The Columbus journal., 1910-03-16
BITS OF EARLY NEBRASKA
HISTORY,

but feeble imitation of the Cheyenne
of thirty years and more ago. Atthat
time it comprised 800 square miles,
being 1O2 miles long from east to west
and fifty miles wide. Later Deuel.,
Kimball, Banner and Scott's Bluff
were carved out of it. and recently it
was cut in two again to make half Of
it the county of Garden.
In the old days Cheyenne was the
great cattle country. The first great
herd was brought there in 1869 by
Edward Creighton, the Omaha man,
who made millions out Of the cattle
business. Others followed, and for
many years great herds ranged there
and the cowboy was supreme. The
battle Of Ash Hollow, in which Gen.
eral Harvey sadly worsted . large
body of Indians, was fought in this
county in 1855.
In this county in the early days
roamed the famous outlaw, Aft Slade.
JuIesburg, just across the line in Colo.
RADIO, was the stage station, and Slade
was the superintendent. Jules Benz, q
Frenchman, after whom the town was
named, offended Slade and the latter
swore he would cut off the French.
mans ears and wear them as watch
charms. Benz took no chances, and
wounded Slade. He escaped, but n
year or 50 later he returned and Slade
fulfilled his threat, actually wearing
the ears on his watch chain.
Fort Sedgwick, on the southern line
Of Cheyenne county, was a frontier
garrison intended to protect early set
tiers. In 1865 the fort was captured
by the Sioux and the garrison butch
cred. The troubles with the Indians
were kept up for many years. They
ran off stock from the ranches, settlers
were STACKED and killed, stages and
emigrant trains were waylaid. These
were ended in 1869, when General
Carr, assisted by Bill Cody as chief Of
scouts, pursued and slaughtered a large
body of Sioux near Fort Sedgwick.
On the completion Of the Union
Pacific railroad to within about fifty
miles of the western boundary Of the
state, in the fall Of 1867. u town was
laid out and called Sidney. Previous
to 1870 the county had been attached
to Lincoln county, but that summer
the citizens organized and secured the
issuance of u proclamation by Cover
nor Butler for a special election.
The first and only county seat Of
Cheyenne has been Sidney. The first
building wss a log house brought in
from his ranch by a Frenchman, who
utilized it AS a saloon and supply store.
There was no town within q hundred
miles and being in the center Of n
stock raising region. Sidney rapidly
grew. New impetus was given it when
the gold excitement in the Black Hills
broke out. Sidney became the out.
fitting point for many expeditions, and
stage and freight stations were estaI'-
lished there. At one time As high rs
million pounds of freight left there
daily. Strangers thronged the streets
daily on their way to the front. Bull
whackers were there with their freight
wagons, gamblers with their imple-
ments.
Sidney was a rough frontier town
and murders were not infrequent. In
1879 a man named Reed was lynched
for killing respected citizen named
Loomis. who had been accused by
Reeds mistress of accosting her as she
walked down the street. The lynching
was no vulgar rope pulling. Reed was
given the choice of being hanged ar
hanging himself. He chose the latter.
A rope was put around his neck. the
other end being attached to a telegraph
pole. He coOlly walked up the
ladder with the rope around his neck
and Jumped of:
In 1881 the decent folks in Sidney
decided t. break the rule Of the gam
blers, who ran the town with q high
hand. They rsided the places of evil
resort, and arrested number of men.
A gambler named Mcdonald, who
had INDUCED in many threats Of kill.
ing and who lei the opposition. was
lynched As a result Of the trouble.
This was one of the last Of q number
Of lynchings. For some years murders
were SO frequent that the citizens be-
came careless and hardened. In the
dance halls most Of the killings occur
red, but the usual thing was to tumble
the corpse int a corner and on with