they saw com mercial possibilities with their prisoner. A hall was engaged and it was advertised that Kid Wade would give an exhibition of his skill with the six-shootei at 50 cents admission He had the reputation o toing the tost that ever flashed an ivory-handle< .45 in his territory. That he went through this per formance in good faith without making a kill ant his get away clearly indicates his confidence in i square deal toing given him. with no thought oi the tragic end that awaited. And looking back over the intervening yean the retrospective forces the conclusion that the Kid outlaw that he was, had high regard for his wort of honor and a faith that was betrayed in thos< qualities in others. At Yankton, a second prisoner was taken. Jot Jordon, a brother-in-law of young Wade. It appeari that Jordon was released ui>on the arrival in Hoi county with the two prisoners. Thus far the activ ities of the regulators were clothed in the honorec vestments of law and order. On February 1 a kangaroo court was held ai Back Berry's at Paddock. Delegations of Browi and Holt county, vigilanters were present to "exam ine the Kid. A tragedy was averted at this meeting by Mike Coleman relieving Henry Richardson ol Brown county of his gun when he was in for shoot ing the Kid on the spot for telling him "oh you art as big a horse thief as I am". Maybe desiring to shift further responsibility, the majority of Holt county bunch favored turning Wade over to the mercies of the men from Brown and the Kid saw the promise of a fair trial and his hopes vanish. The late S. J. Weekes, of the O’Neill National Bank, was among the toys and men then living in the neighborhood to congregate at Pad dock to see the excitement”. Coleman and Hugh O’Neill protested the turn ing of the Kid over to the Brown county vigilanters. He had been promised a fair trial at home and should have it. They did more than protest. Hasten ing into O’Neill they swore out a warrant for the arrest of the Kid and sent Sheriff Ed Hershiser out to bring him in. Ed, like the Northwest Mounted, generally got his man. He trailed tlie group to the vicinity of Long Pine. The Brown county delegation, under the com mand of “Capt.” A. J. Burnham, probably by this time also inclined to shift responsibility, turned the Kid over to Hershiser. "Capt.” Burnham and an other of the party by the name of Matson, offered to accompany the sheriff in with his prisoner. These three with the Kid pulled into Bassett to spend the night. Hotel rooms were all occupied but they were told they could stay in the bar room. The Kid rolled into a blanket and went to sleep on the fhx>r. The sheriff with his two companions settled at ease in their chairs. The cold February night wore on. Suddenly a crash of glass as gun barrels were thrust through the windows startled the watch ers. At the same time, the door was flung open and a txxly of grim and disguised men appeared. The regulators had come. The Kid was awakened and led to his doom. One story was that he trembled with fear and asked to be spared that he might have a chance to mend his ways. Another was that he implored his guards to give him a pair of 6-shooters and he would get away from the mob and come into O’Neill and surrender. In telling of the affair when he got back to O’ Neill Sheriff Hershiser said the last words he heard the Kid say were: “I have been feeding you fellows and now >ou are going to hang me.” Did the Kid recognize his abductors as his own band of outlaws who resorted to a hanging to pro tect themselves? Editorial Why Editors Get Grey Dear Editor; We’ve taken your paper for 20 years and like it first rate. When it comes on a Thursday we look up the grocery ads and then make our list for Sat urday Buying. There is usually bargains and good buys. There is news from all over the territory. We've lived in different places and like that and we always look for the farm sales. I am a big reader and you put out a good paper but it could be better, especially for us women. We don't care so much for what’s went on around here 50 years ago or for them notes about big deals or law doings and such but what we feel is that there is a lot of the best stuff is being held back and what we’d like to hear is like I heard at our little sewing club meeting last week. There is 8 of us ladies and what all I heard at the last meeting would just make the hair stand on end. Such awful goings on by people right here in town. It is just awful but we can't judge each other if we don't have the facts. Of course I'm no newspaper man so I can’t put these things out and anyway my man has put uu “it. ne says one wora or mis slop as he calls it and we could be sued and they’d take every cent we’ve got and we’ve worked too hard for our stuff but a newspaper is different and any way they’re supposed to give us the news and I figure if I heard that much at just one ladies club meeting that you editors who go to lots of clubs and meetings could hear enough to really get us up a paper that would do something for you. Don t thank me, it s just an outsider can some times see a different move. Sincerely, A Faithful Subscriber P.S. My husband says to tell you that our boy wasn’t driving 1 mile over the speed limit the other night and if you put his name in the paper in the court news you can cancel our subscription. B J R Dismal Prospect The bill providing for health care for the elderly which has been introduced in this Congress varies from the Medicare bill of last year only in minor details. It would bring everyone drawing social se curity benefits under the federal tent — whether or not they wanted or needed the aid. Administra tion estimates place the cost at S5.6 billion over a four-year period — and that is hardly pin money, particularly when looked at in the light of current budget and tax problems. Other estimates, from informed sources, place the possible figure at twice that sum. Peter Edson, a well known Washington column ist, provides an interesting footnote to the proposal. An effort is being made to get rid of the name Medicare, which is an obvious bad odor in and out of Congress, and to substitute a term such as “hos pital insurance’’.- But social security is not insur ance in any accepted sense of the term — and the Internal Revenue Service itself is authority for that statement. In the case of an Amish farmer who refused to make his social security payments on the grounds it was insurance, the IRS ruled that it was a tax. And it seized and sold the farmer’s horses in order to meet the tax. That aside, the American Medical Association News does a good job of summing up the grave faults in the bill in these words: “It would lower the quality of health care, it would lead to the decline of voluntary health insurance and prepay ment plans, it would take another bite out of the take-home pay of America's wage-earners to pro vide benefits for millions who can well afford to take care of themselves, and it would impose gov ernment controls on medical practice.” It would be hard to think of a more dismal prospect than that. GREENSBURG, IND.. TIMES: “Only 16 of the nation’s 50 states have laws that guarantee all men the right to work where and when they wish. And these laws are jeopardized by whims of the courts." BILL RICHARDSON, Publisher BRUCE J. REHBERG, Editor Terms at Subscription: In Nebraska, *2.50 ^ei year; elsewhere in the United States, 53 per year rate abroad provided upon request. All subscrip tions payable in advance. Entered at the postcffice in O’Neill, Holt coun ty, Nebraska, as second-class mail matter under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. This news paper 1S a member of the Nebraska Press Asso ciation, National Editorial Association and the Audit tureau of Circulations. national editorial lA#c6T,3N Frontiers Ago ' 54 YEARS AGO Christian Spenler and Anna 1 Bellar, both of O’Neill, obtained license to wed last Saturday. On 1 Monday Judge Carlon issued a x similiar document for Albert . Ziech of Boyd county and Annet tie Smith of Holt county. . .Mr. and Mrs. Anton Toy are the par i ents of a girl born Monday. . . Justus Spindler filed suit in dis j trict court Tuesday against Ka therine Spindler praying for di ' vorce. They were married in O’ Neill last October .. .Jesse Mills , and Miss Maude Sruggs were married at Orchard Wednesday. i The wedding took place at the 1 home of the groom’s sister, Mrs. Ray Scofield. . .Assessor Tom i Coyne has been on the job the past week getting the books, , schedules and other supplies in 1 readiness for the precinct asses > sors to begin work next month. 25 YEARS AGO r Last Thursday afternoon while descending the back stairs at her apartment home on south Fourth street, Mrs. Emery Petersen slip ped and fell to the bottom, a dis tance of about ten feet, sustain- \ ing a fratcured collar bone. . . Sheriff Peter Duffy filed last Tuesday for reelection to the of fice of sheriff, subject to the ac tion of the democratic voters of \ the county at the primary elec tion. . .Senator Frank Brady wil] \ address the Lions club of this | city at a 6:30 luncheon at the ] Golden Hotel. . .Henry Schacht and Bill Egger returned last Sun- j day evening from a two week aut- , omobile trip that took them thru ] the southern states and over into ] i . Mexico. They traveled nearly 4, ioo miles. 10 YEARS AGO Very Rev. Timothy O'Sullivan, pastor of St. Patrick’s Catholic :hurch escaped unhurt about 4 30 p m Friday when the car he was Jrivmg left the road and twice overturned. , .Mrs. Ruth Morgan received a telephone call from San Diego, Calif., Saturday from Per PN1 Richard Morgan that he was shipping out Mon lay on the USS Boxer for Pearl Harbor and then on to Japan and China until November 21 . . Duane Weier, 17. son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Weier, O’Neill has seen selected by the Chamber of Commerce as O’Neill's boy’s state ilelegate. . .Mr. and Mrs. Neil Davis have announctd they are assuming management of the 0. K. Inn, well known Atkinson :afe which formerly was operat ed by Mrs. Opal Keating. . . About two hundred persons at :ended a membersh.p banquet Sunday evening at the American Legion auditorium sponsored by the Saddle club. 5 YEARS AGO Buv E Wanser, 67, well-known n northeast and northci ntral Ne braska livestock auctioneering and race horse breed, ng circles lied Wednesday, March 26, in St. Anthony’s hospital. . Mrs. Delia Harrison Sunday was honored at ipen house at the home of her laughter, Mrs. Elmer Devall, lorth of O’Neill. She was observ ng her 80th birthday. . Mike Smith, 51, chief operator of the Jpencer hydro-electric plant es caped drowning Tuesday evening n a harrowing experience at the Niobrara river dam He fell from i concrete ledge into the reser voir water immediately behind he dam, was flushed through the ;pillway into turbulent deep wa er and had to swim to safety in he ice-choked water. . .The Wade Javis farm home, located three niles south of the junction of J. S highway 281 and state high way 95 was completely destroyed >y fire Thursday while Mr. and drs. Davis were away. The Long Ago At Chambers SO YEARS AGO Dr Oxford reports the birth <tf a large baby boy at the home of Mr and Mrs. Charles Fleek . it is reported that the A T. ranch lost 34 head of cattle in the re cent storm. They drifted into the lake and perished. . .The Carpen ters expect to commence work on Will Blakes new house which he wiU erect as soon as the wea ther permits. . The play ”The Comer Store" given by the band boys in the hall Wednesday eve ning had a large attendance in spite of the bad roads. . Dr. Ox ford reports the birth of a baby girl at the home of Mr and Mrs Ftay Northrup. . Dr Flemmgway arrived today for a few days den tal practice. . Frank Charles is hauling lumber for the erection of a new bain which he will build on his lots in the north part of town. 25 YEARS AGO James C. Wilson was born near Springfield, Nibr. Fabruary 14, 1858 and passed away at his home about twenty miles south of Ewing on March 18, 1938 at the age of 81 years . Government Contracts have been awarded to Clyde R. Elkins and Arthur C. Walters to carry the mail on the Chambers star routes beginning JUly 1st . A surprise dance was held at the Kenneth Watt’s home, Friday nite, the occasion being Mrs. Watt’s birthday. . Word has been received from the west that Ernest Wilkinson and Almond Jenkins arrived at Oscar Green street’s in Sedro-Wooley, Wash., on March 26. . ,W. P A workers arrived Tuesday at the farm oc cupied by F D Anderson and family, with over 17,000 shelter belt trees for planting there. . . Mrs. Gladys Oxford was having some work done on the interior of her building, that la uaed as the Post Office, the latter part of last week Pages Past 50 YEARS AGO Veterinary Me Kim of Norfolk was here Wednesday to inspect some liorses that R A Sarchcl is preparing to ship to Canada The Oliver Hill family moved in to the house south of the Haey residence Monday. . J. B Ander son of Dorsey shipped a car load of hogs to Sioos City last week from this station. . .Rum turning to snow last Friday turned into a raging blizard, no trains run ning and Northwestern still not open a week later. . Born to Mr and Mrs Oscar Leisy of Middle Branch March 13. a daughter. . . Rev H. Jacobs has resigned as pastor of the Page Presbyterian church to take effect in April. The Charles Spear family are preparing to move to Murdo, S D. . Miss Emily Auten was a passenger to Iowa Thursday R. P. Every of Kingfisher, Okla , arrived Tuesday and visited in the Bartley Blain home. . Free cane set'll to those planting for my mill is offered by A. D Cana day. 40 YEARS AGO John R. Weber has shipped each week for two months four cars of hogs. . .W H Decker has come to Page to live on hia 240 acre farm northwest of Page and DR. D. E. DAVID OPTOMETRIST Complete VlnuaJ Care Contact IjeimcM By Appointment Phone SMI Hi * leer, NehranSa will alao deal la real estate . . Robert Gray Hr. celebrated hi* seventy six.n birthusy March 10. That wax also the 17th anruver »ury of Mr and Mrs J. 1 Gray‘a marriage and from Sioux City came a wireless telling of the birth uf a daughter born oo that date. Parents, grandparents and great grandparent* note the Mar. 10th date uf 1M7. 18M and 1103. , Funeral service* were held Mar. 7 at Uie W:=ud home for Charles U-land Wood. «>», who died at the home of hi* brother in low, Mr. arul Mrs Will.ant Lines In Ari sons on til* way funne from speioitng the winter m t aUforala, Survivors me tale Mrs Min nie Moffat, Gkarchle, Okla., Mrs Emma Canaday of Guernsey, Wyo., Mrs Mary Flora. Fred Wood, Mrs Winnie Haynes, Mis ses Grace. Nellie am! Fnye Wood ami Edgar and I-ewia, all of Page Deceased are his wife. Me lissa. daughter*. !>>ra Belle, Ma tie L. and sun* Clarence and Charles L. . C A. Aut< n sold a team of horses Friday lor $00 . A K Riggs turned lumber into a 0 by 7 playhouse for hi* child ron . A C. Townsend Jr. la aued an invitation to all to hear Cuba voiced over his big radio. . . Frank Allen built a h-use and barn on hi* farm. . 11. K. Kern*, an uncle of Mrs H. A. Rakow, came to Page from Appleton, Wise , for a voui Farmers team smashed R. J. Ilry ana Fri day. Dumage* $3.75 paid Money To Loan! Property, tVsr*. Trucks, Farm Equipment Household <iood*. Fersoaol HARRINGTON Loan and Investment Company ixm UAIM 1,600 VISITORS IN FIVE HOURS 11 case study AT ELECTRICALLY-HEATED HOME ■ “We can control the heat in each room — just as we like it... The even temperatures all over the house are just wonderful... My cleaning problems are nothing compared to what I had to do with the old-style heat.” This is what open house visitors heard last month when they stopped by the new electrically-heated home of Roland and Frieda Weyers of Beatrice. Mrs. Weyers, like all enthusiastic people, did most of the talking. She’s sold on her new home and all-electric living. And so is Mr. Weyers. “I’ve farmed most all of my life, and now I know what comfort really means,” he said. The Weyers have 2,800 square feet on both the main level and the completely-finished basement level. Baseboard heating units supply silent and fast radiant electric warmth to both levels. An all-electric kitchen, full-house stereo sound and planned lighting add to the attraction of the low-lying Bedford stone home. “And whether we just sit and visit — or if we’re actively square dancing — electric heat provides just the right temperatures,” Mrs. Weyers explains. Why don’t you investigate radiant, flameless electric heat. Your local utility can tell you all about it — no obligation, of course. NOTHING, BUT NOTHING SERVES LIKE ELECTRICITY