USA > Nebraska > Lancaster County > Lincoln > History of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska : with brief historical sketches of the state and of Lancaster County > Part 11
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by the Speaker, with gun in hand, burst open the door of the chamber and escaped. Their numbers were too large for the valorous Creighton, and he dropped his mopstick and disappeared. Creighton undoubt- edly had plenty of nerve, but nerve has a peculiar faculty of disap- pearing under the finger nails on certain occasions, and this was undoubtedly one of those occasions.
During the time the Commissioners were out on their tour of inspee- tion, trying to decide where the capital should be located, they came to Ashland, and it is just as well to remark right here that Ashland lost the site of the capital because of the mosquitoes. There were a number of men with the party besides the Commissioners, and upon stopping at Ashland over night, the whole party was lodged in the upper story of a building, the windows guiltless of glass or blinds ; that is, all of the party except Governor Butler. He was considered the big chief of the party, and was lodged in a lower room, in a bed surrounded carefully and completely with mosquito netting. The Governor slept soundly and refreshingly, but the other Commis- sioners and their friends spent a night of wild, uncontrollable emotion and vigorous action, trying as best they could to protect themselves against the little pests, whose musical wings and insatiable appetites kept the unfortunate ones awake. Morning dawned, and the weary ones, among whom was a preacher, together with the one whose sleep had been as peaceful and restful as that of a child whose innocence and youth bring it sweet dreams and quiet slumbers, departed to view the other landscapes. As the little village of Ashland faded into the mist across the prairie, the preacher broke the silence by exelaiming : " Well, there may be one man who will vote for Ashland, but if Governor Butler has any help in his vote, it will surprise me." The mosqui- toes had fixed the business so far as Ashland was concerned. It may be that a few of those winged songsters yet linger around the old-time seenes of this classic (to Nebraska) town, but they can never do the harm their ancestors accomplished in the days of '67.
When the Commissioners had "swung around the circle," and had seen all the sites which aspired to become the seat of government of the new State, they returned by way of Yankee Hill, the site of John Cadman and the Nebraska City schemers. The Yankee Hill people had a banquet prepared, with all the delicacies of the season of 1867, on Salt creek. The feast was spread on a long table, which fairly groaned
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with the fine cooking of the Yankee Hill ladies. What astonished one Commissioner most was that the ladies had in some way supplied ice cream, doubtless the first ever seen in Lancaster county. How it was gotten out in the wild region of the Salt Basin, the officials never knew. Mrs. Cadman and her sister had managed the preparation of the feast, and when the Commissioners came over to Lancaster, the place which had beaten Yankee Hill for the county seat in 1864, and located the capital there, those ladies could hardly forgive them. They declined to recognize the Commissioners for six months or more, and they finally informed one of the officials that they did not see how he failed to be captured by such a feast as they had enjoyed at Yankee Hill. Mr. Cadman himself felt pretty sore over the success of Lan- caster, but soon got over it, and became a business man in the new capital, and still so continues, in company with his son, on North Tenth street, between P and Q, though not a resident of the city him- self. The business, that of hardware, is conducted by Mr. W. A. Cadman, the son.
The South Platte country never could have agreed on Yankee Hill, which was Nebraska City's site. Lancaster was taken as a compro- mise, to avoid a split in the section which had carried the removal bill, and was then trying to consummate the transaction. The com- promise site was successful, being supported by Nebraska City, Plattsmouth, and Ashland, and now is three times as large as all of them combined.
But through all the discouragements, the worry, the difficulties, and the trials, the Commission persisted, and finally the capitol was lo- cated where it now stands.
The incidents attending the removal of the capitol are also interest- ing. The people of Omaha seemed to be determined to prevent the taking away of the Government effects, and hence it was deemed better to send the State library and other capitol belongings away by night, so as to avoid any opposition. Accordingly Auditor Gillespie secured a contract from Mr. J. T. Beach, of Lincoln, for moving the goods. Mr. Beach had arrived in the town in the spring of 1868, and the removal was made in the early winter, probably about the middle of December. Mr. Beach is now nearly fifty years of age, the fourth of October, 1889, completing the first half century of his existence, and he remembers the occurrences of those days very distinctly. Mr.
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REMOVAL OF THE CAPITAL.
Beach was born in Brown county, Ohio, October 4, 1839, where he lived until he was ten years old. At that time his parents moved to Indiana, where he lived with them for a number of years. In 1861 he enlisted in the army, in the Tenth Indiana Infantry, and served three years. So that when Mr. Beach came to Nebraska, in 1868, he had had a recent training that well fitted him for the work which he undertook to do.
Securing the services of a Mr. Carr, yet a resident of Lincoln, to help him, Mr. Beach started with a two-horse team, and Mr. Carr with four horses, to move the capitol to Lincoln. They crossed the Platte at Ashland, the drifting ice making the crossing very difficult and dan- gerous. Along with these two men was Luke Cropsey, a son of A. J. Cropsey, who rendered valuable assistance during the trip. The trip occupied nearly a day and a half, for on the second morning, (Sat- urday,) at 11 o'clock, the party, with the two covered wagons, drove into Omaha, and put up at the old checkered barn, one of the early landmarks of the "city by the Big Muddy." In the afternoon Mr. Beach went to the State House, and had a conference with Mr. Gilles- pie, who strictly enjoined upon him secrecy as to his mission to Omaha, and made arrangements for loading the furniture. After night-fall of Sunday the library, furniture, desks, and everything else that was wanted at the new capitol, were loaded in the two covered wagons, ready for the return trip. At 4 o'clock Monday morning the start for Lincoln was made, and miles of ground had been covered before the people of Omaha awoke. Mr. Beach and his assistants came by the way of Plattsmouth. When that hamlet was reached the snow was coming down fiercely and heavily, and a stop was made until morning, as it was considered too dangerous to cross the river in the condition in which the ferry then was. About ten o'clock in the morning the ferry was repaired, and the party crossed the river with much inconvenience and considerable danger. The journey was con- tinued until night-fall, through a blinding snow storm. As night approached Stove creek was several miles distant, and the only shel- ter visible was the dugout of a settler on the open prairie. Going to the door of this cabin Mr. Beach asked for shelter for the night for himself and two companions, and a place to shield their teams from the elements. The settler refused, on the ground of want of accom- modations ; but our travelers were not thus to be refused, and upon
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pressing their need were allowed to shelter their horses by a hay stack, and bunk themselves upon the floor of the cabin. The night passed, and when the morning came Mr. Beach informed his host that the party was without money, told him what their errand was, and offered to pawn two watches as security for the payment of the amount due for the night's lodging and breakfast. This the old settler refused, and the teamsters departed for Lincoln, which place they reached on Wednesday night, promising to send the pay for their lodging as soon as they reached Lincoln, which promise they kept. Five days the journey occupied, and when it was finished the whole of the State library and other needed capitol appliances were safely lodged within the walls of the building.
The cost of transfering this property was over $100. Mr. Beach took $60 in money with him and a check of $40 on a Lincoln bank. When the money was exhausted, in Omaha, Mr. Beach tried to cash the check, but the Omaha banks proposed to charge him a ruinous discount, and had it not been for the kindly assistance of Mr. Gil- lespie, who cashed the check free of charge, a row would have re- sulted. Mr. Carr avers that he has never been paid in full for the services of himself and his four-horse team while engaged in this en- terprise, and as no one seems to dispute his claim, it is probable that some one, possibly the city of Lincoln, owes him more than a simple debt of gratitude. But the whole affair was conducted in a most sat- isfactory manner, and the capitol was in reality lost to Omaha.
At that time the people of Omaha were not very well pleased with the course events were taking, which the following incident will illus- trate, and will also serve to show how carefully the work of removal was done. A few days after the library had disappeared across the prairie, John R. Meredith, of Omaha, dropped into Auditor Gilles- pie's office in the afternoon, and, noticing the empty shelves, inquired where the library had gone.
" It has gone to Lincoln," said Mr. Gillespie.
" Who sent it there, and by what authority was it sent?" was Mr. Meredith's next question.
" I sent it there," said Gillespie, "by the authority vested in me by the State Legislature."
Meredith left, and soon Geu. S. A. Strickland stormed into the Au- ditor's office, with about the same interrogatories, which were answered in about the same manner.
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" Where is that library ?" said the General.
"In Lincoln, the State capital, " calmly answered Gillespie.
" By the eternals that library is coming back here, and it's coming right away," stormed Strickland.
All this bluster and blow did not disturb Gillespie, who quietly asked how the General's purpose was to be accomplished. Gen. Strickland then said that the library belonged to the Territory of Nebraska, and as Omaha was the capital of the Territory, the library belonged to Omaha, and that he would get an order from the Secretary of the Interior for its replacement in Omaha. Mr. Gillespie smiled, and merely asked that when Gen. Strickland received the letter he might be allowed a chance to read it, which the General readily ac- ceded to. Matters quieted down, and remained so for some weeks, when one day Mr. Gillespie asked Gen. Strickland if he had heard from Washington yet. The General unwillingly admitted that he had, and that the reply was unfavorable to Omaha's claims. This ended the skirmishing and kicking. The capital was removed, and since then no attempt of alarming proportions has been made to have the capital location changed.
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF LINCOLN.
CHAPTER IX.
THE DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCED IN BUILDING THE NEW CAPITOL-HOW OMAHA OPPOSITION DELAYED THE WORK -THE FINAL SUCCESS AND. MEETING OF THE FIRST LEGISLATURE IN LINCOLN.
The days of the capital removal, capital location, and capitol build- ing, were full of stirring events, times of intense interest to the peo- ple then and now, when serious situations, which demanded prompt, energetic, and clear headed action, were often met with. During these times, Hon. John Gillespie, State Auditor, and one of the Commis- sioners to locate the capital, played an important part, and to him the authors of this history are indebted for the following, which was contributed entire by him :
The act authorizing the capitol location appointed the Governor, Secretary, and Auditor, Commissioners to seek a location, within the boundaries of Lancaster, Saunders, Butler, Seward, and the north half of Saline county, to be located upon State Lands, of not less than 640 acres in one tract, and to lay out and plat the same in lots, blocks, streets, and alleys, and make proper reservations for the several State- institutions ; when the same was completed to advertise the lots for sale at public auction to the highest bidder, and when the sales amounted to the aggregate of $50,000, then in that event to advertise for plans and specifications for a capitol building, and let the con- tract for building the same. The Legislature did not appropriate a dollar from the Treasury to carry out the provisions of the act, but all incidental expenses, as well as the completion of a capitol build- ing, depended upon receipts from the sale of lots. The Commissioners well understood that the success of the enterprise depended upon a most favorable selection for the future capital of the State. Other- wise a most stupendous failure, that would result in ignominy to the movers, especially the Commissioners having it in charge, would fol- low. After the passage of the act, and before the Commissioners entered upon their work, difficulties multiplied, owing to the opposi- tion of the North Platte people, and especially from the citizens of Omaha.
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The citizens of that city were particularly opposed to the capital's removal from their midst, and commenced an opposition to prevent the carrying out of the enterprise. The Commissioners had to enter into a bond of $60,000 each for the faithful performance of duty. They did not hope or expect that Omaha citizens would sign their bonds, and had to look to other localities. Nebraska City was in full sym- pathy with the removal of the capital from Omaha to the South Platte country, and her best citizens volunteered as bondsmen for the Com- missioners, an offer which was most duly accepted and appreciated.
But there arose another difficulty : the bonds had to be approved by one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, and to be deposited with the State Treasurer, Mr. August Kountze, of Omaha. Previous to filing the bonds, a Mr. James E. Doom, a member from Cass county, (who voted for the capital removal,) reported to the Omaha newspa- pers that the time prescribed by law for filing the bonds of the Com- missioners had expired. So the Omaha Republican came out with a "double header," stating that the capital-removal enterprise had failed, by virtue of the Commissioners not having filed their bonds in time, as prescribed by law, and therefore could not give good title to the lands. The writer hereof had started that morning by steamboat to Nebraska City, to have the bonds approved by Hon. O. P. Mason, Chief Justice, preparatory to filing them. News had reached that city of the announcement made in the Omaha papers. In consultation with the Chief Justice, he said there was nothing in the statement, nor had the time preseribed elapsed. The bonds were returned to Omaha. Governor Butler and Secretary Kennard, accompanied by C. H. Gere and Col. C. S. Chase, repaired to the First National Bank of that city, and tendered the bonds to the State Treasurer for filing. Mr. Kountze said to them that he would not file the bonds, as they were not valid, the time for filing by law having passed; but he would place them in the vault. The proposition was satisfactory to the other two Com- missioners, and they left.
The writer lived in Omaha at that time, and had to meet the abuse and denuneiations of her citizens, who openly charged the capital re- movers as "land-grabbers" and enemies of Omaha. Several of her leading citizens tried by every means in their power to have me not file the bonds, and let the aet become "null and void." One, now high up in authority in this State, spent several hours with me at my office,
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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF LINCOLN.
in the old capitol at Omaha, trying to persuade me not to file the bonds, and have the law become void, claiming that if carried out it would "disrupt the party." The interview was finally cut short by my informing him that "I was into it, and would see it through." The Commissioners, after looking the field over which was designated by the act, selected the site where the city now stands. This conelu- sion was arrived at by a careful examination of a State map and the general topography of the country. They concluded that in the future, when railroads were built south of the Platte, this point would be easily reached and accessible from any direction. And a further con- sideration, at that time deemed important, was the great salt deposits near by, considered valuable.
But in this selection no one, except the few homesteaders on the town site, was pleased. The citizens of Nebraska City wanted the capital located at Yankee Hill, on the line of the "steam-wagon road " west to the mountains. Plattsmouth wanted the capital at Ashland, her citizens offering to guarantee $50,000 worth of lots in case we located at Ashland. Brownville wanted the capital located at Cam- den, on the Blue river, as they had a railroad survey west by way of Camden and Fort Kearney. The Commissioners were beset by the friends of their favorite localities, all of which had their land "syndi- cates" formed ; but the location made was upon neutral grounds, and one which proved the wisest selection, as the other interested localities compromised upon this one, which could not have been effected at any other point.
After having the town site surveyed and platted, the Commissioners appointed a day for the sale of lots at auction, to take place upon the grounds. Thereupon arose another serious difficulty, that seemed to threaten the defeat of the whole enterprise. The act required the Com- missioners to deposit the money received from the sale of lots with the State Treasurer, to be designated, separate from any other fund, as the " State Building Fund," and all expenses for incidentals, buildings, etc., to be paid out by the Treasurer, upon the order of the Auditor, the same as other State funds. The writer was informed by a leading attorney of Omaha that some of the leading citizens of that city had requested him to commence suit by enjoining the Commissioners, and attaching the money in the hands of the State Treasurer as soon as deposited with him, and thereby tie up the same, and by years of litiga-
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tion prevent the commencement of the capitol building. He informed me his fee was considered too large, and he was not employed, but that such action would be taken as soon as the money resulting from the sale of lots was duly deposited by the Commissioners with the State Treasurer. The Commissioners, after considering the possibility of such action by the enemies of the capital removal, thereby defeating the act of the Legislature authorizing the removal of the capital, called a meeting of the citizens signing their bonds, to be held at Ne- braska City just previous to the day of the first sale of lots, and laid the situation before them. They advised us to proceed with the sale of lots, and prepared a written request, asking us not to deposit the proceeds of the lot sales with the State Treasurer, but to use the money in carrying out the provisions of the law, paying for the erection of a capital, and report to the coming Legislature our actions in full.
The sale of lots came off, and was reasonably successful ; so much so that the Commissioners felt authorized to proceed to advertise for plans and specifications, and to let the contract for the building. The funds were kept in hiding, where no injunction or attachment could find them. I was often asked by certain parties of Omaha why the money for the sale of Lincoln lots was not placed with the State Treasurer, as the law directed. When pressed, one of the citizens said they wanted to enjoin the funds in the hands of the Treasurer from being paid ont, and thus keep us from building the capitol at Lincoln. I informed the party that the funds would be turned over to the State Treasurer the next day to pay his bill for advertising. The bills of the Repub- lican and Herald for advertising lot sales, for plans and specifications, and for letting the contract, had been handed in. I deposited with the Treasurer a sum sufficient to pay their bills, and if they wished to enjoin payment, all right. The orders of payment were given, the money paid out, the Treasurer receipting for the same, and ac- knowledged the authority of the Board by paying the money out on the order of the Auditor of State.
The first sale of lots took place in the fall of 1867. The follow- ing Legislature convened the first of January, 1869; hence the neces- sity of getting the capitol building under contract at as early a day as possible, having the summer of 1868 to complete the same. As there were no railroads, lumber had to be hauled from a point six miles east of Nebraska City, on the Council Bluffs & St. Joseph railroad. Stone
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quarries had to be found somewhere for building material. The Com- missioners advertised for plans in the Omaha, Plattsmouth, and No- braska City papers. The time drawing near, we found that the Omaha architects would pay no attention to our advertisement, and the result would be no plans offered, so we sent a copy of our "ad" to the Chi- cago Tribune, which caught the eye of a fifth-rate architect, Mr. James Morris, who could obtain no work in that city, and he hastily pre- pared a plan and presented the same on the day set. It being the only plan presented. the Commissioners were more than pleased to adopt it. The plan contemplated a central building, with wings to be attached afterward, which, if added, would have made a symmetrical building, but without the wings not very imposing. Consequently, in after years the Commissioners had to bear the brunt of many jeers on their architectural choice for a capital building.
We advertised for letting the contract, and as in the former case, but one bid was offered, that one by Mr. Joseph Ward, of Chicago, which was also accepted. He commenced at once, and had the exca- vation made and part of the foundation laid in the fall of 1867, in- tending in the spring of 1868 to push the work as fast as possible, and have the building completed in time for the Governor to announce by proclamation the completion of the capitol, and that the next Legisla- ture would convene thereat on the first Thursday of January, 1869.
A stone quarry of blue limestone was found twelve miles south on Salt creek, and the contractor instructed to use the same; but after using it on the cast side of the building, on the first story, it became shelly, and this quarry had to be abandoned. A man was sent out on horseback, who prospected a number of days all the streams in the vicinity for out-cropping stone without success, but finally visited Beatrice and reported a magnesia limestone in abundance, and easily dressed, which would harden by exposure. This stone was adopted, and all the teams that could be hired put on the road for Beatrice, (fifty miles,) to keep the work moving. This worked well for a short time, until we were notified by the contractor that the bridge over Salt creek had become dangerous, and that the owners of teams would not risk crossing, and that the County Commissioners refused to re- pair the bridge. This required our presence to get the Commissioners to repair the bridge; all of which, with bad roads and the intermina- ble sloughs and mud-holes, made the getting of stone from Beatrice,
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BUILDING THE NEW CAPITOL.
and the lumber from Iowa, slow, difficult, and expensive, and the summer rapidly passing away. The Commissioners were fully im- pressed that in case of failure to complete the capitol in time for the convening of the Legislature the coming January, the session would have to be held at Omaha, and the strong probabilities were that Lincoln would never see a session held there, which no doubt would have been true. The contractor was constantly being urged to en- ploy all the mechanics that could be worked to advantage, and con- sequently he had stone-cutters and carpenters sent out from Chicago.
About the 1st of June, 1868, I received a letter at Omaha from the contractor, that he had thrown up the job, and all work had stopped, on account of a difficulty with the architect; that a number of his stone-cutters had left for Chicago; and to come down and make settlement with him. This was a terrible crisis, and visions of a most glorious failure of the whole enterprise loomed up most too prominent for a calm view of the situation ; but something had to be done, and done quickly. Unfortunately neither of the other two Commissioners were at Omaha at the time, the Governor being at his home at Pawnee, and the Secretary at his home at De Soto. I sent a messenger from Omaha, by steam-boat, to Nebraska City, with an order to the "Elephant Stable " for a pony to carry a message to the Governor explaining the situation, and asking him to meet me at Lincoln the next day without fail. I took stage next morning for Council Bluffs, to take train for East Nebraska City, intending to take stage from that point to Lincoln, but owing to the stage sticking in the mud half-way between the two cities, I saw the train pull out, leaving several other passengers with myself behind. I returned to Omaha by the next stage, hired a livery team, and started for Lincoln ria the rope ferry across the Platte river near Ashland, being delayed two hours in finding the ferryman. When I arrived at Lincoln, about 11 A. M. the next day, I found the citizens much disheartened, and fearful that the work on the building would not be renewed. I soon set their minds at rest on that point. Dunbar & Bailey, who owned the only livery stable in the city, and had the contract to deliver the stone, had drawn off all their teams, a number of the mechanics had left, and the prospect was blue enough. I waited all next day and the following day till noon for the arrival of the Governor. He did not put in an appearance. I called in James
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