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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 3, 1917)
The Omaha Sunday Bee OMAHA, SUNDAY -MORNING, JUNE 3, 1917. . . (Jrolis Hidory of Oniak; AD flie truth and unlriUi thafe fit to biow f . By A. R. GROH. -hapter XVILThe City HU. The voice of criticism if again rail ing its head against my great history, but it shall beat powerlessly against a atone will which shall ride on ma jestically across the sea until it ar--ives safely in its intended port. . In Chapter VII the historian hurled ack his critics, or rather paid no at- t xntion to them, comparing them to ittle dogs barking at a great elephant, he elephant being the historian. ' The present critic is a person who . has been trying to get me to write lim tip, and ' have continued to ig- lore his request, as I write only about mportant things. Now he comes up. ike one of the yapping little dogs and . states that my history "isn't as good as it used to be." , I suppose this person thinkf he could write a better one. It will be . well for him to remember that it is . easier to criticise a great history than to write one. I shall pa-' no attention to him. He does not disturb me in ' the slightest I shall sail on majestic ally over a calm sea, passing all oth- - ers on the race track of history and gathering a full harvest when the ,olden sheaves of grain are ripe. That is my lofty answer to this ; jritic To the artist: Please make a car toon of this critic. He is a tall young fellow with a bald head and usually smoking a briar pipe with a curved " stem. Slake him look as ridiculous as possible in the picture.) Let ns oroceed with our history. The city hall was built in 1890 (just GSOWfllfCI AT QSOHim ohaha : il4 years after the signing of the im mortal Declaration of Independence.) It wis erected where it now stands (though considerably changed in the last year by remodeling), at Eight eenth .and Farnam streets, in a fine location , right next to The Bee building,5 .' ' R. C Cushing was mayor at that time and he made quite a' flowery. STT4IS8T STEVINSOtf, FRBSIDENT Or . AT PLAT IN HIS TARD. ' Making the kids happy, just ever - lastingly furnishing amusement for the children in his neighborhood, is the hoppy of Stymest Stevenson, a lumber broker of Council Bluffs. The back yard and the entire, lawn around his home on the heights in Council Bluffs is one huge outdoor gym nasium. The grass is trampled flat. .Stevenson puts up no "Keep off the grass" Signs. He hates them. He in vites the children to come to his lawn to play.- . . He steps on the front porch, or into the yard, and blows a shrill whistle which he carries in his pocket for the , purpose. The children come scamp ering from a score of houses, bams ': vid woodsheds. They flock to Stev uison's lawn, and there they tumble : mi the trapeze; they climb on his ' pack porch,-they teeter on hiKteeter totter, they jump rope, they swing by steel cables fastened in the trees and they Climb about in the Branches and set up such a clamor and chatter as to make one think a human menagerie 'was being placed on exhibition. . Stevenson himself is always foiimd In the midst of the confusion. Once an Sunday morning, when the pastor thought Stevenson might better have been ifl church, he was found climb ing around in. the branches of the trees with pail, serving water to the rvllnM kTY - - & n In address, when they laid the' cornor stone. He spoke . about erecting a monument of enduring granite stone" and he rang in something about the pyramids and sphynx of Egypt, the Alexandra . library and the Colos seum of Rome. "1 know I express the hope of all, when I say that the struc ture which we shall rear here will be a satisfaction to future generations," he said. Unfortunately this hope was not ruswzmr addsess or amccair realized, -for just this year the city has remodeled the city hall, tearing out the basement and making it into offices and making a new entrance on Eighteenth street. The men, however, who did the remodeling have no doubt that the city hall is built of "enduring granite stone," as the mayor said. It was so hard that the pneumatic drills, could hardly cut it. The place where the city hall stands was the site of Governor Saunders' handsome and costly home. When he built it, the ground was very high. This was all graded down and Far nam street as it now stands was re duced to that level only after the earth had been removed to a depth of forty-five feet We have seen in another chapter how the court house grounds were formerly very high and were graded down with herculean and costly labor to their present level and a beautiful lawn planted. How many of these Interesting facts about the city's history did the critic of my history know? Not one. Questions on Chapter XVII. L'What was the real reason why this critic criticised my history? 2. What it easier than . writing a history? ... . 3. How long after the Declaration of Independence wal the city hall built? ' ' 4. Describe the - address of the mayor. THE FBDBRATBD .FATUBR8 CLUBS Or - .v. . boys and' girls who had concealedffiwell-keptness. There Is no such thingThese he .has printed in colorsand themselves in the topmost branches. Stevenson was the animal trainer and the children were lions, " bears, baboons and monkeys in this elabor ate play at circus. ."' . .. A few years ago Mr. Stevenson or ganized a Big Fathers' club in Coun cil Bluffs, and told the fathers they are as much responsible as the moth ers for the moral welfare of their children. None can lay claim to a more com mendable hobby 'than that of M. G. (Sandy) Macleoi, cashier in the office of the cterk of the district court. His hobby is a clean city, and he boasts of pure, unadulterated civic pride. Mr. Macteod's favorite topic of dis cussion' is cities as they are and as they ought to be. He can tell offhand the death rate in the principal citiea of the world, the way the cities are run and the impression they make on visitora. He contends that a .clean city makes a healthy city and eaya that the second condition cannot be possible without the aid of- the first. The smiling Scot, whose face greets lawyers, high and low, when they file cases in district court, prac tices what he preaches. His home at 123 South Thirty-fifth avenue is a model' of cleanliness and Comb Honey By EDWARD BLACK. June. -. - . Which month do yon like best?! June, of course. -..,' Each month has its claims of su periority, but June stems to have the most credit-marks as a popular period in the yearly cycle. It is the month of poetry, posies, picnics 'and pie, meaninsr cherry Die. of course. Consider the sweet girl graduate as she steps upon the threshold of life, with a graduation certificate In 'her hand, looking into the future with its many bright promises, the pictures in roseate colors, the pathway ahead. She is a orominent figure of the month of roses, orange blossoms and sun- snmc. v In in old scrap-book we read: Who cornel with aummor to this oarth. And oweo to Juno nor datr'or birth,' V with rlnio of iftt on Mr hand, -M Con hooltb, wealth, Jons llfo eommand. ,' James Whitcomb Riley wrote: "Month a man kin ratlly lovo Juno, fon know, I'm-ipeaklncof. ' There's the June bride who always blushes and about whom so much has been written.. Who ever heard of a June groom? He is a nonenity, just a bit of bric-a-brac in the scheme of things. In this great month of months the schoolhouse door is closed for the long summer vacation, the old swim ming hole is enlivened by it clientele of youth, the picnic basket is pressed into service once more, the chigger bug is on the scene and the straw hat offers evidence that the good ' old summer time is here. Father and Son. We entered the office of a business man the other day, intending to dis cuss a matter of mutual interest : He had his hand upon the shoulder of a youth and in tones which bespoke the feelings of his heart he said: "Good-bye, James; remember your father will always be thinking of you. Be i. good boy. my son." The boy was going to war.' A slight moistening of the elder man s eyes moved us to tip-toe away from the scene; to return another day. Our errand suddenly shrank into relative unimportance. s The Height ol Frivolity Having the baby photographed for the first, time. Class in Civics Stand up and state who 'is chief of Omaha' detective department? Did You Ever Play postoffice? COUNCIL BLCTTS, AND .A SMALL OROUP ... M . . as a clean-up day with Mr. Macleod- every day is clean-up day with him. If a genie would rub his magic lamp and inquire of Mr. Macleod what he most wanted in the world, the county employe would probably ask for a spotless town, provided he could be mayor. " ' ,' . Touring the wilds on a motorcycle ii;the hobby of Robert W. Taylor, pastor of Parkvale Presbyterian church. Every summer he spends his vacation on a motorcyclA He has spent his .vacations thus for many years. He fills .a small knapsack, leaps aboard the pop-pop wagon and roars out of sight around a curve in the boulevard. That is the last his friends see of him for months, until he-, comes in, rounding ... that -same' curve in the boulevard, bringing with hint a most, marvelotia mahogany -complexion, while he is away he en circles Pike s Peak, tears through the sands of the Nevada deserts, skirts the edge of Death valley and rides for miles- along the very brink of the Grand canyon just to look (town, and look down Still more and more, for he never tires of the grandeur of the mountains. - He carries a kodak and brings back bandsoma collections of pictures. By A. EDWIN LONG. Kansas City might have had a handsome street car motorman, but she didn't make her wants known in time. The result was that Omaha got a cracking good furniture man. Harry R Bowen'a boyhood ambi tion was to run street car. On his fathers' fa(m hear Paolf, Kan., he used to practice for this job. He got a battered blue cap with a square beak and crammed this down over hit ears. He took the crank off the grindstone, spiked it on the dash board of his fathers' buggy and coasted down the hills in the pasture turning the crank madly in imitation of the street car man who stops and starts his car thus. This 'ambition came to him, of course, after he had stood on the streets of Kansas City once clinging OF THB NEIOHBORHOOB CHILDREN i'". . made into lantern shades, and many an Omaha audience he -has entertained for an evening with his 'fascinating lectures 6n his travels. Abhorrence of bayonets is the hobby ot A, A. Gilbert, Omaha real estate ..man. Mr. Gilbert is one of those who will march up and register Ms name for the selective draft June 5. Meantime he is seeking to learn all he can about bayonets. VI wonder do they keep bayonets sterilized in the war?" be asked the other day. "I wouldn't mind being stuck so badly if I was sure the bayonet was sterilized and thoroughly . sanitary." Steel- iacketed bullets have no horror for him at all when compared to the glit tering bayonet. Shrapnel and sixteen inch shells he merely laughs at when' he talks, .of being taken to the trenches. But; when' the' bayonet is mentioned his face sobers visibly. Jftt sent for' application blanks for the of ficers' reserve corns many weeks ago and thought of trying for a place. Ho u 4' ik& &,.-. Otinn'a MMMTMWntl and other details, and then came upon a list of the equipment a prospective officer, must tarry while in training. Alas I The first item in the list stood out like a flaming demon: "One bayonetl" Gilbert did not 'go into trattinf. v t to his father's thumb and staring openmouthed at the street cars as they galloped up and down the mag nificent hills of that city. These trips to Kansas City were not frequent. y- Young Harry stuck pretty close to the farm. He trapped the rats around the barn, snared gophers at the edge of the cornfield and was "always on the, warpath against rattlesnakes. , He roasted lark's eggs in the prairie fires, cooked frogs' legs by the mill pond and chased jackrabbits with some of the best hounds in Kansas. When he was 14 he. was stacking hay, plowing . corn, and shocking wheat; for boys mature early on wetsern farms. By this time his long ing for street cars had somewhat left him, and he craved to be a furniture dealer. Shiny oak tables, mahogany chairs, rolltop desks?- and polished pianos were pleasing to his eye. Even the scent of the new varnish was sweet to bis nostrils; he knew not why. riis lather became a trader in cattle in the Kansas City stock yards. The lad mountrd a horse and entered this game also,' until every gate, every alley, every pen and every scale in the vast yards was familiar to him. Yet after vhipping steers around all days he would ride home at night and ponder on the furniture business. Fifteen vears ago he broke away frevm this business, ""f had Omaha in OmMs Thoroughfares : ! f Part Two of the Chapter from Ed Mor early' s Recent Book 1 . .(Continued) ... On the southwest corner of Thir teenth street was M; Hetlman's three story brick building, which up, to 1888 was the ' largest exclusive clothing store in this city. In-1897 is was con verted into a hotel on the European plan and was called the "Dewey." It was destroyed by fire in February, 1913, and in 1914 the Omaha Printing company erected in its place the pres ent five-story brick one of the larg est printing houses in the west Two of the buildings west of this were for years used as dry" goods stores; one by Loyal Smith and the other by S. F. Morse & 10. sunitn was a sen sational bargain-giver and at times would give free excursions to Omaha from a radius of 100 miles around, when carpets would be laid on the sidewalks almost the entire length of the block. One pleasant Saturday night in the spring of 1886, he locked the store doors and decamped for Canada, leaving behind him debts ag gregating $100,000. Jn the summer of 1887 Morse disposed of his store and business. West of these buildings in 1880 Ish & McMahon ran a drug store, this being the closest the' block ever came to harboring a saloon un til 1889, when Darst established a wholesale, liquor house at No. 1513 in that block. On the southeast corner of that block stood , one of Omaha's oldest hardware and stove, stores and one of the most extensive in the en tire west. It was a three-story build ing occupying a full city lot and was owned and run by Milton Rogers & Son. This ground and building was sold by the Rogers estate in 1910 to the Woodmen of the World, who erected on the lot its present sixteen-story building, it being the headquarters, of the order as' well as an office building and stores. On the northwest corner of Four teenth and Farnam in .1880 there was a two-story frame store and office building, one of the stores being used by A. D. Morse Shoe company. His signs read : A child can buy as cheap as a man at A. D. Morse's," this be in? about all the advertising he riirl. that being sufficient, as it made hirrfi famous. I he present two;story brick on that lot was erected 'about 1883 and for years a part of the second floor was used as a hall, known as lie. r ' - l.ii " tt ; . t . i v 01. s nan. fur years jonn L; Webster had his office there, as did Boggs & Hill. The Nofris ticket office and cigar store and J. B. Wil liams, the tailor, at one time occu pied two of its stores, the latter be ing the oldest tenant in point of dura tion in the building. West of this at No. 1412 is the-World-Herald office, located there in 1887. Prior to that there was a one-story - brick there, used as a saloon and run by. Ed. Wit tig. Adjoining' this to the'west has for years been the saloon' and billiard hall of Lenta & Williams; it is a two-story brick this being part of the ground upon which in 1885 was erected a one-story narrow brick building, where in January of that year David Miller, ex-sheriff of Doug las county, started a saloon, which for years was known as a political head quarters and called the "Drum." but it proved an expensive venture to Miller. Adjoining this on the north 1 mind for ? long time before I came," said Mr. Bowen. "Omaha stuck in my mind as a central spot, and a com ing city.' And I have never gone back on that, first idea. I believe Omaha is just beginning to growX' , So he came to Omaha, and.not see ing an opening for his furniture store at once, he established the Omaha Horse and Supply company. He could not break away from live stock with one sudden wrench. ? With an eye. constantly open for his location, he suddenly, abandoned the horse business and opened his Central Mercantile company furniture establishment on. Leavenworth street. For four years he sold goods.through- east corner was Boyd's opera house, erected, in 1882. It was completely destroyed by fire fh October, 1893. In 1896 the Nebraska. Clothing company purchased the ground, and erected its present" five-story clothing house. In 1880-an'' old livery stable owned by Wilber & Co. occupied this lot On the southwest corner of Four, teenth street is located the Paxton hoteL When it was built in J882 .it was considered the finest hotel in the city, if not in the entire west. It was a vacant lot in 1880 and prior to, the fire of 1878. the Grand Central hotel stood there. The Kitchen brothers built the present hotel, which they haye managed since its erection. . The building west of it was the place from which the old Morning-Herald was issued. ' At No. ,1415 C. S. Goodrich- ran a store in 1885.- At No. 1417 was . in 1880 . located . the first under taking establishment in the city and was owned and run by John G. Ja cobs and after his death by Drexel & Maul. At No.. 1419 is the. Drexel Shoe company. In 1883 Henry Dohle occupied it for a like purpose. On the southeast corner of that block and Fifteenth street is located the Ware .block, erected in 1882 by. W. A.. Pax- lOn. - it .15 a 51X-5lUry UIH.IW uasvi " stores and offices. For a number of years it was used ,by Kelley,. Stiger & Co. as a dry. goods store. It was named in honor-of the wife of the. owner, W. A. Paxton. .:. On the northwest corner, on Fif teenth street, was located the old Union block, also called the Wabash corner, because the ticket office of that road was located there from 1880 to 1890 Frank E. Moores being the agent. For many years it was the spot where political medicine was mixed. -1 recall one instance in 1890 when there were gathered in a group James E. Boyd, W. J. Bryan, Charles H. Brown, C. V. Gallagher, J. Ster ling Morton and myself. At this writ ing this building is being razed to make way for the eight-story build ing of the Omaha World-Herald, this lot having been purchased by the company in 1914. The five-story brick west" of this was built in 1882 by Peter Goos and was used by him as a hotel, then called the '"Goos hotel.' In 1885 it was sold to W. A. Paxton, who in 1895 sold it to Lou Hill. Since 1885 it has been known as the "Mer chantsTiotel." The lots west of that are the ones on which the Paxton block, is located, that building ex tending to the northeast corner of Sixteenth street In 1880 and up to 1883 the Douglas county court house stood on that corner, when it was sold to Paxton for a certain sum and part in exchange for other lots where now stands the new court house. The Paxton block, was erected in 1888. In 1895 it was sold to the present owners,- the Boston Ground Rent company. On the southwest corner of Fif teenth street is located the Barker block. This ground has been owned by the Barker estate, to my per sonal knowledge, since 1880. In that year and upto 1886 there stood on that lot aT two-story frame building, used for stores and offices. In 1886 a he building was started, but be agents, and then moved his plant to Seventeenth and Howard; streets ten years ago, where the plant now does a thriving and constantly growing-, business. Not content with the one establishment, he recei tly bought the Rubel store which now operates un der the name of the Raymond. , Thus was a live and expert furni ture mart jerked put of the jaws of the street car business, snatched from the life of a cattle broker, and dragged from the fascinating field of horse trading by the magnetic force 6f one clinging ambition to sell furniture, . and sell lots of it. .' Noit In Thin Rerlo-"How Omaha Got Frank . A. - Kennedy - farnam Street of Personal Kertuniscences fore its completion it was destroyed by fire. The present six-story brick was constructed immediately after ward, the main floor of which is oc cupied as. a bank. ' The adjoining two-story brick was built in 1882 by 'O.'F-'Davis and for years was useti K.. riot,! Peat Fatatft CCtmOailV. TL. Aiinintr thitt W9 hllllt ill I I1C unlit auflutM.t.B - n C 184 by lieorge w. ahii after whom Ames.avenue was called, and was used as their real estate of fice up to 1893. Adjoining this to the west is the old Redick building, which from 1884 to J890 was used as an of fice building. It is but .A four-story 1 :-t. 1 10in Itiore wai 'artrien trb uiu.it. this as an annex a six-story fire-pS-oof building. Though but thirty feet in width, this, in addition to the old building, makes a first-class ho tel, which for years has been called the "Henshaw, run by T. J. O'Brien, A two-story brick twenty feet in width adjoins this and is owned by the Redick estate. . On the southwest corner of that block, on Sixteenth street, in 1880 stood the handsome residence or Charles S. Goodrich. In 1884 tho property was purchased from him by John A. McShane for $40,000 and the residence was torn down and re placed by a number of one-story brick buildings. In 1887 Zachariah Thompson bought the property from , McShane for something like $60,00V at least he so informed me. Mr. Thompson had his real estate office in the corner store until 1888, when it was rented to Mr. Schroeder for a drug store, which he occupied until 1894, when it was rented for a like purpose by the Myers-Dillon Drug company, who occupied it until Au gust of this year, when the property was leased by the Rose Realty com pany, which is erecting on the en- tire lot a substantial six-story office and store building. I recall an inci- dent that took place in 1882 which was in connection with this lot When the change of grade of this street was being agitated there was a big pond on the street just east of Sixteenth ' and Mr. Goodrich, who ( was some thing of a wag, dressed a dummy in a rubber suit and hat, placed a rod and line in his hand, with a sign reading. "Fishing good, but pond dangerous no bottom." On the northwest corner ofSix teenth street in 1880 stood a three story long frame building known as Redick's opera house, which- from 1882 to 1886 was used as our city hall, police station and police court lii 1889 the aid place was torn- down and the lot subdivided and in 1894 S. P. Morse erected a five-story dry goods house 6"n the north end. -In 1895 the Commercial National bank erected a three-story store and bank building on the corner. In 1906 this bank was merged with the United States National, which in 1915 razed the pld building and erected in its stead the present five-story stone, with addU tional ground to the west. On the northeast corner of this block stood .the residence of Joseph Millard, who in 1887 sold the property to the New York Life Insurance company. It in ' 1888 erected the ten-story building that is now on the lot. " ' ... (Concluded Next Snodajr