Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-23

SGT VuN lOE the new hduOTduO al once
but was prevented by an accidental gun
shot wound that almost proved fatal. In
the meantime, being familiar with the
Platte river route to the west and having
encountered several men who had returned
from Pixies Peak, in the autumn Of 1858
he prepared and published his pixies
Peak Guide"
one day in the winter Of 1858 someone
who entered Byers' office in Omaha sug-
gested that 1t would be a good idea to take
a printing press to the new country and
print the news Of the discoveries at the
point where the discoveries were made.
Byers was instructed to purchase the
press and the necessary material. Although
he was wholly inexperienced as a news
paper editor and publisher. Byers re-
solved to join in the enterprise. He went
to the town Of Bellevue, nine miles south
of Omaha, and at that time larger than
Omaha, and there bought a printing press.
Carting it to Omaha, he made q test of 1t
and found that It worked satisfactorily.
Some Of the type was set up and two
pages we're printed. Everything was in
shape so that a paper could be printed
without difficulty when the proprietors
had selected a settlement in which to pub
lish their paper.
of the Party.
Associated with Byers in the enterprise
was Thomas Gibson. They were accom-
panied by JOIN L. Daley, an experienced
practical printer, who afterward became
one of the proprietors. DR.. George c.
Mcneil of Omaha had an interest in the
venture, but he disposed of It before the
party arrived in Denver He returned to
Omaha, while all the others proceeded to-
ward the goal OF their ambition.
Thomas Gibson. the active partner of
Byers, was from Fontanelle. Neb. All OF
those who accompanied the outfit to Den
yer were w. N. Byers, Thomas Gibson.
John L. Daley, Robert L.. Sumner, Ed
ward c. Sumner, /. SAMSON. p. w. Case,
L. A. Curtice, James Creighton and his
brother, Harry Creighton, Harry Gibson,
II. L. Turner and Pap" Hoyt.
In an address delivered at a meeting of
the Colorado pioneers in 1899 Byers gave
the following account Of the journey:
We left Omaha on March 8, about the
time the frost had begun coming out of
the ground. We encountered a great many
difficulties, but on the last day of March
we reached the banks Of the Platte river,
opposite Fort Kearney.
81 was wagon boss and 1 used a little
ingenuity in distributing my train along the
road, apprehending that my party might
object to crossing the stream. which was
then running high, II an opportunity to
confer was given. So 1 got the first wagon
into the water before the drivers of the
others had a chance to protest. I had
learned never to camp on the near side
of a stream. The others were very in
dignant, but 1 pushed them all in sue
cessfully without giving them a chance
to compromises; whereupon each became
still more opposed to the proceedings.
Difficulties Encountered.
1.-THE heaviest wagon got into q sink
hole of quicksand and we did not reach
the other bank until dark. There was no
road on the other side, but we managed
to get through the night. If we had not
crossed the river that evening we would
have been, as matters turned out. delayed
several days, for the next morning the
river was full of floating Ice that did not
disappear for nearly a week.
w located a camp at st. Vrain so as
to give some of the men a chance to pros
pect. I then went on in advance and
reached here April II, finding the people
were a good deal more anxious about the
diiiNdi ~ NAS AS"SPobN
reported.
AT the beginning of the second day 1
sent a messenger on horseback to hurry up
the train, and two lays later 1t arrived.
One of the wagons stuck in Cherry creek
at Blake street, so we did not get across
until after nightfall. I Immediately drove
over to the little office I had secured.
Old Uncle Dick Wooton had built a log
cabin which contained a little attic, and
this he had offered to me. There we set
up our press and began setting type.
1--WE improvised a shelter under the roof
to protect the press. This was a sort of
tent. The clapboard roof of the building
was covered with snow, which. as 1t
melted, ran through upon us. Before the
first issue of the paper was made a little
dodger was struck off for a man who had
lost a horse and a dog.
This was the first printing done in this
territory"
Features of the First Number.
The customary salutatory. without which
no editor can be regarded a first degree
member, heads the editorial page and
breathes the spirit of the times. The
words reach into the depths Of memory
sounding a note familiar to the bald-heads
of the profession, which deserve a later
day encore:
with our hat in our hand and our best
bow we this week make our first appear
ance on the stage in the capacity of edi-
tor.
1--WE make our debut In the far west,
where the snowy mountains look down
upon us In the hottest summer day as
we'll as in the winters cold, here where
a few months ago the wild beasts and
the wilder Indians held undisputed pos
-session-where now surges the advancing
wave OF Anglo-Saxon enterprise and civil
~izatlon. where soon We fondly hope will
be erected a great and powerful state,
another empire in the sisterhood Of en-
pires.
"Our course 10 marked out, we will ad-
here to II with steadfast and fixed deter
mination, to speak, to write and publish
truth and nothing but the truth. let il
work us veal or woe"
II is worthy of passing notice that the
Omaha OF fifty years ago sat enthroned
as lord high executioner of exaggerated
news of the west, winnowing the wheat
from the chaff and passed kernels with a
pure truth label to the shifting procession
of empire builders. Editor Byers evidently
did some execution in that line with his