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VOLUME XXVII
lLATTSMOUTII, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, SKITEMIMJK 1!, 1907
STUM HER :IH
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(
OH EASILY DAY
Daniel llolchkiss Wheeler, Nov of Omaha, an
Early Pioneer of Piaiismoulh.
FOR YEARS A PROXHNFNT CITIZEN
Mayor of the Gity During the Host important
Year of the City's Developments, in 1869.
Sunday's Omaha Bee contained a tine
write-up of Daniel H. Wheeler, who
was a prominent ami enterprising citi- :
zen of Plattsmouth in its infant days,
and when she began to build up as a
city, and we take the lilerty of repro
ducing sections of the article, wherever '
it refers to Mr. Wheeler as a resident.
While Mr. Wheeler lived here no one ;
took more interest in the welfare of
the town than he, always, leing in the
front ranks of the procession which
lid much good for the old town in its
early days. After giving the birth
place of Mr. Wheeler, the Bee says:
"He entered the employ of his uncle,
a distiller at Three Rivers, Mich., at
the age of 20 years, as lookkeeper, .
and remained there about a year. Then j
his attention -was directed westward, ;
and in company with his brother-in-law j
he emigrated to western Iowa. The j
trip from Burlington to Council Bluffs j
took ix -days auid nights by stage. It i
was a trip he Itas never forgotten, j
through a glorious land full of waving !
wild flowers, basking in the spring sur- j
light. The vast acres seemed to be ly- ;
ing waiting for the advance of the j
army of men who should till the fertile I
soli and make it yield the great wealth
which was stored up in it. He had in-
tended to teach school, but on finding
that the salery was only $30. and board ;
would cost about $27 a month, he de-
ckled that wealth was not to be gained !
in disseminating knowledge. So he er
tered the employ of Nuckolls & Co.,
who had stores in Glenwood, Iowa, and
in Plattsmouth. Neb. He traveled be- j
tween these two points, making col- i
lections, buying furs from the Indians ;
and performing other services of a
pioneer merchant.
A girl had been left behind him in '.
Michigan and as soon as he had a per- ;
manent location in the territory he hur- :
ried back over the arduous miles to j
Kalamazoo, and on February 26. 1857, ;
he married Charlotte A Lewis, a cousin '
of the late Dr. Dio Lewis, of New York I
and of former Judge of the New York I years later.
Supreme Court Lorin L. Lew is. It He was mayor of Plattsmouth during
was on this trip that he first visited the most important year of that city's
'imaha. It was on New Year's days, ; development, 1869, when ground was
1857. ' He stayed in the Douglas house ; broken for the Burlington railroad and
on the southwest corner of Thirteenth j when the city voted $50,000 bonds to
and Harney streets, where he shared a j secure the headquarters of the road,
bed in the crowded quarters "with three j His little law office was the place where
other travelers. i the stock subscription of $7,500,000 to
Reaching Plattsmouth with his bride : the road was made. Perkins, Touzalin
he determined to go into business for j and Thielsen, three of the great mag
himself with money he had saved. He j nets of the Burlington were there. Mr.
erected a two-story frame building and Wheeler took $3,000 of the stock him
put in a stock of hardware. He took a ; self, this being the only block that was
leading part in affairs at once, holding j bought by a citizen of Nebraska. The
the position of county superintendent !
of schools in 185$ and making the first
educational report in that county. He
was elected county clerk of Cass Coun
ty in 1859 and at that time began the
insurance and real estate business,
which he has continued ever since.
He was appointed Indian agent the
dav previous to the assassination of
President Lincoln, and took charge of
the Pawnee reservation. west of
Columbus, Neb.. July 1,1865. He suc-
ceeded in maintaining peace among the
red men better than any of his prede-
cesssrs. He sed to drive out from
Plattsmouth, a distance of 110 miles,
Once he made the trip in a spring wag-
on, with a pair of ponies, in a day. As
a rule the trip took longer and was of-
ten marked bv hardships. One of the
first thines he did after taking charge
of the tribe was to ride" 150 miles to the
north, accompanied by the four big
chiefs of the Pawnees, and complete a
treaty of peace with the warlike Sioux,
which tribe was accustomed to amuse
itself freouentlv bv roir.g on the war-
or,. Tr,r.-frir-cr its red brethem of
bJl JV -p
other tribes. Having smoked the pipe
of peace with there, he returned and
took up his duties of apportioning
bright red calicos ami brilliantly-striped
blankets to the noble red men.
"We had a peaceful tribe there,"
says Mr. Wheeler, "and everything
went along swimmingly. It was hard
to get the Indians to do any work.
About the only ones who would do man
ual labor for pay were old squaws or
those who had lost their husbands. The
bucks, of course, never stooped to toil
and their squaws would work only for
them. Each Indian had from one to
four wives and a liberal supply of pap
pooses. We started a government
school while I was there, and that was
one of the hardest jobs I had.
pappooses were as wild as rabbits,
they didn't want to go to school,
could hardly blame them, for it
The
and
You
was
something which they could not under
stand in its ultimate object. We had
the worst time getting hold of them
the first few weeks. They would run
and hide in the bushes, and I, assisted
by my police Indians, had to chase them
out, just as one would chase out rabbits
or other wild game. The parents of
the children were willing to have the
girls go to school, but for the boys who
were to become braves they were con-
vinced the school could be of no advan
tage." Perhaps President Andrew Johnson
knew that Mr. Wheeler had voted
against him as Lincoln's running mate
at the national convention in 1864, to
which Mr. Wheeler was a delegate
from Nebraska. Probably some per
son who coveted his job called John
son's attention to this fact. At any
rate he removed Mr. Wheeler from the
place, and on October 1, 1806 he re
turned again to Plattsmouth, where he
devoted his attention actively to real
estate and insurance business. But
these interests were not sufficient to
take up all his time and he began read
ing law under T. M. Marquett. He
made such progress that he was ad
mitted to the bar in less than two
Sheldon and Pollard families were in
timate friends during the
residence of
the latter in Plattsmouth. Congress
man Ernest Pollard was named after
the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Wheel
er, who died in his youth. Mrs. Lottie
Pollard was named after Mrs. Wheel
er. Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Pollard
were once participants in a typical
Indian scare. They were alone with
their little children in the Pollard farm
house, when
thought was
they saw what they
an Indian come riding
1 over the hill, his blanket fluttering out
' behind him in the wind. They hurried
i into the house, barricaded the door, and
j armed with axes, determined to resist
' to the end. But the supposed Indian
j turned out to be only a woman from a
i neighboring farm, who was wrapped
up
in shawls so as to resemble an
Indian at a distance.
Mr. Wrheeler was elected secretary of
the State Board of Agriculture in 1S6S
and held that office for sixteen years.
He was elected secretary of the state
senate in 1873 and occupied that positi-
: tion at the two following sessions and
: also at one special session.
! Mr. Wheeler moved to Omaha in 1885.
With his son, Daniel If. Wheeler, jr.,
he established the firm of Wheeler and
Wheeler, insurance and real estate
agents, which firm hes continued in
business until the present time. He
continued his strenuous activities after
coming to Otnaha. The first public
position which he held was that of sec
retary of the Omaha Pair and Speed
Association, in which capacity he
served two years.
He was elected a member of the city
council in 1889 and served in that body
seven years. For six years he was
chairman of the finance committee, and
in that capacity had more to do with
distributing the city funds than any
other man. He performed his duties
so carefully and was so vigilant in de
tecting and resisting measures to spend
money in a manner which he considered
useless or lavish that he soon gained
the name of "Watchdog of the Treas
ury." Some of the hardest work of
his life was done while he was super
visor of the census in the second con
gressional district of Nebraska, in 11)00.
He had 197 people working under him
and for eight months devoted himself
to the duties of his position eighteen
hours a day. He came out of the or
deal with his health somewhat broken
and has never fully recovered.
In the activities of the leading secret
fraternities, Mr. Wheeler has been
amongst the foremost. He is now a
thirty-third degree Mason wearing up
on his little finger that three-banded
ring of which there is but one in the
state. He joined the Masonic lodge in
Michigan in 1856. He has been master
of Plattsmouth lodge No. 6 and master
of Nebraska lodge No. 1 in Omaha. He
is the oldest past grand master of the
lodge, having held that position in 1863;
past grand high priest of Nebraska
chapter No. 3; past grand high priest
of Nebraska grand chapter; grand
master o.f the grand council, Royal and
Select masters; past commander of
Mount Zion commandery No. 5, Knights
Templar; and past grand commander of
the grand commandory of Nebraska.
He is a member of the Knights of Pyth
ias, which order he joined in 1868. He
joined the Odd Fellows in 1856 and is
past grand master of that order.
Though somewhat disabled by partial
paralysis, Mr. Wheeler is still active in
the pursuit f his varied interests. He
is a leader in the councils of the secret
fraternities to which he belongs. Dur
ing his long connection with these or
ganizations he has received many med
als and diplomas of honor in recogniti
of his services. These form a valuable
and interesting collection. He has also
an extensive library in his home.
A DAY OF ACCIDENTS
Three Accidents in One Eve
ning is the Reord for
Thursday
Thursday evening C. A. Richey's
driving horse ran away from in front of
tae lumber yard. It came across the
third street bridge at a lively rate and
when it reached Main street it came
near coliding with a rig driven by Mrs.
F. H. Nichols. In fact, in order to es
cape the runaway horse Mrs. Nichols
drove her horse too near a hitching
post at Alloway's livery barn, the
wheel catching on the hitching post and
demolishing the wheel. Her horse then
became unmanageable and started to
run up Third street, but was caught by
Mr. Alloway. Mrs. Nichols was unin
jured. Mr. Richey's horse ran home
and to the barn where it upset the bug
gy, but did very little damage.
Later in the evening Mrs. Wm. Wade,
Mrs. Ed Pribble and Mrs, G. WT. . May
field were driving near Charles Urwin's
house in the south part of town. They
were met by two of Frank Pettit's
children on horseback who were racing
their ponies. The pony ridden by the
little girl struck the carriage in which
the ladies were riding. The. pony was
knocked down, the little girl being
thrown about fifteen feet, injuring one
of her shoulders and otherwise bruising
her. One of the wheels of the carriage
was injured. Louisville Courier.
Big Land Deal.
One of the largest land deals ever
made in Cass county was consummated
today. J. P. Falter and W. W. Coates
buying the old Miller farm, containing
six hundred and forty acres, located
three miles west of this city. This pro
perty has been held by an estate for a
number of years and the new owners
expect to improve the farm and put it
in a much higher state of cultivation,
and are also counting on dividing it in
to several smaller farms which would
be a great benefit to Plattsmouth. The
deal was made through the Windham
Investment Company.
CANDIDATE FOR
COMMISSIONER
Charles R. Jordan, a Prominent Far
mer of Greenwood Precinct.
In looking over the Third district for
a suitable man to represent the tax-payers
of the district on the board of com
missioners, from among a large number
of suitable men for the position, Chas.
R. Jordan, a retired farmer livingin the
village of Alvo, was the gentleman so
licited as the most available.
' Here is a true incident of "the office
seeking the man and not the man the
office." Mr. Jordan is a well-to-do
farmer, who has apparently retired
from active farm work, and has plenty
of time to give in looking after the in
terests of his constituents, and comes
from a section of the county that has
had no representative on the board for
many years. " Had Mr. Johnson been
nominated by the republicans it would
have been different. Like Mr. Jordan,
Mr. Johnson is not an office-seeker, but
his friends thought that that section of
the county had been neglected about
long enough, ami shoved Mr. Johnson
to the front in the hope that the repub
licans would "see the point" and nomi
nate him. Mr. Johnson is a good man,
and his defeat for the nomination is
keenly felt by his friends.
Charley Jordan is just as good a' man
as Mr. Johnson, and the people will
support him in preference to another
Weeping Water man, and especially one
who has already served three years on
board, and who comes from the same
vicinity in which Commissioner Switzer
resides. Mr. Jordan is one of the best
men, in every way, in that district. He
is a man possessing most excellent busi
ness qualities, as his past career would
signify, and when it comes to transact
ing business for a constituency, that
business will have to be done right, or
a kick will be registered by Mr. Jordan.
Mr. Jordan has been a resident of
Greenwood precinct for many years,
where by his own energy and good
management he has laid up a sufficiency
for the veritable "rainy day." Withal,
he is a gentleman and scholar, and if
elected to the position of commissioner,
the tax-payers can expect a careful
watch over their interests. He believes
in equal justice to all, and will see that
in this district this shall be done irre
spective of locality. The voters will
have done a good day's work when they
go to the polls and deposit their ballots
for Charles R. Jordan.
Partial to the Gentler Sex.
That old joker, the stork, seems in
his visits to this neighborhood to have
exercised his discretionery powers, and
is giving more favors to the gentler sex
in the gifts he has been making lately.
Now, don't think we are kicking.
O, No! We are satisfied, for he escort
ed a very charming bevy of young ladies
to Plattsmouth night before last and
has made many hearts happy. He was
instrumental in the. creating of a happy
event in the south part of the city,
when, he rapped at the door of George
Klinger, and made George and his good
wife the present of the sweetest little
girl, to have for all their very own.
One could guess how George appreciat
ed the gift, for yesterday he was wear
ing a smile that would not rub off and
anyone could have a cigar for the ask
ing. Mother and little one are both do
ing well. After the stork had blessed
this family, he slipped over across lots
to the home of Enos Mason, where he
supplied Mr. and Mrs. Mason with a
stock of happiness in the shape of a
nine pound girl, who is the very picture
of her papa.
Might Have Been Serious.
Last evening Mrs. T. M. Patterson
and her sister, who is visiting at the
Patterson home, were coming down
town after dark in the buggy, one
wheel ran upon a pile of crushed rock
which had been unloaded just at dark,
upsetting the buggy and spilling the oc
cupants in the street. When the buggy
was overturned the horse became
frightened and started to run, dragging
Mrs. Patterson, who held to the lines,
and stopped him after a few jumps.
Both ladies were bruised very badly
and as a consequence feel very sore
from the result of the mishap. Under
the circumstances it is a fortunate
thing they were not seriously injured.
Had the top of the buggy been up the
hances for them escaping would have
een less.
Peaches for Sale
Our peaches are now ripe, and ready
for the market. We will be pleased to
fill all orders as long as they last.
Place your orders now. Dan Kiser.
Mynard, Neb.
Helped Celebrate Her Birthday
At the pleasant home of Mr. and Mrs.
John P. Sattler, the other afternoon in
commemorating the forty-second anni
versary of the birth of Mrs. Sattler,
a number of the friends called anil
helped make merry with her. The
afternoon was spent in a joyous social
time, intercepted with many a laugh
and'joke. A large number of useful
and very beautiful presents were given
as tokens of love and friendship which
those present held for their hostess. A
delightful luncheon was served and on
departing all wished Mr. Sattler many
pleasant returns of the occasiou. Those
present and participating in fhe pleas
ant experiences of the, celebration were:
Mesdames E. K. Perttig, H. M. Son
nichsen, John Lutz, Peter Coos, Phil
lip Theriolf, John Bauer, Jacob Mason,
and Misses Julia Teipel, Maggie Jess,
Tillie Fanger, Elsie Thierolf, Hellen
Lutz and Catherine Lutz.
What Do We Want?
George Ballance has arranged for a
meeting of the citizens with Mr. 1. J.
Kaar, of Havelock, who will come here
next Monday to talk about the estab
lishment of a factory at this place for
the making ofjiis corn planter, 'potato
planter and loose ground lister. Mr.
Kaar will arrive on the Burlington
train next Monday at ten o'clock, and
will be pleased to meet the citizens and
talk the matter over, with a view of
locating his factory here. Now the
question arises, do we want the indus
try, and if so, what are we going to do
to secure it?
We surely want the industry located
here, and we want the additional 150
men in our city that is required to
operate the plant. Now let us get af
ter the matter in the right way and
get it.
Robber Seen By Three People
C. D. Quinton says he is not parti
cularly in love with bloodhounds and
that he did not have the hounds at the
scene of the man hunt west of Manley,
but that Mr. Spence had one there. The
exact amount of money taken as per
the checked investigation was $1,160.
Two men met the robber at the place
he entered the corn field, each being
armad, one with a shot gun and the
other with a rifle, they both knew he
was the robber and that he had just got
the money. They allowed him to crawl
through the fence into the corn field and
get away. He was seen by the Wabash
mail carrier, trying to emerge from the
field on the other side, but he did not
know then that a robbery had been com
mitted, or he could have apprended him.
Caldwell Not Satisfied
The following special from Lincoln
would indicate that P. A. Caldwell, who
came so near defeating Clarke for the
republican nomination for railroad
commissioner's not altogether satisfied
with the result of the primary election.
"In an interview secured over the long
distance telephone and published in the
Lincoln News this afternoon, P. A.
Caldwell, defeated candidate for rail
way commissioner, said he would not
contest the nomination of Mr. Clarke if
the official returns showed he had a
majority. Caldwell blames Governor
Sheldon for the large Clarke vote in
Cass county and says he lost many votes
in Clay because of his ardent sup
port of Sheldon last year. To Senator
Norris Brown he returns thanks for the
vote in Buffalo county and says that
paid him for the efforts he made to se
cure the nomination of Mr. Brown for
senator. Had Wallace not been in the
race he said he believes he would have
secured two-thirds of his vote and been
nominated. He would like, he said, an
explanation of the Douglas county
vote."
The Western Bees
Otto H, Stubin of Omaha is in the
city working in the interest of the
Western' Bees, a fraternal organization,
similar in many respects to a number of
other fraternal insurance orders, and
wiil endeavor to organize a hive of the
order on the 20th cf the month, one
week from today. Mr. Stubin is a
friend of Col. H. C. McMaken and
eeems to be a hustler.
They Will Marry.
Joseph Zitka and Miss Anna Jelenek
have announced in the Holy Rosary
church that they will marry on Tuesday,
September 24th at the church.
Breaking Chain Causes Wreck.
While climbing the hill out of Kan
oska Wednesday the propeller chain on
the threshing engine of Joseph Loyd
broke, letting the engine and separator
run back down the hill. The separator
ran across the road and the engine ran
into it, badly damaging them both, but
to what extent is not yet known. No
one was injured.
WILL A NIGHT
SCHOOL PAY
It Would Be a Great Oppor
tunity for Those Who
Work all Kay
We have often heard it said "that
the wheel will never turn with the
water that has passed." So it is with
opportunity, when it has slipped by us
we can no more claim it for our own.
There are times and tides which when
taken at their full, lead on to fortune
and affluence. One of the greatest
secrets in any avocation in life is the
preparedness of the person aspiring t
promotion in any branch. Many are
the people who have neglected to make
the necessary preparation for the strug
gle with the problems in life, which
they, with the rest of the human race,
must encounter, and have been -im-pelled
to admit in later years, that "if
I only had an education I could have
taken this or that prsit ion. " The fa
cilities for acquiring them are better
now than before. The one great re
quirment is a desire to acquire '.he
learning and the Jtierve to apply one
self in order to get it.
Night schools have sprung up all over
the land, where those who have ne
glected their opportunities, can receive
instruction which in part compensate
for what they failed to get in their
youth.
There has been evinced a desire on
the part of many in this community for
the establishment of a night school in
which a few of the more common and
essential branches should be taught.
Some whose children have neglected
the opportunities, and now see the
mistake, and others who wish to know
themselves some things which they do
not. Many foreigners, who come here
we'l advanced in years, do not try to
master anything but their own native
tongue, and even when they have bus
iness to transact they have to have the
services of an interpreter. They fail
to attempt to learn anything about the
language of the country, because of no
way. Many of these people want an
opportunity to get in touch with this
age and generation of the go-a-head
American- times. Cannot some of our
enterprising citizens who would like to
turn an honest dollar and render a last
ing benefit to this class of people, in
augurate a night school for the w inter L
OUR CANDIDATE
FOR SHERIFF
A. J. Box, a Prominent Farmer of
Weeping Water Precinct.
The democrats of Cass county were
very fortunate in the selection of Mr.
A. J. Box for the office of sheriff. They
could not, to use the old expression, "if
they had raked the country over with a
fine tooth comb," found a better man
for this position.
Mr. Box has resided in Cass county
for many years, has never been a can
didate for any position, and this is sim
ply another case where "the office
sought the man and not the man the of
fice." Having never had much to do iit
a political way, Mr. Box is a stranger
in some sections of the county, but take
him where the people know him best,
and in the estimation of all, republicans?
and democrats alike, no citizen stands
higher. Being large and robust, he is
the very image of true manhood. And
his fine countenance denotes the char
acter of a genial gentleman in business
transactions, and one who will do his
duty at all hazards.
Our candidate for this responsible po
sition is a man well qualified in every
way, and when the people see and be
come acquainted with him they will
soon determine that he is just the man
for the place. His friends over in the
west part of the county say he is every
inch a man, his word is his bond, and all
love and respect him. While he has
never before been a candidate, it being
his first appearance before the public,
he may appear a little timid in approch
ing the voters, but when he thoroughly
becomes acquainted with the people
they will soon perceive that A. J. Box
is just the proper man to elect to the
high position of sheriff of Cass county,
and they will never see the day or hour
that they will regret their action.
The Fuel Question
It is a little early to consider the fuej
question for this winter, but already
the railroads express fear of the car
shortage. It is 'very evident that the
country has outgrown the railroads, or
the ability of the roads to handle tre
traffic
1 1
