Duchess of Weaselskin

Bayfield, Colorado - Veterans Day Weekend brought chilly, cloudy weather to the San Juan mountains of Southwest Colorado, but only a few flakes of snow mixed with graupel and rain made a slight appearance. Monday the sun came out, but there was still a chill in the air.

The photo on the left is a photo of our paint filly (Pocahontas Doli) with a view of her mother Doquoti in the background, back in northwest Oklahoma. Hello, Doli! We miss being able to be there with you right now. You are getting so much taller the last we saw you.

We continue our mentioning of the Native Americans and their legacies left among our culturals in America. We also bring you more old newspaper archives from Chronicling America's Old Newspapers. If you have any Native American legacies or any other old news archives that you would like to share with us, please send them along to NW Okie at mcwagner.lk@gmail.com. Thanks!

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100 Years Ago Today (November 14, 1911)

The Evening World, November 14, 1911 -- In the final edition of The World, Evening Edition, dated Tuesday, November 14, 1911, out of New York, had the following frontage headlines: "New Cardinals Cheered By Thousands of Children As They Start For Rome," "Mayor's Greeting To Women A Slap At Suffragettes," "Stolen $422,000 May Be Traced By Rothschild Will," "White Wings Beg City To Take Them Back In Old Jobs," Invalid Girl Saves Life of Woman Ablaze," "Taft Message Will Deal With High Food Prices," "Paul Beattie Retracts Story At Murder Trial?"

We shall look at just a few of those articles from 100 Years Ago Today, November 14, 1911. Let us start with "Mayor's Greeting To Women A Slap At Suffragettes," which Mayor Gaynor, in peevish humor, opened the convention of the New York State Federation of Woman's Clubs at the Hotel Astor, gave the suffragettes an unexpected shock when he said at the beginning of his address that his "Head was so full of ash cans he could hardly think of anything else."

Then Mayor Gaynor handed a slap to the suffragettes which pleased the "anti" faction, though he tempered his remarks to please the vote-wanters by declaring that the men couldn't keep the ballot from them. The convention is about half and half on the suffrage questions.

The Mayor said, "I do not know really what you are driving at. I am not well enough acquainted with the work of the women's clubs in the State -- although my sister belongs to the one at Utica -- to know just what you are doing; and it is the easiest thing in the world, therefore, for me to put my foot in it, as the saying is, if I go to advising you." Mrs. William Tod Helmuth, speaking later after the Mayor and referring to the Mayor's remarks, said, "We have worked for forty years and haven't broken down yet. We don't expect to do anything in twenty-four hours, but when we do it will amaze even His Honor the Mayor." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

NW Okie's Corner

Bayfield, Colorado - Awhile back I shared a story of a 1884 January Lynching in Monterey, Virginia of a bad man (E. D. Atcheson) that the community was afraid of, which my Great Grandfather (John Robert Warwick) or a 3rd great uncle with the same name may have been a part of the mob that stormed the Monterey jail and dragged Atcheson to a hanging tree near Vanderpool and lynched Atcheson (or Atchinson).

recently this last week I was browsing old newspapers from the 1884 era around Virginia and found this article mentioning the Monterey Lynching. The article was found in The Daily Dispatch of Richmond, Virginia, 1850-1884, dated January 11, 1884, Image 3, brought to you by Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA, and the National Digital Newspaper Program.

Someone told me that there was more information at the Mansion House Museum in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. I found their website and contacted them to see what other information I could find out about the Warwick ancestry and the January 1884 lynching of Atchinson near Monterey, Virginia.

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December 1884 - Virginia Hills On Fire

Highland county, Virginia - While I was roaming through old newspaper articles of the Richmond Dispatch, I found this interesting article dated December 16, 2884 (image2), that read, "Virginia Hills On Fire." Were the hills really on fire or had a young boy just discovered the warmth of the mineral springs in Highland County, Virginia?

The sub-heading in the article read: "Intense Heat Under the Ground - The Mountains of Highland County a smoldering Mass."

The article goes on to state, "A Louisville special says: Stories which have appeared of late of great underground fires in the mountains near Monterey Courthouse, Highland county, Va., are confirmed. Edward B. Elder, who is in this city on business, is a resident of that portion of Virginia. When asked by a reporter of the Courier-Journal! if he had heard of the strange performance nature was said to be guilty of, he replied:

"It is certainly true and is the most remarkable thing I ever heard of. From present indications I should say that we are likely to have another edition of Mt. Vesuvius in the mountains of Virginia. The phenomenon consists of fires which seem to be raging under the earth, on the top of the peaks in Highland county, and the ground for a considerable distance seems to be a smouldering mass. The first heard of it was a report brought by a boy who claimed to have walked over the place which was on fire. The country around is almost inaccessible, and it is very seldom that any one ventures so far up on the mountains, therefore it was only be accident that the discovery was made."

Discovered By A Boy

"A few days ago the boy, who was in search of some lost sheep, wandered on foot among the hill, until he got several miles from home. All at once he felt the air around him grow warmer and experienced a strange sensation as if some burning substance was beneath him. He was on an elevated plateau, probably a quarter of a mile square, on the top of one of the small mountains. At first he was greatly alarmed and started to run away. His curiosity overcame his fear, however, and he stopped to see if he could find the cause of the unusual warmth. He stooped and placed his hand on the earth and was startled to find that it was so hot as to almost blister his flesh. He did not pursue his researches andy further, but proceeded at once to his home, where he told of the strange occurrence. No faith was put in the narrative, and it was thought by neighbors that the youth was going crazy."

The news finally reached the town of Monterey, and some scientifically-inclined persons determined to investigate. Procuring the boy for a guide, they went to the place and found that all he had stated was true. When they returned they told even a more wonderful story than that told by the boy.

This produced a great sensation throughout the immediate country, and a great many persons were nearly frightened out of their wits. The superstitious were of the belief that the Day of Judgment was close at hand and began to make preparations to respond to the call of the trumpet, which they momentarily expected to wake the silence of the mountains.

As Hot As An Oven

One resident proclaimed, "I lived some distance away, but when the news reached me I determined to satisfy myself. After nearly a day's travel over the rough mountain road, which wound around cliffs at the foot of overhanging rocks, I arrived within a short distance of the region. I here left my horse, and, together with a couple of friends who had accompanied me, proceeded as best I could to the place indicated. I had heard exaggerated stories, and was almost prepared for anything; but I must confess that I was greatly startled. The earth for yards around seemed to be a smoldering heap, and was as hot as an oven. In places a hard crust and formed over the clay and large fissures made by the heat. The air seemed very dense and foggy, and in many places a bluish smoke broke through holes in the earth and spread over the mountaintops. We dug down to the depth of probably three feet and came to a yellowish sort of clay, which was almost as soft as putty. When a shovelful was thrown out on the ground it smoldered like a heap of ashes and a quantity of smoke seemed to rise from it. It was very hot and glowed with a strange brilliancy, which lasted for hours. We tried the experiment of digging down in a number of places, and always with the same results. The deeper we went the more pronounced was the phenomenon, and we found it difficult to stand over the opening."

How long this has been in progress no one knows, and the most learned are baffled for a reason. It looks as if a volcano was at work and ready at any moment to burst an opening through the earth and throw out its volume of smoke and fire. Hundreds of people have visited the place, and all have come away more mystified than ever." -- Chroniciling America View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

Native American Legends - Pawnee (Letakos-Lesa)

Eagle Chief (Letakos-Lesa) Pawnee words of wisdom says, "In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the animals, for Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak directly to man. He sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the beast, and that from them, and from the stars and the sun and moon should man learn. . . all things tell of Tirawa."

"All things in the world are two. In our minds we are two, good and evil. With our eyes we see two things, things that are fair and things that are ugly. . . We have the right hand that strikes and makes for evil, and we have the left hand full of kindness, near the heart. One foot may lead us to an evil way, the other foot may lead us to a good. So are all things two, all two."

A Pawnee Legend - Pawnee Acopalyptic Myth

"Tirawa Atius is the lord of all things and it is he alone who determines fate. At the beginning of the world, he set a large bull buffalo in the sky to the far northwest. With the passage of each year, the bull loses one hair; when all these hairs are gone, the world will end. As that hair falls, there will be widespread meteor showers, and the sun and moon will become dim.

"In the beginning, Tirawa Atius appointed the North Star and the South Star to control fate. The North Star once spoke directly to the Pawnee and told them that the South Star moved just a little bit to the north with each passing year. When the South Star catches up with the North Star, then the world will end.

"The command for the final destruction of the world is in the hands of the four gods of the directions. The West will issue the command that the world be destroyed and the East will obey. Then the stars in heaven will fall to the new earth and become people. The people left in this world at the time of destruction will fly high into the sky and become stars themselves." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

On This Day In History (November 14)

America - On Nov. 14, 1972, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 1,000 for the first time, ending the day at 1,003.16. Go to article. On Nov. 14, 1935, Hussein, the king of Jordan from 1953 to 1999, was born. Following his death on Feb. 7, 1999, his obituary appeared in The Times. Go to obituary.

On This Date, Nov. 14th:

• 1851 - Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick" was published.
• 1881 - Charles J. Guiteau went on trial for assassinating President James A. Garfield. (He was convicted and hanged.)
• 1922 - The British Broadcasting Corp. began its domestic radio service.
• 1935 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed the Philippine Islands a free commonwealth.
• 1969 - Apollo 12 was launched on the second manned mission to the moon.
• 1973 - Britain's Princess Anne married Capt. Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey.
• 1995 - The U.S. government instituted a partial shutdown, closing national parks and museums while government offices operated with skeleton crews.

Tu-Endie State Park - Point Pleasant

Point Pleasant, Virginia - Tu-Endie-Wei Point Pleasant Battle monument -- At the junction of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers stands this monument which commemorates the frontiersmen who fought and died at the Battle of Point Pleasant. This battle was fought with Chief Cornstalk on October 10,1774, and is recognized as the decisive engagement in a proactive series of Indian wars. The name "Tu-Endie-Wei" is a Wyandotte word meaning "point between two waters."

100 years -- The Point Pleasant Battlefield Monument was erected on October 10,1909 as a tribute to a battle fought on this same date in 1774. To learn about the battle along the banks of the Ohio River and about history preserved at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park click on "The Battle" page or come visit the area and its history.

If you go to Point Pleasant, located in the southern end of the town the four acre Tu-Endie-Wei State Park commemorates the 1774 Battle of Point Pleasant. At the park's centerpiece is an 84-foot granite obelisk that honors the Virginia militiamen who gave their lives during the battle. There are smaller memorial tablets in the park dedicated to Cornstalk and to "Mad" Anne baily whose mad exploits in thwarting the Indians earned her the nickname, after her first husband, Richard Trotter, was killed in the battle.

The Mansion House Museum is the oldest hewn log house in the Kanawha Valley erected in 1796 by Walter Newman as a tavern. It features displays of antiques and heirlooms of the era, including a large square piano believed to be one of the first brought over the Alleghenies. The Colonel Charles Lewis Chapter, N.S. Daughters of the American Revolution, maintains the Mansion House Museum and uses it for a chapter house as well. View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

1887 - Coldwater Hub of Comanche County Kansas

Coldwater, Kansas - Wichita Eagle, May 17, 1887, page 2, Coldwater -- While we were browsing over at Chronicling America through its Historic American Newspapers, we found this interesting article about Coldwater, Kansas, which was considered the hub of Comanche County, One of the Best County Seats of Kansas.

It starts, "To the Editor of the Eagle: All those who know not the beauties of the lovely city of Coldwater, her different advantages in nearly all respects, should visit and examine for yourselves. Examine the distance tot he neighboring towns and county seats and see what extraordinary inducement Coldwater offers, drink her fine water, look at her beautiful court house, examine the vast quantity of land which can be bought throughout the rich and fertile county of Comanche. No doubt a great many think just as I have thought myself, that Coldwater being so far from any railroad that it was a very small place and of little importance, but would make up my mind as soon as I could ride in the cars I would go and see the city. And now let me say to those who have been thinking like this that you are making a mistake, and those who have the sand to ride a few miles over the comfortable stage lines which run daily from Kinsley, Cullison, Medicine Lodge, are the ones who are going to reap large benefits.

"Coldwater is a city of some twelve hundred inhabitants, beautifully situated in the center of the large and fertile county of Comanche, ninety miles west and thirty south of "the great hub of Kansas, Wichita," sixty miles west of Medicine Lodge and twenty-five miles south of Greensburg. No place will you meet a better, more genial class of business men than at cold water. Only a suggestion as to what is or is calculated to be of interest or an advantage to the city is necessary to bring about action. The fact of it is they are all pulling the same way on the same string.

"Among the clever gentlemen which I met in the city are Messrs. Grant Bros., who are doing a very nice business in real estate and loans. Benny Eaton, proprietor of the Merchants' hotel. Mr. Eaton is ever looking to the comfort of his guests, and makes it pleasant for all who stop with him. There are also other good hotels in the city. And, by the way Mr. F. A. Whitenack is back at his own hotel, the Commercial.

"Mr. John G. Steffee, who many of the readers will remember was principal of our Wichita schools a few years ago, is located in Coldwater and is doing a very nice business in real estate and law. Mr. S. is also secretary of the Building and Loan Association just organized.

"Sisson & Sisson are among the live real estate men. The junior partner of the firm is rusticating at Vilas, Col. Dr. Sombart as a physician and druggist is a man which any city might feel proud of. He is a graduate of some two or three different pharmacies. At present the doctor is dealing very largely in real estate in Kansas and Colorado. D. H. Rich is proprietor of the large opera house which has jut been completed. The Swiss Bell Ringers will be the first show held in it.

"Messers. Lannon & Bennett are a couple of very clever real estaters. Mr. Lannon is an old friend of ours, and at one time a schoolmate at Mitchell, Ind., so of course he took pleasure in showing us around among his friends.

Cole & Lash are extensive hardware and implement dealers, and they, like many others, say: "What a fine thing it will be when the railroad is completed, and that is not going to be many weeks."

"Cook & Chambers, attorneys at law, they are a couple of whole soul men too. c. Beymer is engaged in bakery and confectionery business. T. H. Bale, proprietor of the double header flange wind-power dlouring mills. The citizens know and feel that Mr. Bale's mill is a wonderful advantage to the city.

"Lockwood & co. have a very nice drug establishment, and are doing a nice business. There quire a number of real estate men which are selling considerable property, and below is a partial list of those engaged in the business:

Crail Wiley, who was the first man who put his shingle out int he city. Doig & Crooks report a very nice trade. Jackson & Thornton, abstractors. Frank and Holmes, real estate and law. Dr. Holliday, physician and druggist. Smith & Wallis, attorneys at law, also handle real estate and loans.

"A. Darroch county treasurer. Mr. Darroch is an old time Indiana man who has spent all his days, until 3 years ago, living in Bockville, Ind., at which tie he came to Coldwater and he says that he expects to live the balance of his days in this place. E. E. Widerman, probate judge; Frank Meyer, clerk of district court; Mr. MClain, register of deeds.

"Mr. J. P. Jones, cashier of the bank of Coldwater, which we believe is or soon will be the First National, likes his new home very well. He informs us he is doing a very nice business. Capt. Veach & Co. are doing an immense business. J. M.Lobrugh, attorney at law and general collector. Homans & Barclay carry an immense stock of general merchandise. Milt. Shultise, harness and saddlery. Carter & Sparks, real estate, loan and insurance agents.

"Mr. Riley Lake is the proprietor of the great Concord stage line between Medicine Lodge and Coldwater and I tell you, boys, if you want to gaze upon some beautiful scenery you should not fail to ride over this popular route. Postmaster Cline is the genial agent at Coldwater. Mr. Harry Anderson owns the stage line from Coldwater to Meade Center, which runs daily and makes fine time I tell you.

Now is exactly the time to prospect through these counties while you can ride in the Concords and see the beautiful county.

"The Swiss Bell Ringers gave a fine show at Rich's opera house Friday night. All were delighted with it. They showed to a crowded house. Hoping to meet you all again when the bull dog dies, Maria. -- signed and written by P. B. D." View/Write Comments (count 0)   |   Receive updates (0 subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe