Omaha
PART III.
A Pspor for tho Horn
THE OMAHA DCXB
Best t';. West
unday
HALF-TONE SECTION
FAGKS 1 TO 4.
vol. xxxvn Na 37.
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 1, 1903.
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS.
The
Bee
FRED HEDDE PIONEER EDITOR AND LEADER FOR LIBERTY
r
'How' a German Student round in Nebraska the Freedom Denied Him in the Fatherland, and How He Has Lived and Toiled and Prospered Among the People in Hia Chosen Home.
GRAND ISLAND has among 1U 10,000 citizen tho oldest
editor n the Btate. if not In the United States an editor
who has fougbt for freedom ot the press and for liberty
of speech not only in this, his adopted country, but who
began the Btruggle as long as seventy years ago, as a
student In Kiel, contributing largely to the thoughts of
that day. This man, Fred Hedde, was born nearly ninety
years ago, at Runisberg, In Schleswlg-Holsteln, Germany. He thero
grew to manhood, but his restless spirit and his love of freedom
was destined to lead him half around the globe, ere life's fitful raco
was run, and make him a factor In the civilization of a new country,
under strange skies, in a land he found savage, wild, desolate and
stubborn, and peopled only by the aborigines. And It is both as the
oldent editoi and as a first citizen that the people of Grand Island
and Hall county revere the venerable pioneer. As an evidence of
this respect a tribute, paid him during the celebration of the semi
centennial anniversary In that city last July, by the chairman of the
day Mr. Hedde being unable during the hot afternoon to attend
the ceremonies may well find a place herei.
Fred Hedde was a college bred man from the University of
Kiel. In common with the student body of his day he took part tn
thoBe turbulent demands and demonstrations of the German unlver
Blties for freedom of Boeech and the press and for National UnWkv.
which Emperor Frederick William and the Holy Alliance sought by
means of the Carlsbad resolution to throttle and suppress.
Dut the spirit of the great Stein, which had successfully united
North Germany against the tyranny of Napoleon in the zenith of his
power, BtlU lived unconquered In the hearts of the German folk,
and In the revolution of 1848, Fred Hedde, the erstwhile student
of Kiel, then a young lawyer Just entering practice, a compatriot ot
Carl Schurz and Fritz Siegel, cast his voice, his future and his for
tune with the revolutionists.
The movement failed for the time and In 1854, by reason
of hla political activity, he emigrated to America, stopping for a.
time In New York and later entering the practice of law at Daven
port, la., then a frontier city. But the call of the wild seemed to
be In his blood and the German revolutionist of 1848. still seeking
freedom from restraint and a field for his endeavors, looked toward
the groat, wMte, unscarred northwest, as the scene for his life's
best work. He was 38 years old at this time, an age when most mtya
pause before entering upon new and untried vocations, when, In,
1867, he Joined the band of hardy pioneers whose work we are as
sembled today to testify was well done, and from Its very Inception
took a foreplace a the settlement and building of a great corn
monwealth, which today Is an empire in the west.
For half a century his character has been woven into the
social, commercial and political fiber of this community and It is a
matter of common congratulation that a Merciful Providence has
prolonged the span of his life to witness the triumph of this hour,
when all rivalries are hashed, all bitterness forgotten and only good
v 111 prevails.
He early took th Initiative In Ok march to the new territory
strong, constant and unafraid. He came with his devoted band of
fellow-pioneers not aa adventurers, seeking fame and fortune, for
neither waa here, but they came and stayed, while others came and
went, clinging close to the soil, and asking of pitiless, untamed na
ture, that she yield enough for their simple needs and allow them
'to build homes on these homeless plains.
In that work, as farmer, merchant, editor and citizen, Mr. Hedde
held no uncertain place he never waa a negative. Th6 effect or re
sult of a position, once taken by him, never prompted a compromise
or gave him much concern so long as his conscience and sense of
duty were agreed. Hence it followed that for more than forty years
his life was one of conflict, sometimes personal, ofttlmes bitter, al
ways strenuous. Yet did the wisdom of years enable him to forecast
coming events so clearly that In many great movements he was a
generation In advance of his fellow men.
The reverence of age is hla. Life still has a flavor that years
cannot stale, and while physical weakness forbids his speaking today
of the past In which he took so active a part. It does not prevent
lils sharing la this Jubilee, and we deem It eminently fit and proper
that we give this meed of pralso and pay this tribute to one of the
Btrong and trusted men who did so much to make this meeting pos
sible and significant
His Efforts at Colonizing.
While upon this occasion Mr. Hedde waa not able, with others,
to relate the experiences of the past, some of his colleagues la that
11Ui image from Davenport, la., to the then unknown Grand Island
Lave recorded the main events and from these records glimpse
ot the hardships undergone is available. Mr. Hedde, Christian
Menck and one Barnard were the advance guard of the colony. After
paining a few log houses at the present site of Columbus they saw
not a Blnle settlement, or trace ot white man's habitation. The en
tire colony located at Grand Island on July 4. 1867. Others cams
In 18 08. In many respects the colonists looked to Mr. Hedde as a
leader, and It was under his guidance that the first winter waa
rtsaed, the short rations made to answer, and supplies were received
fioir Omaha. In the following years, too, he took an Important
rtiin in the settlement, bavins boon appointed ageat of immlgra
tloii lor the state and making a trip to Germany under that com
mission. in this connection Christian Menck has recently contributed the
following to the early history of Han county. It reveals the cen
lldence his associate-colonists placed In Mr. Hedde:
When, in the year of 1857, on the 4th of July, we located here
with thirty men, six women and one child, wo had seventeen yoke
or oxen (five teams), and one team ot mules. The latter was pur
chased by the company, which provisioned the colony tor the purpose
of transporting supplies tor as from Omaha. Mr. Barnard was the
engineer and chief of the company and Mr. Hedde the leader of the
Hermans in the colony. After we were here a week or tea days
v o began to" wonder why Mr. Barnard did net send the team back ..
to Omaha for the supplies. Mr. Hedde. therefore, and the writer,
wet to Mr. Barnard to take up the matter with him. Mr. Barnard
wa". of the opinion that the mule team was not good enough, and
hai' appointed a man who had com out with fclm to bring a load of
provisions out. When Mr. Hedde Inquired what security he had
for the man that he would return Mr. Barnard was of the
opinion that he waa a gentleman. Mr. Hedde was not satisfied with
this, and thereupon four men were seat with an ox team to get pro
visions from Omaha. When our four men arrived at Omaha they
ran across the man who had promised to bring out provisions, walk
ing the Btreets. He excused himself by saying that his horse was
taken sick. In the settlement all the provisions were brought
out of the wagons In the meantime. In order to make In
ventory of what there was left, and to gauge the use of them ac
cordingly. It was estimated that at least fourteen days would ba
' required before our team could return. Rations were reduced to
t ru -third of one pound Ot flour per day for each person, and we
wo. .Id have suffered from hunger the first four weeks of our settle
ment here. Mr. Hedde thus, from the beginning became to he the '
advisor of our settlement
We thereupon began to cultivate the land and to prepare for
permanent occupancy by building bouses on the four adjacent cor
ners of forty-acre tracts about a mile southeast of the business cen
ter of the present city of Grand Island, the purpose being to be close
A.att ap In thA nvnnt the Indiana ahnnld bgnimii t miihlnfm
A whn tn September. 1857. our team waa aaaln sent to Omaha to
V secure provisions for the winter and when the party going with It
arrived In Omaha, there were no provisions from Davenport. In
the early part of September, Mr. Schernekau and the writer -went
to Omaha to bring Mra. Hedde and my wlfe-to-be to the settlement.
Mr. Hedde was sick and could not undertake the trip. Mrs. Hedde
took the stage to Grand Island. Mrs. Menck and I were united In
wedlock at Omaha and tor our wedding trip went to Grand Island,
per ox team. But we always look back to the happy days, notwith
standing their hardships, with pleasure.
Work in Journalism.
His career as an editor In this section though he was already
a contributor to the press In the fatherland, began early In the
eighties, when In conjunction with William Anyan and one or two
others he established The Antimonopollst The publication ot this
paper was, however, a labor of love. It was distinctly unremunera
tive. .But the fight against the corporations having even so early
been on, owing to their trowing political pow.T, Mr. Hedde tKk
over the Interests of his associates later, purchased the Platte Valley
Independent established In 1809 at North Platte and brought to
this city a year later by Mrs. f. T. G. Mobley. since deceased
and In' a short time changed the name to the Grand Island Inde
pendent, while the paper continued to retain the clientele of the
former paper. In a large measure this led the way to him to be
come, measurably, the pioneer newspaper man of the city, as well
ie city's founders. . In 1884 he founded the nreaent Dailv
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FRED HEDDH
Independent and remained its owner until 1900. The dally proved
unprofitable, on the whole. However, it was a principle the veteran
was fighting and, having some other sources ot income upon which
to rely, Mr. Hedde never faltered. , For ten years the balance re
mained on the wrong side of the ledger. In the meantime, too, the
political elements and forces which he was continually fighting
sought at different times to establish opposition papers, with the
hope of forcing the opponent ot machinery In political affairs and
especially railroad machinery to give up the fight But while some
of these efforts were longer lived than others, eventually they suc
cumbed. From 1895 on there waa a small measure of business re
ward, though It never approached that which this grimly determined
defender of a policy which he believed to be right offered as a sacri
fice. Failing health, his advanced years, and his desire to get his
possessions in easy condition lest the grim reaper come unexpectedly,
as In the ntght, caused him to dispose of the newspaper property
to a company of younger men, one of whom had been a silent busi
ness partner for some years, and all of whom had been employes
under him.
The Independent's policy under Its founder, and, considering the
support given It from other sources In Its Infancy, its patron saint,
was always that ot an Independent republican, its editor was a
firm believer in the policies of the party from its Inception, strongly
sympathizing, In company with most of the Germans who sought
this country for a greater measure of freedom, with the abolition
cause. He was none the less firmly an advocate ot the principle ot
a protective tariff and an especially bitter opponent of Mr. Bryan's
free silver propacauda again In common with many Germans who
had lived through a shifting mouey period in parts of the fatherland.
And thuB, in national affairs, the erstwhilo Kiel revolutionist was as
vigorous as the most ardent committee chairman could wish. In
local affairs, however, he was to the machine devotee a thorn in tho
flesh, frequently, even in county elections, supporting candidates ot
the opposition and in city affairs preventing In a large degree any
party nominations. Iu fact it is in no small measure attributed to
him that Grand Island has never, since it has become a city ot any
Importance, had a party mayor. The last effort made was about .
eleven years ago, the presumably dominant party initiating It and
being sadly beaten in the election. Nominations have never slnca
been made for any city or school officers along party lines and In the
councils of the bodies having in hand the affairs of the municipality
or of the school district the word "republican" or "democrat" U
never spoken. Appointments are not made along tho line of party
organization, even though the executive in other matters be a strict
partisan. It would be regarded as a eerloua breach ot faith. It
stands today as almost an unwritten law that, for city and school
offices, candidates must run by petition, and that the individual voter
otes for the man whom he believes to bo best qualified and most re
liable. In this direction the veteran has certainly left an Impress ot
wide Importance and of lasting effect.
In the state's political affairs he often fought side by Bide with
the founder of The Bee and the two were very close personal friends,
considering the infrequency In which, necessarily, they were able to
meet. He was In the thick of the fight twenty years ago for an
effective railway commission and the files of his paper show some
Interesting analytical editorials concerning public men. Senator
Foraker's maiden speech in Washington, for Instance, was thor
oughly dissected asd the Ohio statesman stamped from the beginning
as an agent of the corporations, even though he was of the same
political faith.
Waiting for the End.
Mr. Hedde In his younger years had been county Judge of the
county the first on record, and was also a member of tho terri
torial legislature from 1858 to 1861. He was also a member of the
city council after the city became Incorporated. He was married
In New York City in 1855 to Mrs. Caroline (Waechter) Buenner
mann. Some years after the death of his first wife he married. In
1884, In this city, Miss Louisa Spethmann.
In his own domestic affairs Fred Hedde has always lived a re
tired and simple life. A student, books have been his best com
panions; a thinker, the peace and quiet of his library has been his
most loved retreat. Even in his younger years he mingled but little
in social affairs, barring an occasional visit to nearer friends or a so
cial evenln? with the members of the Liederkranz society an or
ganization of Germans of which he was a charter member and in
which he still retains membership.
The veteran Journalist and pioneer has for tome months been
closely confined to his home a suite of rooms on the third floor of
his business block, commonly known as The Independent building.
The allotted "three score years and ten" have for him been stretched
Into "four score years and ten." Enfeebled by age, he hesitates not
frankly to say to his friends that he yearns for the end. His race Is
run and he quietly and fearlessly awaits the hour when God's finger
lhall touch him and he shall sleep. About him, in the streets be
low, there is the busy hum of Industry and of the commercial activ
ity of a growing city. But Its Inhabitants are riot unmindful of the
labors performed and of the hardships undergone a half century
ago by the near-centenarian and by his companions of that first
colony Christian Menck, William Hagge, William Stolley, Mr. and
Mrs. Henry Joehnck, Mrs. John Thomssen and Cay Ewoldt, who are
still resident survivors of the first settlement and by those others
who have passed Into the great beyond or are In other fields. And
It Is not merely a pleasant fiction to Bay the wish Is not infrequently
expressed and earnestly felt that the sunset of his life may be clear
and calm and peaceful, like the roseate ending of a fruitful, balmy
A. F. B.
summer's day, the benediction of a life well lived.
Distinguishing: Between Real and Near Real Jewels
WASHINGTON. Feb. 15. In aU this
talk about artificial rubles and dia
monds the experts keep saying that
a reconstructed or scientific ruby
can be detected at a glance. Now
this may be true of experts, but it scarcely applies
to tho average person. '
It Is a fact that most ot the artificially pro
duced rubles are off la color, having a brick red
tone, which should betray them even to an ordi
nary observer. But some of them approach the
real stone so closely that If even the expert him
self Is going to detect them at a glance he will
have to do his glancing through a powerful lens.
Not that the color will appear different That
is not the only way In which the made ruby be
trays Itself. The infallible test is the presence of
circular lines or markings in the interior of the
stone.
If it Is a poor specimen these are easily seen.
In the best ones they can be detected only by close
scrutiny.
When one knows how these stones are made
the markings are readily explained. The process
is described by Leopold Claremont, a London lapi
dary, as follows:
"A small crystal of silicate of alumina, colored
by bichromate of potash, la rotated at a very high
speed, being kept meanwhile at a temperature of
about 1,800 degrees centigrade. It Is then nursed
with minute particles of natural ruby, which ad
hero and become melted on to the center core.
"With care and patience a large bead can thus
be built np from which the ruby Is afterward cut.
The material Is, however, very likely to break di
rectly It Is allowed to cool and also during the
process of cutting.
Manufactured rubies are sold under different
names, but the processes by which they are made
differ only slightly from one another. The usual
tests for precious stones, those of hardness,
specify gravity and refraction, are met entirely
by these artificial rubies. The color and the mark
ings are the only indications ot their real char
acter. The markings are caused by minute babbles
forming circular parallel lines and also by wavy
circles as the substance while being stirred had
been allowed to dry suddenly.
While dealers in gems do not consider made
rubles ss precious stones, they frankly accept cer
tain improved specimens as the real thing. For
Instance, It Is said that almost all the pink topazes
now on the market have been pinked, as the trade
Mima iu imu lunulas or surnins is a
honored device dating from its accidental discov
ery by a French jeweler In 1755.
The topaa, though It occurs In many colors, Is
rarely pink. Consequently it was a happy chance
for the Frenchman when he found that heat would
change yellow and brown specimens Into a delicate
pink.
One method of doing this Is to wrap the stone
In German tinder bound tightly on with tin wire
and then to burn the tinder. But the stone Is
likely to be flawed if the operation is not carefully
performed, or to lose its color entirely if thtfi ieat
Is too great
Sometimes precious stones have dark spots,
which are removed by burning in sand and iron
filings, but the process Is a delicate one, as in the
case of a sapphire, the color may be changed from
blue to grayish, or with an amethyst, from purple
to mahogany brown. Rubica are sometimes in
fected with white snots, which are removed by
burning. Black spots adhering to the surface of
diamonds may be got rid of in the same way.
The zircon is another precious stone which is
Improved by burning, being changed from brown
to a clear brilliance which enables it to pass as a
diamond, though not of the fin tut quality. Dark
brown cavlngorin is burned to make it lighter, and
therefore more salable.
When It comes to agates and carnelians and
onyx there 1b no end to the tricks man plays ou
nature. The Oriental carnelian owes its beautiful
color entirely to burrilng. It is found in quartz
sand In Madras and Is cut and burned where it is
found.
But the greatest marvels with this class of
stones are achieved by bleaching and dyeing them.
Whole communities in Germany, from little chil
dren to old men and women, Co nothing but this
work.
When onyx is to be dyed It Is washed twice in
water, then dried and laid in honey and water,
half a pound of honey to sixteen or tv.enty oun'-e?
of water. The dish, which must be chemically
clean, is placed In a warm oven.
Care must be taken that the water does not
boil and that the stone is coveerd with the liquid.
The treatment is continued for from fourteen to
twenty-one days. Then the stone U taken out of
the honey and washed and soaked In another dish
with sulphuric acid. This dish is covered and put
in hot ashes with burning charcoal on the cover.
In a few hours, in most cases, the Btone will
be dyed, but some stones require a longer time
and some will never take s color. The final part
of the oroceas Is ffTt Xrom the acid.
wash It, dry It in the oven and lay It in oil for a
day. By this time because of the varying poros
ity of layers of the stone it will be colored In
stripes, xray, brown, black or red.
It has often been tried to get rid of the tint
in off colored diamonds by treating them with
acids and with heat, but It Is not known that any
one has succeeded. Some dealers have tried other
ways of getting rlf of the yellow effect of these
stones. The usual thing is to paint the underside
with violet ink or an aniline dye.
ThiB is carefully rubbed down. Just enough
being left to neutralize the yellow in the Btone.
Of co use all that Is necessary to guard against this
fraud is to wash the stone In alcohol. But it is
admitted that irregular dealers have undoubtedly
enhanced tho ap:.rent value of many stones by
treating them lu this way.
Quite distinct from the artificially produced
precious stones and from the improved real ones
are various imitations. With the public rhine
stoue has become a sort of general name applied
to the very cheapest of Imitation diamonds. But
originally rhinestone, Cornish diamond and
Brighton dtumond were names applied to imita
tions made from rock crystal.
Most Imitation stones are simply made of glass.
The cbeapi-st ones, generally spoken of as stage
Jewelry, are not cut and polished, but squeezed, as
the technical term goes.
This Is done with pincers divided into numer
ous moulds, each mould comprc tting the semi
molten glass into the form of a cut stone. When
these stones are taken from the pincers they are
connected by a thin film of the glass. They have
only to be detached from one another to be ready
for setting.
Paste or Straus is a flint glass much superior
to that used for making stage jewelry. It is often
cut and polished much as real stones are, though,
of course, the process is very short and simple in
comparison. v
It la claimed for French paste that its com
position Is made as nearly as possible identical
of the stones to be Imitated But It is manufac
tured only in certain colors and it does not differ
greatly anyway in appearance from ordinary
sti ass.
"All varieties of paste can be detected," said
a dealer in precious stones. "They always con
tain bubbles and lines wholly unlike the marks in
real gems.
"Makers ot Imitations even go to the extent of
putting In flaws and what we call feathers. But
11 you examine them you find that they are not
like the real thing at all.
"Of course a Jeweler need never be cheated
anyway, for he knows or should know how to
test for hardness, specific gravity and optical prop
erties. For ordinary paste Just try a file gently
on the sharp edge of the Btone."
Of recent yearB a good many Improvements
have been made In the production of the Imita
tions known as doublets. Nowadays there are
even triplets, i
The old form of doublet consists of a thin pleca
of a genuine but inferior precious stone cut to
form a front, to which a back of paste of the de
sired color Is cemented. The result Is an appar
ently valuable gem.
It really has one one good trait, if it Is to bo
compared with out and out glass stones. The Bur
face being genuine, will not scratch and dull. But
if it is sold as the real thing the buyer is likely to
be Bad when It falls to pieces some day. That Is
what It will do at once if soaked in spirit or even
n hot water.
This will not happen to these doublets, made
recently, In which the two pieces are welded to
gether. But the character of the Btone can be
seen by looking through it from the side.
A triplet consists of two pieces of crystal or
poor quality gem stone, one part for the front and
one for the back, with a thin piece ot colored glass
or even simply colored pigment between them.
In this way pale, worthless pieces of nevertheless
genuine sapphire are used with deep blue glass or
plgmc nt; but, of course, while the stone may look
all right from the top, it Is easily Identified as a
fake.
When stones are set with a close back that Is
embedded in the metal they are painted or covered
with tinfoil to increase either the color or the bril
liance. This is done not only with Imitations, but
with genuine stones if they are of inferior quality.
It used to be the custom always to set gems with
a backing of gold, no matter whether the stones
were good, bad or indifferent.
Apropos of the InUutlonal and the accidental
coloring of stones, it U well known that certain
gems have a way of doing the changing them
selves. Chief among these is the turquoise, with
its unpleasant habit of turning green.
It Is taid by Jewelers that the use of perfume
Is often responsible for this change. Also tho
wearer of turquoises must guard them from con
tact with any acid or with grease. According to
superstition, when the color of a gift turquoise
changes the giver Is In danger, or It tlx fiver la
ajovsr he or she Is flcklo.