ri ' .
The Omaha Sunday Bee
OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 10, 1918.
By ROBERT J. HORTON.
,; Life is just one celebration after
mother these days.
, First it was the nVban lifted.
We had to celebrate that. Then,
after a nerve wrecking campaign, the
republicans were elected and we had
to celebrate that. Next the Daily
News declared peace and w$ were
at it again.
The Daily News with its exclusive
report about the declaring of an
Bill and Hank
Wield Caustic
TongueWhile
Plying Brush
Vouve got to hand it to these
two vocalist-painters, Bill and
Hank.
.(They've got the proper idea about
work.
" They combine art with their man
ual, labor. They mix metaphores
and split infinitives with theinpaints;
they wield the caustic tongue while
they ply the dabby brush. And
they re never late to meals.
Promptly at eight-thirty, or there
abouts, they aare on the scaffold,
paint pots handy, brushes poised,
and then
"I see where the' republicans all
1 got elected, Bill." ,
: "Sure they did. I knew they
I would. It was all a frameup letting
I the demycrats in in the first place."
I VFrameupl How d'ye make that
a put?"
STjie republicans put 'em in and
sinow the reoutflicans takpn m nut
that's all; what I mean."
"Why Bill, I never heard, that.
How'd they put 'em in?"
Business of laying the brushes on
the paint pots and taking out the
old black plug of chewing.
'It's .this way, Hank. Didn't the
republicans have that last national
election won?. Sure they did. It
was a cinch fer Hughes and then
when he was sure tbe elected the
word was passed around that war
was a pipe. So they wired out to
California, 'Lay offen him' mean
ing Hughes 'Lay offen him. It
looks like war and we don't want
the blame for it' That's how they
got. in; the republicans put 'em in.
Now they're taking 'em out."
, Dab dab dab splash 1
'"But what are they taking 'em out
for, Bill?"
"Can't depend upon 'em, ,that's
what. They're too freih. ' Look
what they've done. Why the hull
administration is getting to be an
advertising agency fer McAdoo.
If you take a trip anywhere on the
train you see McAdoo's name on the
timetable, 'you see it twice on the
ticket and the conductor mentions
it to you besides. It's on the signs
ia th vestibule 'Don't spit on the
floor McAdoo.' It's on the menus
in the-diner. Too much publicity,
that's what's killing the demycrat
party; too much publicity."
"I guess there's something in that
Bill. May.be thev is fieurine on run
ning McAdoo for president."
V "Sum they are; sure they are.
That's just what they're figuring'on
ing and they're going to get left.
5 ; e people is getting too much of
I nis name sticjcs out at em
ywhere they look.. By lection
: they'll be sick and tired of
. ' Great man and all that, but
much publicity. You know what
A'wtrrr said?"
o o
to; what'd the nigger say?"
said he wasn't going to war.
oaid they could'nt make HIM go to
war. That, was just after they set
the clocks ahead. But the other
nigger says, 'Lookye here, I guess
if the president kin take a hour
away from the 'Lord and give the
railroads to his son-in-law, he km
make you go to war!' ,He went,
too.?
Business of deep thought regis
tered by Hank.
"I got a nephew in the army,
Bill," he finally confided.
"That so, Hank? How does he
like it?"
Fine. Says it's great. You
oughta see the big muscle in his
right arm.. Ain't got much muscle
in his left, but you oughta see his
right. SOME RIGHT!"
Bill was mystified and showed it.
"What's the matter with his left.
Hank?. Withered or something,
ain't it normal?" .
"Oh, it's normal, all right. But
just normal, that's all."
"Maybe he carried his gun all the
time in his right, eh?"
"No they use both arms to carry
their guns, part time with one arm,
part time with the other.".
"Welt, it sounds' funny, to me,
Hank; more muscle in right arm
than in the left" -
"Sounded funny to me, too; so I
ast him" why 'twas."
"What did he say?" '
V'Said he got it saluting second
lieutenants!" .
Silence. Dab dab da-a-a
"WhupL Hold, pa Hank. It's
armistice sent by "the president of
the United Press" and verified by
the Ouija board lost a chance to
make some money.
People who did not suspect that
any news service or paper would
dare to perpetrate an outrage with
a fake like that celebrated accord
ingly. The "accordingly" in many
cases included a few healthy nips
at a bottle of bootleg. There were so
many who fancied this angle to the
celebration that the supply of many
bootleg dealers was speedily ex
hausted.
Missed the Big Dough.
It thereby goes without saying
that if the News had given the
bootleggers 48 hours notice that it
was going to declare peace the
bootleggers would have been glad
to kick in with a wad of dough for
the privilege of being able to stock
up in advance.
The trouble with the News "peace
offensive" was that the News got
cold feet after it started and quit.
If it had kept right on with its
United Press and Ouija board
"news" reports it could have sold aj
kinds of papers on Friday and Satur
day as well as on Thursday.
Nothing like the kind of "news"
which the News printed Thursday
to pad circulation.
Friday Possibilities.
For instance on Friday it could
have described the arrival of the re
turned peace envoys in Berlin. That
would have been great stuff for the
noon edition.
"All Germany Cheers as Peace
Envoys Return 15,000 Dead."
"That would have made a great
headline the ''15,000 dead" being
added to give it more pep.
For the first afternoon eaitiort it
could have sprung this:
KAISER ABDICATES
And in its United Press-Ouija
Board account it could have de
scribed a tempestuous scene in the
Reichstag with the kaiser hurling
his crown into the midst of the
scores trying to get at him with
razors and everything and running
for his life.
Then for its late afternoon edi
tion it could have run this:
KAISER FLEES BERLIN
Copenhagen, Nov. 8 (Via Quija
Board.) Former Emperor Wil
liam has fled with the empress
and 1,800 trunks to Switzerland.
The former kaiser is pursued by
nine (9) divisions of his former
troops. The great palace at Pots
dam was wrecked by the explo
sion of a limberger bomb at 2:10
(German time) and the revolu
tionists are shooting iron crosses
out of cannons at the fleeing ex
king of Prussia.
It would not have been necessary
to state that the former kaiser had
reached any destination. This pre
caution would leave the way cle'ar
for a. night extra stating that he had
been killed when his train was
blown to atoms within two and a
half miles of the Switzerland fron
tier and safety.
Chance for Winter.
A smart young reporter in the
News office could have done some
splendid descriptive writing on this j
feature. The speeding train the
kaiser standing with the .empress !
in his arms on the observation
platform the engineer straining
every nerve eight firemen (former
servants in the palace of Pots
dam) shoveling in the coal the
great columns of black smoke
marching across the sky in the
train's wake the bursting shells
the frontier in the near distance
with a few ex-barons standing with
outstretched arms waiting to re
ceive the deposed ruler and then
the blast!
The News missed a chance there.
On Saturday it could have shaken
up its Ouija board and taken a dif
ferent tack.
789 TRUCKS REQUIRED TO
HAUL FIRST INSTALLMENT
OF GERMAN INDEMNITY TO
ALLIED BANKS.
Then thev could have told .how
far the vast sum would reach if put
into thousand dollar bills and
stretched out, and how many times
larger than the Washington monu
ment is would be if piled up in
twenty-dollar gold pieces.
In the afternoon they could have
put it on a ship and for a rousing
night extra have sunk the vessel.
TREASURE SHIP SUNK!
would have made a striking extra
and would have sounded good called
by newsies in the residence section.
What About Hindy?
Also they had the Crown Prince
and Hindenburg and all the rest
of the military autocrats to fall
back on.
Why, just think of it!
They could have hung the Crown
Prince to the statue of Bismarck
in Berlin; thrown Ludendorff into a
deep, dark, smelly, dungeon; staged
a wild automobile race for the Hol
land frontier with two of the
kaiser's sons in the front seat (one
driving, to give it a human touch)s
and Hindenburg in the back seat
holding the pursuing rebels at bay
with a machine gun in each hand.
What a chance
Why, the News fell down some
thing awful!
' Also they had the submarine com
manders for material.
. ALLIESHANG 300
U-BOAT COMMANDERS
Rojv of Scaffolds 22 Miles Long
Required for Wholesale
Executions.
The people would have ate that
up no matter whether it came by
United Press or via the Ouija
Board. That story alone would have
told 10,000 extra papers.
And the American troops.
They could have had Pershing
crossing the Rhine just as Washing
ton crossed the Delaware. They
could have captured Metz as a minor
detail with one crisp sentence.
They could have put down the bol
sheviki on Monday; made the sul
tan commit suicide on Tuesday;
buried the kaiser, or what was left
of him after that horrible blast, re
remember? on Wednesday; brought
him to life again on Thursday by
printing that it wasn't the kaiser at
all on that train but a dummy, and
then thev could have gone to it for
a week hunting down and killing the
real kaiser, who was somewhere in
hiding for his life.
No, there is no use arguing; tne
News quit cold on its great United
Press-Ouija board "scoop."
It had a great chance and it bun
gled it. .
But for what it DID do it is go-
f . . . . . -1- 1 Mt
ing to nnd it pretty mucn upniu
work to make peace with the public.
America Ending the War,
Writes an English Woman
In a letter to her cousin, Mrs. J.
J. Murphy 507 North Forty-first
street, Mrs. Mary Foley of
Cheshire, England, a munition
worker, pays high tribute to the
Americans. This Englishwoman is
an acetylenei welder, making the
bodies of aerial bombs. Following
the death of her brother, killed in
action, Mrs. Foley enlisted in the
service of her country. Speaking
of the Americans, she says:
"Anyway, it's all true, only we
can never do the Americans enough
justice for what they are doing for
us. I cannot speak too highly of
them. They are surely ending the
war for us, the papers are full of
President Wilson and say he has
Germany in the hollow of his hand.
God bless him, and good luck to
him. I was talking to a soldier over
from France and he said if the
Americans had not come in we
would have been driven out of
France, as our men were retreating
30 miles a day, leaving everything
behind them. He says that they
have done some good work and he
said such fine chaps. Everyone is
excited today, they say its almost
over. Everyone you meet is too
full for words and bursts out crying
when they try to talk of it. What
would we have done if the Ameri
cans had not come. God knows!
"I have so much faith in t he
Americans; ever since they came I
had the feeling they would soon
end it. Now everyone is praying,
expecting the end, so I pray God
will see justice done and end it
quick. I am glad you got the pic
ture of us at work; I thought the
censor would not let it pass.
"My eyes are all right, don't feel
any effect of the work and they
like my work here; if there is any
special job, they get me to do it.
The bombs we make are 250 pounds,
and we made a new sort this week.
A sample of 12 of these weigh 330
pounds each. There was only the
charge hand on them, being a
sample they got me to help and I
welded round eight of the bodies
of the bombs. They stand higher
than myself when finished, have
four wings at one end., Should one
drop on the kaiser he wouldn't
have any hair left for the soldiers
to get a lock of when they reach
him."
A Sporty Lion.
A party of sportsmen had been out all
day big game hunting and aa they rested
after their day's labora they spun yarns.
"Last time I was out hene on this
game," said the quiet man, "B met a mag.
nlflcent lion almost face to flee. With a
terrible roar the beast spranglat me, but
Just missed his aim by jiimplng two
feet too high. Disappointed, it dashed
away Into the woods. The next day we
set out to track the beast down and at
last came upon It In an open space In the
Jungle er practicing low Jumps." Bal
timore American,
DEMAND.
Among the armistice terms should
be a provision that Germany pay for
the damage to the court house lawn.
We Inquire.
Suppose the Germans do depose
the kaiser what is to prevent him
from resuming his throne after
peace?
Of All Things!
Once we had a dream and we
dreamed that President Wilson had
done something that suited ex-President
Roosevelt. Wasn't that a ri
diculous dream?
No! No!
The new premier of Japan started
his business life as a newspaper
man. Not all newspaper men, how
ever, become premiers.
What Are They?
We read something about the
winter styles in "cravats" and
'great coats" in a haberdasher's
journal. Did you ever hear a man
speak of his "cravat" or his "great
coat?" NORTH FROM FARNAM
Farnam Douglas Dodged into the
Capitol building and sat on the Dav
enport. He had just traveled from
Chicago to California. His friend,
Webster Burt met him as he was
Cuming. He had been Cald-well. In
the Parkrer-public square they met
Grace, a Blond-o' drug store type.
Er-Skin-e was clear and she looked
Spruce. They went out to the Lake.
"Miami! Look at the Locust and
Maple trees," cried Grace.
'"Emmett! A Fowl-er a Burd-et-te
my Sprague fishbait," said Burt.
"Not a single Sahler on the lake,"
said Grace.
"And I don't see any Jaynes, ex
cept Mary and Ida," said Douglas.
A Gust swept through the Laurel
and Reed but it wasn't a Wrhit-more
violent than usual in Kansas and
Nebraska.
They picked up a large Stone and
Made a Firestone and roasted some
Brown Saratoga chips. A passing
Carter gave them a lift later to the
Fort.
You have to Grant that they had
a Grand time.
By Frank Carey.
Frank Carey is going to buy a
cow that gives fresh buttermilk and
plant a whole carload of egg trees
when he goes farming next spring.
OFFICE HUMOR.
"A FINE, not to exceed $10,
000, or IMPRISONMENT, not
to exceed 20 years, or BOTH
will be imposed on any person
convicted of cutting these files."
This notice, written by some
mute, inglorious humorist, ap
pears over the files of old pa
pers in The Bee office.
Mathematics Defied.
"More than 11 tons of glass were
needed to complete the design and
the window will weigh, when placed,
over one ton," says the Chicago
Trib. in describing a big church
window. And still, scientists con
tend that the whole is greater than
any of its parts.
MIDDLE MONICKERS.
The parents of Theodore McCul
lough, associate editor of The Bee,
were forward-looking people when
they gave him the middle name,
Wilson. Managing Editor Sturgess
is yclept Thomas Fred Sturgess.
The middle monicker of Charlie
Thomas, city editor, is Ladd. And
Victor Rosewater, editor-in-chief,
hasn't any middle name at all.
WARNING!
Kissing in crowds fil more than
12 people should be avoided. It
may spread the '"flu."
Lou Loony Says
Did you ever observe that, in go
ing west, on Farnam street let us
say, after leaving Sixteenth street,
you come to Seventeenth and so on
up; while in going east from Twen
tieth street, for example, the succes
sive streets reached are in exactly
the reverse order. Curious, is it not?
Do You Belong?
"The Euphemia Sodality of Beati
tude" is the name rudely printed on
a sign at 116 North Tenth street.
SHAME ON YOU GUYS!
We decline even to smile with
those who laugh at the sign on the
Woman's War Work building, "This
WAR could not have been
FOUGHT without the WOMEN."
We Propose a Toast
Here's to the girl who sticks to her
home town position in spite of the
romance of a job in Washington,
London or Paris.
A CTIY OF DESPAIR.
We know there are girls as pretty
as those on the magazine covers
but we never saw a man as nifty
looking as the men in the clothing
ads speshly the colored ones. We
mean the colored ads, not men.
By Hugo Castberg.
There are lots of Omaha men who
go "over the top" every day and
think nothing of it. Who are they?
Why, the barbers.
The days before automobiles were
like a certain vegetable. Yes, those
days were in the cab-age.
What Are We Coming To?
In the year 1890 there was not a
single automobile accident in Oma
ha. This year there have already
been scores of such accidents.
"It's An 111 Wind "
Albert Tightwad of the South
Side says the "flu" closing order was
a good thing. He saved $3.48, he
figures as follows:
Himself and Katie to th Orpheum
twice (including war tax) IM0
Himself and Katie to downtown
movie twice (Including war tax)... .8
Carfare to and from theaters 40
Total
"Oh, it's six billion dollars that
theyvraised! I thought it was six
million," we heard a woman exclaim
on the street car.
It took the "flu" to add the wind- -less
political campaign to all our
other "less" days.
Air Mail Pilot Who May Fly
Here Tells Experience
The first New York to San Fran
cisco air flight will probably be
made bv Edward V. Gardner, ac
cording to information received by
Arthur 1 nomas, manager ot the bu
reaa of publicity, Chamber of Com
merce Gardner and l nomas
passed their boyhood days in a small
town in northern Illinois and had
lost track of each other until recent
ly. Gardner, in his letter,' to Thomas,
i(ik ouvms io Npaflyi Towns
Decatur ranks foremost among
Nebraska towns having a wealth of
history, and yet it may in truth be
stated that it is one of the least
known hereabouts, probably because
it is not on a railroad line.
Located in the northeast corner
of Burt county, nearly 60 miles up
river from Omaha, it continues to
move and have its being without
rail transportation, although it has
had many rail lines on paper. The
sound of a locomotive whistle has
never been heard in the town, but
that is another story.
This town takes its place in Ne
braska history chiefly on account
of the burial place of Chief Black
bird, on Blackbird hill; also on ac
count of Commodore Stephen De
catur, an unique character of the
early days, whose name the com
munity adopted more than 60 years
ago.
Founded 63 Years Ago.
Decatur was established in 1855
by the Decatur Town and Ferry
company, among whose members
were Peter A. Sarpy, Ben R. Fol
som, Stephen Decatur and W. B.
Beck. During 1857 the Porter
house opened its doors as the first
hostelry and in that year Peter
Sarpy, C. Lambert, John Chase, Dr.
Horner, Dr. McDougal and Brown
& Co. announced their readiness to
traffic in merchandise or render their
professional services. Sarpy already
had been identified with the business
life of Bellevue. The first birth rec-l
ord was of Margueretta Decatur
Wilson and the first deceased was
John Gardner. Capt. S. T. Learning
was the first mayor. Lambert was
associated with Kit Carson, famous
scout who guided the Fremont ex
ploring expedition.
Could Have Had Railroad.
iThis town could have had a rail
road if it would have accepted a
stub. line 42 years ago, from Teka
mah, but it has been waiting for an
east and west trunk line from Iowa
and is willing to wait until it gets
what -it wants. Business is going
on as usual with steamboats on the
Missouri and automobile lines be
tween Tekamah. Sixty years ago
Stephen Decatur had a survey made
J
jAjl jajfaa4 line, at a time whealin 1880. at the, tgcoi8jL
this commonwealth had a great and
glorious future, but that line did not
materialize. When the first pas
senger train steamed into Tekamah
on August 30, 1876, Decatur might
have joined in the celebration which
thrilled Burt county. The town has
been heard of more or less during
the last few years in connection
with steamboat traffic being devel
oped with the port of Omaha. Ship
ments have been made between De
catur and Omaha by boat and until
somebody feels inclined to give De
catur a trupk rail line, water trans
portation and automobiles will suf
fice. Forty odd years ago railroad
officials went from Omaha to De
catur to importune the citizens to
vote for an extension, but the east-and-west
propagandists waged a
successful campaign against Deca
tur being made a stub line station.
They wanted ta trunk line or noth
ing. They received the latter.
Commodore Stephen Decatur.
The namc-of Commodore Stephen
Decatur stands out in bold relief in
Nebraska history. For a time he
had charge of the Sarpy trading post
in Bellevue, where he read a burial
service over the body of Chief
Logan Fontenelle of the Omahas.
His early meanderings in this coun
try were attended by mystery, but
it was later determined that his
name was Stephen Decatur Bross,
brother of Lieutenant Governor
Bross of Illinois, who was proprietor
of the Chicago Tribune. Decatur
married the widow of Mr. Thomp
son, who had been editor of "The
Bugle," in Council Bluffs. During
the summer of 1857 he took his vife
and her three children to Decatu.,
where he settled on Decaturs
Claim," still known as "Decatur's
Springs." He went to Colorado
during the gold rush in 1859, served
in the civil war, and then published
The Mirror," in Georgetown, Colo,
He served as commissioner from
Colorado at the Centennial exposi
tion, Philadelphia, where he wasone
of the striking characters, being fol
lowed by curious .crowds wherever
he went. He lived many years
alone in a .cabin which he erected
in a wild spot, dying in Colorado
John A. MacMurphy wrote these
lines of Decatur:
"Among the characters who
figured in the early history of Ne
braska, and served to give force
and piquancy to its frontiier days,
was one calling himself Stephen De
catur, and as he claimed to be a
nephew of the old original Commo
dore Decatur, the title of 'commo
dore' was tacked to his name. As
'Commodore Decatur,' he cut a wide
swath at times. He claimed to have
come here from Jackson county,
Missouri, and to have served in the
Mexican war with Donovan's famous
Missouri regiment, and I think this
was true. About the first that was
known of him here, he was one
of Sarpy's employes at the old
trading post, and afterwards at
Bellevue. He could speak the lan
guages of the Omahas, Poncas, Pot
tawattamies and Sioux. (
A story has been told, that while
Decatur was secluding himself in
the Colorado mountains, Horace
Greeley, Vice President Schuyler
Colfax and William Bross, then bead
of the Chicago Tribune, were on a
continental journey, when Bross ex
pressed his intentions of endeavor
ing to locate a long-lost brother.
Bross is said to have told his com
panions that he had traced the
brother several times and that he
believed the brother was a hermit.
The meeting between Bross and De
catur has been recorded as not al
together satisfactory to the former,
but after that occasion the identity
of Decatur was generally accepted
as' being Stephen Decatur Bross,
brother of the distinguished man
from Illinois.
Decatur Saved Neil.
Decatur played a heroic role on
the occasion of .the fatal stabbing
of Tecumseh Fontenelle by his
brother-in-law, Louis Neil, who
married Susan Fontenelle. Tecum
seh and Susan were brother and
sister of Chief Logan Fontenelle.
Neil and his wife at jhe time were
living on the half-breed reservation
along the Nemaha river, and had
been invited to visit Tecumseh at
the reservation of the Omahas,
north of Decatur. A previous es-
XtrajgejaejheJjTjuefe indj
Neil had .been settled by the ex
change of presents, according to the
Indian custom. They drove from
the reservation to Decatur, where
they drank to excess, returning to
their homes in a quarrelsome mood.
Arriving at the tent of his host, Neil
was attacked by Tecumseh and
probably would have been killed if
Susan had not poured hot grease
from a pan over the back of her
brother. Neil then inflicted a fatal
wound on Tecumseh, was hurried to
Pecatur by friends, and was fol
lowed by the enraged Omahas. Wise
heads persuaded the Indians to sus
pend judgement until Decatur could
be summoned. The ,commodore
saved the situation by promising the
Indians that Neil would be taken to
Omaha, delivered over to the Indian
agent anxi tried according to the
white man's law.
Decatur adjudicated many dis
putes among the Indians, his con
nection with Sarpy giving him add
ed prestige. He had a dignfied per
sonality, a short, commanding fig
ure and flashing eyes deeply set be
neath unusually long eyebrows. He
affected a picturesque manner of
dress which harmonized with his
physical characteristics.
Blackbird Hill.
The chief point of historical in
terest near Decatur is Blackbird hill,
a commanding prominence 'which
offers a view of many miles along
the river. Upon this hill, Black
bird, chief of the Omahas, watched
for the Spanish and French traders
who came from the south in their
boats laden with wares. He died in
1800, a victim of smallpox, and was
buried on this hill, which has been
visited by many prominent men of
the nation. In 1832, Catlin, famed
as traveler and painter, dug into a
gopher hill while visiting this his
toric spot and found the skull of
Blackbird. When he returned to
Washington he placed the skull in
the t,Smithsonian institute, where
it found a permanent resting place.
Audubon, in 1843, visited the hill
and referred to it in his memoirs.
Chief Blackbird is said to have
been the first Nebraska Indian
whose name is known to the whites.
His tribal name was Washinga-sah-ba
and he has been referred to as a
brave, skillful warrior who wielded
an uncanny influence over his peo
ple. It has been said of him that
he was invincible and diabolical,
credited with many exploits in Rat
tle and believed by the Indians to
have been possessed of prescience.
i jjThc. cride. and boast, bUJnti
and the terror and detestation of
others" is a quoted reference to this
famous chief. The Omahas gained
their greatest renown and prosper
ity during his chieftaincy. Of him
it might have been written, "If any
body wants to know who is boss
around here, just start something."
Blackbird was the first chief of the
Omahas to enter into treaty nego
tiations with ' the government of
Spain. The first treaty between this
chief and the Spanish governor gen
eral of Louisiana was signed at
New Orleans May 12, 1796, the orig
inal document being in the posses
sion of the Nebraska State Histor
ical society.
One day the Poncas started some
thing and to their sorrow
learned that Blackbird was boss.
Realizing defeat, the Ponca chief
dispatched a herald, bearing the cal
umet, the pipe of peace. They did
not write peace notes in those days.
Instead of accepting the pipe and
smoking it to express a desire for
peace, Blackbird ordered the herald
shot. Another herald met the same
fate. Then the Ponca chief sent
forth his beautiful daughter, ar
rayed in bewitching garments. That
touched the romantic nature of the
stern warrior, who established the
Ponca maiden as his favorite wife.
Buried on Blackbird Hill.
When Blackbird realized that the
end of his earthly journey was near,
he requested his attendants to bury
him on the hill which bears his
name. The Omahas bore his body
from the reservation to Decatur and
with impressive ceremonies buried
him astride of his favorite white
horse. A description of that mem
orable event relates that with the
chief were buried his shield and
quiver and tobacco pouch with a
plentiful supply, his flint and steel,
and many scalps he had taken from
his victims. He was in the full dress
of a chief, with eagle plumes and
the banner of his rank. For years
the Indians observed the custom of
placing food'and drink at the grave,
that the warrior might have suste
nance in the happy hunting ground.
Blackbird was succeeded by Big
tElk,Who was buried on Elk hill,
the present site qf Bellevue college.
One of the residents of Decatur
is Eugene Fontenelle, nephew of
Chief Logan Fontenelle and son of
Henry Fontenelle.
Paul DeMilt Local Character.
One of the local characters is A.
Paul DeMilt, who married his sec
ond cousin, Emily, a daughter of
Henry. r Fontenel.le, PeMj j a
grandson of Amelia Lockett, who
was a sister of Lucien Fontenelle.
Mrs. Lockertt and Fontenelle were
childrj of the Marquis du Fonte
nelle, who was secretary of war to
King Louis XVI of France. Lu
cien Fontenelle was the first of his
line to travel into this territory
during the early days to trade with
the Indians. He married a maiden
of the Omahas and his children
were: Logan, Tecumseh, Henry,
Albert anil Susan.
A few years after the death of
Henry Fontenelle, DeMilt came
west with a desire to find his rela
tives. Most of his life has been
spent with the Indians, but he is a
man of unusual intelligence. He has
written many verses, was author of
"The Story of an Old Town," and
is an inveterate student of Shake
speare, having memorized many
lines of the great bard. His travels
have taken him to the newspaper
offices of New York, Chicago, St.
Louis, New Orleans and Washing
ton, as printer and writer. During
the last 25 years he has lived 'n
Burt county and has made his home
near or with the Fontenelles in De
catur. DeMilt's Sketch of Himself.
A few weeks ago DeMilt wrote
the following sketch of himself: "My
father was a member of the cele
brated Pickwick club of New Or
leans. This was the most famous
club in the United States during
the ante-bellum days; that is, the
days before the civil war. Its mem
bers werej the pick of the northern
and the southern blue-blood. And I
would like to say that in those days
a man had to be a gentleman to
enjoy the society of a lady. My
father was a paper and twine sales
man, with headquarters in iew
York City, his working territory
the United States and his salary
$10,000 per year, besides a com
mission and all expenses paid.
"In the evening my father played
the guitar and sang to my mother
and the children. His voice was
sweet and low. My mother was a
gifted singer, receiving her musical
education in Paris. Her voice was
strong, sweet and clear. She was
also a gifted musician. My. moth
er's father was Judge Lockett, a
noted lawyer of New Orleans, and
during the last years of his life a
member of the supreme court of the
state of Louisiana. My maternal
grandmother was the daughter of
the Marquis du Fontenelle of
France. My father's mother and
father were just olain. common folks
of the backwoods pineries of Flee-
m
wrote that he expected to pass
oyer Omaha on his flight. He re
cently made a daylight flight from
Chicago to New York. He de
scribed the flight in a letter to his
mother, a copy of which was -i.nl
'to Mr. Thomas. In the letter he
wrote:
"On the morning of September
10th I went to Grant park to get
ready for my trip. A steady down
pour of rain, clouds and gloom was
all that welcomed me in the sky,
but my determination to eat sup
per in New York could not beto''.
ered with weather conditions, so at
6:25 a. m. I was New York bound.
Rain and clouds were so dense that
I would lose sight of the ground
at 400 feet of altitude. I headed
across lower Lake Michigan directly
for Grayj Ind., with a head wind of
22 miles an hour.
" Flies Above Storm.
"From there I flew a compass
course of 104 deg ees which landed
me at Bryan, Ohio, at 8:45. Took
on 38 gallons gas and 9 quarts oil.
Left Bryan at 9:26. Still raining,
heavy haze and fog. Climbed to an
altitude of 7,800 feet and flew a di
rect compass course of 92 degreesi
After flying for an hour and 30
minutes in sunshine ;.bove the
storm, I came down to get my
bearings and was on the shore of
Lake Erie, directly on my course.
Landed at Cleveland at 11:16. Had
lunch, took on gas and oil. We
were delayed one hour and 54 min
utes getting filled up with gas. Left
Cleveland at 1:12, clouds breaking
ind clear weather ahead
Arrives Over New York.
Left Lock Haven at 5:45, clear
sky, and flew a compass course of
104 degrees over mountain ranges
and beautiful levees. Flew two
"hours, when dusk set in. Checking
myseit on tne map. i was oireciiy
over Jersey City, and Reh.iont not
more than 20 minutes on my way.
By this time New York was
lighted up and a most wonderful
sight. New York at my right and
back, Belmont should be close, but
all lights looked alike. By this time
it was 8 o'clock and pitch dark. My
next thoughts were of Mineola Fly
ing field.
"I picked a field that looked cleaf
of trees and buildings. Could not
tell condition of field, whether it
was level or a stone quarry. I came
down to a level with the tree tops
started to level, .when I felt a
crash, my landing gear gone. Bobbed
on the ground with fusilage until
over on my back I went at 8:12 p.
m., with a record run of 7 hours
and 46 minutes, flying time, the only
ship flown through in one day from
Chicago to New York. But I can
say it is an unpleasant place to be,
over New York, unfamiliar with
landing places and pitch dark. But
I felt that all should profit by my
experience, and every hangar and
flying field in the United States
should be equipped with star rock
ets and signal Tights for an emer
gency such as I was in.
1 i'Ksmm ypAsoj?..