USA > Nebraska > Seward County > History of Seward County, Nebraska, and reminiscenses of territorial history > Part 12
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They went to Camden first on track of Parker. Parker had smelled a rat and was not at home that dark night. They
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
rapped hard at the cabin door. They were informed that Mr. Parker was not there, but Major Philpot would not believe that his bird had flown. So it was determined to search the house, and indiscreetly the major allowed his enthusiasm to get the better of him and he rushed wildly (as the story goes) into a bed-room where the hired girl (Mrs. Dan Harris) was sleeping or in bed at least, and savagely jerked the bed clothes off the bed. This was considered such an out- rage that if the Camden folks or the Seward folks had got hold of that sleek young lawyer before their blood had cooled, we would give but little for all that had remained of him. Parker had learned of what was going on and had made his way to Seward and put Imlay on his guard. It seems there was a case of some kind on the calender at Judge Maine's court away in the northeast corner of the county, and Parker and Imlay were interested in it and they went over there. The sheriff and posse were hot on their trail. It is said a cowardly sneak in Seward given Parker and Imlay away.
Judge Maine's court was in session when the mob rushed in upon them and captured their game, and started for Lincoln with them. At this juncture of the game, John D. Olney mounted a horse and came to the Seward settlement post haste. It had been a rainy day. It was now about dark when our boys rallied at Moffitt's cabin.
The night was fearfully dark, but about a dozen of us resolved to go to the rescue even if we had to wade mud neck deep. The night was dark as Egypt. Some of us were on horseback, but a footman had to lead with a lantern. We went away around by the Oakgrove settlements and rallied them to our assistance. Just at the early dawn in a drizzling rain we reached Lincoln wet, weary and with blood in the eye. We were well along in the mad state when we started and the long weary tramp through rain and mud had put us in good fighting trim. We outnumbered the Milford crowd, and we had a better supply of war paint. We seemed to have the sympathy of the Lincoln folks, and we had our own way on the streets and our Milford friends raised no objections. Bye and bye Judge Cadman opened his court. Our folks employed Judge S. B. Pound, then just a
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young man, to defend the prisoners. He seemed to get right down to business and made a most eloquent plea against Judge Cadman's jurisdiction, but Cad, as we called him, said no, I never let game go when I have hold of it. He held to his jurisdiction. He was willing to let Imlay go Scott free, but he held Parker to bail.
Now the Seward boys take a hand in. Parker plainly refused to give bail, and we with one accord said, Parker they can't take you to jail, and they did not try. Judge Cadınan and all the Milford folks wanted us to go home, but we wait- ed till fully ready. That case, whatever it was, died right there and was never heard of in the courts afterwards.
Sometime later the commissioners had Mr. Reed over the coals and suspended him from office for some misconduct and appointed James A. Brown to fill the place. Mr. Reed refused to give up the books, whereupon a complaint was filed with Judge J. W. Shields. Judge Shields did not rec- ognize Milford as county seat. but held his court at Seward or at his home in the extreme northern part of the county just as pleased him best. This time he held his court at ' Moffitt's house on Seward town site. The sheriff and usual posse had gone to arrest Reed. Somehow the word got out that a counter warrant had been issued by some court for the arrest of Brown. the complaining witness. Mr. Brown got badly scared as the time for the sheriff's appearance with Reed seemed to be greatly prolonged. Night was coming on; Brown had secured this writer's help in the prosecu- tion. Brown, in fear of what might occur, proposed to hide in the tall grass over west of the square and await de- velopments. He almost overdid the thing. Just as it had got as dark as a stack of black cats, the sheriff and his crowd came with the prisoner accompanied by D. C. McKillip and a large crowd of Reed's friends. Some think Dan's red head helped light the way to Seward. Dan was terribly red-headed that night. Well, said the august judge, the pris- oner is here, where is the complaining witness?
I have him hid out in the prairie, said the attorney; will go and bring him in. Now it would make a dog laugh to have seen us, strolling over all the prairie yelling like a coyote and the more we yelled the closer the ground would
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
Brown cling, scared within an inch of his life. We finally captured him and got him into court, when the circus began in earnest. Friend McKillip and Uncle Billy Reed were on the one side; Jim Brown, myself and the court were on the other side, and it was a little like the later game of eight to seven. We had things about our own way. This was a Sew- ard court "you know." It has just come to mind that every one at the front in that exciting trial except the writer have gone to their long homes. Of all the number we alone are left to tell the tale, also nearly all the spectators have passed away, yet looking back across the three and half decades it seems as but yesterday since that tempestuous night. Mr. Reed was bound over to court of course, but he never gave a bond and the matter just simply died, that's all. But James Brown lost a full year's growth by that scare.
CHAPTER IX.
County seat question settled-Seward badly scared-Court house sold- Blue Valley Record-A thorn in Seward's side -- State institutions- Seward's growth-Canvasses bond proposition, and hard fight-Vote by precincts-Long faces at Seward-A new proposition-Milford's mistake-Oak Groves cuts a figure -- "F" and "G" precincts bled- "Stop the reapers"-Seward's trinmph-1873 prosperous-Grass- hoppers-Homesteads abandoned-Tell the whole truth-Sudden turn-Seward had been like a beehive-Like a pall of death-Lands abandoned-People of other states lend a helping hand-The vultures.
In the session of the Legislature, held in the winter of 1870 and 1871, an act was passed authorizing the County Commissioners in cases where the County Seat had not been located, to submit the question to the qualified voters at the next general election. The question was submitted at the October Election of 1871.
Now another serious problem faced the people of Seward. The B. & M. R. R. had not yet been located westward from Lincoln but the Lincoln Land and Town Site Company had been organized with Mr. K. O. Philips at the head. They were busy locating cities on paper in those days. They looked over Seward County to see what could be done, and seeing that the people of Seward County were in the midst of a "kill kenny cat fight" over the County Seat, they con- cluded to help settle the matter. So they secured a title to a section of land at the exact center of the county, two and a half miles south, the same west of Seward, and began to hold out baits for popular favor with the promise that the rail road would be built in the near future to the new town. . This new enemy seemed to have fearful proportions. It looked for a time that our goose was cooked to a finish. Our old enemy was a wiley foe. They saw an opportunity to kill Seward as they thought and if they could they were ready to die happy themselves. She would throw all her
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
force to the new town. The friends of Seward stood aghast at the audacity of the designs of the enemy but after a while the dark clouds rifted. The rail road folks concluded to build through Saline County and leave Seward County to settle their own affairs.
The day of final battle came at last on the 10th day of October, 1871. The contest was sharp and bitter. It was the most energetic contest in the history of the county. We believe every voter was at the polls, even if he had to come home from a distance of five hundred miles. Seward was triumphant at last, receiving twenty-two more than two-thirds of the votes cast. Milford had made a most strenuous fight and had left no stone unturned. They are fully entitled to much credit for they contested every inch of ground and died defending the last ditch as it were. Seward was now in the hey-day of its glory, however victory had not come to Sew- ard without sacrifice. The litigation had cost a mint of money and more, the town and its friends had to get down into their pockets deep, and provide twelve hundred dollars to build a court house and also furnish a block of lots on which to place it. That beautiful structure cost all told about $1400. Some of the citizens that contributed to that edifice had the pleasure of seeing it sold at auction some years ago for fifty dollars. It is now a blacksmith shop.
There is an old saying (whether true or false) that "Ev- erything is fair in war." In this prolonged contest many people acted on that principle, and they were not confined to any one locality. Each and every fellow proposed to win and as the battle waxed warm, people were ready to over- come their scruples, but with all the strife and contention, with all the bitter feelings engendered, it is a pleasant mem- ory that no blood was shed and more, there was not even a fist fight in all the contest. We would meet in court and wrangle all day, but when meal time or bed time came, the enemy would be invited home and given the best the house afforded. This was almost universally the case at both ends of the string. All the better class of people were too noble in their make-up to do otherwise than treat every citizen, whether friend or foe, cordially and extend to them every courtesy. We are heartily glad that we are permitted to
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make this record. We are also glad to know that the few of us that yet live, that fought each other with a desperation, are all now the warmest of friends. Comparitively few of the heroes in the strife are now among us. They have mostly gone to their long homes, a few yet remain. A new genera- tion is now here building upon the foundations laid in those troublous times.
Among the honored names of those who held aloft the Milford banner we remember Judge J. L. Davison, Abram Cartwright, Judge Henry Wortendyke, Lee Smiley and Wm. his brother, Silas Atwood and Henry his brother, the invin- cible Wm. H. Reed, Father Hazlewood, L. D. Laune, Wm. J. Thompson, Hon. Thos. Healeys, Samuel Brown, Father S. G. Merrium and George his son, Hon. D. C. McKillip and Geo. B. France; then we must not forget the man at the head of the Blue Valley Record, Capt. J. H. Culver.
The Record dealt many heavy blows and recieved many in return, but the Record never forgot to hold up before the world this county as the best place in all creation for the poor man to get a home, and right here we may as well say, the Record came to life December 29th, 1870, and while it lasted it made a first class record and the Editor tells us that financially it was a grand success as it started on a paid up cash capital of twenty-five cents and when it closed its use- ful career some years later the cash balance was thirty-three cents and lots of experience. With a familiarity with all the many publications of Seward County for thirty-four years we unhesitatingly say that the Record was never yet sur- passed in ability. The Editor was always ready to speak his sentiments on any subject. The Record steadfastly re- fused to pander to the liquor trade but was forever pouring hot shot into their camp. Some of the "Shogo" Island pic- nicers thought it cranky. It goes without saying that the Record was a thorn in Seward's side during the controversy from the day of its birth until the curtain fell in October, 1871.
These men and many more worked faithfully and un- ceasingly to make Milford the city of this grand valley and if they did not fully succeed in their undertakings they acted well their part and are entitled to much credit although stern fate was against them. The County Seat was taken from
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
them and Milford could not accomplish what her founders desired her to be, the principal city. She has accomplished much in the race. She has secured other prizes and rich ones too; she has one of the most extensive mills in the state. She has the two prominent state institutions, the Soldiers and Sailors' home and the Industrial home. The village is widely known as a pleasant resort, where mineral springs abound and where beautiful natural groves of timber add a cheerfulness that makes the tourist feel that he is right at home. Milford is located upon a commanding pla- teau on the west bank of the river overlooking a vast sketch of the valley, with a meandering stream fringed with timber, with blocks of magnificent farms in every direction with- in only a few minutes ride of the county seat and a half hour of the capital, with a good location for local trade and with a good supply of excellent business houses enjoying a good trade. She has much to rejoice over. Milford has a host of good wide-awake citizens and we trust that a bright future awaits her. For further particulars see the history of the village of Milford on another page.
After the county seat matter was settled Seward began quite a rapid growth and began in the spring of 1872 to pre- sent quite the appearance of a village. Many new buildings were erected and numerous merchantile houses were opened and the little city in embryo began to reach after other laurels. About January 1, 1872, Dr. J. W. Converse, super- intendent of the old Midland Pacific Rail Road, sent for some of the business men of Seward and vicinity to meet him at Lincoln to talk over rail road matters. This company had just recently completed their track from Nebraska City to Lincoln. One very stormy day a sled load of citizens had a sleighride down the great ridge to Lincoln where they were met by the learned Doctor of Rail Roads. The Doctor made known his plans to build his road to and through our county provided we were ready to do his bidding. It was the rule to suck all the blood there was in every instance. The Doctor had posted himself in regard to our assessment roll and found that under the law one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of bonds could be voted and of course it would re- quire just that much to induce the company to build and
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
equip a road through the county. He made known to these people that he would make to the county commissioners a proposition as follows: that for one hundred and fifty thou- sand dollar, ten per cent. twenty year bonds to be delivered upon the completion of the road through the county via Seward or within one half mile of the public square in Seward, the road to be completed within a certain stipulated time. In due time the proposition was submitted and the fun com- menced; wonderful excitement prevailed. The old sectional strife was awakened anew. The people of Seward of course were almost universally in favor of the proposition and so also were most of the people of the north half of the county but in the southern half of the county the sentiment was de- cidedly against the proposition. There was a most thorough canvass and much bitter feeling was manifest. The Blue Valley Record used all its ability to down the proposition. Bond meetings were held in every part of the county and anti-bond meetings were addressed by fiery speakers and the rail roads were held up before the people as unprincipled monopolies. Speakers from other counties were imported to help our people settle the matter. Thoroughly organized committees were appointed to help defeat the bonds. On the 22nd of February the election was held and resulted as follows. The vote by precincts will show how sectional the strife was. There were at the time eight voting precincts and the total vote cast was eleven hundred and sixty-two by precincts as follows:
Seward precinct-For bonds 232
Against bonds
5
North Blue
136
0
Lincoln Creek
109
9
Oak Grove
47
60
Milford
5
147
Camden
6
138
Walnut Creek
10
130
Beaver Creek
66
66
135
Total For 540 Total Against 622
According to these returns it is very plain that the prop- osition was defeated by a large majority. Seward was greatly discomfitted, in fact the people in the town and in the
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
country round about were clothed in sack cloth and ready to roll in ashes or" "any old place" while Milford rejoiced. It would be most amusing could the long faces of our promi- nent citizens be reproduced. A photo of W. H. Tuttle, J. N. Beaty, W. R. Davis, Dr. L. Walker, Jim Harris and others, perhaps it might include this writer if they had been taken that morning, would show fairly well how woe-begone our people felt. But "behind all these dark clouds were all the stars" and the day of deliverance was near.
There was a peculiar turn in affairs when the commis- sioners began to canvass the vote. The returns from Cam- den precinct were not to be found. It had the appearance of some rascality. A young Seward lawyer, by the name of F. M. Elsworth, had slipped the returns from Camden from the Clerk's office. This placed the commissioners in a pecu- liar position. Of course the commissioners could not count the Camden vote when it was not before them. Indignation meetings were held in various parts of the county. Blood was hot. Even in Seward a large citizens' meeting was held and strong resolutions, condemning the attempt to steal an election, were passed. An injunction suit was brought re- straining the commissioners from issuing the bonds, which was made perpetual by Judge Lake on the 16th of May and everybody was pleased. We understand it was what we might call a friendly suit to settle the matter.
Early in June a new and more liberal proposition was submitted by the Company. There was a strong effort made to conciliate the people of Milford. Dr. Converse proposed to build his road up the Middle Creek on about the route now occupied by the A. & N. road and bring it via of Milford but our Milford friends had got so thoroughly impressed with the idea that it was wrong to vote bonds that they rejected the offer. The Doctor was not to be out done; he was de- termined to find voters. So he made overtures to the peo- ple in the Oak Grove settlement to come by a northern route and make a station that would help them materially. 3
The new proposition was more liberal with the county but was rather tough on two townships which now comprise "G," "F" and Seward city precincts. It was as follows: One hun- dred thousand dollars, ten per cent, ten year county bonds
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
to be delivered as follows; seventy-five thousand dollars of said bonds to be delivered to the company when said road was completed to within one-half mile of the public square in the city of Seward, provided said road was completed on or before March 1, 1873, to said point; twenty-five thousand dol- lars ten per cent, ten year "F" and "G" precinct bonds, to be delivered at same date of county bonds upon completion of the road to Seward on or before March 1, 1873, and twenty-five thousand dollars of county bonds to be delivered on completion of road to west line of county at any time. July 4, 1872, the Record used flaming headlines as follows: "Stop the Reaper and Protect Yourselves," or in other words go and vote down the hateful bonds. However the bonds were voted this time by a decisive majority of one hundred and twenty-three. In the interim Seward had grown and cast eighty-one more votes than at the former election.
In looking backward we may see things that could not be so easily seen when looking ahead. It now looks as if the good people of Milford made a great mistake and by clinging so tenaciously to principle they lost a great oppor- tunity, for if she had accepted the olive branch when it was offered and helped secure a railroad, she would from that glad day have been on an even footing with Seward, and would have from that day taken a forward bound and re- mained a close rival. They had learned of their fatal mis- take by the time the A. & N. people made a proposition to the county. Seward was full of joy now and from this time forward for years her streets were full of people. New buildings by the score sprang up, and the little town began to put on metropolitan airs. Lots that would hardly have brought six bits per dozen the morning after the first bond election, now came into great value. It is safe to say that the value added to the town lots within the period of build- ing the road would exceed the value of all the bonds voted.
Lands also advanced rapidly in value. New people came by the hundreds. Everything was on the boom. On the first day of March, 1873, as per contract the cars rolled into Seward and it was a glad gala day.
The summer of 1873 was a very prosperous one with the farmers. Spring wheat was the principal crop on the new
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
land and it yielded abundantly and the grain was of the best quality. Much of it graded No. 1 in Chicago and scarcely none fell below No. 2. It brought high prices, ranging at about seventy cents just after the great panic in September, and gradually rose until it reached a dollar in January 1874. Money was plenty and business men reaped a rich harvest. This being the end of the railroad, farmers hauled their grain from Butler, York, Polk and Hamilton counties and from all parts of Seward county. The town was alive with grain dealers. There were yet no elevators. Shovel houses were all the go.
Seward county took an advanced step that eventful year. Hundreds of sod houses were replaced with comfortable frame dwellings; the building of county bridges began in earnest. New roads were located on nearly all section lines. Scores of neat schoolhouses sprang up in all parts of the county. Every man, woman, and child was on the jump try- ing to accomplish something. Every train brought in new people. New brick structures began to rise in the young city. We went into winter quarters Jan. 1, 1874, a prosper- ous, progressive and happy people.
ALL ROADS HAVE A TURN
The remarkable prosperity that blessed the people of our county and state during 1873 met with a very sudden change in the summer of 1874.
Great energy was displayed that spring in putting in a larger acreage of crops, and as such wonderful success had crowned their efforts the previous year they were not afraid to run in debt. Business men and farmers all alike were ready to branch out. Very large stocks of goods were bought on time and sold on time, and scattered over the prairies promiscuously, reaching to the banks of the Platte river north and west. Seward was like a bee hive during the spring and early summer. July was dry and exceeding- ly hot after a wet June. This injured the wheat materially. This was serious, really a calamity, and as calamities usually
1
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HISTORY OF SEWARD COUNTY, NEBRASKA
do not come singly, this was no exception. "For in the hour when we thought not, a new scourge fell upon us."
Lo, the heavens were darkened by a cloud of grasshop- pers that fell upon us. They came from the northwest like a vast tidal wave. As far as the eye could penetrate the sky it was a living sea of insects. It is safe to say that millions of tons of them lighted on the fields of Seward county alone, and it was the same over the whole trans- Missouri country where there were settlements. It was like a pall of death to all our interests. They had come a very long distance and were exceedingly hungry, and like all hungry tramps. they preferred to dine with us. Of course they were unwelcome guests, but little did they care. They came for our corn and vegetables and they were not long in cleaning the platter. They ate the corn and made desert of our garden truck. Onions were a great favorite: first they ate the tops, and then went right into the ground and left nothing but the dry onion skin and fibrous roots. Cabbage and turnips were also great favorites Then they went for the green tobacco. Oh! what inveterate tobacco chewers! Each took a good big chew, provided the tobacco patches furnished so much. It was quite noticeable that they all spit tobacco juice, or something very like it. Of this we are sure they were the most inveterate chewers of the weed that we have ever met.
Those who have never seen a swarm of these pests can form no proper idea of the immensity of their numbers. When they would settle down for the night, trees of pretty fair size would lap over to the ground under the weight. It has been said that trains on the U. P. road were frequently stalled by their massing on the tracks. It was thought by some that all the cattle we can produce in fifty years would not equal in weight the hoppers that foraged on our fields in that memorable August of 1874.
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