1889 HISTORY OF LINCOLN NEBRASKA

CHAPTER VIII

REMOVAL OF THE CAPITAL TO LINCOLN -- LEGISLATIVE INCIDENTS PRECEDING THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE WORK -- CARRYING THE CAPITAL AWAY ON WHEELS

(100) The one great epoch in the history of Lincoln, the one event which, more than any other, gave the city its start, from which it has grown, by reason of its commercial advantages and the push and enterprise of its citizens, to its present size and importance among western cities, the turning point in its career, so to speak, was the location of the State capital here, in 1861. And the incidents attending the location of the seat of government form one of the most interesting chapters in the history of the State of Nebraska.

In 1854, when the Territory of Nebraska was created, Francis Burt, of South Carolina, was appointed Territorial Governor by President Pierce. On the 7th of October of that year the new Governor arrived. Although ill at the time, he took the oath of office on the 16th, only to die on the 18th. Governor Burt, by the organic act, and the appointment of the President, was clothed with almost absolute power in the location of the Territorial capital; and although he was Governor but two days, he gave expression to sentiments and preferences that led the people to believe that had he lived Bellevue would have been the Territorial capital. After the death of Governor Burt, the Secretary of Nebraska, T. B. Cuming, became acting Governor, and soon after taking the oath of office, located the seat of Government at Omaha.

At that place the first Territorial Legislature met on Tuesday, January 16,1855. Omaha continued to be the capital until the admission of Nebraska as a State, when the change was made to Lincoln, not, however, without much wrangling and a hard fight. Not that many attempts were not made to remove the capital to Bellevue, Nebraska City, Florence, and other places, for in many sessions of the Territorial Legislature "capital removal" was a cause of much bitterness -- a bone of contention. The root of the whole trouble was a pretended (101) enumeration of the inhabitants of the Territory in 1854, on which the representation in the first Legislature was based, that Legislature having the endorsing of Governor Cuming's location of the capital. The North Platte fellows got away with those from the South Platte, and hence carried their point. In 1857 an attempt was mode to "remove," and again in 1858, when the exciting events which were just beginning in the East and South attracted the attention of the legislators from their local bickerings. In a sketch, "The Capital (question in Nebraska, and the Location of the Seat of Government at Lincoln," by Hon. Charles H. Gere, read before the State Historical Society, January 12, 1886, he gives the incidents of these times very fully, and from that sketch the account of the capital troubles during the year 1867 is purloined:

"But the war came to an end, and when the last Territorial Legislature of 1867 met, the old question of unfair apportionment came to the front again. The population of the South Platte section had increased until it was about double that of the counties north of the troublesome stream. But the superior tactics of the Douglas county leaders held its representation down to such an extent that it had but seven of the thirteen Councilmen, and twenty-one of the thirty-seven Representatives. Two threads of policy had intertwisted to make the resistance to a reapportionment based upon actual population, sufficiently strong to overcome the justice supposed to be latent in the minds of statesmen.

"The first was the fear entertained by Douglas county of the reopening of the capital agitation. The North Platte was now about a unit in favor of Omaha as against a southern competitor. The second was a political consideration. A reapportionment meant a cutting down of the representation from Otoe as well as Douglas county, both Democratic strongholds. These counties, with the assistance of some lesser constituencies on the north of the Platte, which sent Democratic delegations, were able to hold a very even balance in the Legislature against the Republicans, though the latter had an unquestionable majority in the Territory. Now that Statehood was imminent, and there were two United States Senators to be elected by a State Legislature, soon to be called, in case President Johnson should not succeed in his plan of defeating our admission under the enabling act of 1864, it was of immense importance to stave off a reapportionment. (102) Hence for capital reasons the Republicans from the North Platte and the Democrats from the South Platte worked in harmony with the Douglas county members in preserving a basis of representation in its original injustice. The usual bill for a new apportionment had been introduced, and passed the Senate, and came to the House, but the four votes from Otoe county being solid against it, it was sleeping the sleep of the just. In the Speaker's chair was William F. Chapin, of Cass, an expert parliamentarian, cool, determined, watchful, and untiring. The session was drawing to a close, and it was Saturday; the term expired at twelve o'clock, midnight, on the following Monday, and, as usual, the results of pretty much all the toil and perspiration of the forty days depended upon a ready and rapid dispatch of business daring the remaining hours of the session.

"There was something sinister is the air. It was whispered about that morning that the reapportionment bill had at last a majority, in case Deweese, of Richardson, who was absent on leave, should put in an appearance. A vote or two had been brought over from some of the northern districts remote from Omaha, and anxious for Republican domination. 'Fun' was therefore expected. It came very soon after the roll was called on the opening of the session. The credentials of D. M. Rolfe, of Otoe, who had not been in attendance during the session, but who was an anti-reapportionist, were called up, and it was moved that they be reported to a special committee. The ayes and nays were demanded. Pending roll call, it was moved that a call of the house be ordered. The call was ordered, and the doors closed. All the members answered to their names but Deweese, of Richardson, and Dorsey, of Washington. Then the other side made a motion that further proceedings under the call be dispensed with. The ayes and nays were demanded, and there were seventeen ayes and sixteen nays. Speaker Chapin announced that he voted 'no,' and that being a tie the motion was lost. An appeal was taken from the decision of the chair, and the vote resulted in another tie, and the appeal was declared lost. The rule is that an affirmative proposition cannot be carried by a tie vote, but, that all questions are decided in the negative. The usual form of putting the question is: 'Shall the decision of the chair stand as the judgment of the house?' The negative would be that it should not so stand. But in that case a decision of the chair is reversed by less than a majority of the members voting, (103) which is, of course, absurd. It was a deadlock. The result was a curious demonstration of the absurdity of manipulating a proposition by the use of misleading formulas, so that the negative side of a question may appear in the affirmative.

"The hours passed, but 'no thoroughfare' was written on the faces of the reapportionists. They said that until they had some assurance that a reapportionment bill would be passed before the adjournment, they would prevent the transaction of any more business. Secretly they expected Deweese, who was rumored to be well enough to attend, and they waited for his appearance, but he did not come. The Doorkeeper and Sergeant-at-Arms had orders to let no man out, and when noontide passed and the shadows lengthened, the members sent out for refreshments and lunched at their desks. The night came. Some of the refreshments had been of a very partisan character, and there was blood on the horizon. Many became hilarious, and the lobby was exceedingly noisy. From hilarity to pugnacity is but a short step. Arms and munitions of war were smuggled in during the evening by the outside friends of both sides, and it was pretty confidently whispered that the conclusion was to be tried by force of revolvers.

"A little after ten o'clock p. m., Augustus F. Harvey, of Otoe, rose, and moved that Speaker Chapin be deposed, and that Dr. Abbott, of Washington, be elected to fill the vacancy. He then put the question to a viva voce vote, and declared the motion adopted and Dr. Abbott elected Speaker of the House. The stalwart form of Mr. Parmalee, the fighting man of the faction, immediately lifted itself from a desk near by, and advanced, with Dr. Abbott, toward the chair, backed up by Harvey and a procession of his friends. As he placed his foot upon the first step of the dias, Speaker Chapin suddenly unlimbered a Colt's Navy, duly cocked, and warned him briefly to the effect that the Pythagorean proposition that two bodies could not occupy the same space at the same time was a rule of the House, and would be enforced by the combined armament at the command of the proper presiding officers. Daniel paused upon the brink of fate, and hesitated upon his next step. To hesitate was to be lost. The speaker announced that in accordance with the rules of the House in cases of great disorder, he declared the House adjourned until nine o'clock Monday morning, and sprang for the door. The Omaha (104) lobby had promised faithfully, when the crisis came, to guard that door, and permit no rebel from the South Platte to escape. The first. man to reach the door was said to be Kelley, of Platte, who had joined the tortes of the reapportionists, and it is a tradition that he leaped over the legislative stove to get there in time. The door was burst open, and before the volunteer guard could recover its equilibrium, the seceders had escaped, and were out of the building, scattering to the four quarters of the globe. But they had a rendezvous agreed upon in a secret place, and in half an hour they were safely entrenched, and on guard against any Sergeant-at-arms and posse that might be dispatched to return them to durance vile.

"The Abbott House immediately organized, admitted Rolfe, of Otoe, to full membership, and proceeded to clear the docket of accumulated bills. Members of the lobby trooped in and voted the names of the absent, and everything proceeded in an unanimous way that must have astonished the walls of the chamber, if they had ears. and memory. About dawn, however, the situation began to lose its roseate hue, and an adjournment was had till Monday morning. Before that time arrived the hopelessness of the situation dawned on both factions. They perceived that nothing whatever would cone of the deadlock. Neither party had a quorum. Deweese, of Richardson, could not be brought in to vote for reapportionment, and by common consent a peace was concluded, and Monday was spent in. an amicable settlement of the arrearages of routine business."

These incidents, however, created a great sensation all over the State, and made sectional and partisan feeling run high. The adjournment took place on February 18th, and two days later, on the 20th, the State Legislature, (chosen at the same election at which the State constitution had been adopted under the enabling act, held June 2,1866,) was called together by Governor Saunders, to accept or reject the "fundamental condition" insisted on by Congress as a condition precedent to the admission of the State. The condition was that the word "white" in the constitution theretofore passed by the Legislature and ratified by the people, should not be construed as debarring from franchise any citizen of Nebraska on account of race or color. On the 21st day of February, 1867, the second day of the session, the bill accenting these conditions passed, and was signed by Governor Butler, who had taken his seat that day. On the first of March (105) President Johnson issued the proclamation declaring Nebraska a State, the State officers were sworn in, and Governor Butler began to prepare his call for a special session of the Legislature to put the machinery of the State in motion.

Quoting Hon. C. H. Gere again: "It was insisted upon by the leaders of the Republican party in the south and west, that a reapportionment of members of the Legislature should be one of the objects of legislation enumerated in the call. This was opposed by many Republicans in Douglas and other northern counties. It was also asked, this time by Democrats as well as Republicans, from Otoe as well as from Cass and Richardson and the southwestern counties, that a clause should be inserted making the location of the seat of government of the State one of the objects of the special session. The Governor was averse to commencing his administration with a capital wrangle, but thought it would be good policy to make use of the suggestion, for the purpose of securing a reapportionment without a repetition of the bitter struggle of the winter. He therefore opened negotiations with the Douglas county delegation to the coming Legislature, and promised them that he would leave out the capital question, provided they would pledge themselves to sustain a reapportionment. They flatly refused. They claimed that the Legislature could not constitutionally reapportion the representation until after the next census, and as for capital removal, they were not brought up in the woods to be scared by an owl. The Otoe delegation had, however, changed its base. The Senators had been elected and seated, and political considerations had lost their force with the democrats of that county. They wanted the capital removed south of the Platte, and they promised if the Governor would 'put that in' they would march right up and vote for apportionment.

"His Excellency had gone too far to retreat, and when his call was issued it embraced both capital removal and reapportionment, he having consulted a distinguished constitution constructor, Judge Jamison, of Chicago, on the latter point, and obtained an elaborate opinion that it was not only in the power of the Legislature, but its bounden duty, under the constitution, to reapportion the representation at its first session.

"The Legislature met on May 18th, and the lines were quickly drawn for the emergency. Reapportionment was a fixed fact, and (106) after a few days spent in reconnoitering, a solid majority in both houses seemed likely to agree upon a scheme for capital location. Mr. Harvey who had led the assault upon reapportionment at the late session of the Territorial Legislature, was an active leader of his late antagonists for relocation. Party affiliations were ruptured all along the line, and the new lines were formed on a sectional basis. The bill was prepared with deliberation, much caucusing being required before it would satisfy the various elements in the movement, and it was introduced in both houses on the 4th of June. It was entitled, 'An act to provide for the location of the seat of government of the State of Nebraska, and for the erection of public buildings thereat.' It named the Governor, David Butler; the Secretary of State, Thomas P. Kennard, and the Auditor, John Gillespie, Commissioners, who should select, on or before July 15th, (a date changed by a subsequent bill to September 1, 1867,) from lands belonging to the State, lying within the counties of Seward, the south half of the counties of Saunders and Butler, and that portion of Lancaster county lying north of the south line of township nine, a suitable site of not less than 640 acres lying in one body, for a town; to have the same surveyed and named `'Lincoln;' and declared the same the permanent seat of government of the State.

"The hill directed the Commissioners, after the site had been surveyed, to offer the lots in each alternate block for sale to the highest bidder after thirty days' advertisement, and after having appraised the same; but that no lot should be sold for less than the appraised value. The first sale should be held for five successive days at Lincoln, on the site, after which sale should he opened for the same duration, first at Nebraska City, and next at Omaha. If a sufficient number of lots should not by this time be disposed of to defray the expense, of the selection and survey, and to erect a building as prescribed in the bill, further sales might be advertised and held in Plattsmouth and Brownville. All moneys derived from these sales, which should be for cash, should be deposited in the State Treasury, and there held by the Treasurer as a State building fund. From the proceeds of these sales the Commissioners should proceed to advertise for plans and contracts, and cause to be erected a building suitable for executive offices and the accommodation of the two Houses of the Legislature, that might be a part of a larger building to be completed in the future, the cost (107) of which wing, or part of a building, should not exceed $50,000. The bill passed the Senate on the 10th day of June.

"Those voting for it were: Jesse T. Davis, of Washington; James E. Doom and Lawson Sheldon, of Cass; Oscar Holder, of Johnson; Thos. J. Majors, of Nemaha; William A. Presson, of Richardson and Mills S. Reeves and W. W. Warden, of Otoe. -- Eight.

"The noes were: Harlan Baird, of Dakota; Isaac S. Hascall and J. N. H. Patrick, of Douglas; F. H. Rogers, of Dodge, and Frank K. Freeman, of Lincoln. -- Five.

"The House passed the bill two days later, under suspension of the rules, forwarding it to its third reading. As in the Senate, so in the House, the opponents of the bill resorted to strategy for stampeding the friends of the measure, and offered numerous amendments to locate the capital, or the university, or the Agricultural College, at Nebraska City, or in the boundaries of Cass or Nemaha counties. But all amendments were steadily voted down by a solid phalanx. The gentlemen in the House, voting 'aye' on its final passage, were: David M. Anderson, John B. Bennett, William M. Hicklin, Aug. F. Harvey, and George W. Sproat, of Otoe; J. R. Butler, of Pawnee John Cadman, of Lancaster; E. L. Clark, of Seward; W. F. Chapin, D. Cole, A. B. Fuller, and Isaac Wiles, of Cass; Geo. Crowe, William Dailey, Louis Waldter, and C. F. Hayward, of Nemaha; J. M. Deweese, Gustavus Duerfeldt, T. J. Coffins, and J. T. Haile, of Richardson; Henry Morton, of Dixon; Dean C. Slide, and John A. Unthank, of Washington; Oliver Townsend, of Gage, and George P. Tucker, of Johnson. -- Twenty-five.

"The noes were: O. W. Baltzley, of Dakota; Henry Beebe, of Dodge; George N. Crawford and A. W. Tremble, of Sarpy; Geo.W. Frost, Joel T. Griffin, Martin Durham, J. M. Woolworth, and Dan S. Parmalee, of Douglas, and John A. Wallichs, of Platte. -- Ten."

Early in the capital fight the Omaha newspapers made great sport of the removal scheme, and the departure of the Commissioners to hunt up a location was the cause of much merriment among them. It was not until the Commissioners had announced the location of the new capital that the newspapers woke up to the real situation, and then there was lively music in the air. Every little technicality that could be seized upon was used to defeat the scheme, but of course all efforts in that direction failed.

(108) While the heated contest over the bill was in progress, every ruse, stratagem, and dodge, the North Platte party, and particularly the Douglas delegation, could devise, was employed to compass the defeat of the bill. It so happened that the Otoe delegation were Democrats, and Senator Mills S. Reeves, of Nebraska City, had been a bitter rebel, who had disliked the name of Lincoln more than he could that of Satan. The name of the proposed new town, as the removal bill was at first drawn, was "Capital City." Knowing the intense prejudice of Senator Reeves, Senator J. H. N. Patrick, of Omaha, rose in his place, and moved that the bill be amended by striking out the name 'Capital City," and substituting that of "Lincoln."

"I second the motion of the Senator from Douglas," said Senator Reeves, in a quick, firm voice.

The South Platte men caught the spirit of the performance, and at once adopted the amendment. The bill was passed with the name of the illustrious Lincoln in it, and so the new capital became Lincoln. Thus Nebraska's capital bears the name it does as the result of an attempted sharp trick, designed to defeat the removal bill, and not owing to the admiration of the first State Legislature for the great war President.

During the fight the greatest bitterness was displayed on the part of the anti-removalists, and a great many amusing incidents are related of the men and times. During the great fight in the last Territorial Legislature, when pandemonium reigned supreme, and shotguns and revolvers played the most significant part in the Legislative proceedings, Jim Creighton (as he was called then) heard the noise of the contention at one of its fiercest parts, from below in the office of Auditor Gillespie. Rushing out with uncovered head, and flaming eye and cheek, he sought for some weapon of attack. An old mop stick belonging to Father Beals was found by the irate Creighton, and seizing this, he hurried to the door of the chamber, exclaiming, "I'll clean out the whole of those d---d South Platte people!" at the same time tearing the rag from the mop, in order to make of it a more murderous weapon. But before "Jim" got to the door, the South Platte people, led (109) 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 undoubtedly had plenty of nerve, but nerve has a peculiar faculty of disappearing 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 inspection, 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 Commissioners 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 exclaiming: "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 mosquitoes 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 scenes 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 byway 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 feat was spread on a long table, which fairly groaned (110) 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 Lancaster, 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 himself. 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 compromise, to avoid a split in the section which had carried the removal bill, and was then trying to consummate the transaction. The compromise 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 located where it now stands.

The incidents attending the removal of the capitol are also interesting. 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. (111) 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 dangerous. 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, (Saturday,) at 11 o'clock, the party, with the two covered wagons, drove into Omaha, and put up at the old checkered harp, 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. Gillespie, 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 continued until night-fall, through a blinding snow storm. As night approached Stove creek was several miles distant, and the only shelter 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 accommodations; but our travelers were not thus to be refused, and upon (112) 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 transferring 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. Gillespie, who cashed the check free of charge, a row would have resulted. 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 enterprise, 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 satisfactory 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 illustrate, 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 Gillespie's office in the afternoon, and, noticing the empty shelves, inquired where the library had gone.

"Who seat 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 Gen. S. A. Strickland stormed into the Auditor's office, with about the same interrogatories, which were answered in about the same manner.

"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 acceded 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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