The Worthington advance., 1888-07-19


OBITUARY.
NEFF-Died- at Wilber, Neb., on
Friday, July 9Th. DANIEL g. NEFF.
in his Goth year.
Mr.. Nef had been employed at the
Nebraska Prison as keeper during
the past few years and had gone to
Wilber to visit his brother-in.law, Mr..
S. D. Davis. Soon after his arrival, he
was taken sick with a malarial and bill
ious attack, which led to intestinal in
hammation, ending in the development
Of Bright's Disease and the rapid vast.
ing away of the kidneys. The Mason
ic Fraternity of WILDER and Dewitt
took charge Of the funeral and he was
buried with Masonic ceremonies.
A wife and five children preceded
him to the spirit world. and his life
during the past ten to twelve years
was at best lonely one, with an ear
nest Hooking forward" to the event
which 50 many dread.
Mr.. Neff was noted among prison Of
ficials as q reliable and efficient officer,
having held responsible positions for
some ten years at the Ohio Prison at
Colum bus; also for nine or ten years at
the Illinois Prison at Joliet, and latter
ly at the Minnesota Prison at Stillwat-
er, and at the Nebraska Prison at Lin
coin. In this kind of service his life
was mainly spent, and no soldier on
duty, no policeman on patrol, no fire.
man responding to fire bell, ever did
his duty more faithfully or with Il truer
spirit. Among the thousands Of pris-
oners that he handled we never heard
of one making good an escape while
under his charge, nor was there ever
more than one or two of the thousands
who did not respect him as an officer
and love him asa friend, because of
his manly way of exacting obedience
| and discipline and at the same time
treating the criminals as men and
brothers. We haye known him to take
prisoner who had served his time, in
to his own house and keep him for
weeks until the poor man could get up.
on his feet again and find work, when
no ''Christian" in the city of Columbus
would even give the man employment.
We have heard him, like an old soldier,
use language more energetic than po-
lite when his wrath was aroused at the
sham, the hypocricy, the meanness.
the dishonesty. the heartlessness #
those who pass for respectable people,
but he declared in his last illness that
] h II ,<r1x
reached but one man; and knowing the
wrong which this was intended to off.
set. we can only wish he had "wrOng-
ed' the old skinflnt a little more.
| Mr.. Neff was we'll known in Worth
ington, having lived here for some
years, during several of which he was
the jailer at our county Jail. That he
made an excellent record as an officer
We believe every just man who knew
him will admit, but he was foully SIAN
dered by one or two of Sheriff Miller's
enemies during the incarceration of
those inhuman patricides, the Riley
children. And one of his last protests
was to protest against this foul outrage
upon his good name and his official Ca
reer and to declare his innocence.
Mr.. Neff left little of this world s
goods. The earnings of q life time
went to others, to rearing, nursing
and burying a family, and after that to
aiding dependent or needy friends.
Close his eyes, his work is done,
What to him is friend or toeman?
Rise of moon or set OF sun,
Hand of man or kiss of woman?
Leave him to Gods watchful eve.
Trust him to the hand that made him,
Mortal love walks idly by,
God alone has power to aid him.
AJAIL DELITERY.
On Friday evening, the 18th, about 8
O'Clock, when Jailer Williams was
about to lock the six tramp prisoners
in the cage, he met with one of the most
trying experiences of lis life. He had
ordered the prisoners into the cage und
to close the cell door. They appeared
to obey orders, but instead of closing
the door, they placed some obstruction
in the way so that the door would not
fully close. The Jailor then set the
brake, which of course missed the
catch. In order to see whether tie
brake was properly closed, lie opened
the outer door and looked in. At this
moment one of the big prisoners struck
him over the top Of the head with q
billet of wood, aud 1T the same time
caught him by the throat. The others
rushed upon him and desperate strug.
gle ensued. The prisoners were pre-
pared with rope made from torn
blanket. With this they tied the jail
or's feet together and also bandag-
ed his mouth with a piece of blanket.
They then placed hand cuffs upon his
wrists, left him lying upon the floor
and made their escape through the
Sheriff's Office. In passing out, they
stole Sheriff Anderson's Navy revolver
and a dirk knife of the style usually
carried in Kansas. In the struggle,
Jailor Williams managed to get knife
out of his pocket with which lie cut the
leader of the gang in the arm and across
the ribs, without, however making a
serious wound. Williams made a gal
liant fight but the odds against him We, .
too great. AS soon rs he recovered sut.
ticlently, he tore the rope from his feet
and made his way into the Sheriff's Of
nee, and, securing a key, unlocked the
hand cuffs and took them off. Joe
Loveless saw the tramps walk out of
the Sheritf's office, but supposed that
they were some of the boys who are in
the habit of visiting the Office in the
evening. AS soon as he realized what
had occurred he gave the alarm. Sher-
if Anderson was in Minneapolis. His
family were notified and aided in Civ
ing the alarm. Jailor Williams gath.
cred a posse as soon as he could and
started in pursuit. Others, to the num-
Der of 20 or 80 went out in different di-
rectiOns and aided in the search.
On Saturday morning, the two lead
ers were captured near Ocheeda Lake,
on the Fauskee place. It seems they
struck the lower partsof Ocheeda Lake,
and instead of going around it, came