The Omaha Sunday Bee
PART III.
Por all the Newe
THE OMAHA DEE
Best .'". West
IIALF-TOIIE SECTIOII
PACES 1 TO
VOL. XXXVII NO. 5.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, JULY.' 21, 1907,
SINGLE COPY F1VH CENTS.
HENRY T. CLARKE SR. WHOSE ACTIVITY HAS BEEN ENDLESS
' Fifty Years of the Busy Life of a Man in Whose Veins Stirs the Animating Influence Inherited From Ancestors Who Have Been Identified With Big Things For Three Centuries
A SOLDIER of the common good, an architect of the state, a
wilderness transformed, an empire builder, a broad
minded Christian gentleman this la Henry T. Clarke,
who has played a part of great activity and aceomplish
tnent as a pioneer of Nebraska. His fifty years of life
here are crowded with important work, with the realization of high
Ideals, with the carrying through of big enterprises. Quick decision,
rugged determination and high executive and organizing ability were
qualities which enabled Henry T. Clarke to do the things he did for
Nebraska.
He sprang from a line of ancestors who for hundreds of years
were leaders in affairs, both In England and in this country,
whither they came, urged on by that same spirit which brought
their descendant to the far west. Among these illustrious ancestors
was Dr. John Clarke, physician, theologian and statesman, who came
to Ronton In 1637. He helped to organize the state and stood
among Its leaders. He was sent on a state mission to England, and
on October 9, 3 663, he secured the royal signature of Charles II to
the charter of the state of Rhode Island.
Mr. Clarke's mother was Sophia Tefft, a descendant of one of
the pilots who steered the course of the good ship, Mayflower, and
brought It safe to anchor off Plymouth rock. His father was a
tailor and a man of culture, sternly and Puritanically religious and
deeply devoted to the cause of education. He moved from Rhode
Island to Greenwich, N. Y., In 1829, and there his son, Henry, was
born, April 26, 1834. There the boy grew up and there he attended
the little yellow school house, which stood on his grandfather's farm.
It was a most humble ! , and the children who attended were
dressed In the simplest c-f ! on rsptin, but their blood was good, their
training aid environment .ere of the best and there, In the little
school house, the feeds ,,f !:;uous uinbltlon grew, and the boys were
started on their ways to i;i-"at careers. One little barefoot, home
spun lad used to vie much In feats of boyish strength with young
Clarke. He was known among the boys as "Ches" or "Chesle."
Later the world knew him as Chester A. Arthur, president of the
United States.
Having completed the course of study In the yellow school
house, young Clarke graduated from the "academy," the pride of
the village. This Institution had been' founded and built by his
father. He was an Industrious and very ambitious lad, and during
the summers had worked In the small general stores, of the place.
In 1852 he left home to accept a position In a store tn Columbus,
O. Here his advancement was niarvelously rapid. In the fall of
that year his employers Bent him on Important business to several
cities, and he went as far south, as New Orleans.
Hears Call of the West
He remained In the employ of this firm until 1855. In his
journeys about he had observed something of the growth of the
country and the possibilities for a young man in the west. In 1855,
having saved up a few hard-earned dollars, he decided to go west.
He left Chicago in April, going to tho western terminus of the Rock
Island road, then still east of the Mississippi. There he bought a
fteain and drove across Iowa to Omaha, where he arrived May 7,
)l855. He spent several weeks traveling up and down the river, seek
ing for the most likely location. He went as far southing Kansas
City, visited Lawrence and Topeka and finally decided to settle in
Bellevue.
Even then, in the midst of the primeval wilderness of Nebraska
territory, inhabited only by savages and wild beasts, he saw, with the
far-seeing eye of the optimist and the captain of industry, the great
possibilities of the country. He believed with his whole heart that
Bellevue would be the eastern terminus of a great railway. Bellevue
and its sponsor, Henry T. Clarke, lost by a vote of 7 to 6 when the
Union Pacific directors voted on the proposition of terminus, and
this in spite of the official report of Colonel James H. Simpson of
the engineering crops of the United States army, who pronounced
the route from Bellevue west better by 40 per cent than any other
possible exit from the Missouri into the Platte valley. Rut all this
was not determined until 1865, and prior to that time Mr. Clarke's
efforts had been manifold and fruitful in the conquering of the west.
He did extensive surveying in the country between Bellevue and
Omaha and Sioux City, and he built the line of railroad from Belle
vue to Omaha, now owned by the Burlington.
Among his fellow citizens in Bellevae in those days were J.
Sterling Morton, clerk of the United States court; General Peter A.
Sarpy; Fenner Ferguson, first chief Justice of Nebraska; Logan
Fontenelle; Henry Fontenelle and "Commodore Stephen Decatur,"
that mysterious enigma of the west. The latter was a clerk In
Sarpy's store. Lieutenant Governor Bross of Illinois claimed him for
a brother and came to Bellevue shortly after Mr. Clarke settled there
to look him up. With Mr. Clarke he went to the store and spoke to
"Decatur." "Decatur Just looked at him out of the corner of his eye,
screwed up his mouth and spat on the floor." says Mr. Clarke. "Then
he pot up and turned his back. Bross pleaded, but Decatur would
not recognize him." It was said this strange man had left civiliza
tion because of a love affair. He left Bellevue later and married
a Mrs. Thompson. Then he went to Denver and eventually be
came a member of the Colorado legislature.
Contracts With the Government
Mr. Clarke first became steamboat agent at Bellevue and then
branched into general merchandising. In 1862 .he took the con
tract to furnish the government with corn and oats at Fort Kear
ney, 200 miles west of Bellevue. He acquired a large number of
wagons, horses and oxen and later took larger contracts for furnish
ing the army with supplies. When he was through with this work.
In 1864. be atlll had many wagons on hand and went Into the
freighting business to the far west.
"My train consisted of about twenty-five teams each, five yoke
of cattle to a team." say Mr. Clarke. "Each team drew two wagons,
the front one loaded with about 4,000 pounds and the rear one, at
tached by a pole, leaded with 3,000 pounds. The usual drive was
fifteen and eighteen miles a day. We aimed to make two round
trips from the Missouri river to Denver In the season. The stage
made the trip from the Missouri to Denver in six days and nights,
and the fare was $125. I always rested my trains on Sunday, and.
I think, made better time than those who drove seven days a week."
His cattle were stampeded by Indians and his trains were left
helpless on the plains one night. This was on November 3. 1865.
Just after the corrals had been formed and the cattle turned out.
One man was shot in the scrimmage following the stampede. Mr.
Clarke bought enough cattle to get most of his wagons on to Denver
and then made out a bill to the government. It was for $9,547. The
following year an Indian council was held at Fort Laramie, and there
was Mr. Clarke with his bill. The Sioux chiefs acknowledged with
simplest naivete that their braves had driven away the cattle belong
ing to the white chief and that they had not been paid for. They
signed this statement, and it was Bent to the government. In 1898
Uncle Sam. slow but sure, as always, paid for the cattle stolen that
night. The Indian chiefs and head men who affixed their marks to
the document acknowledging the theft of the cattle were thete:
Spotted Tall. Hawk Thunder. Swift Bear. Blue Horse. Big Head, Boy
Hawk. Sharp Nose. Tall Thunder. The Man That Walks Under the
Ground. Big Mouth. White Tall. Standing Cloud and the Black War
Bonnet.
With the completion of the Union Pacific road, freighting to the
west stopped. But there was still work to be done, carrying goods
northward or to the south from the steel highway. The Black Hills
4 w--
.y -
mm
5 5 i
V 'r . it. ' i
fc.'-...'.; J" ' ft-'.
V
HENRY T. CLARKE, SR.
country was filling up rapidly in the early '70s, and Omaha mer
chants wanted a short route to that country. Sidney, Cheyenne
county, was the point at which goods for the Black Hills left the
Union Pacific. Then the wagons had to go ninety miles west to
Fort Laramie to get across the river. In the winter of 1875 Omaha
merchants asked Mr. Clarke to examine the river for a bridge Bite
straight north of Sidney. lie did so and reported favorably. But
not enough Omaha men could be found to finance the propect. They
wore afraid of Indian depredations on so valuable a property. Then
the promoters asked Mr. Clarke to build a toll bridge and accept a
bonus. Without a momement's hesitation he decided to undertake
tho big project.
Famous Clarke Bridges
Mr. Clarke was no novice at work of this kind, for he had al
ready spanned the big river with six bridges and had constructed
miles of highway and railroad bridges. He sent one of his foremen
to Mollne, 111., and another to Davenport, la., where the lumber was
prepared. The iron was made in Milwaukee. The railroads, realiz
ing the importance of the work, transported tho material free of
charge. The bridge was completed in June, 1876. It measured
2,000 feet in length and had sixty-one spans. It was In itself a
powerful factor in building up the northwest, and was of inestimable
value to the government during the Sioux and Cheyenne Indian wars
In 1876 and 1877.
The government, at Mr. Clarke's request, built a blockhouse on
the Island, on which the center pf the bridge rested. Here they
placed a force of soldiers. At the ends of the bridge guards of
cavalry were stationed. The rate for crossing was $2 for wagon,
driver and two horses, oxen or mules. For each additional man or
beast the charge was 50 cents.
But the bold and fearless battle which this young man was
waging single-handed against nature and the Indians for the build
ing of an empire In the northwest was only half won. The govern
ment refused to carry malls into the Black Hills country, or even
above the Platte river, claiming that it was Indian country. With
characteristic quick decision Mr. Clarke conceived and put in opera
tion his "Centennial express to the Black Hills." He made arrange-
Part Played by Mule in History
OF MAN'S four-footed friends, the
only one that has not been given
Its due meed of praise is the
homely and uncompromising mule.
The loyal dog has been sung by
poets, praised by philosophers snd pictured
on famous canvases. The faithful horse has
been Immortalized in epic strains. It gal
lops across many a stirring page of history
and poses in bronze and marble in all the
world's great galleries. The cow and the
cat have both been worshiped In Egypt and
India and have had altars, priests and tem
ples consecrated to their service.
The elephant Is worshiped in Slam,
apotheosized in America and fed on peanuts
at the circus. The reindeer Is hallowed by
the tenderest recollections of childhood's
early faith in Santa Claus and the camel's
seven stomachs exalt it to supernal heights
in the Imagination of sufferers from peren
nial thirst. Even the bbs comes down to us
with a halo of borrowed glory, dating from
before the founding of the Christian re
ligion. The Burro mountains of New Mex
ico were named in its honor. It is the mas
cot of the democratic party, and the souvenir
postcard carries its serene countenance into
almost every home.
But the mule who so mean as to dp It
honor? Yet is ft not abstemious, strong,
self-contained, forgiving, industrious, will
ing and content? The most that can be al
leged against it Is that it is not over-brilliant
and that it is superlatively stubborn. The
first is but a negative failing; and as for the
last, has not determination always been
recognized as essential to greatness, or to
even moderate success? Of how many men
can it be truly said that their virtues are so
many and the list of their1 shortcomings so
brief? Yet In recognition of ita worth the
mule has been given no more than the cheap
and tawdry immortality of the comic supple
ment. Wars have been fought for land, for
fame, for food, tor gold, for honor and for
women;, but it remained for this year of
grace, nineteen hundred and seven, to place
on record a war waged for a mule. Seuor
Irenoa Selgada waa exiled from the republic
of Nicaragua on account of pernicious ac
tivity against the peace of mind and tenure
of office of the duly constituted authorities,
and showed his lack of Judgment and good
taste by settling In Honduras In close prox
imity to the international boundary line.
One dark night thirty-five 'dashing cavalry
men of the Nicaraguan army rrossed the
line and boldly captured Selgada's mule.
Wiih a fine appreciation of the sanctity of
property rights, Selgada made baste to tell
the story of his wrongs to the Department
of State.
As it happened. President Bonilla of
Honduras imagines himself the Napoleon of
the west, and was literally longing for a
"casus belli," that his thirst for' martial
glory might be gratified. Plainly the
wronging of the gray mule was an Insult,
and the honor of Honduras could be saved
only by prompt and decisive action. Act
ing under his instructions, Senor Augusto
C. Coello, minister of foreign affairs, opened
diplomatic correspondence with Senor Jose
D. Gamez, holding a like office In the Nica
raguan cabinet, giving full details concern
ing the outrage and demanding restitution
and apology. The demand was couched
almost in the terms of an ultimatum and
elicited an equally spirited reply.
Alarmed at the loud barking of the dogs
of war. President Roosevelt and President
Dial bet the machinery of the two great re-
tnents with thfc postal authorities and printed his own envelopes,
which he placed on sale at Omaha, Chicago and throughout the
country where there might be a demand for them. The envelopes
were small, with an embossed green and white stamp, showing a
running horse, with rider, and a railroad train. This stamp waa foi
3 cents and bore the mark of the United States. A note on the
front of the envelope stated that In consideration of the 10 cents
paid for It, Henry T. Clarke agreed to carry It from the Union Paetfto
railroad at Sidney, Neb., to Custer City and Doadwood, Dakota or
other places the route supplied or from theso places to the Union
Pacific railroad at Sidney. Of the purchase price the government
got 3 cents and Mr. Clarke 7 cents.
Advertising His Mail Service
On the back of the envelope was an advertisement of the "Sid
ney Short Route to the Black Hills, via the new 61 span truss bridge
over the Platte river, forty miles north of Sidney. Guarded by the
United States troops. Only 167 miles to Custer City from the Union
Pacific railroad. Wood and water in abundance." The advertise
ment also stated that "Dear's Sidney and Black Hills stage line
leaves this route and Snake river, running through to Red Cloud
Indian agency in seventeen hours and to Custer City in thirty-six
hours.' The distance by this route is 182 miles. Passenger rate,
Omaha to Custer City, first-class, $45; second-class, $35; third
class, $25."
Passengers were taken from Sidney to Custer City and the other
northern points In the four-horse coaches which Mr. Clarke put on
for this purpose, soon after establishing his Centennial express. His
post riders were men of nerve and many horses fell under them
from exhauftlon in the effort to get the malls through with the
greatest rapidity. Tho riders had no stop between Sidney' and the
brldgo, forty miles; one stop between the bridge and Camp Robinaon,
seventy miles, and none between Camp Robinson and Custer City,
seventy miles. N
Mr. Clarke was a member of the territorial house of representa
tives in 1862, and in 1864 was a member of the territorial council.
He Is the only surviving member of that council. He has been a
lending candidate for governor. He was one of the incorporators of
the Northwestern Electric Light company. He was a partner In the
firm now known as the Lee-Glaas-Audreesen Hardware company, In
1879. He founded the wholesale drug house known aa the H. T.
Clarke Drug company, with a branch in Lincoln. '' ,
publics of the north in motion, and suc
ceeded in having a board of arbitrators ap
pointed. But the prospect of a peaceful
solution of a question so vitally touching
the sensitive honor of the two warlike na
tions waa too galling to be endured. The
interchange of diplomatic discourtesies con
tinued aud the feelings of all concerned
soon grew so warm that wax was the only
recourse.
However, Selgada's stolen mule can
never hope to leave so deep and lasting an
impress upon human history as that made
by Jim Butler's lost kicker in Nevada. Seven
years ago Jim Butler started forth from Bel
mont to seek his fortune as he had done
many a time before. Most prospectors pre
fer the companionship of a burro on their
peregrinations, but Butler was a large man,
with a large appetite and large Ideas, so he
selected a mule as better suited to his size,
his wants and his expectations. It is well
that he did so, for even then his ample sup
ply of "grub" was so nearly exhausted that
oue night he went into camp fully decided
to start on the back track at sunrise next
morning.
Perhaps the animal's intuition conveyed
to it some inkling of its master's design, or
perhaps its conduct waa determined by
blind chance. Anyway, it made plans of its
own and proceeded to carry them into ex
ecution, so when Butler awoke in the morn
ing the mule was gone. Although as cheer
ful a prospector as ever trod the wilderness,
Butler knew that his finish would not long
be delayed unless he found the beast that
carried his food and water, so he started,
literally for "dear life," to trace the tracks
of the deserter. The chase was long, and
hot, and heart-breaking, but the mule was
found at last, grazing contentedly on a patch
(Continued on Page Four.j.
Interest in Education
In those ptirsuits which invariably make a strong man stronprer
education, religion and philanthropy Mr. Clarke haa always been
a leader. He built the first school house at Bellevue, a little struc
ture of cottonwood boards. He has been one of the most powerful
upbtillders of Bellevue college. He built the beautiful Clarke halt
on Elk hill, at Bellevue, In 1882, and presented It to the synod of the
church, together with two houses and 265 acres of fine land. He it)
a member of the board of trustees of the college and has been presi
dent of the board. He was also for several years a member of the
board of trustees of McCormlck Presbyterian Theological seminary
of Chicago.
Three years after the young pioneer had set foot on Nebraska
soil he went back to his old home, and there, on September 28, 185$,
he married Miss Martha A. Fielding. Their married life extended
over a period of thirty-three years. She died in 1892. They had
eeven children. Five of these are living, and their accomplishments
and present high positions make them a family equaled by few In
the state a family that Is continuing the fair name banded down
through generations. Three of the boys have been members of the
Nebraska state legelslature. Harry Fielding Clarke was elected to
the state senate in 1884, when he waa 23 years old. He was the
first Nebraska-born senator and the youngest member of the body
at that time. Charles Hughes Clarke was elected to the senate In
1892 at the age of 21. He was the youngest man ever elected to that
body. He died in 1893. Henry T. Clarke, Jr., was elected to the
house in 1904 and again in 1906. He is now one of the state rail
way commissioners. Morris Gordon Clarke Is a leading lawyer and
banker in Okmulgee, I. T. John T. Clarke is an Insurance man and
Investment broker in New York City. The only daughter, Gertrude,
is the wife of Matthew J. Whiteall, owner of the Whlteall woolen
factories at Worcester, Mass. This is one pf the largest factories
manufacturing woolen rugs In the world. The Whiteall home Is one
of the handsomest in New England. William Edward Clarke la dead.
Mr. Clarke was the first man to be made a Master Mason In
Nebraska. The ceremony was performed in the old log trading post
of Peter A. Sarpy, aoon after Mr. Clarke became a resident of Belle
vue. Missouri River Gets Attention '
Three score years and ten and three do not weigh heavily upon
this quiet but strenuous pioneer. He Is still vigorous and hearty,
active in body and mind. And he is still an altruist, busily working
and planning for the future good of this country, for the develop
ment of which be has done so much. It has been truly said that
he who plants a tree contributes unselfishly to the prosperity of fu
ture generations. Henry T. Clarke, at three score years and ten and
three, Is working for the good of the generations to come, and his
work Is along the line of patlonal improvement of rivers, harbora
and waterways, particularly of the Missouri river. No one who haa
had occasion to talk to Mr. Clarke has remained in Ignorance of his
paaslon for thls'work. He Is an enthusiast on the subject and he Is
a pushing propagandist, losing no opportunity to pour oat the
projects with which his active mind Is filled.
His plan is to get government appropriations for making the
Missouri river navigable from Omaha to the south and to the north.
He believes the river is better now than ever before and that it haa
more and greater advantages for navigation than the Ohio river,
on which the government has spent such vast Bums. He wants to
have the river set to work at dredging Itself by the simple force of
its mighty current, directed along its channel by a system of cables
and rlprapping by means of sandbags. The system has been approved
by engineers and is pronounced far superior to piling or other arti
ficial attempts to pen up the mighty flood. Mr. Clarke has spent
much money and time and put forth his best energies in getting the
attention of congress directed to the Missouri river. He was the
moving factor iu organizing the Missouri River Improvement asso
ciation and was Its president. He has addressed the National Rivera
and Harbors congress on several occasions and has spoken before
slmlllar organizations In meetings throughout the country. This is
his bobby, but It Is a bobby which he rides for the benefit of others
than himself and of the generations to come. Short-sighted people
who see no farther than the present generation, or selfish people who
care not for the future beyond their own narrow spans of life, may
take little Interest in the efforts which he Is putting forth in this
direction. Columbus and his New World, Fulton and his steamboat
and 100 other innovators went through similar experiences, and
future generations rose up to call them blessed and to enshrine them
In memory's hall of fame. When the Missouri river shall have been
converted from a muddy, useless depredator of thousands of acre
of valuable land year'y into a wett-behaved, well-governed trans
porter of the pRoducts of the fertile acres along its 2,000-mile course,
the name of Henry T. Clarke will be remembered by a grateful people.
