Old News Clippings
When an
Archive volunteer was filing some old news clippings she made copies of some
she thought were especially interesting. Each is summarized under the
article headline.
Ordinances
Four ordinances from the early days
of Kearney which probably are no longer on the books
1. Two or more persons could not assemble on a sidewalk or street
in front of or adjacent to any store, shop, saloon or other place of
business so as to obstruct the public right-of-way.
2. Within the city limits
it was illegal to wear the dress or appear in public in the dress or garb of
the opposite sex.
3. It was illegal to be playing with a ball on
Central Ave between 18th and 26th Streets or on 21st through 25th streets
between 1st Ave and Ave A [the side streets off Central]
4. [here’s how we kept the
city streets in good repair] Every male resident of Kearney between 21 and
50 years of age, between April and November, had to put in two days of labor
on the streets, alleys or highways in the city as directed by the street
commissioner.
They weren’t the only ones. Working on the streets
was also a common police court sentence during the “Boom Period.”
Example: Hub May 2, 1890 – Police Court
George ___ got drunk last night
and to-day he has the ball and chain on him working on the streets.
Arthur
___ was monkeying around the cooler last night at 12 o’clock and Policeman
Harrison thought he wanted in and so he put him in to cool off. To-day he is
working on the streets with ball and chain.
There
are now five men with ball and chain working on the streets.
Loved Poor
Whiskey, Couldn’t Make a Broom
from the New Era in 1884
Kearney’s broom factory winked out of
existence after a wrestle with adverse circumstances. The great obstacle to
success lay in the fact that the originators of the scheme loved poor
whiskey and did not know how to make a good broom.
Later on Kearney had
another broom factory
1893 – New broom factory - On
19th St. south of tracks
March 1, 1893 – first broom
made [118 years ago]
Broom
corn wired onto a stick [probably not a sophisticated operation]
5 employees, doubled to 10 in two weeks
April - shipped 100 dozen
brooms to Grand Island [that’s 1,200 brooms], also selling to Omaha.
Planning to put in machinery for making whisk brooms and brushes
Then nothing more
Better Look Out from the New
Era 1881
“Persons who have been in the habit of driving on
the sidewalks, had better look a little out or they will have the policeman
after them.”
Fined for Whip Use
from the New Era 1885
A justice of the peace
fined a man $5 & costs [$8.50] for striking another man over the head with a
whip over competition in purchasing hides.
Assault Witnessed
from the New Era 1888
A man appeared in court in
defense of charges brought against him. Several witnesses testified that he
had made an assault cutting someone using a knife that he had been using at
his work before the row began. Bond was set at $300 and he was bound over to
the next grand jury.
Worst Burglary Committed in City
from the Hub in 1910
In bright moonlight with
the store lights on, 4 boys from the reform school broke in to Kearney
Hardware and stole $30, six revolvers with ammunition, several safety
razors, pocket knives, silver spoons, along with 2 hunting caps and 2 coats.
Then they went to the Golden Eagle clothing store
where they discarded the coats and caps and “proceeded to dress up in the
latest style.”
Three Pistol Shots, Cries Woke Kearney
from the New Era 1884
At 20 minutes to 11 in the
evening three shots rang out in rapid succession followed by agonizing cries
and groans of a woman. The location was given as 13th and Nebraska. [Today
that is 24th and A]
The shots woke Kearneyites living in the area and
soon it was reported hundreds of citizens had gathered. [Considering
Kearney’s total population was about 2000 by this time, that may be an
over-estimate of crowd size]
They found that a man had
shot his wife in the head, the shot entering her left temple and exiting the
right side of the neck, just missing the jugular vein.
[A further
search revealed no further information about either the husband or the wife.
Did the wife survive this gunshot wound? She is not buried in the
Kearney Cemetery or elsewhere in Buffalo County].
Sidenote: What was
Kearney's population over the years?
Population of Kearney
Kearney was founded in
1871 so 1880 was its first census
1880 – 1,782
1890 – 8,074 +16.31 %/yr [middle of boom period,
not quite the 10,000 bragged about at the time]
1900 – 5,634 -3.53 %/yr
1910 – 6,202 +0.97 %/yr
1920 – 7,702 +2.19 %/yr
1930 – 8,575 +1.08 %/yr
1940 – 9,643 +1.18 %/yr
1950 – 12,115 +2.31 %/yr
1960 – 14,210 +1.61 %/yr
1970 – 19,181 +3.05 %/yr
1980 – 21,158 +0.99 %/yr
1990 – 24,915 +1.65 %/yr
2000 – 27,886 +0.99 %/yr
2005 +1.19 %/yr
2010 – 30,787 +1.1 %/yr
2014 – 32,469 +1.34 %/yr (official estimated
population)
Raid Gambling Room
from the Hub 1889 [July 27]
About 11:30 one night two
Kearney policemen, who had been watching this place for some time, in
stocking feet slipped upstairs to a room over a plumbing business in
downtown Kearney. They found a group at a table playing poker. All were
arrested. The editorial comment at the end of the article was that a greater
surprise party perhaps never was.”
The judge was notified and
police court was held between 1 & 2 o’clock. One man plead guilty and was
fined $24.70 [$16 + 8.70 costs?]. Four others pled innocent so a trial was
held immediately. The policemen testified and, based on their testimony, all
were convicted and each fined $24.70. One person, who was a spectator, was
not charged.
Further research turned up this article.
The Unwary Taken
In from the Hub July 30, 1889
The city council wanted the gambling places
broken up so they supported police officers Harrison and Rawley.
Last night they saw a
mellow light behind curtains on the second floor of a large brick store
building on the south side which had been vacant until recently. The
policemen forced their way in, to the surprise of the players. All four
players were taken before the police court judge. The all plead not guilty
but on the testimony of the policemen, all were convicted and each fined
$24.70
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