Fhe Omaha Sunday Bee
FART III.
iilf-to::e segtcq:i
PACS 1 TO
Aavorllao U
THE OMAHA DGE
Best & West
VOL. XXXVII NO. 20.
OMA1IA, SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 3, 1907.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
H. S. M. SPIELMAN'S FIFTY FRUITFUL YEARS IN NEBRASKA
Five Thousand Dollars a Year Net the- Reward Nebraska Has Brought to a Couple Who Were Not Afraid to Work Hard and Who Were Thrifty Enough to Save in the Beginning
r
A, REMARKABLE Jubilee was celebrated October 26 at Te
kamah, Neb., when Mr. and Mrs. H. S. M. Spielman, sur
rounded by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren,
their friends and fellow pioneers, commemorated
the fiftieth anniversary of their arrival In Burt county.
Oc'.ober 26, 1857, was a dismal, rainy day, typical of the fortunes
rt the young couple who bad JuSt arrived from Pennsylvania and
did not possess a thing in the world except the clothes on their
backs. ' October 26, 1907, was sunny and warm, typical of the
present fortunes of this same couple who now own 2,450 acres of
the best land in Burt county and 800 acres in South Dakota, to say
nothing of flocks and herds and buildings and other wealth. "
It is said the days of miracles are past, yet here was a miracle
performed in the prosaic, matter-of-fact twentieth century. In the
short space of fifty years Mr. Spielman was transformed from a com- '
mon laborer struggling against poverty in Pennsylvania and earning
$25 a month working on the railroad to a Nebraska farmer worth
more than $250,000. '
How was It done? ' Men may become wealthy legitimately in
either of two ways by discovering a mine of wealth" in the bowels
- of the earth or by possessing an extraordinary genius for something
, which wlU enable them to turn to their personal advantage the re
sources of the world. The young couple who came out fom Penn
sylvania possessed neither of these requisites and yet in a way they
possessed both of them. Tbey discovered a mine of wealth in the,
rich, fertile, prolific soil of Nebraska and they possessed an extraor
dinary genius for hard, unremitting work, which enabled them to
turn to advantage the resources of this mine of wealth. ,They also
possessed a genius for hope which carried them safely through the
' darkest times.
Posthumous Son of Poverty i
It was the combination of these Qualities with the far-famed'
soil of Nebraska which worked the miracle of changing a poor man ,
Into a rich one. Here Is the story of H. S. M. Spielman and his
wife:
Mr. Spielman was born on a farm near Williamsburg, Blair
county, Pennsylvania, March 11. 1836. His father gave up a long
struggle against poverty and unkind fate and died three months
before the birth of the son. From his mother, apparently, Mr. Spiel-
man inherited those sturdy traits which were to stand him in such
good stead in' hewing out a fortune frera the wilderness. She was
a brave woman and alone struggling against that poverty which
had proved too much for her husband. They were very, very poor
so poor that often the widow gleaned the wheat from the carefully
raked fields of the farmers of the surrounding country. Maay a day
Mr. 'Spielman recalls trudging barefooted with his nether and the
other children through the stubble picking up the heads of wheat
which bad escaped the harvesters. When, with infinite labor,
enough had been gathered and separated, the wheat from the chaff
by hand, it was carried to the mill and the precious flour brought
borne. ) , '
Thev lived at this tlm in Huntlnetnn rrmntv. whither the widow
bad moved soon after the birth of ber youngest son. There they
remained for twelve years an a tiny plot of ground and existed from
band to mouth, often, Indeed, going hungry because there was not
a crust to eat. At the age of 15 years Mr. Spielman, or Martin, as
everyone calls him, secured work on a canal which was then being
built near bis bom. Later be worked as a laborer on the Pennsyl
vania railroad, where he earned $26 a month.
With aa Income f $21 a month young Martin thought 'he was
doing very well. H knew a girl who lived near bis home and they
decided to get married, which they did June 22, 1854. The girl
, was Miss Carolina Boring, who was born February 14, 1832, In
Mifflin county, and moved with her parents to Huntington county
as Martin bad deaa. She has been his helpmeet In every sense of
the word, and today be ascribes to her at least hplf of the credit
for their remarkable success In Nebraska.
Nebraska Calls Them West
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MR. AND MRS. H. S. M. SPIELMAN.
whenever 1 got an extra 5 cents or 10 cents I put it in my saving
pocketbook. Finally after three years we had saved up $12 and
then I bought four calves with the money from a widow who lived
aoross the creek. This was the start of the thousands of cattle I
raised and fed for the market. I bought my first yoke of steers for
$36 and then I began to get a good start with the farming.
"All through these years my wife was doing her full share. I
have as good a working wife as the world ever saw; I -don't except
any. She did the milking and made the butter and raised the
chickens besides doing the housework. Back in Pennsylvania, you
know, the women do all the milking. If people there see a man
milking fhey say 'He has a.lary wife." If it hadn't been for my wife
we wouldn't have what we have today."
Thrift and Industry Prosper
Thus did these two busy people practice those cardinal virtues
of Industry, frugality and temperance in all things. They didn't'
bide away their money in the ground or put it in banks. They put
It where they believed It was much bett-er Invested In Nebraska
half a century to the hour, since Mr. and Mrs. Spielman had coma
into Tekaniah, a Bhort program of speaking was given commemora
tive of .that event. Mr. and Mrs. Spielman were not the only ones.
In that gathering who had reaped wealth from Nebraska. There was
Jonathan Lldlck, for instance, from whom Mr. Spielman bought ona
of the, oxen in his first yoke of cattle. Mr. Lldlck stuck to Nebraska,
and now it takes six figures to express his wealth. The same Is tru
of a number of other pioneers who were at the jubilee and who were
pointed out to a visitor. Indeed, it seemed the man who bad less
than $100,000 was spoken of a little deprecatingly. "Oh. ne
not worth more than $60,000 or $75,000," the guide would explain
to the visitor. v
, Relics of the Past
In one of the rooms of the house on the Jubilee day wer ex-
hlblted some of the furniture with which the Splelmans began their
housekeeping In the pioneer days. There was the old-fashioned
trundle bed, from one of the posts of which hung a pistol. Thera
were quaint Old bronze candlesticks and there was a big gun and a
sharp-pointed knife in a leather case. The latter two articles came
Into requisition sometimes In the early days, though most of ths
Indians around Burt county were peaceable.
One of the tragedies of Burt county was the killing of Oscar
Munson, a hired man in the employ of Mr. Spielman, by the Winne
bago Indians. In the spring of 1869 Munson left Mr. Spielman'
farm with a yoke of oxen and 'a wagon for his claim in Wayna
' county, Just west of the Omaha reservation. He had Just drawn bit
first furrow there when a band of five Wlnnebagoes stole up behind
him and shot him. They cut off his head, carried It a mile away
and took three scalps from It The Indiana were apperhended
eventually and were tried and sentenced to life Imprisonment In the
penitentiary, where all of them died. Judge Crounse was the pre
siding Judge at this trial and A. J. Poppleton was the attorney for
the Indians. Mr. Spielman was one of the principal witnesses. The
only reason the Indians were not condemned to death was that on
of the Jurors, Myron Lee, was opposed to capital punishment.
Family Large and Lusty
Though the fifty years of the Splelmans' life in Nebraska hav
been very active, with every minute filled' with useful work, tbey,
v were not too busy to raise a large family. Nine children were bora
to them, of whom the following five are still Irving: Mrs. Mat
Elizabeth Smith, Washington; Stephen A. Douglas Spielman, Te
kamah; James Winfleld Spielman, South Dakota; Jesse Thomas
Spielman, Tekamah. and Mrs. Prlscilla Corbln, Tekamah. All thai
boys are farming. They have nine grandchildren and four great
grandchildren.
It would be hard to find two more happy people than Mr. and
Mrs. Spielman. Both are In hearty good health and In spite of thelB
three' score years are very active. They are not attempting to
"rest" by folding ihelr hands. They would be miserable doing noth
. lng. Tbey still rise at 5 o'clock. "We've got up with the crow all
our lives and we can't get out of the habit," they say. "The lazy,
bird doesn't catch any worm."
As one of the luxuries which they can afford, they have a corn-
crib at a respectful distance from the fine house. They wouldn't
be happy entirely out of sight of the golden grain which has brought
them wealth. This year Mr. Spielman farmed forty acres of corn.
"I Just did It to make it an even fifty crops I raised in Nebraska,
be says. "But maybe I'U make tt fifty-one next year. Don't aea
bow I could pass a year without raising a patch of corn."
And those who know Mr. and MM. 'Spielman believe they will
land. It was a long fifteen years before they were able to buy any
beside the quarter section on which they lived. But then their
holdings increased and multiplied rapidly. The lowest-priced land
they purchased on the broad fertile Missouri bottom east of the
present town of Tekamah, scost $3 an acre. It is worth $60 an acre
now. The highest price paid was for some bought Just recently
which cost $76 and Is already worth more. Today they own 2,450
acres in Burt county worth from .$50 to $110 an acre. You can
figure up for yourself how much it is worth. Also they own 800
acres in South Dakota. They refer to this a a "little patch."
Two years ago when Mr. Spielman was 69 and bis wife 72 yean
old, they decMed to give up active farm labor and move to town.
They did so and built, regardless of expense, a handsome brick house
containing eleven rooms. It is modern throughout with peltebed
hardwood floors, oak finished walls and everything desirable that
money can buy. There ihe pioneers propose to apead the remaining
years of their life enjoying the comforts which their good Judgment
and hard work have won for them.
- This house was the scene of the btg Jubilee celebrated on Octo-" o right on working In the Joy of well repaid effort In Nebraska a
ber 26. At 11 o'clock; In the morning of that day, wha It was- lone aa tbey live.
Misfortune buffeted them about after their marriage. The hus
band was afflicted with typhoid fever and brain fever. But in spite
of this they saved money. Mrs. Spielman did washing and scrub
bing, picking up what little money she could to help out the family
finances." And the yonng man never lost an hour from work except
through sickness. Still it was evident to jt heir far-seeing eyes that
they would never gain a competence by working for $25 a month
though- they slaved all their( lives. About this time Amos Corbln,
who bad gone to school with' Martin. when they were boys, wrote
to his uncle from Burt county, Nebraska, whither be bad ventured
in searcbjOf bis fortune. He sent back glowing accounts of fertile
hoil knd salubribns climate. To make a long story short, Martin
Spielman. bis wife, child and" his mother decided tn emigrate to
Nebraska. They sold 'all their goods and set out fpr the far west.
The rail read carried them to St. Louis, where they were Just too
late to catch the last northwardbound boat of the season.' Tbey
took the train to Jefferson CJlty, where a vessel was reported bound
for Omaha. This boat ran only to Weston, Mo., and from that point
they bad to go by stage to St. Joseph, where they again failed to
catch a boat and bad to take a stage to Omaha. From Omaha they
hired a team to take them to Blair, where they arrived on that mem
orable rainy day in the fall of 1857.
"I had just $5 left and I owed $5.85 on ray' goods In Omaha,"
says Mr. Spielman In summing up hia financial status at the time
. of bla arrival upon the spot that was to make.blm wealthy. "Those
were tbo days of lb panic, too. There was no'money In the coun
try and no work. I would have been glad to hire out for 25 cents
a day It I could have gotten work. You oan iudes how
was from the fact that I baaaled just $2 during the whole year
1858. I earned more, hut that is all the actual cash I saw.
'"My brother Jesse and I bum a log shanty In the timber on the
bottom and Itrod la tt that first winter. On March 25, 1858, we
moved Inta aur new leg house ea th prairie. To pay for the boards
tn tbo raof and flaor of that lltUe bouse I chopped thirty cards of
wood, Wa livod to that house tear years and then built a new one
on aaother part ot that auarter BectUn, where we lived forty-four
ears, that Is. wo moved to Tekamah two years ago. -
First Crtp in. 1858
"Wa bad no shoe to wear la tkasa days and. went barefooted
, most of the Uroa. Wa worked tress earliest dawa till after dark.
I raised my flrst crep ot corn In 1858. I plewed the ground with a
fourtaen-lncb plow and a yoke of oxen which I borrowed. I har
rowed It with a woodea-toothed harrow which I made myself. I
marked the rows with a wooden sled and planted the whole ten
acres by hand with a ho I got 500 bushels of corn off the piece
andhad watermelons and pumpkins to throw at the birds. That's
( tha way Nebraska soil fatrodaosd Itself to me. And tt wasn't a
bluff. ' I never bad any reason to lower my opinion of that land
which prevented itself to me In snch a generous manner and on such
magnificent terms. I have raised fifty crops In Nebraska aad every
one paid me well and some of them paid ma twloa what I expected
even from Nebraska soil.
"No. sir. we never got the 'blues. Wa Just kept doing our part
. and wa knew Nebraska would do her's. In 1881. when everyone
lost money on cattle, I fed 141 steers. I never worked so hard In
all my life. Wa couldn't afford a hired man, because everything
looked so bad. A neighbor of mine lost more than $1,000 and I
thought I would lose money. But when I sold tho cattla I came out
about $1,000 ahead. In 1893 and 1894. which were the worst. two
years in our Ufa hers. I raised mora than 3.000 bushels ot wheat
and bad lots of oata. So this made up for the poor corn crop.
"The first year we were here I bad to work two days for my
neighbors to got one day's work from them with a team, because
1 dUn't bv a team. Thosa days I fcapt two socketbooka. and
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SOME OF THE BURT COUNTY PIONEERS AT THE SPIELMAN JUBILEE.
MR. AND MRS. EPIELMAN AND TTTBTft FAMTLT,
Tempting: Menus That Are Cheap and Healthful
THE high prices ot eggs and butter, beef
aad poultry give special interest to tho
experiment of the president of Aurora
college, at Aurora. 111., who proposes
to sussist for sixty days on a diet of
ground peanuts mixed with wheat. Not that a
diet of peanuts la likely to become generally pop
ular tn New York outside of Central park. The
point Is this: The fact that a collage president
expects to get along on such a diet suggests that
maybe everyday people can eliminate from their
diet the various articles which cost so much now.
A few years ago when addressing a body of
Students a New York physician said that a careful
analysis ot food values proved that 10 cents' worth
of panuts would furnish as much nutriment as a
fine dinner at the Waldorf. A reporter of tho
Bun' hunted up this physician the other day and
asked for some points on how to get ahead of
dairymen and butchers without jeopardy to the
health ot the individual.
This physician and" his wife, who shares her
husband's views on dietary, keep house ina mod
ern' uptown dwelling. The doctor at the start
explained that he would not talk for publication
on the food question if his name were printed.
He had too much consideration, be said, tor the
letter carriers on his street and for his own time.
He was aware that New Yorkers by an overwhelm
ing majority were meat eaters and be bad discov
ered that- hundreds of them feel it their duty to
burl yrvteirllBg ltteia at gny pna who dacrted
meat-eating or preached a simple diet with little
variety and less meat.
Many years ago the doctor banished meat and
poultry from his own table, not because be thought
eating them injured bis health, but simply be
cause he did not apprave of killing animals and
birds to eat Along with tho fowls ha banished
eggs.
Butter ha never did like and never ate. He
never uses milk except In the condensed or cooked
form for the reason that he believes that there are
other foods better suited to the adult stomach.
When asked ta suggest a few simple, inexpen
sive menus the dootor replied: N
"I don't car to prescribe a dally bill at fare
for anyone. So long as the everlasting clamor
tor variety continues and the old-time supersti
tion that that ta eat meat means not te have any
good blood werth speaking of remains, so long aa
so large a part af tho population live to eat in
stead at eating to live, it's waste ot time, it seems
to me, to talk simple menus which include the
same dtuhes over and over again.
, " 'Why, we'd get tired ot eating that every
day,' I've had friends tell me.
"The initial step in any crusade to make popu
lar, simple, low-prked menus is to teach the peo
ple that the habit of not getting tired ot eating
the same things can ba cultivated. - Eating ts
purely an anmlal function, aad there ts no good
reason why It should not ba regulated Ilka any
ot&er AuU&aj fuoottva.
. "Naturally a diet of peanuts three times a day
would ba the eatreme of simple. menus, aad do
spite its nutritive qualities it isn't likely over to
be popular. Peanuts, to glva the best results,
must ba masticated to a pulp. Otherwise they
give the stamach too much work to do.
"Yes, my own diet Includes peanuts, many of
them in the form ot peanut butter. Wa bay It
tn five-pound cans and eat tt with bread.
"No, I havea't the least abjection to telling
what my meals consist ot. Here la my favorite
bill of fare for perhaps four or five days of the
week, the menus tor tho other two or three das
varying a little wrtheut, hawever. Including meals,
poultry, eggs or butter.
"Mind you. I do not recommend these as model
menus. They suit my wife and me and agree with
us wa ara never 111; but they will notv perhaps,
answer for everybody:
"For breakfast I bava coffee real coffee
two cups it I feel like it, with sugar and condensed
milk not canned condensed, but the fresh sort
which Is unsweetened and Is delivered in glass
bottles. .1 do not find that coffee disagrees with
me. If I ever do I shall substitute for it some
other beverege.
"But nay principal breakfast dish is oatmeal
cooked to a Jelly almost. I take a generous
bowlful of this, stir Into It two teaspoonfnls of
condensed milk, two teaspooofuln of olive oil and
about the same quantity ot sugar, and I bava a
Abb tit tot tha f odj," :
Tha reporter shuddered.
-But the aUT"
"Tha oil takes the place of butter, and if tho
best quality la used there will be 'no perceptible
oil flavor to the oatmeal.. A good deal of oily
oil is used on my table. Wa buy it by tha gallon
at a cost of $2.80, which is a great saving over
pupchasiag by tha small, bottle.
"Whale wheat or white bread, with or without
peanut butter, aad fruit, are the only other dlshea
served at breakfast. Just now when grapea aro
plentiful we eat a let of grapes, but tha year
around almost we have on the table bananas, of
. which I think very highly from a nutritive stand
. point, and those are varied with dates, oranges
and raisins.
"We buy tk Arabian dates by the twelve
pound box. In Arabia the natives live practically
on dates, work bard sometimes on a diet of little
else, and they don't know what indigestion is.
Before eating tha date's, though, I have them thor
oughly cleansed by soaking In cold water, which
frees them tram all extraneous matter, after
which they go into a colander for a quick doucha
of scalding water.
"I bava bad men and women tell ma thebl
couldn't eat bananas at all without suffering from
Indigestion, and to' them I always pass on the re
cipe told me by a great Jover of the fruit who saU
that Invariably ba scraped off the little fuzz re
maining on tha banana after tha skin la pl4
t XConttnv4 0 w rtva
