The Conservative ,
IN MEMORIAM.
On Sunday morning , March 2 ,
the late E. B. Chandler , at the ripe
age of 75 years , entered into final rest.
His death , as if in answer to his own
prayers for release from long suffer
ing , was sudden and painless. It
came to him without warning , and ho
did not live ton minutes after the
seizure , which was in the nature of
an apoplectic attack , accompanied by
hemorrhage.
Twenty years ago his health be
came impaired , which , aided by a
fall , caused total blindness. For six
teen years this strong and good man
has been shut out from the world of
his former activities and usefulness
; almost as completely as though ho
had never lived in it. Accompanying
< thn loss of sight was a condition of
1 nervous excitability for at least' the
! last half of these long , weary years
> which deterred him from going out of
doors at all. With what patience and
I fortitude ho bore his heavy burden
only those who had opportunity to
I observe what ho , endured can properly
I .appreciate. A truly Christian rosig-
f nation to the will of God , which
never for a moment deserted him ,
| . and a strength of character and masterful -
\ torful self-control rarely soon among
men , can alone account for it.
Erastus B. Chandler was a native of
t New York. Ho was born at Rutland ,
on the 9th of October , 1827. Ho was
one of a largo family of children who ,
from the circumstances of their en
vironment , had to begin to make
their own way in the world at an
early age. Of his struggles in boy
hood ho was always reticent.
At about the age of 80 years ho is
first heard of in the then remote west
in the little town of Keosauqua , la. ,
where it was his good fortune to make
the acquaintance and win the confi
dence of Augustus Hall , one of the
strong men of the sister state , who
had been appointed by James Buchan
an chief justice of the Territory of
Nebraska. No abler jurist over sat
on the federal bench in Nebraska than
Augustus Hall. Mr. Chandler accom
panied Judge Hall and his family
from Keosauqua , driving one of the
two carriages which convoyed them
to Omaha. As a proof of confidence in
his ability and fitness for the duties
of clerk of the federal court over
* which ho was to preside , Judge Hall
gave Mr. Chandler his first real start
in life by promptly appointing him to
the clerkship of it. This was in
1858 four and forty years ago. No
more trustworthy or competent man
ever served a court in that responsi
ble office.
Fidelity to trusts and loyalty to
friends wore marked traits in the
; strong and sturdy character of E. B.
Chandler. No blot rests upon his
good name. In"porson ] ho was of an
attractive presence ; tall and symmet
rical in form , with black hair and
eyes and of dark complexion , ho was
always a gentleman in manners ,
courteous and kind to all , and few
men ever lived in Omaha who had
a wider circle of attached friends
among our higher citizenship.
Mr. Chandler was married March
16 , 1805 , to Miss Clara D. Kennedy ,
daughter of Captain and Mrs. Mar
garet Kennedy , mid sister of Mrs. J. J.
Brown , who then resided in Florence.
Mrs. Chandler was an exceptionally
beautiful and attractive woman in
personal character. She died August
20 , 1872 , leaving Delia , her only
child , but three weeks old , mother
less , and tlio stricken father sadly
bereft. But strong and willing hands
and tender hearts guarded the little
one and the now womanly woman
every minute from that hour to this ,
and then darkness and gloom , and
something closely akin to despair ,
came upon the father , such filial devo
tion and sacrifice that was made by
Delia Chandler-Patrick in caring for
and consoling him can never be meas
ured in words , nor can the sterling
virtue which shone in her resplendently -
ently through every trial bo men
tioned without the suggestion of how
much she and her lamented father
owed to James J. and Mrs. Brown.
Mr. Chandler was a devoted Christ
ian from a deep and abiding convic
tion. He belonged to tlio Protestant
Episcopal communion. In close asso
ciation with Mr. J. M. Woolworth he
took an active and abiding interest in
the building of Trinity Cathedral , of
which ho was a vestryman , and in
which , by his own request , his fu
neral services were held. In more re
cent years ho became a member of All
Saint's whereby , for as many as eight
years , Mr. Chandler had the benefit
of a wise and faithful counselor and
a devoted friend in Rev. Dr. Mackay.
E. B. Chandler was one of the most
genial and agreeable of men. Ho was
a very solid man in mental strength
and force of charatcor. Ho was the
embodiment of business honor and in
tegrity. His souse of justice was as
keen and unerring as his sense of
duty. Ho was in the first rank in
his town and state at all times as a
good citizen. His death comes as a
personal bereavement to many who
knew his manly qualities of head and
heart , but they will not forget that
his own frequent prayer for the end
was answered whenat last , ho "float
ed out upon that dark and unknown
sea that rolls round all the world. ' '
GEORGE L. MILLER.
LEWIS AND CLARKE.
[ Diary extracts for the year 1805. ]
"Sunday , March 10th. A cold
.windy.day , Tetuokopiureha , chief of
the Ahuahaways , and the Miunetaree
chief , Ompschara , passed the day with
us and the former remained during
the night.Vo had occasion to see
an instance of summary justice of the
Indians : a young Miuuetaree had
carried off the daughter of Cagono-
mokshe , the Raven Man , second chief
of the upper village of the Mandaus.
The father went to the village and
found his daughter whom ho brought
homo and took with him a horse be
longing to the offender ; this reprisal
satisfied the vengeance of the father
and of the nation as the young man
would not dare reclaim his horse ,
whioii from that time became the
property of the injured man. The
stealing of young women from the
village is one of the most common
offences against the police of the
tribe , and the punishment of it al
ways measured l > y the power or the
passion of the kindred of the female.
A voluntary elopement is of course
more rigorously chastised. One of
the wives of the Borgne deserted him
in favor of the man who had been
her lover before the marriage , and
who after some time left her , and she
was obliged to return to her father's
house. As soon as ho had heard of
it the Borgno walked there and found
her sitting near the fire ; without no
ticing his wife he began to smoke
with the father when they were
joined by the old men of the village
who knowing his temper , had fol
lowed in the hopes of appeasing him.
He continued to smoke quietly with
them until , rising to return , he took
his erring wife by the hair , led her
as far as the door , and with a single
stroke of his tomahawk put her to
death before her father's eyes ; then
turning fiercely upon the spectators
ho said that if any of her relatives
wished to avenge her , they would al
ways find him at his lodge , but the
fate of the woman had not sufficient
interest to excite the vengeance of
the family. 'The caprice or the gener
osity of the same chief gave a very
different result to a similar incident
which happened some time after
wards. Another of his wives , eloped
with a young man , who not being
able to support her as she wished , they
both returned to the village , and she
presented herself before her husband ,
supplicating his pardon for her con
duct ; the Borgno sent for her lover ,
and at the moment when the youth
expected to bo put to death , the chief
mildly asked if they still preserved
their affection for each other , and
upon their declaring that they did ,
and that want and not change of
affection had induced them to return ,
he gave up his wife to her lover , with
a liberal present of three horses , and
restored them both to favor. "
