Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-03

! member he had quite a liking for well-bred
horses. but his health has not been the best
for quite awhile and he has lived a quiet
life, looking after his property and taking
rest IN the evening OF his life"
Experience with the Claim Club.
During the sos Judge Rediok was ono Of
the moving spirits In the Omaha Claim
club which was at first known as the
Omaha Township Claim association" In
those early days the land had not yet been
I surveyed, and for the protection OF settlers
nearly every male inhabitant in Omaha
was formed into a sort OF community OF
interest organization for mutual protection.
The tract now known az Redioks addition
was in those stirring times claimed by
Governor Cunning, but he soon relinQuished
his claim after a memorable experience.
The following Is an account OF one OF
Judge Redick's experiences with the Claim
club. II is given here in the Judges own
language and Is from a previously pub
lished account:
Several Of US who were boarding at the
fremont house on Douglas street attended
temperance meeting one night. held in
the Methodist church, just around the cor
ner on Thirteenth street 1t was proposed
to organize to secure the adoption Of the
Maine liquor law, and I was asked to say
something. 1 objected to the proposition
and said that such law could not be car
ried out in Nebraska and remarked, incl
dentally, that the United States laws al
lowed a man TO enter but leo acres OF land,
while the Omaha Claim club said he could
hold twice that amount and declared its
readiness to defend him in claiming that
amount. Next morning I went to my ONCE
and was met with scolding by my part
ner, James q. Chapman, who said I had
got myself and the firm Of Rediok & Chap
man in a nice muddle He kept on with a
regular TRADE but finally got him to ex-
plain what he was talking about and
learned, to my Rstonishment, that I had
been reported as using reasonable Ian
guage against the Claim club I soon found
the town posted with notices OF a meeting
or the club and concluded that had stirred
up good deal Of a rumpus without in
tending to. The club was a powerful or
ganization, knew. for 1 was a member Of
IT, laid In a revolver that day, loaded Il
and put It in my overcoat pocket Then I
told Chapman that he owed It to me to
see that had chance to speak when the
club met"
What Happened at the Meeting.
The account then tells of the next meet
ing Of the club. OF the first speakers and OF
the judges appearance on the platform
concluding with:
For ten minutes dwelt on the advan-
tages Of the territory OF Nebraska and pre-
dicted its glorious future. Then praised
the Claim club and said I had improved
the first opportunity TO join It upon COM
Ing TO Omaha few months previously.
then said had no intention TO reflect upon
the club and that what 1 had said had not
been COrTnCtlV I
knew that every man present was at leas
an ordinarily brave man. and with that I
produced my revolver with one hand and
took out my watch with the other and said :
I denounce the man who has thus misrep-
resented me as a liar. a coward and
sneak, and will give him one minute in
which to come out and face me- As the
time licked of no one moved and when
announced that the time had expired there
was burst of applause, and I was con-
WINGED that had nothing to fear"
The above sketch well illustrates the
mans native tact and daring, a character
istic that was always tempered with good
Judgment and which on many occasions
carried the day for him.
One of the Real OId-Timers.
well, well. and so the Judge is gone, is
he?" was the exclamation of DR.. George
l.. Miller when informed over the telephone
that his old friend had died. another Of
us old men gone, one OF the very Oldest
OF Omaha citizens. It only serves to remind
us the more that our time is not far on
1 have just come home from helping to lay
away another dear old comrade, Mr. ]. s.
Gibson.
Judge Redick was a man OF strong and
aggressive character. He came here in
oil, 80
from wilderness. He stamped the force
Of his character upon the city and state
He was a good friend and citizen am
shocked to hear OF the inevitable, though
we cannot always be surprised when the
end comes to one who has so completely
rounded out more than the allotted days OF
man."
MIR. Gibson buried at Tekamah.
Mr.. Gibson, who died early Sunday morn
ing at his home. 1901 South ThIrtieth ave
nue., was buried in Tekamah, or will be
today for his body was taken there yes
terday after services conducted by Rev. T.
V. Moore OF the Westminster Presbyterian
church. He was Il years Of age. He came
TO Nebraska from Indiana In 1885 and seven
years later settled in Omaha. He had been
member of the legislature of the city
council, of which he was president in the
eighties and active in other public and pri-
vate spheres. He was charter member
OF the Covert lodge of Masons, a Royal
Arch and Knights Templar and member of
the Knights of Honor. He was a founder
Of the old Settlers club. In the late seven
ties and early eighties he was in the cloth
ing business at Fifteenth and Farnam
streets. He went west to Idaho and Colo
RADIO for little while He is survived by
a widow.
! A Question that Every Man should
decide for HfuaeIf