The Omaha Sunday Bee
PART III.
Qos Into th Homit
THE OMAHA DEC
Ccst West
HALF-TONE SECTION
PACES 1 TO 10.
VOL. XXfcVI-NO. 33.
0MA1IA, SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 3, 1907.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
WILLIAM F. SWEESY PIONEER HOTEL MAN AND FREIGHTER
Incident! in the Adventurous Career of a Man Who Helped to Blaze the Way for Civilization in the Great Empire of the Transmissouri Country and Has Lived to See Its Wonderful Development.
A
GLANCE at th towns! t of Omaha spread out befor
him aa he stood, on March morning In 1856 upon th
high achool hill wa sufficient to persuade William F.
Sweesy to make it his home.
"I just decided that quick," says Mr. Sweesy with
an lllustrativ snap of his fingers "There lay the beautiful plateau,
the primeval beauty of th wilderness Just scratched with two or
three atraggling streeta. Spring was breaking; the sun's rays wer
reflected from th thawing Ice in the nver. It was a magnificent
sight and I was charmed. I had ascended that hill at 11 o'clock
undecided whether to remain weat or go back east When I went
down th hill at 11:30 I had positively decided to make this my
home." (
Within six week Mr. Sweesy had brought his family to
Omaha and has resided her continuously ever since. He la "still
heart aid rigorous citizen after years spent in the rough work
of freighting goods across the plains to Denver, dealing with "bad
men" In th wat and with bad roada on th Btage line to th
ast of Omaha.
It waa a chance overheard remark that brought Mr. Sweesy to
Omaha, Thla chance remark waa uttered at a tavern in GrinnelL
la. Th chronological course of his life previous to this decisive
point waa as follows: H was born May 6. 182 8. in Hunterdon
county. New Jersey, where he grew up on the farm. He was mar
ried in 1862 to Miss Harriett Van Byckla. They kept a hotel In th
neighboring town of Bummervllle for two years and then, being
ambitious, the young man started west, going to Aurora, 111., where,
on a previous trip, he had purchased a farm. He sold the farm at a
good profit and then decided to plunge farther Into the west. He
took a train to Iowa City, and from there went by stage to Orln
ltell, intending to buy a farm in that vicinity. He stopped at a
hotel for the night expecting to drive out into the country th
following morning. As he sat at supper a tall gentleman en
tered, talking earnestly with another. He was telling about th
great future of the territory of Nebraska. Mr. Sweesy could not
help overhearing his remarks, and, after a while, ventured to ask
him for further information which was gladly given.
Omaha His Objective.
"I go on in th morning. Better go with me," said th
stranger.
"I will," said Mr. Sweesy and the next morning proceeded. Th
gentleman whose overheard remarks caused Mr. Sweesy to- come .
to Omaha was William H. Reed, for many years a congressman
from New York. Very bad roads west of Grlnnell delayed them
and it was six days later when they reached Council Bluffs. Th
following morning Mr. Sweesy walked down to the river. The
lea waa thawing and seemed about to break up. He was advised
not to try to cross, but something seemed to draw him irresistibly
to the other side. He' took' a cottonwood limb in each hand and,
thus protected from falling through the ice If it should' break, he
made the passage. He walked straight up the high school hill, took
a view of the city and made his decision. The next morning,
he waa on his way back east to bring his wife to the new country.
Ho remembers some. of the difficulties of stage travel in th
early days. The roads were very muddy, and the drivers corre
spondingly surly. : There was "graft" la the good old days, too.
Unless liberal tips were forthcoming at every mile, the driver was
"unable" to make his horses pull through. There waa a quiet
little man, a sea captain, in the party He amoked Incessantly and
said nothing. One day an especially disagreeable driver waa en
countered and when he burst out swearing, mindless of the fact
that there were three women in the coach, the little sea-captain
laid down his pipe, took off bis coat, rolled up his sleeves and
then shot like an arrow directly through the front window of th
tage upon th boot Before the driver recovered from his sur
prise (he little man had a grip on his throat. ' He shook him Ilk a
rat and then, setting him down, took the lines himself. The
horses went straight along after that. The driver begged with
tears in his eyes to be allowed to hold the lines, aa they drove
Into the terminal station and the little man finally allowed him
to do this.
WILLIAM T. BWKESr.
bags. I d ret in there and wrap up in my blankets and sleep aa
snug as a bug in a rng. After I learned this I didn't mind the trip,
Ibi UfKh the weight of the gold dust on my mind made it somewhat
of a strain."
Indians began to get very troublesome in 1868, and evury stag
that ventured out was accompanied by an armed guard i f four
United States cavalrymen and two other soldiers. The latter rode
on top of the stage and the horsemen scouted about in front and to
the sides. Every stage in those days bore bullet marks and passen
gers often amused themselves digging out the bullets with their
knives. When the Indians became so daring that the service was
discontinued altogether by order of the government, Mr. Sweesy con
tinued his trips, going overland with his wagon trains. Aa far west 1
as Kearney wagon trains were permitted to go singly, but when
they left there they had to be prepared for the worst No wagon
train was permitted to proceed west from Kearney alone, but bad
to wait until another arrived from th east to accompany it as a
means of mutual protection. At that point, also, a government rifle
was strapped to the side of each wagon in easy reach of the driver
and plenty of ammunition was provided. These guns were returned
to the government when the trains reached Kearney on the way
east
To his selection of sober and self-reliant men to handle his
trains Mr. Sweesy attributes his remarkable success in escaping;
from the Indians. More than once be came upon the circle of
smouldering ruins, that had been a wagon train, surrounded by the
charred corpses of the drivers. But none of his men waa ever
killed, nor did he ever lose a pound of freight.
Railroad Ends Freighting
With the advent of the Union Pacific railroad there was no
further need of wagon trains and Mr. Sweesy disposed of his mules
and cattle. He was appointed register of the government land office
at Omaha and occupied that position from 1866 to 1870. Follow
, lng that he was in the real estate business until 1875. when he was
appointed United States marshal for the territory of Wyoming,
which was largely populated with "bad men" at that time.. He lived
In Omaha while occupying this position and made trips to Wyoming
whenever business demanded It Hold-ups by "road agents" were
frequent While he was returning from a trip to Rawlins, as the
tage was leaving Laramie, a hand was thrust through the window
and a demand made for "hands up." Such an order, backed by the
muzzle of a revolver, waa always obeyed very promptly.
"Some of the people thought It waa 'Doug.' Blackburn," said
Mr. Sweesy, "but I knew it wasn't I could see this fellow's hand
tremble as he held the gun and I knew he was a green hand. 'Doug.'
was the boldest and baddest desperado of those daya and his nerves
were steady as iron. Well, we aU got out and, as luck would have
It. they got only $16 from the whole outfit They knew I waa the
marshal and didn't touch me. After they had searched all they
ordered ,us back In the coach. The had taken a bottle of whisky i
rrom one man and this proved their undoing. It was heavy stuff,
as most of the whisky of those days was, and they got drunk on it
They tried to steal some mules from a mul camp and were captured
in the attempt When I reached Cheyenne I had a telegram from
Laramie saying they had two of the highwaymen in charge. I or
dered them brought on to Cheyenne. There I found that one of
them was 'Pbonsy Ryan, rather a desperate fellow, though not
very successful. He was sent to the penitentiary for life. Thre
years later, when I was in my home in Omaha, the bell rang and,
opening the door, I found 'Phoney.' lie was a mere shadow. H j
had been pardoned and told me ha was going home to die, and ther '
were tears in his eyes as he shook hands with me and went away." j
Since retiring as marshal In 1879 Mr. Sweesy has been activ
in real estate circles. He has also done considerable building la
the city. One of the large structures erected by him is the Bruns
wick hotel, which ho built in 1891. at Sixteenth and Jackson streets,
Dangerous Trip Over Elver
But the difficulties were by no means overcome with th
arrival at the railroad. , Upon arriving at the Mississippi river op
posite Rock Island, it waa found that the water was so clogged
with broken ice that a passage could not be effected by the ferry
boat The railroad bridge was then being constructed, xbut work
bad not progressed much beyond the driving of . the piles. A
single plank was nailed across the top of the line of piling. It
was a question of stopping there indefinitely or taking the chance
of getting across. Mr. Sweesy did not heBltate but walked the
narrow plank above the swirling waters of the river. All went
fairly well until he arrived In mid-stream. Then h was ap
palled to find before him a gap 160 feet, across which was only a
trail rope bridge, swinging in the wind. A man, a "bridge rat."
was at work near by and Mr. Sweesy employed him to carry his
valise. Being thus relieved, he made the passage of the dizzy
gap and arrived on the other side just In time to get on the last
tar of the dally train as it pulled out for the east
Upon the twenty-eighth anniversary of his birth. May 8, 1856,
he arrived with his wife ready to settle in Omaha. He immediately
bought some lots at the southeast corner of Fourteenth and
Douglas streets and erected a frame hotel, which he called th
Tremont house. He managed it for a year. About the table In that
hotel were gathered men who were to make history In the newly
stabllshed commonwealth. Among the boarders were John A.
Crelghton, James Crelghton, Edward Crelghton. John I. Redlck.
Clinton Brlggs, William A. LHU. James Isard. Jr., Augustus Mason,
J. J. Brown and R. A. Brown.
Real Estate Attracts Him
Th real estat business early, attracted th attention of Mr.
feweesy and he haa been engaged in it more or less in Omaha ever
since his arrival her. He has seen ths values of lot in the
business district increase many thousand per cent At one time
b bought the lot Just west of th present Board of Trad building
for f400, inclading a brick structure then standing there. Today
th same lot is worth from $126,000 to 1160,000. In 1857, when
th amaU town thought it was in the midst of a real estat boom,
he bought the property at the aoutheast corner of Sixteenth and
Dougla streets, paying $1,600 for the lot alone. It is now worth
100 times that price. , ' " , .
Th western freighting business attracted Mr. Sweeay ta 1860
and what he does not know about that important factor in th
upbelldlng of the wet is not to be found in the books. He made
his first trip from Omaha in 1860. going in company with John A.
Crelghton, the late Genoral Thayer and J. J. Brown. It was a
hazardous undertaking for only four men. to brave the perils of
the plains, but the outcome was successful. Mr. Sweesy took a
wagonload of groceries out and In Denver traded the goods for
five wagoas and ten yok of oxen, which transaction Indicates what
groceries wer worth 'in those daya Th successful outcome of
this enterprise led Mr. Sweesy to continue in the freighting busi
ness, and, with his Ave wagons as a nucleus he built up a great or
ganization which carried goods from Missouri river points (Omaha
ind Nebraska City) to Kearney, Fort Cottonwood. Fort Laramie,
Denver and Salt Lake. It waa a profitable business, as one wagon
would hold five tons of goods and the freight from Omaha to Den
ver was from J 3 to. 15 cents a pound. There is much, lore of th
arly day transplaln freight trains that is of interest Twenty-six
wagons made a train, thla particular number being so designated
because it waa a convenient number to form Into a clrcl or corral
at night for protection against the Indians. From two to six yok
of oxen were hitched to each wagon. There was a driver for each
wagon and a trainmaster who waa the boss of the whole train.
There wr two kinds of freight mul or fast freight and oxen or
alow freight Oxen always traveled at a.' walk, while the mules
would go at a run and covered the ground nearly twice as fast as
th oxen. In the winter when there was no grass on the plains to
provide fodder for the animals, only mules were used. The grain
for their feed had to be carried along. Fast freight from Omaha to
Denver cost from 15 to 20 cents a pound and slow freight from 18
to 16 cents, though In times of Indian outbreaks the price would
sften go much higher.
He did a considerable volume of business with the Mormons in
Bait Lake City. This was particularly profitable because he sold,
not only the freight, but also the wagons and oxen, at good prices.
For this trade the "Shuttler" wagon was used. Their capacity was
only about half that of a "prairie schooner," but they were the only
kind of wagons the Mormons would buy.
After his business was well started Mr. Sweesy acted onlv as
manager of it, making trips from one place to another by stage.
The stage made the trip from Omaha to Denver in six days and
nights. , These trips were not as tiresome and monotonous as one
mlgth think. With 115,000 or $80,000 worth of gold dust on his
person and the country full of Indians, to say nothing of white high
waymen, he had enough to think about Mr. Sweesy brought hun
dreds of thousands of dollars' worth of the yellow dust from th
west tor Kountse Bros.
. Heavy Weight of Gold Dust
"1 sometimes had aa much as. ninety pounds of gold dust on
my person," he said. "I had it strapped around me. I bad it in
my pockets and I had two bags hanging by a rope from around my
neck. Over it all I wore a big cavalry overcoat buttoned and I had
two good revolvers in a handy place, though concealed from view.
On the stage passengers were allowed twenty pounds of baggage,
but In my grip I kept Just a little of my personal wearing apparel
so as to disarm suspicion. Sometimes there would be another pas
senger carrying gold on the same coach and, if so, we would always
get together and make some arrangement for relieving each other.
One would sleep while th other watched. . At first I endured the
hol discomfort of the stage, sitting In the seat nearly all the time
from start to finish. Later I learned a valuable scheme. By tlp
l ing the driver I got the privilege of sleeping in the boot, which w&s
a large sap back of the driver's seat generally filled with mall
Time Treats Him Gently
Time has treated Mr. Sweesy gently. In a few months he will
enter his eightieth year, but his face is ruddy and his step as light
as that of a man twenty years younger. His spirit, too, has re
remained young. He has a hearty laugh, he is ready with a Joke and
he looks on the world cheerily. When he goes abroad all the chil
dren say "hello" to him. while he pats them on the head and In
quires how they are getting on at school. If he sits beside a friend
in the 'street car and talks to him, he emphasizes his remarks by
patting him on the knee. Mr. and Mrs. Sweesy had three son. John
F. and Charles C. live in Chicago. William Sweesy died four years
ago.
Today, half a century after he viewed the beautiful landscape
from the high school hill and decided to make Omaha his home, Mr.
Sweesy admits that in his wildest dreams he never expected to se
th city attain its present size within his lifetime.
"I knew it would get to be a great city some time," he says
"but I did not expect to live to see it It has far exceeded my ex
pectations. The city is going to grow faster in the next fifty years
than it has in th last fifty. Within a few years I believe ther will
be 800,000 people here. It Is like a snowball the bigger It gets
the more rapid It grows."
Causes and Issues of the Religious Strife in France
WHAT Is th so-called Separation law that
has caused such a stir In France and at '
th Vatican and excited widespread dis
cussion wherever the Christian religion
prevails t What la the exact purport of the vari
ous acts passed by the French government lead
ing up to the present measure that Is being en
forced? Is the movement wholly anti-Cathollo,
or ia it one designed primarily for the preservation
of the state from monarchical and ecclesiastical
domination? Does it mean that the French peo
ple, or a majority of them, fear a re-establish-ment
of anarchy, or Is the law the outcome of th
organized efforts of those citizens and politicians
In France, particularly in Paris, who have no
friendly feeling for Christian religions, and par
ticularly for th Roman Catholic church?
Is it true that th republic as a patriotic body
fears the machinations and the intrigues of, Rome
and the hierarchy, or ia it true that the present
agitation la merely a cloak behind which the ene
mies of Catholicism are working for the downfall
of the Catholic church in France?
These are questions that have been raised by
the passage of the final act of separation last
month, which Includes the nullification of the
agreement with Rome under which religious serv-
ices were carried on In France for more than 100
years. Some doubt has been expressed in certain
high quarters as to the legality of this repudia
tion by the government, as the Vatican has never
given its assent, but the state has proceeded to
enforce the new law Just as though no such agree
ment ever existd.
In considering what might best be called th
news of this situation it will be well to keep in
mind that practically no other religious denomi
nation is affected by th separation law than th
Roman Cathollo chnrch. It is true that th
Protestants and th Jews of Franc com under
its provisions, but their number Is so small pro
portionately there that they scarcely cut any
figure In th controversy at all. ,
On the whole, the French people are nominally
Catholics, at least and It is only on comparatively
rare occasions that they turn to other Christian
religions. If they fall away from the Roman
church they Join no other denomination. In some
classes, notably the aristocracy, where men and
women do not practice their religion actively,
they Invariably insist on the ceremonies of the
church on solemn occasions such as baptism, mar
riage and death.
Another thing to keep in mind is that separa
tion In France does not mean what the divorce
ment of the affairs of church and state means
here. In America every denomination is free to
go its own way peacefully and to manage Its af
fairs as best suits it without any interference on
the part of the government
On the other hand, in Franc th separation
law means primarily that the church is separated
from th control of the property which belonged
to it before the Revolution, which was confiscated
during that upheaval and which wa subsequently
restored to the use of the church under the Con
cordat made by Pope Plus VII with Napoleon.
Through the confiscation of this property again
and th continued control of the stipends formerly
paid to prelates, bishops and priests, the govern
ment not only does not divorce Itself from the af
fairs of the church, but it tightens its hold on
them, dictating the exact terms under which a
priest may say mass or perform any other services.
Probably the chief objection that Catholics
have to the separation law is the prevision that
practically takes from the hierarchy and other
rulers of th church all authority in th matter
ef religious worship In France. Ths power of
ths pop in deallLg with th spiritual affairs is
completely ignored, and fines and other penalties
ar prescribed for any infraction of th law.
In the first place, th old parish system is
broken up and in its stead the law makes pro
vision for the formation of associations to pro
vide for the cost and maintenance of public re
ligious worship. Ths law provides that these as
sociations shall have religious worship for their
exclusive object, but ther Is no provision for th
religion or nonrellglon' of the members.
Associations of people that are entirely hostile
to th Christian religion, or any other religion,
might be formed under the law in cases where the
regular parishioners refused to comply with Its
' provisions by omitting to make the declaration
required by the law of 1881. This law requires
that no services or meetings of a public nature
shall be held without due notice to th proper
civil authorities.
As the result of the refusal of th Catholics
generally to form these associations sad the de
termination of th priests and bishops t ignore
the command to give notice to the civil authori
ties when they are about to say mass or hold
other services publicly th church in Franc has
not only lost the stipends which under the Con
cordat were paid to th priests and bishops, but
also th control ef its property, whloh up to De
cember 19 last it might have retained by forming
the associations that the law prescribed.
Other results are that ths bishops and priests
have been driven from their homes, the seminaries
hsve keen dissolved, the theological students who
were preparing for the priesthood have been con
scripted for military service and th funds be
queathed for religions purposes by pious persons
are In the hands of civil authorities. Priests who
have undertaken to hold meetings in chnrch
buildings hsve been arrested and fined for neg
lecting to make th declaration required by th
law of 1881. Section 1 of th separation law says
that the republic aseures liberty of conscience. It
guarantees freedom of worship, subject only to
restrictions Imposed In the interest of public or
der. It is to these restrictions exclusively that
the Catholics so strenuously object
Article 11 proclaims J the suppression of publio
religious establishments, and Article lv orders
that within a year from the promulgation t th
present law the property, real and personal, of
the menses (endowments), vestrymen, councils,
consistories and other establishments of publio
worship shall be transferred by the legal repre
sentatives of those establishments to the associa
tions whloh, conforming to the regulations t th
general organization of the religious worship of
which they purpose to aasure the exercise, shall
be legally formed according to th provisions of
the article for the observance of that religion in
the districts wherein the establishments ar lo
cated. ,
The law als provides for th confiscation of
all property used by th church for charitable pur
poses and th turning over of the same to puollo
utility, the object f which is that of a Ilk natur
to that of th original foundation. This Is Inter
preted to mean that th control of aU chart tabl
institutions, many ef which were founded through
private gifts, legacies and other donations. wlU
pass forever out of the hands of the church.
In default of the formation of any association
to take over the property of a publio religious es
tablishment th property Is to be asulgned by de
cree readered by the council of state to the com
munal establishments for poor relief or publio
charity within the territorial limits of the ecclesi
astical district -concerned.
In th matter of pensions provisions ar mad
(Continued on I Page Eight.)
