The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-05
MONDAY.
BY HARRY ROOT.

1t was in August, 1897, the people
of Goodland were startled by the re-
port that two men had held up
Union Pacific train near Limon. and
the robbers had killed a passenger
named Fay. A vigorous search was
made at once. but no clue was secured
as to who they were. A few days
later two men drifted into the out
skirts of town, stopping at farm
house nearby. They found wind
mill out of repair, which they fixed,
full. From this place they went to an
other house occupied by g. family
named Bartholomew, and engaged
board and lodging for a few days.
They represented themselves to be
travelling thru the country looking for
local hardware stores in Goodland and
had the proprietor order a rifle for
them. Before the gun arrived, Sher-
Tiff Walker, who had kept an eye on
them, became suspicious they were
the train robbers and murdeFers. and
in company with a hotel man named
Riggs and Geo. CuHins they visited the
Bartholomew home, intending to rep
resent themselves as stockmen, and
look the strangers over No sooner
in the first inning the strangers sue
ceeded in wounding both Riggs and
Cullins. The Goodland people, hear
ing the shooting. came to the rescue.
One Of the inmates got out of the
house and was shot and killed by G.
E. Biddison, a Rock Island engineer.
The other man stayed in the house,
which was surrounded by people who
had come from town to see the excite
ment. The house was finally set
afire by a hand grenade thrown by
Cass Hogeboom and the stranger who
stayed in the house was burned to
death, and the charred body taken
from the ruins. Later developments
proved the men to be brothers by the
name of Jones, from Missouri. 1t was
also proven beyond a doubt they were
the robbers who held up the Union
Pacific train. Rewards and other ex-
penses totaling about SIS, were paid
by the U. P. railroad.
One of the productive farm scenes
in Mitchell county is to start from
Beloit, go in q southeasterly direction
along the county road for 10 miles
when an interesting sight, known as
Green Mound, comes to the eye while
the mound rises gradually and reaches
its highest near the center of section
So, in Logan township, it don't at
tract attention for its heighth. Stand
ing on its summit one can see Beloit,
Is miles away, while the Bue Hills
county shows up 20 miles, besides the
eye reaches over miles of fertile fields
AS far as the eye can reach in either
direction one can see well titled and
improved farms in the Green Mound
community. As early as the seventies
and as late as the eighties the mound
was the nome of thousands of prairie
dogs, which years ago were extermi-
mated, and now the entire section is
tillable. Wheat raising is the principal
occupation, the mound furnishing
beautiful scenery in harvest time
while the headers and binders are at
work on the golden grain. Jacob
Funk is the only person owning land
in section 35 who is still occupying
his homestead. Other owners of the
section are John Tromble, former
member of the legislature from Nit
cl1eI county. now vice president of the
Farmers Union, of Beloit, Carl o.
johnson also of Beloit, Mrs Nellie
Sales of Simpson, Mitchell county, and
Alfred c. and Leonard Aiding, of the
Green Mound neighborhood. Other
prominent farmers who settled there
in the seventies are John w. Overman.
]. G. Thompson, s. P. Pearson, Carl
Peterson, Warren G. Kerns, Matthias
McClintock. J. NJ. Shurts, Geo. Seeley,
A. G.. Huffman and Mrs. NJ. n. Dooley
Some Of these people came in time to
live in sod houses and dugouts. and be-
fore the antelope and buffalo were ex-
tinct. They also put in years of labor
to make Green Mound and Logan
township blossom like the rose
H. C. Tagtmeyer is one of the pio-
neer irrigators of Sherman county He
has made a great success of garden
irrigation on his farm near Goodland.
For several years he has shipped vege-
tables both east and west by the car
load. Besides he owns so much Land