THE COURIER
5
ODD a BITS a OF
NEBRASKA a LIFE
i u
No desertion could be more shame
less. A husband abandoned his wire
after she had treated him and com
forted him through a siege of smallpox,
all this after she had squandered over
$600 of her money in addition to living
by the earnings of her toil. Mrs. Oscar
A. Trumbull, of Hastings, is the so
man's name. All tired out and weak
from her vigils by his sick bed, she
felt the need of his assistance for once
in earning a living. "When she would
have rested she found her husband
missing. He had gone to Omaha, ap
parently with no purpose to come back.
She wrote the police there and they
learned that he had been at Fort Crook
contemplating enlistment but had gone
away.
A tramp at Madison recently did his
part to sustain the tradition that a
bum has no love for water. He had
been hired by a farmer not far from
town. Unkept and dirty he was tak
en right from the road because of a
rush of work. With a feeling next to
horror the lady of the house gazed at
his rags and sooty skin. She did not
want such a creature to snuggle be
tween the white sheets of any bedroom
In the house. Telling her husband so
at the first opportunity, she had him
place a tub of water with a change of
O.
St3.
. K'
GEORGE W. MARSH.
The school of practical experience in the affairs of life turns out the
largest number of and the best graduates. To successfully administer a
great public trust is a problem that taxes every resource of a disciplined
mind, a brain trained not in the college or the narrow confines of a
single profession, but in the great university of practicality. The strong
est and best men in public life" in the past have come from the school
house and the farm, and as long as these molds of the people remain un
broken we may expect the same high quality of officials.
George W. Marsh, who has for the past year and a half administered
with fidelity and Intelligence the affairs of the office of secretary of
state, has had a career that will interest the ambitious young man of
today. It is not a career in which there are mountain peaks of achieve
ment, but one which points to the rewards that earnest endeavor, faith
fulness to a trust and hard work are sure to bring. Mr. Marsh was born
in Missouri in 1852. Seven years later his parents removed to Richard
son county, Nebraska, and there has been his home ever since. His
earlier years were passed on the farm. His education was that of the
common school, supplemented by two years at the state normal school.
For several years he taught school, afterwards going back to farming.
Later he became a resident of Falls City and embarked in the drug busi
ness. In 18S6 he was elected county clerk. He served two terms and so
satisfactory had been his administration that he was made county
treasurer, a position he held four years. Some years ago his fellow-citi-zehs
made him mayor of his home city. .
For a number of years Mr. Marsh was editor of the Falls City Jour
nal, and still retains an interest in that expositor of public opinion.
In 1900 Mr. Marsh was prominently brought forward as a candidate for
secretary of state, a nomination that came to him without much effort.
In the succeeding election he received one of the largest majorities of
any republican candidate.
Mr. Marsh is a member of five different state boards, and the duties
appertaining to these, in addition to the routine of his own office, fill his
hours completely. One of these boards has complete control of all of the
state Institutions, and the practical experience of Mr. Marsh, combined
with his grasp of the business" problems presented, has had much to do
with the orderly administration of these institutions, the reduction of expense,-"
- " " "institution of quiet for turmoil.
clothing in his allotted room. He has
not been seen since. Not a sound was
heard when he made the discovery but
before morning plastering was found
to have fallen from the celling of the
room below his and later the tub was
discovered upside down. The "water
cure," even by hint, was more than
that poor wight could endure.
Wolves are still plentiful In the state,
despite the swaths cut by civilization.
Hardly a paper Is issued fiom the rural
press that does not relate the capture
of one or more of these animals. The
record of scalps brought In for the
bounty was broken In Nemaha county
the other day when $105 from this fund
was paid to farmers who brought in
scalps to the number of thirty-five.
A shrewd man Is the Nebraska wolf
hunter. His brains are proved In the
fact that he brings in the testimonials
principally and generally solely of
young animals. The old ones are
spared. Thus the chance of succeed
ing litters Is not sacrificed. Three dol
lars is the price paid for the scalps of
young animals while the old ones com
mand a little more. A short time ago
five cubs were caught by S. C. Bucy
and family of Tekamah In a rather In
teresting manner. The only trouble
W. BLINCH.
It was the good fortune of W. B. Llnch. secretary of the Farmers
Mutual Insurance company, to have been born and reared In Nebraska.
He Is not a bit grieved over It. His birth place wus a farm near Ne
hawka, In Cass county; the date, November IS, 1866. He remained there
until In his seventeenth year, when he removed with his parents to
York, Nebraska. This was in 1883. In York he attended college most of
the time until 1889. when he went to Greencastle. Ind. There he attended
DePauw university for two years. While yet a Junior his eyes failed
him and he was forced to quit.
In February, 1891. Mr. Llnch came to Lincoln. Real estate occupied
his attention until In the fall of that year when he helped organize the
Farmers' Mutual Insurance company, writing the first policies that were
taken out in" that company. In 1892, three months after Its organization,
lie was made its secretary, which position he has held since that time.
Its growth has been wonderfully rapid, and at this time it has Insurance
In force to the amount of over $44,000,000. It Is exclusively for farmers
and Is the largest company In any single state insuring farm property
against fire, lightning and tornado. Mr. Llnch also helped In the organi
zation of the Mercantile Mutual, and Is also secretary of that company.
It carries about $6,000,000 insurance and has been In operation for four
years. He Is also secretary-treasurer of the National Association of Co
operative Mutual Insurance companies, having been first elected at the
meeting held in Chicago. The following year he was re-elected at the
meeting at Indianapolis, Ind. He was also re-elected at Columbus, Ohio,
and again this year at the meeting In St. Paul, Minn.
On March 31, 1892, Mr. Llnch was married to Alice Z. Cooley. They
have two children, a son and a daughter. The residence Is a beautiful
house at 2638 South Ninth street, where he has resided since his mar
riage. The office of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance company Is at 130
North Thirteenth street.
Mr. Llnch has been a member of the Odd Fellows since he was
twenty-one years of age. and is also a member of the Woodmen. Royal
Highlanders and Maccabees.
He has always been an ardent republican, and is a candidate for the
state legislature from the Fifth ward.
-
J
was that his wife, who stood guard
with the shot gun. failed In nerve and
retreated. They were driving to town
when one of the children spied the
beast in a pasture. Watching it they
saw it enter Itsv lair. Then getting a
shot gun they laid siege. While Mr.
Bucy plied the spade the others stood
sentry with the gun. Deeper and deep
er went the hole. Suddenly out came
the mother wolf, snapping and snarling
fiercely. They couldn't stand It, the
women, and they ran. So did the wolf.
Mr. Bucy snatched the gun and took
one shot at it but could not nail it.
Still a little deeper he came upon the
little ones.
Wise farmers live near Tecumseh.
They are favored with rural free deliv
ery and about sixteen of them now get
their mail from a wheel at a cross
roads. This saves the carrier a good
many steps and is unique in the bar
gain. The wheel Is part of a defunct
wagon. It turns upon a pole of medium
height. At the end of each spoke is the
box of a farmer. When the carrier
comes he gives the thing a twist and
brings the boxes he wants right to his
nose.
The population of Adams has had the
pleasure of viewing a two headed calf
that was a native product. Just as
the owners were completing the air
castles of wealth they would garner tn
the presentation of a traveling exhibi
tion, the strange beast up and died.
Though the freak had but one mouth
it appeared to possess two skulls. Four
eyes enabled It to see and four ears,
the inner ones welded to a considerable
extent, furnished it auricular connec
tion with the outside world. It was the
progeny of a cow owned by W. E. Bry
son of Adams. He gave It to a couple
of young men of the place and
when It died they took the pelt to Ne
braska City to have It stuffed.
An aged, gnarled elm tree at Arbor
Lodge, the home of J. Sterling Morton,
has attracted a good deal of attention
for a peculiarity that happens to be a
hint of the wilderness. Years ago a
big limb was amputated. To see Its
stump at a certain angle Is to behold
a remarkable resemblance of a wild
cat, crouching as if to spring. The
formation is strange enough to display
a rough outline of the fur of the ani
mal. Is a rattlesnake one of God's creat
ures? If so Is a preacher of the gospel
Justified in killing it-? A little while
ago Rev. Mr. Croker of Grant took a
trip into the country. On his return to
the town his quick eye discerned a rat
tlesnake on the ground. He was then
six miles from home. Here was his
chance to commit slaughter. With
buggy whip In hand he proceeded to be
in at the death. Hardly had the whip
cracked twice when the horse took
fright and Jogged off at a rapid clip.
Here the preacher was in a pickle. He
tried to catch his horse but was not
fleet enough. Then he returned to fin
ish the snake and it had crawled ofT
out of sight. It would at least hav
been a relief to have had something
besides the bare ground to slash.
Pensively the divine trudged home
(Continued on page nine.)