the sunshine and but little to relieve the monotony of the view except, perhaps a fringe of blue haze hanging over the Valleys of the Blue to the north and Turkey Creek on the south. With a good glass he might have seen an occasional homestead shack or a prairie schooner plowing its way westward always westward. 

     If necessity required an eastern trip for supplies, the schooner top was left behind for shelter for family and supplies and the "schooner" became a common every-day wagon.

     This was my first introduction to Exeter. I located in Clay County, first at Sutton in the drug business and if anybody ever sold a box of pills in the country west of the east line of Clay County in Nebraska, south of the Platte river before I did I have never succeeded in identifying him. From that to 1877, my recollection of Exeter is extremely hazy, as I only rarely passed through it on the train and my Exeter acquaintances were J. W. Dolan and J. W. Ellis.

     Traveling for a Lincoln Newspaper, I was here twice in 1877 and by a series of events, unfortunate both to myself and the community, I came here in January 1878 to engage in the newspaper business, and the way it happened was this:

     Up in Clay County, I had been postmaster at Edgar, and in the course of politics had come into possession of a newspaper and printing office - or the office came into possession of me, maybe would be putting it better. I had leased it to a party by the name of K. A. Connell, who had started the Exeter Enterprise in October, 1877, and after running it three months, went broke and abondoned (sic) the plant. Desiring to remove it to Fairbury, I came down to get possession of it. I found that the people, what few of them there were, rather strongly in favor of keeping the paper alive and so I resurrected it and to that fact is due many of the woes which have since come upon Exeter, in 1878.

     The following is a fairly complete business directory of Exeter: --

     J. W. Dolan, grain and lumber,

     H. G. Smith, W. H. Taylor and P. W. McCauley, general merchandise.

     Failing Bros., general merchandise and drugs.

     J. H. Edney, hardware and implements.

     Hannes & Stilley, hardware and grain.

     Dayton Bros., furniture.

     Dr. G. W. Whipple, physician.

     R. Beecher, physician.

     Job Hathaway, livery

     Centennial Hotel by Warren Woodard.

     J. P. Kettlewell, meat artist, (that's the way he used to advertise.)

     Elias Peterman, harness shop.

     That was about the whole push in olden, golden days of '78, but things started pretty lively with settlement of the alternate section of railroad land, which was mostly sold that year. A Catholic church was built in 1877 and Congregational in 1878, Methodist and Baptist churches in 1879, and during those and succeeding years various new enterprises were started, which I may mention later if this don't kill the reading population of this neighborhood.

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JOHN H. ANDERSON.

     John H. Anderson came to York County in February of 1865 with his father, John Spencer Anderson, and four brothers. The father was the first to homestead in that county, filing on Section 2, Town 9, Range 1, W. Their home was located on the bottom lands of the Blue, 1 mile west of the Seward county line. When quite young he had to break prairie with 5 yoke of oxen, and had aften (sic) to go to Nebraska City a distance of 100 miles, driving 2 yoke of oxen. The trip was usually taken 3 times a year, and needed seven days to make it, and sometimes the journey was undertaken to get a new plough shear, or an old one sharpened. During these trips, which were along the Government Freight Road, he would meet trains of as many as 100 Government wagons coming west.

     On one occasion he had been to Beaver Creek ploughing and, on returning home with his colts, and when between the Blue and the Government road, an old Indian named "Kee-walk," a Pawnee with one eye, ran up to him and presenting a revolver tried to frighten him, hoping evidently that be would run away leaving the colts. But young Anderson snatched the revolver out of his hand and made his escape. On reaching home and telling his story a complaint was made, and the Indian had to quit the country.

     Mr. Anderson has seen thousands of Indians passing up and down the Blue and could therefore give more stories than are here recorded. The following are selected because they are somewhat different to the others already given, and present to us a new feature of pioneer life.

     In December of 1870 he went with a well armed hunting party composed of nine men and five wagons. They made their way up the Blue to the forks, and then crossed over the country to the Republican river, and crossing the old Cottonwood ford, passed on South into Kansas, going up the country between the Sappy and Prairie Dog Rivers. One man had been sent ahead on horseback to find a camping ground and was seen to suddenly stop and turn back. He reported that he had seen nine Indians, and then as soon as they saw him, they jumped onto their ponies, and said he; "They are coming!" The party at once made a barrackade with the wagons, the whole arrangement being in charge of Anderson senior, a stalwart Kentuckian.

     The Indians soon rode up, and one came near, saying, "We are tame Indians, we won't hurt you! come with us to wigwams." After some parleying, they accepted their invitation and went to their camp to spend the night, but someone stood guard, and they were careful to refuse to turn their horses loose with the Indian ponies. In the morning the Indians told them where they would find the buffalos (sic), "they had to go one steep (i. e. sleep or night) and they find heap of buffalo." The party set out as directed and found as the Indians had said, "heaps of buffalo."

     It was Sunday when they made ready to return, having secured all the meat they could haul. It was getting dark and they were thinking of their night's rest in preparation for the return journey; when the air was filled with the most unearthly noises. It was as though the whole country was filled with wild Indians and buffalos, which made them feel alarmed, they very naturally wondered what was going to happen to them. Soon a band of Indians came from out the distance, yelping and howling like wild beasts, until the hunting party felt scared. At last one of the Andersons ventured to go and ask what they wanted. It appears that the Indians had lost the location of their wigwams, and this was their method of making the fact known to those in their camp.

     They departed for home on the Monday morning, and in three days reached the Republican river but were unable to cross because large quan-

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tities of mush ice were floating down, so they camped overnight. The weather became so cold that by morning the river was completely frozen, then by leading the teams and pushing the wagons across the ice, they were able to start again for home, completing the journey in nine days.

     The brother, Boon, was working one time near Kearney, when it was reported that the Sioux Indians were coming down to make war with the Omahas and Pawnees. All the men were put on guard and this brother was lying somewhere in the grass armed with a double barreled gun filled with buck shot; when he heard a movement and saw something in the distance at which he fired. There was a rush for the house, but soon all was quiet, and raking up courage to go and investigate as to what had happened they found a calf lying dead.

     In April 1869, the first sermon ever preached to the pioneers of York county was delivered by the Rev. Wm. Worley of the M. E. Church in the Anderson home. Another of the early preachers who held services there was the Rev. Colwell of the U. B. Church, a full cousin to Mrs. John H. Anderson, he came on horseback from Swanton, Saline county. Another preacher of that day was Reuben Manning of the Disciple Church, he was a soldier and homesteader, but would preach in the Armstrong sod school house. His chief characteristic was the wearing of a blanket over his shoulders in-stead of a coat, which he would lay off in the middle of the service.

     The social side of life in those days was well developed, and though things were more of the rough and ready order, the people were undoubtedly happy helping toward each others comfort. Mr. Anderson lived for a time near McCool and came to Exeter in 1899, where he is well known as the "dray man." His son, William, works in the Fillmore County News office, and has charge of the Linotype Machine and makes the type for the setting up and publishing of these stories.

     Job Hathaway, Willard Payne and Elma Wilcox came together in the spring of 1871, from Greenwood, Ill., making the journey with covered wagons. They settled on section 30, one mile west of town, the other quarter of the section was taken later by the Rev. Ingham. In due course Mrs. Hathaway came west, and was met by her husband at Lincoln, coming from there to Exeter in a covered wagon.

     Mr. Payne built a frame house in the middle of the section, so that a portion of it was on each claim, and they all lived in the one house; each homesteader having his particular corner, and in this way met the requirements of the law by sleeping on his own land. This house ultimately became the property of Mr. Hathaway.

     On one occasion a man came up to the house on horseback and asked for a night's lodging. Mr. Hathaway was away from home and Mrs. Hathaway did not like the idea of having the strange man in the house, so she asked Mr. Payne what he thought about it, and he, looking the man over, thought it would be all right as the man looked respectable. The man slept with Mr, Payne, and sometime during the night, Mrs. Hathaway was alarmed to hear that Payne was receiving a good pounding. and shouting to the man, "you donned old fool." The fight seemed so real, that Mrs. Hathaway jumped through the bedroom window; but leaving the baby behind her in bed, and was making her way to the neighbor's when she heard the call "come back lady! come back lady!" It appears that the strange man had been dreaming about a fight, and in his sleep had commenced to let fly at Mr.

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Payne. Needless to say, the man was full of apologies for the unhappy event, but it hindered Mrs. Hathaway from ever again taking a stranger into the house.

     Another homesteader of the neighborhood was named Clark, he had been a shipbuilder in England, but having read in newspaper advertisements a glowing account about this country being a "Land of Eden;" had made his way tither (sic) with his wife and two sons. They are described as a cultured people, having moved in good society, and had received on leaving England some very valuable presents including a Silver Tray beautifully engraved and bearing their name. Their experience here was undoubtedly a rough one and certainly not in keeping with their past associations. The conditions of life were entirely different from what they had expected, and they knew little about farming, and especially pioneer farming. During the winter, owing to the severe weather, and the scarcity of their farm improvements, they kept a cow in the house to help keep it alive. They had a sister who came to them, she was met at the Depot by Mr. Payne who had taken along for her convenience a hayrack. The young lady on seeing the kind of conveyance awaiting her, said; "that's the queerest chaise I ever saw!"

     This young lady and one of the sons soon died, and are buried in the Exeter Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Clark who were getting along in years, felt they could not meet the demands of the new conditions at their time of life, and the remaining son had a desire to follow the sea as a profession; so they sold out after remaining here about two years and returned to England. It is believed that the son who returned with them eventually went to sea and was drowned at the West Indies. Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway moved to Lincoln some years ago, where he for a time was a chief in the City Police, a position which he honorably filled, and which he liked. He passed away ten years ago and Mrs. Hathaway still makes her home in Lincoln.

MR. AND MRS. W. C. WOODWORTH.

     Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Woodworth came to Nebraska from Wisconsin in 1872, and homesteaded on a farm 3 miles north and half mile west of Exeter.

     When settling on their land they were anxious to have everything in as good order as possible, so they spent their ready money on improvements, but that year's farming did not turn out to their expectations and soon they needed the money for food which had been expended on a house, barn, and well. It therefore became necessary to go to Lincoln for credit, when the Farmers Grocery Stores readily allowed them $5 worth of provisions until a wheat crop was forthcoming to pay for them.

     There were 11 antelopes that ran on their claim for about six months after they located, and hunters would ride over the land in every direction. About that time Mrs. Woodworth was very sick, and failing to get hired help had the work to do herself as best she could. One day a huntsman, worth said, "Lady you look sick, can I got you some water?" The man worth said, "lady you look sick, can I get you some water?"* The man was kind enough not only to get a pail of water, but went out and shot a prairie chicken which he gave her, expressing the hope that the lady would soon get better, thus the stranger passed again out of her life after showing this unexpected kindness.

     Some neighbors named Crooker living on the Indian Creek had a seige (sic) of measels, there were six of the household stricken down at one time, so someone sought help of Mrs. Woodworth seeing there were two women in her house, herself and her mother, and probably one might be spared. Mrs.
____
     *line repeats in the original

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Woodworth very willingly went down to the Crooker home, hardly expecting to find conditions as bad as they were, and for three nights and three days she never rested in her efforts to help them through, but one girl died in spite of all the care put forth to save her.

     Some time after this Mrs. Woodworth was very sick with Typhoid fever, a trained nurse was an impossibility in those days, Miss Crooker, a school teacher, called one day and on seeing the condition Mrs. Woodworth was in, went home and sent her mother and father up to look after her, they remaining and took care of the invalid until she was better.

     The Horton school house was the place of worship for their neighborhood, and they were members of the "Church of God" who worshiped at that place. In those early days men would attend the services barefooted and dressed in overalls; while the women wore large sunbonnets. In later days "Father" Green of the U. B. church, a native of Lancashire, England, a homesteader of York county came often to preach and in fact was the only preacher there for a long time. True to his native country characteristics and training he was a very "deep" preacher, and of great fervor in his devotions. He was always careful to kneel when he prayed - he was not ashamed to bow himself before his God - and would spread a large red handkerchief on the floor; evidently to save his best trousers, though the newness had long since departed. But, "There were giants in those days" men mighty in faith and prayer, their treasurers were not to be measured by their earthly possessions or dress, they realized the value of the unseen world and had treasurers more abiding than earth can give. What days these would be if their successors with the increased value of the land had increased proportionately in their faith and religious devotions! The Kingdom of God and the brotherhood of man would be much nearer than it now is.

     "Father" Green was a man who believed in the incoming of better things, by trusting in God, and was much disappointed as were others; when, after praying on the Sunday of the grasshopper plague, that the plague might be taken away, and the congregation dismissed to find that the grass hoppers were actually rising in clouds and moving onward; that some should wonder and ask, "What started them going?" He died some 20 years ago loved and respected by all, having lived to a good old age - somewhere over 80 years, and is buried in the Exeter Cemetery. Many there are in the neighborhood who with Mrs. Woodworth are glad to keep green and fragrant the memory of the man of God named Green, the man who was good and upright in all his ways and died as he had lived, praying and singing.

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