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About The news-herald. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1909-1911 | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1910)
V The MewsHeralb 'Hut TWICE A WEEK SEE PLATTSMOUTH SUCCEED NrwS, Established Not. B, 1891 I cn--niAmtmA i. , iook UERAU). EUblihed April 16. 1864 Conllolldted ,,n- U 1896 PLATTSMOUTn, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY MARCH ttl.UHO VOL. XLVI KO. U9 PECULIAR DEVELOPEMENTS IN ARTHUR DOTY CASE Supposed to Have Been Killed in Railroad Accident While Hooking Ride. A SMALL LIFE INSURANCE Family Thought He Was Burried in New York Cemetery and Mourned About the most peculiar scries of coincidences that was ever known in this county has just come to light in connection with the arresting of Arthur Doty, the deserter in this city. Tho details of the affair are so unusual that it was hardly possible to believe them until the News had in vestigated into the matter and a'' che statements were found to be abso lutely true It seems that Doty came from a very respectable and well fixed family who are among the old citizens of Albany, New York. He is the son of Mrs. L. Doty who is still residing in that city. Leaving home several years ago he drifted west, bumming his way mostly on freight trains, and after bobbing around at many of the large cities in the western states, he finally decided to join the army and was stationed at Fort Russell, Wyoming. Little was heard of him at home during his life at the military post, and about last September hisjetters suddenly ceased all together. This has now turned out to be about the time he left the fort, and from thac time until nearly two weeks ago he had not written a line to his home in New York. A few months after his letters ceased a man answering Doty's description was killed in the railroad yards at Ravenna, New York while bumming a ride on a freight through that town. He was dead w hen found and w as bur ied in the local cemetery. Mrs. Doty hearing of the death, immediately had the body exhumed and it was identified by both she and her son as being the missing Arthur Doty. The deceased was reburied in the family lot of an Albany cemetery, without a doubt in the" minds of the family but what it was their boy, Arthur. He had always been in the habit of bcatjing his way over the railroad lines and it was thought that he met his death while on his way home to Albany. The members of the family felt assured of his identification when they found a scar on the dead man's forehead rind another large one on Miss Katherino Ijfulyokc started this morning for Lii.coln after being entertained for tho paht few days at tho home of Miss Lueilc Gass. J. W. Hainic and wife, daughter and dog arrived this morning from Pacific Junction, after Bhaking the Iowa dust from their shoes, to make their new homo in Plattsmouth. The boys and girls turning classes of Turnc hall arc planning a party ro of Turno Hall are planning a party to be given at the hall tomorrow night for the members and a few of their im mediate friends. Mrs. Minerva Harmcr, a sister of Mrs. Isaac Wiles, who lives in Weep ing Water is among the out of town visitors in the city, being a guest at her sister's home. Mrs. Harmcr and Mrs. Luke Wiles arc enjoying today visiting among somo of their Omaha friends. i The young fellows in the south-west part of tho city, about whom a mention was made in last night's paper, were brought up before Judge Archer late yesterday afternoon and the case una illtimiuKfil lifter II fOllil lnotlirn had been delivered tliem and mat they had solemnly promised to live peac ably out in that part of town after this. WAS COLLECTED BY HIS MOTHER His Death. his chest that exactly corresponded to scars on Doty's body. So positively was the man identi fied that the insurance companies paid Mrs. Doty his small insurance, amount ing to about $1,000. After the insurance had been turned dver and tho family had gone into mourning over the loss of their prodi gal son a letter was received from the fellow stating that he was working in the Burlington shops at Plattsmouth This sudden turn in affairs put the family in a decidedly perplexing con dition, for if he should ever return to his home, they would not only be liable to severe prosecution for obtaining the insurance while the insured was still alive, but the family would be subject to shame and disgrace in their social ranks for harboring a deserter of the army. Quickly seeing through the whole affair and sizing up the circumstances as they stood, Mrs. Doty hastily wrote to her son and implored him to keep under cover and not, under any con ditions, to return to his home!"' When the young fellow received the letter he seemed to consider the mix-up a good joke and proceeded to show the letter to his fellow workmen at the shops and his room mates at the hotel. This was one of the fust clues that later led to his arrest and delivery to the fort near Omaha. When the man was examined last week at the fort the scars before spoken of as being found on the man killed at Ravenna, were noted and w ere found to correspond exactly with those re ported when he enlisted at Fort Rus sell. There is no doubt whatever but what this Doty is the original "Doty" and now it turns out that the other must have been a very unusual cgse of striking resemblance, even in the sears and slight deformaties. The tangle of events were indeed most unusual and interesting and would no doubt have puzzled Sherlock Holmes himself, and if he were on the scene at present there would still be some work for him to do, for the stranger lying in the Albany cemetery is still unidentified. F. G. Lawson, one of the University students at Lincoln left this morning to take up his schoool life again, the Easter vacation having expired yes terday. Miss Katherine Windham returned to Lincoln this morning to resume her studies at the state university after spending the spring vacation in the city. Mrs. Emma Brown, daughter of Judgo Archer, came down from Om aha where she- now makes her home for a short stay with her father and mother. W. L. Weeks, the painter of Salem, la., who has been at the Perkins House for the past week or ten days, left this morning to follow up his work in Omaha. Mrs. Peter Goos and two daughters Hulda and Clara were Plattsmouth visitors in tho metropolis today, re turning to their home on one of the afternoon trains. Mrs. N. Schatz from the city of Chicago is spending a short time in the town with her friend Mrs Frank Morgan. This morning Mrs. Morgan and her guest, with Mrs. W. W. Coates and Mrs. William Baird left for Omaha to spend tho day. THEY CANNOT "SPOON" IN FREMONT City CouncU Forgets When They Were Young and Passes Or dinance. It is a case of sour "grapes" with the city council over in the little town of Fremont. It is a widely known fact that the, city council of that town is composed of so many homely men that even the darkest night and the most secluded spots could not induce a nice good looking girl to discover herself in the "spooning" act with one of them. It is also said that rthe homliest old maids in the town have also turned down those fellows and that those who have wives are compell ed on account of their unattractive appearance to use leversiblc chairs at the dining tables, as their, unfor tunate household cannot eat and look into the homely faces of the -hcal of the family. It was therefoie nothing more than could be expected that the board of village trustees should pass an ordinance prohibiting the fascinat ing pastime of "spooning" in that town after dark. ' A PIONEER PASSES ON Mary Elizabeth Bennett, For mer Cass County Lady is No More. SAW TREATY WITH INDIANS RATIFIED Was Present When the Govern,- ment Commission Made Nebraska a Territory. (From Wednesday's Dally) The following letter received this morning containing notice of the death of a lady who had much to do with the early settlement of Nebraska and es pecially this section of the state will be of much interest to our readers and especially the older settlers who must have been acquainted with Mrs. Bennett: Mary Eliza Burnett passed away at her home in Slteridan county, Nebraska, March ICth 1910 aged 73 years. She came to Nebraska with a mar ried sister w hose husband was a black smith and was sent by the Govern ment to tho then Indian' territory to do some blacksmithing for the . In dians and resided at the Indian vil lage located where the town of Belle vue now stands. She resided there when the Indian territory was purchased from the In dians and saw the U. S. Commission ers and Indian chiefs ratify the treaty by which it became the territory of Nebraska. She also saw tho wild times follow ing when the Indians drunk with liquor furnished by unscrupulous per sons rodo their ponies over the calico which was part of the purchase price of the territory. She returned to Iowa and afterward married Henry Bixby, one of tho Government sur veyors who helped survey the terri tory of Nebraska.and returned to Plattsmouth, Nebraska. Two chil dren was born jto them and then she she was left a widow with two little children. J. II. Bixby still living at Spade, Neb., and Ida M. Baker of Missoula, Mont. She taught school in the vicinity of Plattsmouth for several years. Later sho was mar ried to Wm. Burnett who survives her and who resides at Spade, Neb., on a Kinkead homestead. Five children were born to her from her second marriage. Threo died in infancy and two survive her, Lou 1'. Armstrong of Greenwood, Neb., and La Myra Minnick of Spade, Neb. One sister Mrs. S. L. Thomas now at Liong Beach, Calif , survives her. She was a true wife, a devoted moth er and a kind neighbor. And so passes another of tho pioneers who helped to found the great commonwealth of Nebraska. COMMERCIAL CLUB EATS AT UNION Rustling Neighboring Town Gets Into the Banquet Game. The town of Union mav not be jis large as some other towns in Cass county, but it has more rustling ability to the man than any town we know of its size in the state. Last night the commercial club, and it, is a live one too, held a banquet. They met at the Woodman hall, which by the wav is one of the neatest wn ever saw, and from there adjourned to the egota hotel where the banquet was served. That town of Union is a rustling berg and its commercial club is a live wire. BLIZZARD IS RAGING Denver Nearly Cut Off From Outside Communication By Telegraph. WESTERN NEB RASKA ALSO AFFECTED Storm on the Way East and May Strike Us belore Night Is the Report. The Morning World-Herald this morning contains the following which will be interesting reading. CHICAGO, March, 30. A terrific rain snow and sleet storm, accompan ied by high winds which is raging throughout eastern Colorado and wes tern Nebraska has cut off Denver from wire communication with the cast, and has caused much delay to railroad transportation. According to reports received by the telegraph companies here, trains on the Union Pacific and other western railroad traveling that territory, are stalled in huge snow drifts and rotary plows have been called into service to re lieve the blockade. The storm seems to have developed on the eastern slope of the Rockies and mdved rapidly eastward, the heavy snow being followed in the wake of a sleet storm and being whizzed across the prairies by a wind that al most assumed the proportions of a gale. At Limon, Colo., the snow is five feet deep, blocking all traffic on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail road. The high wind is blowing the snow into immense drifts. The rail way statiorrat Genoa, Colo., was blown away, but so far as known no one was hurt. Forty miles of telegraph poles were blown down between Fort Mor gan and Wray, Colo. The Kansas division of the Union Pacific railroad is reported blocked cast and west of Limon. Not a train was moving west of Julcsburg on the Central division of the Union Pacific. Several overland trains were reported stalled in snow banks at Snyder, Colo. Traffic was said to be impeded on the Denver & Rio Grande between Den ver and Pueblo. . North Dakota experienced and old fashioned blizzard, the wind piling the snow in drifts. Tho telegraph companies report that there is not a wire into Denver from the east, the last one, which was routed by way of St. Paul, Helena and Salt Lake failing shortly after 8 o'clock. In many places miles of poles have been carried down and the wires lie tangled in a mass of wreckage, which, it is said, will require several days to clear away. ire communi cation with the Pacific coast has suf fered materially from the storm and what few telegraphic communications are possible are going by circuitous and unusual routes. W. P. Bailey the old gentleman 95 years of nge is reported to be much inmpoved this moring after being seriously ill for the past week. WHAT THE WIND DID YES TERDAY FOR BURLINGTON The Things Which Tend to . Make Railroading Unsatis factory on a Day Like Tuesday. MUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE IN NEBRASKA ALL ALONG THE LINE Fire at Holdrege Causes Main Line Trains to Be Sent Over Other Lines to the West. (From Wednesday's Dally) Heavy sleet and snow storm pros trated wires west of Akron. Forty mile wind blew across Ne braska. Coal sheds and coal supply at Hold rege burned. No coal at Hastings because of re cent fire. Bridge burned at Berwyn blocked Billings line. Yard fire destroyed twenty six cars at Lincoln. Because of Holdrege fire some main lino trains were sent west via Red Cloud, and over this lino heaviest engines cannot be used. The above enumerates some of the troubles of the Burlington lines west yesterday. While storm conditions were exasperating for the timo they were cheerfully endured because they gave promise of a fall of moisture. Nevertheless the wind made it difficult for trains to get over the road on time. The break in the lino at Berwyn was repaired during the afternoou'and the debris of the Holdrege fire was re moved early enough to let No. 2 come via the main line, although it was two hours late in Lincoln. The worst feature of the fires was the loss of the new and modern coal sheds at Holdrege. A largo quantity of coal burned there and it was with difficulty that a large part of the town was saved. Twelve cars of coal with contents were destroyed and a numbei of othei cars badly damaged The Here is a Long The Home of Hart Schaffner & Marx clothes I Manhattan Shirts Falter & Vnhio. (limna Clothiers. serious feature of this fire is that re cently the coal sheds at Hastings were burned find this leaves the two prin cipal coaling stations between Fair mont and McCook out of service. A yard fire in the new Lincoln yards destroyed twenty-six box and stock cars, one Rodgcrs box car and a coal car and contents. Five or six other cars were badly scorched. One Btcel coal car near the heat of the fire was liardly marred by the flames, one number being burned off. These cars were on tho north track near the west end of the new vards. The wind wan blowing hard from the south, and even witn tne wind protection it was diffi cult for switchmen to save cars on adjoining tracks. From the location of the hre and the fact that no engine had been workinz in that nnrt. nf tVio yards it was thought that tramps started tnc nrc. Switchmen coupled onto burning cars and hauled them down near the round house where the hose could be played on the flames. In this way a number of cars were saved. Cars on adjoining tracks were loaded with storage coal. Some delay to operation was re ported in Colorado west of Akron where a sleet storm prostrated the wires. On account of a bridec beino burned out near Berwyn, a small town this side of liroken Uow; through trains on tho Burlington to the north west were blocked for a time yes ttrday. A substitute tiain for No. Continued on page 8. Comfortable Overcoat Made for Spring wear, and rainproof by a special process; every detail of the style is correct and you'll find it a very useful garment. If you want to see the finest lot of Spring Clothes you ever looked at, you'd better come in be fore our stock of these Hart Schaffner & Marx Overcoats and Suits is gone. They're great sellers with us. All fabrics all wool Suits and Overcoats $10 to $30 Stetson Hats Thierolf