Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-12-01

Nebraska City occupied prom
inent place when slavery was poll
teal issue before the civil war, and
it was the only town in Nebraska
where slaves were owned. There
were only a few slaves held there,
and the circumstances were, per-
haps, extenuating, but the general
subject of slavery became a prolific
subject for discussion in public
meetings and in the legislature.
John Brown, since famous in song
and story, tarried in Nebraska City
on several occasions during the days
OF his underground railroad"
The ownership of slaves in Ne
braska City is corroborated by sew
eral present day residents. Frank
J. Carson recalled that Stephen F.
Nuckolls owned the negro men who
were known as Shack" and
Shade" who were observed by him
on numerous occasions. The Ne
braska City News of November 81,
1888, printed statement that two
negro women had been enticed away
from Stephen F. Nuckolls, and that
reward of $500 had been offered
for their return. Nuckolls is said to
have gone with a party of men to
labor, Ia, a strong abolitionist cen
ter, to apprehend the fugitives. The
Chicago Times-Herald in 1860 car
RED an article in which it was stated
that Nuckolls brought suit in the
district court of Nebraska City
against Reuben S. Williams, George
B. CASTOR, Lester D. Plat, and Is
other citizens of Civil Bend, Ia, on
charges of having taken two of the
Nuckolls slaves to Iowa. During
1860 an advertisement appeared in a
Nebraska City newspaper, announc-
ing that Sheriff Butterheld, by rea-
son of an execution in favor of Will
liam B, Hall against Charles F.
Holly, would sell at public auction
One negro man and one negro
woman, known as Hercules and
Martha" There is said to have been
more or less of politics in that az
fair.
John Brown Rendezvous.
F John Browns underground rail-
road" from Kansas during 1858,
left Nebraska at Nebraska City,
whence it proceeded to Percival, Ia,
and thence to Tabor, Ia, where
Brown maintained one of his rem
devious. Iowa at that time was a
free" state, but Nebraska was a
territory and there was a mooted
question of whether a territory
could legislate on the subject OF
slavery. A Nebraska City newspa-
per item of February II, 1859,
reads: "Old John Brown of Osa-
watomie passes through Nebraska
City with troupe of niggers and
horse thieves" AS early as 1855 John
Brown was in Nebraska City with
fugitive slaves enroute to an under
ground stopping place in Falls City,
During the winter of 1853 Charles
F. Holly, one of the earliest slave
holders in Nebraska City, was chair
man of a mass convention in St
Joseph, Mo, held for the purpose
of sending to congress memorial
That emigrants in the territories
should receive the same protection
to property that they enjoyed in the
states from which they emigrated.
In the same year meeting was held
in Nebraska City to discuss whether
Nebraska territory should be slave
or free state. In 1855 Brown made
his first appearance in this country
Samuel G. Daily, known in his day
as "The Moses of the republican
party in Nebraska" offered on No.
vember |, 1853, to the legislature q
bill to abolish slavery in Nebraska
The political pot then began tc
boil. One of the paramount ques'
tons was, whether slavery existed ir
fancy or in fact in Nebraska. Viii,
liam H. Taylor, Handful Taylor
was violent anti-slavery man. As
chairman of the legislative commit
tee to which the slavery bill had
been referred, he reported: 81 know
of my own knowledge that Stepher
F. Nuckolls had three colored per
sons he claimed as slaves, two es
Gaping during the winter of 1882
Taylor mentioned the names O.
three other Nebraskans as having
owned slaves, and he added tina
Nuckolls had started suit in distric
court for the value of two coloret
persons. T. M. Marquette ant
George B. Lake of the legislature de
clared that they were ready to be
lieve that slaves were held in Ne
braska. The anti-slavery bill wa
passed over the veto of the cover
nor.
Nuckolls the Founder.
Stephen E. Nuckolls was tn
| founder of Nebraska City and h
was man of great vision as wei
as business acumen. He arrive
during April, 1854, and was name
as president of the Nebraska Tow
company. He erected the first brio
house, and in 1854 established tn
first saw mill. The Platte Vale
Il. H.