The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1906-09-07
JANE GORDON IS DEAD
WELL-kNoWN CoLoRED WOMAN
IN NORFOLK PASSES AWAY.
DIES IN A LITTLE BARE ROOM
For Almost a Third Of a Century Jane
Has Been Known In Norfolk-At
Fern MeDonald's Expense, the Dead
Woman viii Have a Funeral.
f. tom Mondays Dailyl

a. rom Mondays Daily1
aunt" Jane Gordon. Familiarity
known ON the streets of Norfolk for
nearly a third of century rs "Nggor
Jane is dead She died In
a bare little room of her home at the
corner of Braasch avenue and Second
street little while before noon today
after an illness of some five weeks.
and heart trouble Is said to have been
the cause. Abandoned by all of her
relatives, James body would have been
hurricdly buried I'm rough coffin but
for the Interference of Fern Melon,
aid, former employer of the dead
COlOrcd woman, who took a hand in
The affairs as soon as she learned of
the death and who declared, In spite
of protests that the relatives should
be notified and given chance to
come before the burial And So at
a white wOman's expense, Jane will
have a funeral tomorrow
She Was Left All Alone Here.
Jane has been suffering for about
five weeks and during that time she
has been all alone in one room of the
house II was in the house Of her
sister, Sadie Du Bots, where Jane has
lived for some years past that she
died today Up until couple of
months ago Sadie was here and took
care of Jane, who had been failing
more or less for some years. But
when the ShoshOni reservation opened
up, Sadie left Jane and went out to
Douglas, Wyoming. In leaving, she
nailed up the whole house excepting
lowed to stay.
Jane grew weaker and charitable
neighbors were forced by human sym
pathy to care for the woman Those
who did care for her and who provided
her with all of her food during the
last several weeks were Mrs Korth,
Mrs. NJ G.. Bcemer and Mrs Ferdi-
nand Klent2. When Mrs. BeCmCT
took Jane her breakfast at 9 o'clock
this morning, Jane was so far gone
that she was unable to speak or to
eat. Mrs Beemer offered her break
fast but the dying woman only shook
her head. A little later Jane was dead.
The relatives who have been notified
are: Sadie, at Douglas, Wyo.; Bert
Gordon, brother, at Sioux Falls and
Frances, also at Sioux Falls Bort's
wife is working at Norfolk Junction
After Jane was dead, an undertaken
was called and funeral arrangements
VIZ la,
sible to keep the body more than
day and it was the idea of some that
the county would have to pay the fun
eral expenses and that the best thing
to do would be to make immediate
burial Fern Mcdonald learned of
the death. At one time Jane had
worked in the house of Fern Mcdonald
and this fact prompted the latter to
intervene and, by paying all expenses,
hold off the funeral until relatives of
the dead woman could at least be
notified and given a chance to come
to Norfolk.
Lived Here Twenty-Eight Years.
Jane has lived in Norfolk for
twenty-eight years. She came here
with her father, James Gordon,
cook in the union army during the
days of the civil war. The family
came here from Fremont, where they
were known thirty years ago by Mrs.
Beemer, the generous-souled woman
who administered to the wants of
Jane to her dying hour
Thirty years ago in Fremont" said
Mrs. Beemer, "the family were highly
among the colored folks of
the city. The father ran a laundry
there. He was very strict with his
girls and never allowed them to even
go to dances. Jane at that time was
a young woman of about eighteen. On
one occasion she, with two sisters,
went to a dance and when they came
home their father ducked the whole