"To Hell With The Man Who Breaks My Will"

Will in the widow of his Caldwell, ID store (Will on the right with unidentified person on the left).

From a daily diary/memo book. The last will & testament of Will Steunenberg on a page dated 5/9/1907. Some of you may have seen it before as moving up from the picture section at the end of the blog and adding a transcribed version. Certainly weighing on Will's mind as he wrote this would have been the untimely deaths of his brothers Frank and AK Steunenberg coupled with the passing of his father and family patriarch Bernardus Steunenberg. All were gone within an 18 month period beginning with that awful night of December 30th, 1905 when Governor Steunenberg was assassinated. Ancil Keppel “AK” died of a serious illness on March 16, 1907 and Bernardus Steunenberg passed away a short time later on March 29th 1907.

The following is a transcribed copy from the above 1907 diary along with a few additional entries of interest. Will was the second oldest of the ten children of Cornelia and Bernardus Steunenberg and the oldest brother of Governor Frank Steunenberg. He was a shoemaker by trade and owned the above pictured shop in Caldwell, ID. He was born 3/26/1857 in Holland, MI; died August 12, 1946 Caldwell, ID.

A few words are difficult to discern although eyes better then mine could probably figure it out. Will kept a daily diary throughout his adult life and typically made short and to the point notations on each calendar day. Most indicate the weather, lodge activities, visits to family, playing cards, results of hunting/fishing trips and daily personal and business expenses. The last will and testament appears in the memorandum section of the 1907 diary. The diaries are in the possession of my cousin Bill Crookham of Caldwell, ID and several were loaned to me for examination.

The names referenced in his last will and testament are of Will’s remaining seven Steunenberg siblings. I have attempted to use punctuation, capitalization and spelling as per the original. A few items in parentheses have been added for clarification or comment purposes.

May 9^th 1907 (Memoranda section of the diary)

In case anything should happen to me, I would like Jo & Deal (sisters Josephine and Delia) to have the property on Gospel ridge 9 blocks and house in block 33 Dorman’s addition. (space) The ¼ share I own in the home property Block (space) to go to John. let Charley (his brother Charles Benjamin Steunenberg often referred to as “C.B”) & George (Steunenberg) divide my share of the shoe store equally between them. If there is any Money left give Lizzie & Grace (Elizabeth and Jennie Grace Steunenberg) One hundred dollars each & divide the balance equally among you all. see that the guns get good keepers. And if any of Frank’s Boys ever show any tendency to guns & will take care of same; give them the gun that belonged to Frank the 30-303 savage.Don’t blow in (spelling?) money foolishly on funeral Just plain. and remember no mourning goes, Just be Jolly & forget and don’t drag my carcass to a Church I would like the K.P’s (Knights of Pythias) & Odd Fellows to Plant me if they can do so without making blunders & would like for Prof. Boone to make one of his nice sensible talks, No Preaching goes (spelling?). And give Boone $25.00 for his trouble.

Let John, Charley & George see that my wishes are carried out.

W. L. Steunenberg

To Hell with the Man who breaks my will.

Transcribed by John T. Richards Jr.

Other samples of the entries in the 1907 diary include:

3/15 – went to A.K.’s in evening & stayed all night at A.K.'s… A.K. very low.

3/16 – don’t see how A.K. can get well…A.K. died at 5 min to 12

3/19 –A.K. was buried by the IOOF Grand Lodge officers and the canteen assisting…it was a very large funeral considering the muddy & sloppy roads.

3/29 – Father died at 1:15

4/21 – rode out to the cemetery

4/23 – went home and found John and Charlie looking over Frank’s papers.

7/28 – The jury acquitted Haywood this morning of having anything to do with Frank’s murder.

10/27 – went fishing with T.W. Boone 

"Give us a Man" by George E. Steunenberg

George Steunenberg
Maybe he should
have run for office.

I still need to get the rest of George's Song's of a Soldier posted on the blog. However, this poem is not from the book but is among many others he also wrote. Being we are now well into election season, and politics is awash with millions of dollars for TV commercials in search of your vote, I thought Give us a Man would be in order (I would add "or a Woman" although might have to rework the poem a bit).

*Any similarity to presidential candidates, past or present, real or imagined, is purely coincidental.

Give us a man in the White House!
   A man who can fill the chair!
Who won't begin seeking another term
   As soon as we've placed him there.
Who will think of the country instead of himself—
   We have such men in the land—
Who will throw the political game to the winds
   And tackle the job on hand!

Give us a man in the White House!
   A man you can see in a crowd.
Who isn't afraid to speak his mind,
   But doesn't speak too loud.
Who will stay on the job when he's needed there,
    But will not kill himself with work.
Who when he must face a camera
   Will do it without a smirk.

Give us a man in the White House
   Who will fearlessly face the facts.
Who will cut his talk down to the minimum
   And speak through his deeds and acts.
Who will fire that army of bureaucrats
   No matter what bosses may say,
And his name will go down in history
   As the man who saved the day!

(Another version with an alternative ending)
Gives us a man in the White House
   Who will fearlessly face the facts.
Who will keep his mouth out of the radio
   And speak through his deeds and acts.
Who will face any danger when duty calls
   And if need be forfeit his life.
And for god's sake give us a president
   Who isn't afraid of his wife!

1952 Eisenhower VS. Stevenson. You may not see the screens below if receiving as an email blog notice. Come to the blog. Political commercials were sure a lot more fun and less expensive to make back in the 1950's.


See more: Museum of the Moving Image - The Living Room Candidate

Post Sandy Hook...now what do we do?

A week ago yesterday (12/14/12), I was teleworking from home as I typically do on Fridays, wrapping up the weeks paperwork and documentation. I was also thinking about topics for a Saturday blog post. Now, I am not sure I can ever forget last Friday once the details began to trickle out from Newtown about Sandy Hook Elementary School. I just couldn't help it, and broke my cardinal rule and turned on the TV to see what was happening. Was I dreaming—having a nightmare—I could only hope. But of course the events of last Friday were as real as the tears trickling down my face for the rest of that day.

As of today, we seem to have survived Armageddon but what happened at Sandy Hook certainly gives us a peek at what a world gone mad and self-destruction looks like. It has been just over a week and the memorials and funerals continue while a dialogue has erupted regarding guns, violence, mental health, entertainment media, religion, etc. Time will tell if this is a healthy discussion or merely a lot of self-serving noise with little in the way of meaningful impact or real change. We have looked into the abyss and must now look into the mirror and into the eyes of our neighbors, politicians, corporate heads and the families of those impacted by Sandy Hook—and all other such horrific events in recent years—and decide what, if anything, we are going to do about it.

On this blog I stay clear of most political comment, controversy or posturing though we certainly touch on the issues of assassination and violence—so I can draw at least a minimal connection to those historical topics.  Besides, I just don't feel the ability to go on talking about history and our family as if nothing had happened last week.

What makes me qualified to do so? Nothing particular— no special expertise, not a particularly gifted writer or orator and I have never lost a child, at least not to death. However, like all of you and many others, I do bring some of life's experiences to the table. So here is a little more about those experiences.

As covered at length on this blog, Frank Steunenberg was the victim of a brutal killing by a mass murderer. Yes, the murder of Frank was a couple generations removed but the impacts were lasting and we can compare assassins, murderers, sociopaths and nut cases from across history as a means of gaining some insight into what causes such behavior. More recently, my brothers son, my nephew Gary Osborne, was shot dead when he opened his front door to a home invader. Yes, he might have been able to protect himself if he had a gun of his own, and there is some merit to that view, but it's all hindsight and speculation and some folks just don't want to be toting guns at every knock of the door.

I will leave most of the theorizing about violent acts to the psychologists and sociologists. However, I have studied and practiced my craft at the grassroots level for a few decades now and hopefully gained some insight along the way. Most of that will be for another discussion at another time.

I have been a counselor of one type or another for many years, having started as a young intern some 40 years ago in a county mental health clinic for children and families.  My first client, interestingly, was 16 year old Gary, a young man with Autism that I shall never forget. I will touch again on the topic of autism in just a minute.

I have a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and have amassed hundreds of hours of other training and classes over the years. I get some fancy letters after my name like M.S. for Master of Science, C.R.C. for Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Q.R.P. for Qualified Rehabilitation Professional. None of it necessarily makes me better or more knowledgeable than someone that doesn't have those trappings, as a couple letters here and there before or after your name does not necessarily correlate to common sense. It’s why I usually address my medical doctors by their first names.

Early on in school, I was not a very good student, had poor reading skills, retention was bad and I struggled and lacked self-confidence. Back in those days, no one paid any attention or knew very much about learning disabilities or differences, much less psychological issues that might not be readily apparent. To some degree, because I was big and looked older than many of my peers, I would tend to get a free pass to the next grade. Sports was my outlet and sometimes being a basketball and football player got you a free pass too. Now I am just plain older and and that creates its own struggles.  

I am a dad, having raised three children. Without getting into confidential details, I will mention that one of those children was given a dual diagnosis as a teenager and we experienced many dark and frightful days fearing for his life and the potential risk to others due to sometimes risky behaviors. As a parent who had worked within the system, I was then engaged in a battle with the same system to get the help my son and our family so desperately needed. We experienced a lot of raw emotion and tears then too but fortunately not the ultimate suffering that must come from the loss of a child. BTW, I am happy to report my son is a healthy, intelligent, accomplished and engaging adult who is doing quite well, as are all of our children.

I am a gun owner and do some very basic collecting. Counselors don't have deep enough pockets to do much in what can be a very expensive hobby. You have seen some pictures of a few guns on this blog. Although I believe it is a family choice, as a parent I elected not to have any guns in the household while my children were growing up and especially not during the difficult times I alluded to with my then teenage son. I had no particular reason to believe anything violent would occur but accidents do happen and a gun safe would not have been a sufficient safeguard.

I am not an NRA member but do belong to some other gun related organizations.

And no doubt there are other good, bad and ugly references that might apply to me.

Gun Control: In terms of guns, the answer is neither to arm everybody to the teeth nor to strip away all guns. I enjoy historical arms, I don't want them taken away and have freely provided my fingerprints to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and DOJ. Happy to have them there! We must take steps to control assault weapons, large capacity magazines and certain types of ammunition that has no place except in a military or SWAT team type setting. Now is shooting with full auto or blowing stuff up fun...yes!  We can get creative and still have places for it. Licensed gun ranges and trained military or law enforcement personal, even the NRA, could make some of those experiences available from time to time under safe and controlled conditions. We just have to be creative. But I do not need fully automatic weapons, assault rifles and explosives in my gun cabinet, around the house or in the back yard.

Gun Licensing/data bases and such: What is this constant and conspiratorial fear of gun control?  I have to license my cars, license myself to drive and pass background checks, drug testing, etc. for many employment settings. I am not worried about the government taking away my car unless I commit a crime with it and same is true of my guns. I welcome more licensing, a data base of guns, maybe an ammo tax earmarked for training or mental health and even another picture ID for gun owners to go with my drivers license. We have to practice and study for our driver's license, let’s do more of the same for gun ownership. I believe in the 2nd amendment, but I don't see anything that mentions unfettered access to all the weaponry available today. Let's get over it! There will always be the fringes on both extremes and it is time to ignore them and move on and make some changes.

Guns and kids: Generations of many families have enjoyed target shooting, hunting and collecting guns and kids have grown up with it as a very normal part of their life. We hope their upbringing has included proper training, safety and security and I am confident in most cases it has. Those are decisions that each family has to make. But back to the car and drivers license analogy—licensing, training and testing can play a bigger role. Government, yes, but the NRA, gun dealers, manufacturers, collectors and hobbyists all have a role to play. Look at the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), as they have an excellent record of doing this for years with the support of hundreds of individuals. We need to expand these efforts even more and make sure gun handling and safely training is available in every locality. I know I could use more. 

NRA: I was disappointed with the statement from the NRA's Wayne LaPierre yesterday. I would like to join the NRA, as they do many good things, great training and have a wonderful museum and could be on the leading edge of this issue. Unfortunately, LaPierre missed an opportunity and brought absolutely nothing new to the table—just more guns. Placing police or security officers at every school or arming teachers and/or administrators can certainly be a discussion point, but the NRA has to be willing to give a bit on its opposition to even the most seemingly sensible gun control initiatives. I am hoping a significant portion of NRA members will have more realistic and creative ideas. I have heard from some members that do. On the other side, I have sometimes thought perhaps myself and many others should in fact join the NRA and swell its ranks with those more willing to take on the association leadership and insist on change. Something to think about anyway.

Mental health is an important issue to all of us. But unfortunately it is not simply a matter of saying we need to increase services. As a health issue, mental health is tied directly to funding at the local level for public mental health services and to healthcare reform as related to both public and private entities. As a professional in the field, I probably could not have gotten mental health assistance for Adam Lanza unless he had demonstrated clearly threatening behavior prior to the shooting. Around the country, services are underfunded and understaffed and able to respond only when an overt crisis occurs. Often, with individuals like Lanza, we don't know there is a crisis until the trigger is being pulled. I believe in a very strong military, but perhaps we need to build a few less F-35 Fighters or reduce the cost of those Pentagon toilets or cut other waste. And lets stop trying to buy friendship around the world and instead cut the payoffs to Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. and focus on what is happening in our own neighborhoods and on our streets.

Faith...Faith is a necessity but we have to accept that it may be religious based or may not. Faith in ourselves, our families, our neighbors, a higher power, our god or however we may choose to exercise it. Yes, I may sound a bit simplistic and naive, but isn't that the beauty of those 20 children that just died and the lesson they can teach us. I am also told there were two children with autism among the dead. How ironic. I am sure all these children had their moments of temper tantrums or a tug of war over a toy, book or who gets to use the swing—but by all standards this looked to be a beautiful innocent bunch of kids that enjoyed school, their classmates, had dedicated and loving teachers and certainly the love of their families. Yes, they are our families too. We have to have faith in our kids and sometimes perhaps we adults need to be a bit more child-like in our willingness to accept and trust others too. Doesn't mean throw caution to the wind but a little more "love thy neighbor" wouldn't hurt.

So what do we do now? This is a complicated social and cultural issue which cannot, and must not, be reduced to a few simple talking points. Some want to make it only about gun control, or mental health, or religion/non-religion, or video games/TV, or breakdown of the family, etc. And please stop carelessly discussing Autism/Aspergers in the same breath as this mass killer. I have worked with probably 100's of people, mostly young men, with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) starting with the young man I mentioned from forty years ago. None have committed any significant act of violence that I am aware of. Yes, like all of us, they get mad at times or may lack social graces and etiquette. However, I find individuals with ASD to be some of the most interesting, creative, engaging and intelligent people I know. No evidence that I have seen suggests any greater tendency toward violence then among the rest of us. They may have other co-occurring disorders but ASD in and of itself does not produce mass murderers. If we start to condemn everyone that is a loner, doesn't like to socialize a lot, keeps quiet, etc.—we are going to have a lot of people to evaluate or lock up. If that is going to be the case, I might as well get in the line.

There are far more knowledgeable and capable folks than I am in terms of organizing and lobbying skills. However, we can start my expressing opinions on blogs, by email, letter, fax, social media, phone, etc. to our government representatives from the local to the presidential level, sign a petition or check for one on the White House website—and be specific in terms of changes in law and funding sources. For instance mental health, don't just scream me, me, me and I need more money in regards to public and private funding. If you want more funds for something, fine, but address where the money will come from (savings, efficiency, cutbacks, taxes, etc.).  In terms of guns, lobby the sources—membership organizations (AKA NRA), corporate gun manufacturers, ammo manufacturers, your neighborhood gun shop, etc.

We must accept the fact that there will be no magic pill and unfortunately other tragedies will likely befall us before significant change takes place—but change will occur. I certainly do not have all the answers and will continue to wrestle with these questions and my positions will no doubt shift and change as we study the issues and continue the debate. There will continue to be extreme voices on the far right and far left that make a lot of noise and get a lot of press. Although I have no empirical evidence and have not conducted a study or taken more polls (do we really need more polls!), I am guessing we can throw out up to 20% of the extreme left and 20% on the extreme right and still find a more reasonable 60% of the populace — be they Republican/Democrat/Independent, Religious (all faiths and denominations), Agnostics/Atheists, men/women, straight/gay/lesbian/transgender, all colors, NRA or not and everyone else you can think of—and come to some kind of common sense approach for the sake of our children and our country. The silent majority needs to step up to the plate. Do we need to become atypical allies in this fight? Yes, we have to be. You may feel the need to hold your nose, shield your eyes or keep the disinfectant handy—but nonetheless we can do this—we must do this.

So there you have it—my ramblings for today. Perhaps a little disjointed but still trying to clear my head and make some sense of an event that has no sensible explanation or motive. I will probably come back and add, delete, correct in the days ahead. Not sure what else I will get posted on here before Christmas, maybe at least my traditional holiday excerpt from Big Trouble. Despite, and because of, this tragic end to the year, I wish you and your families an especially Happy Holidays and prosperous and peaceful New Year.   

Christmas 1905/2011

This year I am continuing the now Christmas tradition of posting the excerpt below from Big Trouble. As you may know, the passage regarding the family Christmas gathering at A.K. and Carrie Steunenberg's house is a personal favorite. I had expanded on the excerpt last year and will again add a bit more this time around. I did not include all of last years personal commentary as you can find it in the 2010 archive if you like. Items from Big Trouble are not necessarily in order of appearance in the book as I have tried to keep it chronologically correct.

In contrast to the joyous occasion at A.K's. and Carrie's home, I have included the more gruesome description of Frank's condition following the bombing. I debated doing so as a holiday entry but those events occur in juxtaposition for a reason. I decided to remain true to the intent of Lukas and the message he was trying to convey. I have also inserted some related links in the text and maintained a list of additional ones at the end. Please note that I used a couple of links (A.K. Steunenberg and Reverend Mr. Boone) from our friend Revue Guru (aka Evan) at South Fork Companion. Check those out. No doubt I will make a few corrections and add a few more items as I go.
For now, I think I will reserve any personal family holiday note until maybe a later date. I will say we are certainly thinking of our family, past and present, friends, readers, military personnel and those less fortunate then us, in our own country and in the more dangerous and oppressive parts of the globe. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday season and a more peaceful and prosperous 2012.

From Big Trouble:
"The community's general air of well-being was reflected in the bustling jollity of Caldwell's holiday festivities, formally ushered in on Saturday, December 23, with Christmas exercises at three downtown churches. The most impressive were those at the Presbyterian Church, the house of worship that attracted many of Caldwell's leading citizens. Belle Steunenberg had stood proudly among its founders, a teacher in its Sunday School, a doyenne of the congregation, a community leader 'jeweled with Christian graces,' until her inexplicable defection to Caldwell's tiny eight-member Adventist Church when it was inaugurated a year before—an act of such breathtaking betrayal it had left a strong residue of resentment in the front pews."

"To assuage some of the bitterness among Belle's former congregation, the governor still attended an occasional Presbyterian service, though without much enthusiasm. He once confessed to a friend that 'his church attendance, he feared, was prompted more by anticipation of an intellectual treat than spiritual improvements.' He had to concede that the Presbyterians knew how to put on a show. That Saturday, the adult choir's 'Joy to the World' had been followed by songs from the youngest congregants, including a solo by the governor's niece, Grace Van Wyngarden, still pale from her bout with typhoid; a 'Rock of Ages' pantomime by Mrs. Stone's class, the young ladies dressed as the heavenly host, all in gold and silver, with wings sprouting from their shoulders; and finally the smallest child of all, Gladys Gordon, singing a 'rock-a-bye' with the aplomb of a prima donna and 'a clear, sweet voice that sounded to the roof.'"

"Then a portly member, dressed as Santa Claus, pulled up in a sleigh and taking his traditional position in the choir loft, delivered a gay, bantering speech. 'Have all you children been good this year?' he asked to squeals of affirmation. Descending to the foyer, Santa opened his sack, tossing out green net bags tied up with crimson yarn, each containing candy, nuts, and a bright golden orange. All this in the glow of an admirable balsam—which the congregation's men had cut in the crisp air of the Owyhee Mountains—now dressed out in cardboard angels and colored balls and illuminated this year, for the first time, by genuine electric lights."

"For the next few days, he (Harry Orchard) tried to get a fix on the ex-governor's schedule. He didn't catch up with him until Christmas day, when he saw him with his family on his way to his brother A.K. Steunenberg's house for the holiday dinner."

“At noon on Christmas Day, the governor and Belle attended the traditional family dinner at A. K.’s house. The hustling young entrepreneur and his family occupied an imposing Colonial Revival mansion, its great front portico supported by three Tuscan columns, approached by a new cement sidewalk on North Kimball Avenue, where the city’s 'quality' clustered in the lee of the Presbyterian Church.”

"Although Frank, A.K. and their wives certainly ranked among Caldwell's first families, they were less self-assured than they appeared. In a town that had long cherished the notion of unrestrained opportunity, the uncomfortable specter of social class reared its head. When James Munro, a clerk in the Steunenberg bank, married Estella Cupp, the eldest daughter of the town's most prominent real estate broker, the Tribune called them 'the popular young society people'—a frank recognition that a 'smart set' was coalescing in this nominally egalitarian community. A Young Man's Dancing Club invited the socially active young people to occasional soirees at Armory Hall."

"Some of Caldwell's new elite never quite felt they belonged. During a prolonged stay in the nation's capital, Frank Steunenberg shied away from the fashionable dinner parties to which he was invited. 'Why,' he told a friend more eager than he to see how the smart set lived, 'to accept one of these invitations means the wearing of an evening costume and what a pretty figure I would cut!'"

"A.K. Steunenberg had a thick sheaf of credentials. But consider his reaction as a guest of Bob and Adell Strahorn, the most worldly members of Caldwell's inner circle, at their summer home in northern Idaho. 'You can imagine my consternation when I 'butted' into a regular dress suit card party,' A.K. wrote his wife. 'I was the only one who did not wear a white front and a claw hammer. And to make matters worse they played a game called 500 I think I had never played before. Being like a fish out of water anyhow that did not tend to give me any reassurance...I sailed in and got through without making any very bad breaks or spilling my coffee. The ladies were perfectly lovely and seemed to try and relieve my embarrassment and I guess the men did too...The main theme of conversation at the card party was the help problem...not being able to procure help of any kind.'"

“None of these insecurities could be detected that Christmas afternoon as a gracious A.K. welcomed the boisterous clan beneath his portico. No fewer than thirty Steunenbergs gathered around the heavily laden table, headed by the seventy-two year old patriarch, Bernardus, a shoemaker by trade, a Mexican War veteran who’d come west from Iowa to join his children earlier that year. Seven of his ten offspring were there that afternoon: five sons—Frank; A.K.; Pete, the most raffish of the brothers, a part-time printer who sometimes dealt cards at the Saratoga; Will and John, lifelong bachelors and partners in a shoe store (“Fitters of Feet,” they called themselves) just behind the Saratoga—and two daughters—Elizabeth (“Lizzie”), married to Gerrit Van Wyngarden, a Caldwell contractor who’d built both Frank’s house and the new Caldwell Banking and Trust building, and Josephine (“Jo”), at thirty-four still unmarried, who made a home for John, Will, and Bernardus at her commodious house on Belmont Street, while finding time to repair Franks’ shirts as well. The “plump” and jolly” A.K. played Santa at his own festivities, distributing elaborately wrapped gifts to all the children.”

"'After it got dark, I (Orchard) went up to his residence and took a pump shotgun with me and thought I would try to shoot him when he was going home...I was there an hour or so before I heard him coming home, and he come soon after I got up there but he got in the house before I got my gun together.'"

What we now know would be the final family gathering on Christmas that would include Frank, was fortunately not tainted by this bungled assassination attempt on Christmas day—yes, even the ex-governor walking home with his family on Christmas day did not dissuade the beast from trying to slay its pray. Of course, the family could never imagine that this would be Frank's last Christmas at his brother A.K's, with only five days until the tragic events on December 30th, 1905, when past assassination failures would finally end in a tragic and dastardly success.

"The night before the governor's walk had witnessed the season's grandest dinner party, cohosted by Caldwell's social arbiter, Queen Carrie Blatchley; William Judson Boone; and their spouses for a group of refined young couples, including two attorneys, an insurance agent, a pastor, and the manager of a lumber company. 'Very pleasant,' Boone recorded in his diary. 'Fine time.'"

"Indeed, to Boone, his guests, and many others, that winter in Caldwell seemed a fine time and place to be alive. Despite its early dependency, there lingered in town a fragile sense of autonomy—the notion that its citizens controlled their own destiny....on that snowy night of the governor's walk, Caldwell looked for all the world like the quintessential ninetieth-century American community, sufficient unto itself, proof against an uncaring world."

"The Reverend Mr. Boone and his wife had been entertaining their closest friends, the Blatchleys, when they heard a "terrific" noise. They thought something had fallen on the roof."

"Julian Steunenberg (my grandfather) and Will Keppel (nephew of Belle/son of her brother Edward Keppel) came running. A sturdy youth with a shock of blond hair, strikingly like his father in face and figure, Julian had been particularly close to the governor. He and Will had been strolling two blocks behind him when they felt the explosion, then dashed with pounding hearts to Frank's side, where they were quickly joined by Garrit Van Wyngarden, the governor's brother-in-law, who lived two blocks west on Dearborn. Together the trio tried to lift the grievously wounded man, but as they did the flesh on his legs simply gave way. Finally, someone got a blanket, into which they paced the governor, managing to carry him that way into the house and lay him on a bed in his daughter's downstairs bedroom."

Will Steunenberg had just eaten supper and was back at his store arranging a display of boots when the concussion spilled them on the floor. A minute later, Ralph Oates rushed in to say there'd been an explosion at Frank's house...When he reached the house, his brother had already been moved inside. Belle was lighting kerosene lamps to replace the electric ones, for the neighborhood's electric power had been knocked out by the blast. Window on the north and west side of the house had been shattered, as had those in other houses for blocs around. Shards of glass littered the floors. A huge clock had toppled from its shelf, striking five-year-old Frank Junior, who'd been lying on the leather couch below."

"When Will entered the front bedroom, it was 'horrible': the governor writhing on the bed, his right arm hanging by a few shreds, his right leg mangled, both legs broken at the ankles. He kept asking to have his legs rubbed."

"Three of the town's doctors-John Grue, W.E. Waldrop, and John A. Myer—had arrived. There was nothing they could do."

"Just past 7:30 p.m., he gasped three of four times, like a man trying to catch his breath, and muttered something unintelligible. As Will leaned closer, trying to hear those last syllables, the governor sank back and died. "

"'Frank died in my arms', Will wrote a sister in Iowa, 'and I hope the fellow that killed him will die in my arms, only in a different manner.'"

—Big Trouble by J. Anthony Lukas

Other Related Blog Links

Canyon Hill Cemetary

Assassination: Idaho's Trial of the Century on Public Television

12/31/1905 - Assassinated with a dynamite bomb (Footnote.com Spotlight)

Click here to see a blog post about the home of A.K. and Carrie Steunenberg.

Click here to see the 1880 Census entries for the Steunenberg family.

Google Street View of A.K. Steunenberg home (give it a minute to load).

For more family letters, go to the COI GLC Collection.

Steunenberg & Cupp/Munro Connection

Will Steunenberg
Written on the photo (as best I can decipher it):
"Jan 1913
Governor Steunenbergs of Idaho Brother
This is his brother, WM Steunenberg
stayed at our home for years
belong to odd fellow lodge in Caldwell Ida our home town.
Medas picture"

This wonderful old photograph comes to us compliments of Sharon 'Tipton' Conlin. Sharon and I reconnected by email this week and she has graciously shared a few scans of her family photographs.

The photo originates from the Charles Hamilton Cupp Family. It had been in the possession of Lillie 'Blaisdell' Cupp, and the writing at the side of the picture was by her daughter Almeda “Meda.” The picture was given to Sharon in 1995.

Sharon's great grandmother was Lillie Cupp. The Steunenberg's and Cupp's were friends and associates in Caldwell. Estella Cupp married James Munro, who was a Cashier/Clerk at the Caldwell Bank & Trust. Click on the link and you will see a blog post about the bank, including an original cabinet photo from my family collection showing the interior. A.K Steunenberg is standing at the rear cashier's window. I always thought maybe that was James Munro at the front window but now I am not too sure. What do you think?

Along with his brother John Steunenberg, Will operated a shoe store near the Saratoga Hotel. If anyone can pinpoint the location for me I would appreciate it. Will and John liked to be referred to as "fitters of feet." See Will standing in the door window (we think) and W.L. Steunenberg inscribed on the display widow in the photo to the left. This one comes from the COI archives.

From Sharon:
"One of the Steunenberg brothers, William, rented room and board with my great- grandmother - Lillie L. Cupp and her children for a few years after her husband Charles Hamilton Cupp, whom was a carpenter by trade, had died from injuries sustained from an accident while training a horse. She had to do baking, and rent a room or two to help support herself and her children."

Brothers Charles Hamilton & Lillie ‘Blaisdell’ Cupp family, and William Monroe Cupp family, and their parents, Sam & Magdalena ‘Walters’ Cupp were all friends of the Steunenberg families, as were the Munro family."

From Big Trouble:
Although Frank, A.K. and their wives certainly ranked among Caldwell's first families, they were less self-assured than they appeared. In a town that had long cherished the notion of unrestrained opportunity, the uncomfortable specter of social class reared its head. When James Munro, a clerk at the Steunenberg bank, married Estella Cupp, the eldest daughter of the towns most prominent real estate broker, the Tribune called them 'popular young society people'—a frank recognition that a 'smart set' was coalescing in this normally egalitarian community. A Young Man's Dancing Club invited these socially active young people to occasional soirees at Armory Hall." — Big Trouble by J. Anthony Lukas

I may have more on the Steunenberg/Cupp/Munro connection later. Thank you for the great photographs Sharon.

Click below for a blog post about Will and another picture taken inside the shoe store.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
"To Hell With The Man Who Breaks My Will"