over it ran. The case of these twc
women aroused the spirit of war.
"The escaped servants belonging tc
Mr. 8. F. Nuckolls have been hearc
from" , says the News of December 4th
1858. "They are known to have been
enticed away by a white-livered aboli
tionist , and have been concealed among
their abolition friends in the little
abolition hole of Civil Band , about
eight miles from Nebraska Oity on the
Iowa side. " ( 'Tis Percival , an't please
. "About went
yon. ) seventy-five men
across yesterday determined to get the
negroes. If wo should hear of some
fighting and some fun wo shouldn't be
surprised. "
Throe weeks later wo have the result
of this relief expedition. "A party
started in pursuit and after scouring a
few nigger holes started the game and
the prospect seemed fair to bag it. But
unfortunately , the trail was again lost ,
and the party returned. A meeting of
the black scamps was held at Tabor the
other day , and a resolution passed to
run off all the negroes at Nebraska Oity
and then sack the place. "
The warlike inhabitants of Tabor
seem to have changed their minds ,
however , for there is no mention in the
annals of Nebraska Oity of its having
been sacked at this time.
A year later , or November 28th , 1859 ,
as recorded in the Press 'of December
22nd , suit was commenced before the
district court by Hon. Stephen P. Nuck-
ell * against Roubsn S. Williams and
fourteen other persons , for $10,000
damages and costs. The catalogue of
wrongs occupies some two columns ;
among other charges it is recited that
"well knowing the said Oelia and Eliza
to be the property and slaves of the said
plaintiff as aforesaid , ( they ) contrived
unlawfully to injure the paid plaintiff
and deprive him of all his property in
and to said slaves Oelia and Eliza , " and
so forth. This case was followed up
with bitterness , and lasted long , bat it
had to bo fought in Iowa , and it is said
that the plaintiff was worsted in every
encounter. The writer has not seen the
records.
It is another year before we hear fur
ther of these erring chattels , and in the
meantime other influences had been at
work , and the soothing balm of tears had
wo may hope , washed awny the rancor
the Nebraska Oity heart had borne
against the intemperate reformers of
Tabor.
"We understand , " eays the editor ,
"that the next novelty to be produced is
the great mortl and domestic drama of
'Uncle Tom's Cabin , or Life Among the
Lowly , ' which is to be presented in the
highest style of art. * * * * The
gentle 'Eva' will be personated by a
young Miss of this oity. "
That fall Mr. Nuokolls located a part
of his missing property in Chicago , and
went thither to get it. It is intimated ,
however , that he found the goods
damaged , so that perhaps he was not
over keen to have his own way in the
matter , save for the principle of the
thing. Northerners may. perhaps be
lieve this more readily now than those
of forty years ago would do , because
they really know the breed better.
There was a notable disturbance in
Chicago. The story reached Nebraska
City , and the editor of the News wheels
out his battle-bell with dreadful din.
"The combat deepens on ye brave ! " is
his war whoop. The woman Eliza was
arrested by a U. S. marshal and lodged
in the armory. Great excitement
ensued. "The streets in the vicinity
are crowded , " says a Chicago paper of
November 12th , "with negroes and some
white persons in a high state of excite
ment , who declare their intentions to
prevent the woman's being taken away
from this city. "
It was into the hands of this mob that
Mr. Nuokolls fell , and it might have
gone hard with him , bat that Mr. Joy ,
seeing the commotion by accident , and
recognizing Nuckolls from having seen
him in Nebraska City , slipped him into
a place of refuge ; from which he after
ward arranged his escape , furnishing
him with a false beard and some such
accessories.
"They take her from an officer of the
government , " says the News , "and send
her kiting to Canada to finish her exist
ence in a house of ill fame. "
"And this is abolition ! "
Meantime there had been another
episode. We quote from the News of
June 80th , 1860. "On Thursday night
three females of ebony complexion , one
crippled ditto dark , and two boys with
ivory teeth and impish faces , came to
the sage conclusion that they preferred
nakedness and starvation in Canada to
rice puddings , jell cakes , and slap
jacks in the comfortable and luxurious
mansion of our worthy citizen and
townsman , Alexander Majors ( south
west corner Ninth street and First
Corso ) . We can hardly believe that
our city is infected with such mis
guided philanthropists as nigger thieves
and abolitionists the worst possible
enemy a good negro can have. This
dirty work is doubtless left for the nasty
abolitionists of Civil Bend -and Tabor.
( So little Eva has died in vain. ) * *
A reward of $1,000 is offered for the
apprehension and recovery of the fugi
tives. "
What the rest of this story may have
been deponent saith not. The negroes
were never recovered ; the days of
slavery were already numbered. But
right here are found two strange occur
rences , which stand upon the records in
the Otoe county court house to this
day , and look very much like bravado ,
in view of the often repeated and
strongly insisted-upon doctrine , that
slaves brought into Nebraska became
ipsofacto freemen. They can in any
cose not be supposed to have done
Nebraska Oity any good politically.
Among the taxable property returned
by the county assessor in I860 appear
the following items :
O. F. Holly , two negroes , - $1,000
E. A. DesLondes , two negroes , 1,000
R. M. Kirkham , one negro , - 500
A. Majors , ( number not returned. )
This constitutes one event ; the other
is the sale of two slaves by public
auction at the door of the court house.
The notice of the sheriff's sale , as
advertised in the News of November 24 ,
1860 , reads in part as follows : "By
virtue of an execution from the clerk of
the district court of Otoe county , Ne
braska territory , against the goods and
chattels of Charles F. Holly , I will offer
at public sale , to the highest and best
bidder , on the fifth day of December ,
A. D. , 1860 , between the hours of 10
o'clock a. m. and 8 o'clock p. m. , all the
right , title and interest of the said
defendant in and to the following
described property , viz :
One negro man and one negro woman ,
known as Hercules and Martha.
# * #
WM. P. BIRCHFIELD , Sheriff. "
This property was so sold accordingly ,
and the sheriff's returns show that he
first put up the negro man Hercules ,
and there being no bidders , he next put
up the bunch , for which $300 dollars
was bid by W. B. Hail ; and there being
no other bids the goods were declared
sold to said Hail , who was the plaintiff
in the suit against Holly.
All this while Omaha was living
virtuously. Douglas county had only
916 school children in 1860 , against 1240
in Otoe county , but they were not
selling any slaves there ; and it seems a
very natural supposition that this con
sideration may have had a good deal of
weight in Washington , in determining
the future of the infant territory.
After the Civil war the negro named
"Shade" who was run off from the
premises of Mr. Nnokolls materialized
as a leading legislator in the state of
Alabama , where as a member of the
house of representatives he became
quite conspicuous.
A. T. RICHARDSON.
OBSERVATIONS BAN INVALID.
MY DEAR CONSERVATIVE :
As you were not here during the
summer when I was so fortunate as to
have an observation hive of bees in my
room window , I will try to give you
some idea of the delights of such com
panionship.
The sides are glass , thus giving an
opportunity of observing all that goes
on in the interior of the hive. A narrow
board was securely screwed on the win
dow sill for the window to shut upon.
There was a hole in this board just large
enough for the extension of the bottom