Our Kansas subscribers had an opportunity to go to the polls Tuesday and select those who will serve on school boards and city councils. This is an off-year in Nebraska and the polls were closed. That wasn’t the case in Nuckolls County in 1903. Had we gone back in time 120 years ago this week, we would have had an opportunity to select those who were to fill various county offices.
From the stories printed in the 1903 papers, it appears it was a spirited election with many folks seeking a county job. In the days preceding the election, well attended rallies were held in communities all across Nuckolls County. From the published stories, it appears the candidates must have followed the same campaign advice that Donald Trump has been following. They made many wild and unsubstantiated claims about their opponents. And the newspapers were even more biased than Fox News.
The reelection of Sheriff Hodges displeased the editor of the Lawrence Locomotive, who explained the amazing majority of votes cast in Beaver precinct for Hodges by writing, “Beaver was Sheriff Hodges old home and the people there concluded if he was not reelected he might come back there to reside but they preferred he would not.”
For those not familiar with the county, let me explain. Beaver precinct is in the southern tier of townships and included the communities of Bostwick and Superior. Sheriff Hodges had been a resident of Beaver precinct before being elected sheriff and taking up residence in the county’s jail house located in Nelson. His bid was well supported by his former neighbors.
While I think I can explain the Locomotive editor’s comment, I don’t understand two items published in Nelson’s Nuckolls County Herald after the 1903 election.
The Herald reported oysters were served by the Christian Church ladies on election day at the jail building.
I suspect the church women were attempting to raise money by serving food. Readers of the 2023 editions of this newspaper will see the church folks are still using food to raise money only the menu has changed. Instead of oysters they are featuring items like chicken and noodles, various soups, hot beef sandwiches, roast turkey, hamburgers and other grilled delights, but no oysters and never at a jail.
Writing about the church socials of 2023 makes me hungry but I can’t imagine why anyone would chose to attend a function featuring oysters. But that must not have been the case in 1903 for the Herald reported the Baptist church women served oysters in all styles at the Time Table Building on election day. This was said to be a great convenience to the weary politicians who were waiting for the results to come in on Wednesday.
And the results must have been slow when horses were used to transport the ballots and election results from the far ends of the county to the courthouse in Nelson. Since I have been covering Nuckolls County elections, I remember times when the count was not finalized and the election office closed until the predawn hours. The ballots are now counted quickly by machine and motor vehicles take them to the courthouse.
As a college student, I was so interested in the 1968 presidential election that I slipped an old tube-type television into my dormitory room (students in those days were not allowed to have televisions or telephones in their rooms.) I left my door unlocked that night and the room was crowded. It was mid-morning or later before a winner was declared. We must have overheated the television during that marathon session because it never worked again.
At Nelson in 1903 the Herald reported “while waiting for the returns to come in, the young folks gave an impromptu social and had a jolly good time until a late hour.” I suspect their social was a bit more lively than the one in Marlatt Hall. We had to be careful and not draw the attention of the sleeping dorm supervisors. I suspect they knew I had the forbidden television but as long it was played quietly and didn’t draw their attention, they overlooked my transgression of the rules.
Not only do I find it hard to understand why anyone would chose to attend a social featuring oysters, I find the jail house to be an unusual place to hold such an event. It would have been close to the courthouse where the returns were being tallied, but who would chose to go to the jail? Reminds me of the story about a rural Nuckolls County young woman who went on a date with a young man from Nelson. When the date was over, she asked to be dropped off at her grandfather’s residence rather than be taken out to her parents’ farm home. However, the young man refused. He let her out a block or so from Grandpa’s house and made her walk the rest of the way.
The young man didn’t want to see and talk with her grandfather who was also a Nuckolls County deputy sheriff.
And here’s another item from 1903 that I don’t understand:
The Herald reported a picture social was to be given at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Tyler. Each woman attending was requested to bring a picture of herself taken in days long gone by. Each man present was to find the original and thus select a partner to share his pleasure at the supper table.
Am I correct in assuming the guests were married couples? I expect problems could have developed if the wrong woman was selected.
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