Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-02

their buildings. Two story structures that
cost 5000 to $500 were sold for 5000 to
$500. They were loaded onto wheels and
soon commenced to move onto farms where
they served for dwelling houses, barns or
stables.
End of the Metropolis.
Families continued to leave town in large
numbers, having disposed Of all of their
property, except their lots, for which there
was no sale. Week after week, and with
out enough advertising to wad a gun, the
Headlight continued to appear In one
column Il chastised the people for their
disloyalty to the town in abandoning it
in its hour of i'll luck and in another It
made the prediction that they would come
back and eventually build up bigger and
better Fairbank. But this failed to have
the desired effect For days and almost
weeks there was a continuous string of
buildings moving off the townsite and out
over the hills and for days and weeks
there was a procession of citizens leaving
the town. Some came to Pierre. but more
sought other localities. This continued
until late into the winter and when the
only inhabitants remaining were two
GOSbhloSlCI ~ ~ ANAOOA anu SISlNeAs
mayor and publisher of the Headlight.
The postmaster had little to do. as the
patrons of his office had gone. However,
he busted himself reading the exchanges
and forwarding mail to addresses that had
been left behind. Each week during the
winter the Headlight was issued. White
paper stock ran low and as the Headlight
treasury was lower than the stock, week
kal
on wrapping paper that the editor found
around in the vacant business houses. As
there was no advertising. the size of the
paper was cut from an eight-column folio
to four-column, two-page sheet. But
each week. while the editor lived ON venison
bought from the Indians for so cents per
quarter carcass in his paper he boosted
Fairbank and told the story of the bright
future, as he saw 1t. He sent his family
away to live with relatives. and friends
urged him to 'let go the corpse" Indig-
nantly he spurned what he designated as
an insult and insisted that owing to geo
graphical location and a natural railroad
crossing of the Missouri river, at some
time in the near future the town must boom
again and become the future city of Da-
kota."
As spring returned the Headlight lost the
last of it's paid subscribers, death having
called him. Then there were but fifty
papers printed weekly. There was one for
the files, one for the Postoffice department
and forty-eight for the exchanges.
Mayor PercivRI Forever.
The call to civilization became louder
and stronger Finally one bright morning
the editor of the Headlight decided. On
the first page, first column, as mayor
Of the city of Fairbank, he inserted that
the following Saturday night, there would
be a special meeting of the council at
which his resignation would be presented.
In another column, he announced that with
the current issue, the Headlight will
temporarily suspend publication" And in
still another column he devoted himself
to booming the town, expressing the opin-
ion that the time would come when 81
would rank among the great cities OF the
land. That week the paper went to press
as usual. Saturday night came and in his
office Mayor Percival convened the city
council and called the roll OF members
Name after name was. read but there was
no response. Not a man was present, they
having gone to probably as many states
as there were names. The resignation was
read, but as there were none to move the
1 p.
acceptance, II was put back into the
mayors pocket. where II remained until
dimmed by age. Thus Mayor Percival,
now resident OF Omaha has become a
perpetual mayor. probably the only one
Of his kind in the country.
! The following morning. Editor Percival
went out upon the deserted streets. There
| he met a farmer who had come in to pick
up a load OF driftwood along the river.
To this farmer the Headlight office build
ing that had cost close to $1,000 was sold
for $50 and later in the day, the lot on
Broadway was traded to a half breed, even
up. for polished pair of buffalo horns,
he getting the property that only a few
months previous had a market value OF
50, 600 The next day the plant OF the Head
light was loaded into farm wagon, hauled
TO Pierre, where it went onto the market
| as old Junk