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Reminiscences of a. Wayfarer
Some of the Important Events of the Pioneer Days
of Richardson County and Southeast Nebraska, as
remembered by the writer, who has spent fifty
one years here.
The Meek-Devip Tragedy.
There is something of the anti
quary in everybody, more in some
than in others, but a little in all. This
predisposition for the antiquities
forms the basis of the science ot
Archaeology so much prized and
studied by dreamers and thinkers,
who have spent their lives delving
in the ruins of dead nations whose
only history, or at least that which is
most visible, is written in the carved
rocks of their fallen temples, mighty
in their decay. Where men have been
other men are likely to go
and from the things they have' done
intelligible to the senses, the explor
er strives to learn the story of that
precedent people—how they lived,
were housed, and clothed; what they
did, what religion they professed, and
what altars they reared to their now
forgotten gods. The impulse to do
these things arises sua sponte out
of the very nature of man, and can
not be resisted any more than he can
resist the desire for continued con
sciouus life.
Something very like it was at the
bottom of that imposing pageant of
the eleventh century called the Cru
sades, when the hostile nations of
Asia and Europe, representing two
contending religions, were armed
against each other and disputing the
empire of the world. For a thous
and years annual pilgrimages were
made from all over the civilized
world to the Holy Land, by the fol
lowers of Christ, the ardor for
which was increased under the reign
of Constantine in the fourth century,
until in the course of time the en
thusiasm and fanaticial zeal inspired
thereby took possession of all the
western nations, and the shout, “It
is trite will of God,” was taken up all
over Europe and the general move
ment, in which there was not the
faintest glimmer of common sense,
was made to the east to wrest
from the infidel, the Holy sepulchre
of the Saviour.
The same impulse takes us to the
silent cities where the dead are at
rest, whether they were ours in life,
or only fellow mortals who once were
but arc not, as all now existant, one
day will be.
Far away to the southwest where
the groat Colorado of the west ming
les its waters with what the early
geographers called the great South
Sea, I once visited a spot in the
midst of an everlasting desolation,
and so lonely in its surroundings
that, in the language of the Ancient
Mariner,
“So lonely ’twas, that God himself
Scarse seemed to be there.”
At this spot two hundred miles
from any civilized habitation and
about a quarter of a mile from the
ship yard by the sea, two men,
“nameless here forevermore” who
had (lied at that ship's landing years
before, lie buried out on a salt marsh,
where the monster heaving sea covers
it fathom deep, twice every twenty
four hours, with its restless and re
sistless tides. The graves were en
closed by a rude fence that could
only be seem at ebb-tide, and then
not for long, except at neap-tide
which occurs in the dark of the moon,
and then for a few days the tides
appear to sleep and the resting
place of those lost men is freed from
its accustomed salt baths from the
Gulf. Spring tide at that place, which
occurs at new and full moon, rises
to the heighth of thirty-three feet, the
second highest tide in the world.
In an idle hour and when the tide
was low, I went out to visit those
graves on the lonely marsh. There
was nothing in sight that appeared
to be possessed of life, and not a
sound was to be heard, except that
produced by silence—for silence it
self is sometimes so profound as to
be audible. What I thought on that
visit is not to the purpose, but I
could not refrain from some specu
' lations on the monotony of the ete»
nal ebb and flow of the tides above
those lonesome graves, till the sea
shall give up its dead and the heavens
be rolled together as a scroll. Hut
to be buried in such an out-of-the-way
place, where habitation w-as impos
sible, where the living can seldom
come a,nd where no sound ever
breaks upon the brooding silence,
but the rush of the tides flowing
from and back to the sea, seemed
ah awful fate even for the dead.
To me it was a shrine, a sacred
spot, a small section of God’s acre,
the like of which I had never seen
and one I shall never forget. The
same impulse that sends the pilgrims
to the Holy Land, to the vast sol
itary pyramids of Egypt, to the ruins
of those crumbling cities of the
plain, the mouldering castles on the
Rhine, and in feudal countries over
the earth, sent me to visit the rest
ing place of two unknown mortals
on tho salt marshes at the head of
tlit’ t* 11 If of California in old Mexico.
Next to an old ruin, an old tomb,
or an old churchyard, is some ancient
record or old docuuument, or legen
dary story made or written by men
long dead, for somehow they bring
one in touch with lost lives, once
vigorous, intelligent, and forceful
who in a way swayed the thoughts
and actions of others and illustrated
the genius of the times in which they
lived.
I have before me an old record, but
not particularly of t lie class just in
dicated, but one that brings back in
all its vivid and terrible reality a
tragedy that was enacted in this city
now nearly fifty years ago.
It is the record of the coroner's in
quest held over the dead body of one
T. .1. Meek, who was killed in the
Minniek hotel, the one built by Jes
se Crook two years before, on the
16th day of April, I860, during an
election then being held to perman
ently locate the county seat of tills
county. This was the second of the
three authorized, by the act of the
winter before and (lie one locating
the county seat at Falls City, to com
mence with. Rulo and Salem were in
combination against Falls City, and
certain parties from both these towns
were at Falls City that day, and with
the evident design to make trouble.
Dr. J. H. Davis, William Holbrook,
afterwards a citizen of this city, anti
some others w< re here from Ruulo.and
Dr. T. J. Dunn, and probably one or
two others, were here from Salem.
All these parties were heavily armed,
and somewhat insolent in their con
duct. Trouble was brewing all day
and it required very little to devel
op it. The poling place was near
Squire Dorrington’s residence, on
the corner where Sowles’ candy shop
now is, and when the street duel
opened between Dr. Davis of Rulo
and T. J. Meek, a pistol ball struck
a window case near which Mrs. Dor
rington was at the moment standing,
though she did not know it until an
other struck the houuse in a different
place. Meek was a man of fearless
nature, had gone through the Kan
sas trouble, and been wounded in sev
eral parts of his body in numer
ous fights down there. Davis shot
Meek in the hip in the street fight,
but whether Davis received his death
wound on the street or in an upstairs
room in the hotel was never known, i
Meek though wounuded and his re-1
volver empty, went into the Bur- j
bank store and procuured another
revolver, and learning that Davis had !
gone to the Minnick hotel, followed,
revolver in hand, to finish the fight
with him. lie went into the hotel
and Up the stairway leading from the
door on the north to the second
floor. At the top landing a door op
ened into the northwest room in
which Davis had taken refuge, and
it was at that door ho received his
death wound. There was but one
witness to the last act in the tragedy,
his name was William McFarland.
It is certain that two or more shots
were fired after Meek went upstairs,
but no evidence on that point appears
in the records before me, but I know
the fact from others who heard them.
Dr; H. O. Hanna who had just moved
into the country from Ohio, performed
the autopsy on the body of Meek,
and the following is his testimony as
T appears in the report of Sheriff
Keefer, who was acting as coroner.
H. O. Hanna sworn saith:
Omitting formal questions as to age
residence and occupation the doctor's
evidence was as follows;
Q. Were you acquainted with
deceased (Meek)?
A. I knew him when I saw him.
Q. Where and what is his condi
tion ?
A. I saw him less than an hour
sinee lying dead in the hotel.
Q. Did you made an examina
tion of the body?
A. I did.
Q. Did you perform a post mor
tem on the body of the deceased?
A. I did. *
Q. Where and by what manner
did he come to his death?
A. His death was produced by
a gun shot wound through the body
the ball entering the right side be
tween the fifth and sixth ribs, about
four inches below and a little back
of the arm pit, cutting in its passage
the fifth rib about half off, passing
through the upper portion of the
lower lobe, and the lower portion
of the upper lobe of the right
lung. Thence into the right auricle
and through the left ventricle of
the heart through upper lobe of
the left lung, thence between the
fourth and fifth ribs lodging against
the skin on the left side.
Q. Were there any other wounds
on the body '
A. There were several scalp
wounds, and also a gun shot wound
through the fleshy portion ot' the
j right hip.
Q.Wore these last wounds suffi
| dent to cause death?
A. 1 think not.
(signed) H. c. iiajsisa.
This testimony is important as
showing that Meek had been shot in
the hip before ho went to tile hotel,
and that whoever shot him was stand
ing at right angles to the direction
lie was facing,at the time, making
Meek, the target for at least two as
sailants. Holbrook was thought to
be the man who shoot Meek in the
tiip, while tlie street fight was on be
tween Davis and him, but tills is
mere eonjeetuure.
The report is in tin' hand writing
of Mr. .Vug. Selioenlieit, long a resi
dent of tliis city, but who only the
day before had arrived at Falls City,
from till' state of Ohio. It seems he
hud been asked to supervise the post
mortem examination,as he was a law
yer and was willing to accomodate
the sheriff. I was in the state of Illi
nois on the day of the trouble and
therefore hud no personal knowledge
of the facts, but as 1 came to know
them afterwards, I was, and always
have been, of opinion that Davis was
not the man who killed Meek. The
circumstances, and the location of th
parties, made it impossible foV Davis
to have killed Meek. Meek went up
a stairway leading from the north.
That brought his right side to the
west. When he got to the top of the
stairs he had i/i turn hts face to the
west to see into the room where
Davis was; that would bring ills
right side to the north. If Davis had
shot Meek at all, the ball, instead of
hitting him in the right side, would
have struck him in the breast, but
that was not where lie was shot,
t’liere was a narrow passage or hall
Upstairs on the east side of the stair
way, with a door opening into a bed
room In the northeast corner of the
hotel, about the sizi of the room in
which Davis was on the other side
of the stairway. This latter door
was local ed at the north end of the
passage or hall, while the door on
the other side, opening into the west
room where Davis was, was at the
extreme south end of that passage, so
that when Meek turned at the top
of tlie stairvaj to attack Davis, his
right side would have been exposed
to any one desiring to shoot him
from live duo: at the north end of tlie
passage, and whoever shot him was
af I ha t. door or near it in the passage.
The circumstances all contradict
what Mi Farland said about who
killed Meek, and besides I have an
other and convincing reason for know
ing, but I shall not give it here—that
his uliole story was a fabrication.
navis nad emptied ms revolver m
the street fight, or he would not have
used it as a cluub when Meek at
tacked him in the hotel. Every cir
cumstance points unerringly to the
fact that some one other Ilian Davis j
killed Meek. Dr. Dunn was upstairs .
in the hotel when tlie muurder was
done, hut he was not in the room
with Davis. That he was suspect <1
of complicity in the killing of Meek,
is shown by the verdict of the jury
sitting in the inquest: to-wit:
“And we the jury do further
find that one Dr. T. J. Dunn was
concerned in the perpetration of
said violence and death as an ac
cessory.’’
From what premise that conclu
sion was drawn, does not. appear in
the evidence returned with the re
port of thq coroner. The general con
census of opinion of those who hie w
most about the facts was that Dunn,
and not Davis, killed Meek. Certa'n
it is,that Dunn was never in Falls
City afterwards, and in a very short
time left the country and has nevei
lived here since. Ro ended the
bloody chapter, but not its prenici
ous effects. Meek was killed instant
ly, hut Davis died of the wounutls re
ceived in the fight the day after
They were both brave but reckles:
men, and both were looking for
trouble that day, and found it in
abundance.
The report of that day’s awful
doings is before me by grace of our
accomplished and accomodating clerk
of the district court, Mr. Charles I.o
ree, who kindly placed it at my dis
posal for the purpose of this sketch,
and for which I am greatly obliged.
It is worn and old; it’s inkfaded, and
the wasting finger marks of time are
apparent on every sheet of the paper
it is written upon. The witnesses,
the jurors, the physician who per
formed the autopsy on the body of
Meek, the sheriff who acted as coro
ner and the lawyer who conducted
the proceedings and formulated the
report, are all dead; gone out of
life into the same land of shadows
to which those two misguided men
hurried each other on that pleasant,
smiling spring day—nearly fifty years
ago.
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WHAT THE NEIGHBORS SAY.
Opinions of County Exchanges Re
garding the Missouri Facific.
Kails City is to got the division of
thi- Missouri Pacific. II is well that
the citizens of that burg are not par
ticular enough to look their gift horse
iu the mouth. Vuburn Republican.
About the only effect that the re
. nioval of the division from Auburn
to Falls City will be to mark a semi
colon in the history of the city. Au
burn Republican.
Incident to the establishing of the
new freight division at that place,
Falls City is in midst of discussion on
several matters of public policy, such
as i xtending the city limits, paving the
business district and furnishing all
day service at the power house for
the benefit of those who wish elec
trie motors.—Humboldt Leader.
To give some idea of what the M.
I’, is doing in the way of surface im
provements, Mr. McManus, roadmas
tcr for this division, says that the
team work alone amounts at present
to over ten thousand dollars a month.
Verdon Vedette,
"The division coming to Pulls City”
Is no longer a vision but an estab
lished fact —Verdon Vedette.
Falls City is now sure of the Mis
souri Pacific freight* division between
Kansas City and Omaha. Pulls City
gave thirty-five acres of land at. a
cost of |12,!iOO. The land was pur
chased from J. II. Miles and is lo
cated south of the Burlington yards.
The company agrees to begin work
at once, and to spend $200,000 build
ing terminals,which will include seven
miles of side track and tut eighteen
stall round house. It is said $00,000
lias also been set aside to cut down
Kreellng hill and probably build a
new depot.—Stella Press.
As stated in this paper a couple of
weeks ago, there was a strong rumor
that the M. 1\, was intending to make
Palls City a division point. This time
it appears that the rumor was found
ed on a basis of fact. A dispatch
from Palls City states that the Mis
souri Pacifi • railroad lias secured by
donation thirty-five acres of land east
of the Burlington depot at that place
on which to build freight division
yards to handle the traffic between
K; nsas City and Omaha. The city
gave the land and the company agrees
to spend $200,000 in building the ter
minals in January. The plans also
font 'inplat.es the spending of another
$100,000 In cutting down add chang
ing Kreellng hill to Straussvtlle. The
work will begin in ten days. It is
fjtut' d that this will mean the mov
ing of several families to Palls City,
the number being estimated various
ly from fifteen to twenty-six.—Auburn
Herald.
BARADA.
C. H. Martin made a trip to Falls
City Thursday. ,
Mrs. E. E. Bolejack Is suffering
with a felon on her finger.
John Morehend of Falls City was
in Barada Monday evening.
Mrs. Prine of Denver is here vis
iting iter mice, Miss Carrie Rae.
The Spickler Bros., delivered a
new autq to Mr. Hogrefe at Stella.
Jessie Cox was taking the teach
ers examination at Falls City Satur
day.
Dr. VanOsdel was called to Lincoln
Monday by the serious Illness of his
niece.
Miss Verda Kulilman is assisting
R. J. Dunn & Son In the store this
week.
p. E. Smith of Auburn spent a few
days with old friends at this place
this week.
Walter Rockwell of Farmington, la.,
is visiting his uncle and grandfather
at this place.
A number of relatives gauiereo at
Mrs. Sarah Williamsons Monday to
spend the day.
Mrs. E. A. Thompson of Falls City
spent several days visiting relatives
in this vicinity.
Miss Priscilla Woodring of near
Shubert spent Sunday with friends
at this place.
Neil Piersol and family were visit
ing Charles Thomas and family near
Shubert Sunday.
E. Butler of Brownville spent sev
eral days with his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. W. F. Butler.
Elias Prine packed his grip and
moved to Falls City, where he says
he is going to make his future home.
Byron Dunn returned to his place
of business in Lincoln after a two
weeks’ visit with relatives at this
place.
Mrs. Win. Bridgman of Verdon was
the guest of her parents,Mr.and Mrs.
Wilson Wamsley at this place Satur
day and Sunday.
Mrs. Spickler and daughter who
have been visiting relatives in various
parts of the country for a couple of
months, returned home Friday.
Earl Cox was surprised by about
fifteen of his friends, who gathered
at his home Sunday to celebrate his
fourteenth birthday. The afternoon
was spent in games after which re
freshments consisting of Ice cream an
cake were served. Earl received
several nice presents.
— 1 ■■'■II——■ ■ ■■■ II. - 1 ■ II ■■■> I '' !■■■■■—■ —— .. I . ■ ———W
Excursion Rates
Everywhere
It is impossible to present a detailed list of the attractive $xcur
cursion rates now in effect.
You Can Go East on daily low rates to Atlantic cities and re
sorts; every day rates to Wisconsin, Michigan and Canadian resorts,
and for the celebrated tour of the lakes.
Yoii Can Go West There are very attractive r tes every day
to Colorado, Yellowstone l'ark, Seattle, California, Black Hills, Hot
Springs; homeseekers' rates every first and third Tuesdays every
where west- Inquire about the personally conducted camping tours
from Cody into the Yellowstone Park.
See Your Own Country. Between America's prosperity and
low railroad rates there is every reason why you should join tt.e
great summer travel throng.
□ E. II. Whitpord, Ticket Agent.
L. W. Wakbley, G. P. A , Omaha.
(
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I I
Seasonable Suggestions
To be Found Here:
Lowe Bros.’ Paint
Pittsburgh Electrically Welded Fencing
Fishing Tackle and Sporting Goods
Alaska and White Frost Refrigerators
Call Our Tinner Before the Spring Rains
J. C. TANNER
Falls City Nebraska
Plumbing I lumber and Furnnne Man Hardware
FALLS CITY CHAUTAUQUA
JULY 24th to August 1st
