History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 15

Author: Edwards, Lewis C
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1742

USA > Nebraska > Richardson County > History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions > Part 15

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

also that at least one illegal vote was at said election and at said Falls City Precinct cast and counted by the election Board of said Precinct in Favor of said Falls City for County Seat wherefore by reason of the premises afore- said it appears that a majority of the legal votes cast at said election were cast in favor of Salem.

"And it is therefore considered adjudged and determined that at an election held in the county of Richardson and Territory of Nebraska on the Ioth day of January A. D. 1859 under the provision of an act of the Legis- lature of the Territory of Nebraska approved on the 3rd day of October A. D. 1858 entitled 'a Bill for an Act to establish permanently the County Seat of Richardson County by a vote of the people' the Town of Salem in said county was Chosen and is hereby under the provisions of said act adjudged and determined to be the County Seat of Said County.

"JAMES T. WRIGHT, County Clerk."

The foregoing is taken verbatim from the minute books of the county commissioners.

The following is taken from official minutes in county clerk's office : Salem, Richardson County, Nebraska Territory.

County Clerk's Office February 4th, 1859.

Personally appeared before me County Clerk of Richardson County, N. T. E. S. Dundy in behalf of the town of Falls City wherein they contest the election for County Seat in Richardson County, Nebraska Territory.

Because the Board of Canvassers refused to count the vote polled at the St. Stephens Precinct-Second because the said Board of Canvassers acted erroneously, illegally and without authority of law in rejecting and refusing to count the votes taken at the St. Stephens Precinct on the 10th day of January 1859.

There being no disposition taken and no witnesses present in behalf of Falls City, all they asked was that the poll books of St. Stephens Precinct be taken as evidence in the case which was agreed to and the testimony in behalf of Falls City was closed.

It was further agreed to by both parties that the matter lay over for one week for the purpose of the defense procuring further evidence and Satur- day the 19th day of February 1859 being the day appointed for that trial.

JAMES S. WRIGIIT, County Clerk.

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASK.I.

FROM OFFICIAL RECORDS.

Falls City

VS.

Rulo.

Before A. J. Deshazo County Clerk of Richardson County Nebraska Territory, on the 5th of June, 1860.

Contested election Held for County Seat of said County on 22nd May, 1860.

Now IIth August A. D. 1860 the above entitled case after having been continued from day to day for the examination of witnesses, taking testi- mony ect. came up for argument and final disposition. And after examina- tion of the testimony and the papers in the case, and the law regulating elec- tions ect. and after hearing the arguments of counsel for the parties, Plffs. and Defendants, the Clerk being fully advised in the premises, it is ascer- tained, considered and determined, decided and adjudged that Falls City received a Majority of All The Legal Votes polled at the election held in said county on the 22nd May 1860, for the location of the county seat of said county, under and by virtue of the provision of the act of the Territorial Legislature, entitled, an Act for the Location of the County Seat of Richard- son County by a vote of the People, approved 13th January 1860.

It is hereby further determined, decided and adjudged that Falls City, the Plaintiff in this case is the lawful and Permanent County Seat of Richard- son County aforesaid, it having received a majority of all the legal votes polled in said county on the 22nd May 1860, that being the last election held for the location of the same, and that Rulo the Defendant, has no lawful and valid claim to the same, as appears from the law and the evidence in the case.

This 13th day of August 1860.

A. J. DESHAZO, County Clerk.

LAST COUNTY SEAT CONTEST.

The final effort to change the county seat in Richardson county was set- tled by an election held on October 10, 1871, in response to a petition which had been presented to the county board of commissioners by citizens of Salen1. In canvassing the county for signers the Salemites represented that they wanted to make just one more effort, and that this should be the last. The

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petition was circulated in every nook and corner of the county and the parti- sans of Salem worked as they had never worked before. When a sufficient number (two-thirds) of the vote, had been obtained, the petition was pre- sented on August 31, 1871. In arranging for the election, the county board had decided to be governed in the registrations made for the election of dele- gates to the constitutional convention in May, and upon a canvass of the different precincts it was found that there were 2,421 names registered and that it would require 1,614 signers to the petition to get the election. The Salem committee found that they had only 1,587 names and asked until Sat- urday morning of that week to procure the remainder of what would be required. The request was granted and Saturday morning they again appeared with a sufficient number of signatures to bring the total to 1,650. The com- missioners thereupon ordered that an election be held as requested and desig- nated as the day, October 10, 1871.

In the intervening days was staged one of the fiercest contests in the annals of Richardson county elections. The result was as follows :

County Seat.

Arago

Barađa

Falls City

Franklin

Grant

Humboldt

Liberty

Ohio

Muddy

Nemaha

Rulo

Salem

St. Stephens

Speiser

Porter

Total

Falls City

133

470

104

103

81 6

1171

Salem

119

12 100

90 162 157

28 96

1030

Geneva

Humboldt

On October 12, 1871, the Nemaha Valley Journal, published at Falls City, had the following to say, descriptive of the election just held :

"Last Tuesday, October 10th, 1871, was another eventful day in the history of Richardson county. The question for decision was this: 'Shall the County Seat be Removed from Falls City to Salem?' Under the law it requires two-thirds of the vote polled to be given to a certain point before a removal can be effected. In this case Salem was the point, but instead of get- ting the two-thirds majority, she lacked about seventy-seven votes of getting half the vote polled.

"This virtually settles the question, and leaves Falls City as the seat of government for Richardson countv.

"There was an immense throng of people in town from early on Tuesday morning until late Wednesday evening-all extremely anxious as to the results

(II)

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

of the election, both in regard to the county-seat question and the election of county officers. Excitement ran very high, but no quarreling, and very little drunkenness was visible. The election board brought their labors to a close about daylight on Wednesday morning and the result showed four hundred and seventy for Falls City and four for Salem in the city on the county-seat question. By this time there was enough precincts heard from to show a majority in favor of Falls City. There was rejoicing among the people, and town property was declared to be worth thirty-three per cent. more than it was before the result was known, and it was resolved by unanimous consent that some store boxes should be sacrificed on Wednesday evening.

"About twenty-five new buildings are now proposed to be built imme- diately, and business men are looking about them with renewed energy.

FALLS CITY CELEBRATES.

"On Wednesday evening a large number of the leading citizens, half- grown boys, etc., congregated in front of the City Hotel at the southwest corner of the court house square (Seventeenth and Stone streets, as it is now known), and determined to have a 'blow out' on a small scale on the pros- pects of the election and the result of the county-seat vote in particular. So a huge bonfire was built and enjoyed for awhile when the 'village blacksmith' turned out his artillery and fired a national salute of thirty-seven guns in honor of the victory. George Van Deventer, Colonel Burbank and Hon. A. R. Scott were then called for, in the order of their names, and responded with appropriate remarks for the occasion. The crowd then dispersed with deaf- ening cheers for the speakers and for Falls City, the county-seat of Rich- ardson."

Commenting on the result of the election insofar as it affected the prin- cipal contestants and the people of the county as a whole, W. S. Stretch had the following to say in his paper, the Nemaha Valley Journal, under date of October 19th, 1871 :

"Our most sanguine hopes and ardent wishes in respect to the county- seat question are being realized with far greater rapidity than any one could reasonably anticipate ten days ago.

"Salem and Falls City have fought their battle nobly, bravely, persist- ently, and the verdict has been rendered in favor of the latter. The defeated army accepts the situation and is now willing to let bygones be bygones and all join hands and work together for the best interests of the county.

"John Holt, J. Cass Lincoln, and Doctor Brooke, Salem's most ardent

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

workers for ten years past-men who had thousands of dollars depending upon the issue, and who gave unsparingly of their money, time and energies, not hesitating to sacrifice personal friendships where they conflicted with their purpose, we are told, have buried the hatchet forever. There are a few, how- ever, who are unwilling to let the fire be quenched, but, fortunately, they are very few in numbers and are to be pitied rather than feared.

"All honor to Holt, Lincoln, Brooke and others, who have shown the wisdom and manliness to drop the vexations and harmful question. They have come to the conclusion that it cannot benefit Salem, and realize that it has been a great injury to themselves and the county at large. When we realize that these men have been the life and soul of the contest from its commencement, and that they have now abandoned it and withdrawn their material support and influence, it will be conceded to be a dead issue by all.

"Falls City holds no grudge against Salem for bringing all her force and influence to bear upon the vote for county seat, neither should the latter feel aggrieved at Falls City for equal vigilance and energy in maintaining what she legally possessed, for to sum up the whole thing, it was only a mat- ter of dollars and cents between the two towns. We regret, however, that much was said and done by both parties, which is calculated to irritate and do great injustice and harm to all concerned. But we are glad to know that Falls City, while she cannot help rejoicing over the victory, has no desire to detract one iota from the merits of Salem, but manifests a disposition to heal the wounds of the late conflict, and lay aside all of those local dissensions which have proven so disastrous to the development of our county for years past. She recognizes in the leading citizens of Salem a noble and manly spirit, and we can assure them and the people of the county generally that she will in the future, as she has tried to do heretofore, work for the best interests of the county, and do all in her power to elevate it to that standard of wealth, prosperity and population, where it should already stand, and ulti- mately will attain-the first in the state.

"But, however essential it is for us to dwell together in harmony, this alone will not develop, build up and beautify our country and enrich our people. We must have more substantial improvements, for without them no people ever have or ever will prosper. We want factories, railroads, county buildings, improved highways, etc., and to obtain all of these it requires money and manual labor. We are opposed to the people voting further county aids to railroads, but are very much in favor of precinct aid to rail- roads or any other public improvement or convenience. For instance, if a

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

railroad should be proposed to run via Falls City north through this county, we do not think it just to tax Humboldt or Speiser precinct in the west end to build it ; but we think it would be right and proper and highly remunerative for Falls City, Muddy, Ohio and Barada precincts to render liberal aid to the project. And we confidently expect that those precincts will be asked to aid a narrow gauge railroad from Grasshopper Falls northward through this county before two years elapse.

"We believe, too, that the people of Richardson county will be called before many months to vote a tax for the building of a court house, and when they are asked to do so, we think it will be for the best interests of every property-holder and voter of the county to support the measure. The counties all around us have good court houses, and they look upon us as penurious and miserly for not providing ourselves with proper public buildings. Let us not be sneered at any longer, for we are amply able to afford as good buildings as any county in Nebraska. We have now as good a jail as can be found in the state, and for thirty or forty thou- sand dollars on twenty-year eight per cent. bonds, we can have as good a court house. When we have, this county will soon be thickly popu- lated, and in a few years we can take our stand as the banner county in the state in point of wealth and population."

COUNTY BUI1.DINGS.

The first court house erected for that sole use was built in 1863, at a cost of three thousand dollars. It occupied the center of the public square in block No. 59, the site of the present court house and was built as per agree- ment by the citizens of Falls City made prior to the elections held to determine a location for the county seat at the time the same was removed from Salem. It was a frame structure and gave way in the days of the early seventies to the then new and now present building:

On April 20, 1872, a proposition for the issuing of twenty-five thousand dollars in coupon bonds, to be used in the building of a new court house, was sulumitted to the county commissioners in due form. The provisions of the proposal were that a building of brick and stone, two stories high, and not less than thirty-six by sixty-six feet on the ground floor and containing two fireproof vaults, should be erected. The bonds issued were to bear ten per cent interest, which was to be met by an annual special tax. The principal was to be paid in ten years time, the county retaining the right to make pay- ment at an earlier date if it seemed preferable. In accordance with this

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

proposition, the commissioners authorized an election to take place on May 13, 1872, in the several precincts. At this election the measure failed to secure a majority, and was lost.

On February 14, 1873, the Legislature passed an act enabling the pre- cinct of Falls City to issue bonds for the building of a court house of stone and brick, not less than forty-seven by eighty-five feet, and containing fire- proof vaults for the safe keeping of the county records.

In accordance with this act, a proposition was submitted to the county commissioners, who by the provisions of the act were duly authorized, and by them an election was ordered for May 13, 1873. These bonds were to be in the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, to be payable on or before the expiration of ten years, and to draw ten per cent interest, which was to be paid by a special tax, to be levied on the first of May, each year. The pre- cinct decided on the issuing of the bonds by a vote of two hundred and eighty to one hundred and fourteen. Shortly after the election, the work of remov- ing the old court house and erecting the new court house was commenced under the charge of H. E. Moritz, of Speiser township, president of the board of county commissioners, and pushed to completion.

The fifteen thousand dollars in bonds were sold for between eighty and ninety cents on the dollar, and the proceeds used for the new building. The sale of the bonds did not, however, supply sufficient means to meet the cost of completion and furnishing of the court house and as much as fifteen thon- sand dollars were raised for this purpose. Maddox had the contract for the excavation of the cellar and employed some of the county prisoners on the job while it lasted. The brick used in the construction were of home manu- facture, the same coming from the kilns of Mr. Beagle on the banks of the Nemaha. Rock for the foundation was procured, at what at that time was known as the Dundy quarries, and now owned by Doctor Minor, south of the city. These rocks were first class and the quarries still furnish an abund- ance of building material to this day. The sand used was furnished by Chris. Hershey and was procured at the Maddox and Brannin farms. Charles Loree, clerk of the district court at the present time, says that he was busy in those days hauling wood from his father's timber to the Beagle brick kilns, where it was used in burning the brick.

In 1882 further improvement was made by enlargement and the build- ing of additional rooms in wings on both the north and south side of the main building.

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

THE COUNTY JAIL.

The county jail is the most substantial structure owned by the county, being constructed entirely of stone and is located on the northeast corner of the court house square. It is arranged with the cell houses on the first floor, while the jailer and family have rooms on the second floor. It was erected in 1871 at a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars, by J. H. Burbank.

NAMING OF FALLS CITY.

It is said that many of those who had to do with the laying out and building of Falls City desired that it be named Lanesville in honor of one of its founders, a man by the name of Jim Lane. Falls City, however, was later decided upon from the fact that on account of a flood which washed away many of the homes of those then residing at a village on the banks of the Nemaha named Nemaha Falls, had come up on the higher ground and they insisted that the word falls be retained because of the name of their town and from the fact that it had been so named on account of the falls of the Nemaha river at that point. Accordingly, Falls City was chosen and has so remained as the name of the city to this day.

When Joseph Hare arrived at Salem in 1854 he found but two others had preceded him, S. H. Roberts and John Singleton.

W. T. Stout sold the land on which the town of Falls City is now located for the sum of fifty dollars. Jim Lane, of the Town Company, was the buyer.

FIRST GOVERNOR'S FIRST RECEPTION.

The first reception to Nebraska's first governor, Hon. David Butler, who was a resident of Pawnee City, was given by the citizens of Falls City, soon after he was inaugurated governor and at a time when he was a guest of Hon. E. S. Dundy, of this city, who was later a United States district judge at Omaha. Hon. Isham Reavis gave an address of welcome and Doc- tor Messler was leader of the band that furnished the music.

While on this visit the governor issued his first proclamation conven- ing the state Legislature. Judge Dundy wrote the proclamation and the governor signed it.

On the quarter century anniversary of Nebraska's statehood, R. D. Messler recalled to mind the following interesting incident in connection with the reception of the governor in Falls City on a visit made while chief

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

executive. He said "I am reminded of an interesting little circumstance of those early days when Falls City was a stage station and "Scotty" would blow his 'orn." ("Scotty" was Scotty Bradford, a driver of one of the stages owned by Squire Dorrington. )

"I was then a boy, when, walking up Stone street at the old "Dorring- ton corner," so well known to all old settlers and where now stands the Dorr- ington block (at corner of Sixteenth and Stone street) I met Hon. E. S. Dundy. He stopped and informed me that that night Falls City was to be honored as a city by the arrival of her first governor-the later great and good Governor Butler. I say great and good, for who ever knew Governor Butler intimately, but to love him for his big heart and generous nature.

"What I want," said Judge Dundy, "is to know if you can drum up some music?" I had an old fife and the judge had some drums, so we went to his little old brick law office and fished them out of the back room and by procuring a few feet of rope, fixed them so they could be used. Then the question was, who could beat them. Col. W. A. Presson happening along volunteered to hammer the bass, and I skirmished around and found some- one else to beat the snare. We then retired to the suburbs of the city (and by the way it was not far ) and practiced. Well, the music was not as fine as Gilmore's band or Thomas's orchestra, but it was the best the town afforded.

"Six o'clock came and with it the stage and in the stage, the governor. He was the guest of Judge Dundy. After supper we repaired to the resi- dence and commenced. The late Hon. Judge Marvin introduced the gov- ernor and the Hon. Isham Reavis made the speech of welcome. (Here we must make a little statement.) We as a band thought we were giving the occasion a rosewood finish with our music, when Judge Reavis apologized to the governor for our poor music on the ground that we were out of practice.

"This was the first reception of the first governor of our great state. Nebraska has had several governors since but none so good nor any with such a checkered career."

CELEBRATE RAILROAD'S COMPLETION.

At the time the Atchison & Nebraska railroad (now owned by and a part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system), from Atchison to Lin- coln was completed through to the latter place, a proper celebration of the event took place at Lincoln. The company ran an excursion from Atchison to Lincoln and prominent citizens from each of the stations along the line

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

were invited to the same. Falls City was honored with about forty invitations and the train was scheduled to leave Atchison early in the day and was timed to reach this station by 8 o'clock a. m., but failed to arrive although our dele- gation were present at the station. Many waited about the station during most of the forenoon and still the belated train did not put in its appearance. The delay caused many to forego the pleasure and they returned to their homes. Among the party was a number of young mothers who with their babes had intended to go, but among them was Mrs. Sarah Schoenheit (now Mrs. J. R. Wilhite) who changed her mind and decided to stay at home. The excursion train reached Falls City about noon. Returning to her home in the bus, she conversed with the station agent and inquired of him if she might not be able to go on the regular train which would be along about 3 o'clock as she now felt that she must not miss this historic event. The agent advised her that her ticket could be fixed so that it would be acceptable and with her baby and a small nurse girl she returned in the afternoon and made the journey, arriving at Lincoln in the evening, but not too late to enjoy most of the program arranged for the occasion. The Falls City party, who had gone on the earlier train were much surprised to see her later, but they all joined with the enormous crowd present in Lincoln that evening in making it an event memorable in the history of that city.

THE MEEK-DAVIS TRAGEDY.

In the summer of 1855, a town was surveyed out, about two and one- half miles northeast of Falls City, which was christened Archer. In the same year, at a point seven miles west of the site of Falls City, the village of Salem was platted. At that time Archer was the county seat, so designated by the Territorial Legislature, and the residents and promoters of the place felt at first secure in the idea that it would remain so, but a dispute arose over the location of the half-breed line to the east, which was a boundary line of land reserved to the Indians. To settle the misunderstanding the gov- ernment ordered a re-survey for the purpose of making corrections, if the same were found necessary. The new surveyors found an error, which caused the line to take in a goodly portion of the Archer townsite. This condition robbed Archer of any possibility of remaining the county seat at that time. The residents of Salem, therefore, sent a petition to the Terri- torial Legislature asking that the county seat be removed to that place and it was accordingly done.

In 1857 the noted Free-Soil leaders, Jim Lane, Judge Hunt, Ike Hamby

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RICHARDSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA.

and John A. Burbank took a section of land for a townsite, and had it platted and recorded as Falls City, and began the erection of improvements thereon ; but in 1859 that portion of the townsite lying on the west was vacated by a legislative act, and was taken up by the town company as individual prop- erty. Included in the land located originally were the farms of Anderson Miller and George Roy.

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History of Richardson County, Nebraska : its people, industries and institutions, Part 15

Author: Edwards, Lewis C Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1742

Author: Edwards, Lewis C
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1742