September 26, 1913
Editorial Page
Watkin L. Roe, Editor
We have faith that the pardon board of the State of
Click here to view the original document on Footnote.com
Other Footnote Story Pages of Interest
Footnote Spotlights (not all Idaho)
You should be able to access the above Footnote pages free of charge. Let me know if any difficultly.
Christopher Lukas discusses the complex and shattering effects of a family legacy of depression and suicide on himself and his brother, the award-winning journalist, J. Anthony Lukas.
To get involved with suicide prevention, join the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Walks this fall. Go to www.afsp.org to find out more.
From: http://doubleday.com/2008/09/16/video-blue-genes-by-christopher-lukas/
Click here to read the New York Times Review.
As many of you know, Tony Lukas committed suicide shortly before the release of his epic, Big Trouble-A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets Off a Struggle for the Soul of America. I just found out about this new book by his brother, Christopher Lukas, and will be getting a copy and perhaps discuss it in a later post.
For a couple of other pictures and additional information on George, go to my post: Saturday, December 29, 2007, Photo of Charles and Major George Steunenberg.
my older brother Gary, me (John) that he has been forced to hold, oldest sister Becky and older sister Kris. A perk of being the baby of the family is that you can forever refer to your sibs as older or oldest. We all look about same today but for the markings of life's experiences and I notice my hair is reverting back to the thinner style of infancy.
The A.K. and Carrie Steunenberg house as it appears today (c. 2007) at 409 N. Kimball in Caldwell, Idaho. A.K. was the brother, business partner and close confidant of Governor Frank Steunenberg. The home has been converted to apartments and could use considerably more restoration. It was designed by Tourtellotte, John E. & Company and built in 1904. A grand house in its time and a frequent place for gatherings of the family. In the diaries of Will Steunenberg, there are many references to going over to A.K.'s for dinner, to play cards, holidays, etc. Of course I would like to see the house restored to its original splendor. I wonder if the owners want to sell low in this depressed housing market? Sadly, the home that belonged to Frank & Belle Steunenberg, and where the assassination occurred, burned down in 1913.
It required quite a bit of meandering, legal maneuvering and power sharing before the above was resolved. Maybe we will cover that another day or go read your Idaho history.
This is another letter of condolence written by a J. C. Smith from Touchet, Washington and sent to my grandfather Julian Steunenberg following the assassination of his father, Ex-Governor Steuneneberg of Idaho. I am not sure who J. C. Smith is or his connection to Julian. I am guessing that it may be a J. C. Smith that taught in the Dairy Department at Walla Walla College during 1905/06. I got that bit of information from the book, 60 Years of Progress, Walla Walla College, 1892-1952. We have a wonderful old copy of the book that belonged to my grandmother Frances Beardsley Wood Steunenberg and remains a treasured possession of my 90 years young mother Brenda Steunenberg Richards. Throughout the years, my grandmother, mother and others made various notations of interest that help identify many of those in the book. Some of the pioneers that came by wagon train to the Walla Walla Valley and were involved in the formation of the college include my great-great grandparents J. Franklin and Caroline Maxson-Wood and great-great-great grandparents (I think I have my "greats" right) Stephen and Lois Babcock-Maxson. But that is a whole different story in and of itself that I am slowly putting together.
I have been looking for this report for years and thought maybe it had gone out with the trash by accident. Low and behold, while doing some house cleaning this weekend and opening up bins of "stuff"...there it was. Caley (kay-lee) was age 11 at the time and in the 5th grade.
Before reading on, you will want to refer back to and read my November 16, 2008 post, In Memory of Ex-Governor Steunenberg, if you have not previously done so.
The poem in the above post and dedicated to Governor Steunenberg was written by a James H. Hart and I was trying to find more information about this gentleman. Not surprisingly, my fellow blogger and history and political junkie, Tara Rowe, located and sent me the article below. I also later found the complete book available online in case you have other Southern Idaho "Progressive Men" to look up.
Progressive Men of Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Fremont and Oneida Counties, Idaho. Chicago. A.W. Bowen & Co., 1904. You can view the complete book and the article being cited here by clicking on James H. Hart.
Knowing a bit more about James Hart helps in my understanding of his glowing praise and eulogy of the martyred governor. We discover that Hart was a Democrat (where did all those Steunenberg Idaho Democrats and Populists go?) and was a Mormon. Frank Steunenberg was of course a Democrat and at a time when the Mormons were experiencing a great deal of discrimination and downright hatred, he was a supporter and ally. The governor did not subscribe to Mormon beliefs but he did believe they were "good citizens" and opposed the persecution that was prevalent during that time as Mormon influence spread from Utah to throughout Idaho and the West. Although I have not found any specific reference, Hart and the Governor undoubtedly came in direct contact from time to time. Hart was very active politically, had been a Democratic member of the lower house in the Idaho legislature in the the late 1800's and was elected Judge of Probate in 1900. Hart probably wrote the poem, In Memory of Ex-Governor Steunenberg, shorty after the Haywood trial had ended.
The following provided courtesy of Tara Rowe.
Progressive Men of
Entry for Hon. James H. Hart, pages 205-207:
History does not always make just and adequate return to the souls which have helped to create it. It is often arbitrary, whimsical and partial, celebrating as heroes mere opportunists and letting the pioneers, the real crusaders, go by unclaimed, unhonored. It is the province of this compilation to leave the speculations of historical disquisitions and to preserve the biographical features of the life careers of those who have, by their able endeavors and progressive connection with the development of any line, civil, professional or industrial, of the advancement of the community of their residence, rendered themselves prominent, active or beneficial. Most intimately connected with the history of Bear Lake County, Idaho, has been the gentleman whom we now have under consideration. Hon. James H. Hart, of Bloomington, who has most capable held the highly important office of probate judge of Bear Lake county, in which he rendered most satisfactory service by his erudition, dignity, courtesy and marked spirit of equity.
Judge James H. Hart was born in Abingford, Huntingtonshire, England, on June 19, 1825, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Marriott) Hart, descending from ancestors whose lineage runs back unbroken through many generations of active usefulness in his native land, his paternal grandfather, John Hart, being a native of the same county with himself and where his father was also born. Thomas Hart was the third in a family of eight children and engaged in the vocation of a builder for his life work, and, after performing most creditable labors in his chosen profession, and after attending with faithfulness to his duties as parish clerk and sexton for over half a century, his remains now repose in the old-time cemetery in Abingford, side by side with the mother of Judge Hart, who long ago passed to the Great Beyond.
In this religious atmosphere Judge Hart attained maturity, acquiring the elements of a solid literacy education in the parish schools and supplementing this instruction in the full course of stenography, following this as a profession for some time. A man beyond the ordinary in reasoning powers and mental endowment, James Hart was early convinced of the truthfulness of the religious doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and became a member of that body when he was twenty-two years old, later being called by the church to fill important missions in London, Birmingham, the Island of Jersey, Germany and in several departments of the church established in France, notable about them being St. Malo, Paris, and Havre, his efforts receiving attention and securing large additions to the members of the faithful. From France he was transferred to St. Louis, Mo., in 1857, in which city he was prominent in church activities and most capably performed the onerous duties of managing editor of the newspaper publication entitled St. Louis Luminary, in addition to these duties diligently working at carpentry. From St. Louis in 1857 he was placed in change of an ox train of Mormon emigrants en route for Salt Lake City, and brought them safely through to their destination, arriving there on October 9th of the same year.
Remaining in
Always deeply devoted to the interests of the Church of Latter Day Saints, Judge Hart has from the first held position therein, rendering also distinguished serve for a long term of years as one of the stake presidency, being in this connection the superintendent and manager of the Fielding Academy in Paris.
Miss Emily Ellingham, a native of Hertfordshire, England, and Jude Hart were united in matrimony in the city of London in 1852. She was the daughter of Thomas and Ann Ellingham, and of this union is there is but one surviving child, James Ellingham Hart, now serving in his second term of four years as auditor and recorder of Bear Lake county. By his second wife, Sabina Schieb, to whom he was united in 1862, he had nine children, of whom seven are now living. The oldest, Charles H., is serving his second term as judge of the First judicial district of Utah. The others are Alice C., who married Anson Osmond, has seven children and lives in Bloomington; Eugene S., a popular teacher in Fremont County; Arthur W., an attorney at Preston, Idaho. Both of the last named have preformed missionary service, the first in Missouri, the latter in Germany. Alfred A., of Bloomington, a graduate of the Agricultural College of Utah, has recently performed a mission of two years in Wisconsin; Hemoine, a graduate of the Agricultural College of Utah, is a teacher at St. Charles; Rosina, now Mrs. Ivan Woodward of Franklin, Idaho; the family includes also one adopted son, Henry J. Hart, a carpenter of Montpelier, Idaho.
To sum up, there is no one individual throughout the who extent of southern Idaho who has more completely lived up to the high standing of his ideals than has Judge Hart, and it stands in evidence, without an attempt at contradiction, that no man has filled important functions with greater fidelity, or ever discharged his duties as a citizen or church member with a clearer perception of their requirements or with a nobler result.
Other things to be thankful for:
My L.A. Lakers are 13-1.
I received my book and CD of Early Songs of Southern Idaho and the Emigration Trails.
I still have a couple more days off.
I just found some new kinfolk with historical family information & items of interest.
**Sorry if Blogger spacing and formatting doesn't seem to be cooperating this morning.
Tekoa, Washington
This is the inlaid game board made by Harry Orchard while at the Idaho Pen. He had a lifetime to hone his skills doing such things. Those that he brutally murdered did not. This was shown to us during our November 2007 visit through the courtesy of Rachelle Littau, Interpretive Specialist with the ISHS.
Our friend Gary Eller has just announced that the CD, Early Songs of Southern Idaho and the Emigration Trails, is now available. This is great opportunity to get some great music AND a 75 page book documenting the historical roots of each song. Of course I am excited to see included among this collection Farewell Steunenberg (2008), the Harry Orchard Song (1907) and Are They Going to Hang My Papa?(1907).
Here is another item I am moving up from the pictures section and into the main posts. It's a picture of Frank Steunenberg along with a knife made my Harry Orchard while residing in the Idaho Pen. This picture appeared in Knife World , August 1993, Vol. 19, N. 8 as part of a nice several page article. An original of this edition was graciously given to me by Roger Worley, a knife collector from Boise, ID., who has this knife in his collection. Orchard did not make it as a prison weapon or shank. He gave the knife to fellow inmate Tom Farley and it was probably held with Farley's belongings until released. I will have to get in touch with Roger again sometime and see what it might take to get him to part with it! Nice article and pics that I will try to scan and get on the blog at some point. Click the picture to enlarge.
Idaho Statesman Obituary |
| 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.
Back side of the card above it. Someone had their history wrong. Of course the governor was not killed in this explosion on 4/29/1899 of the BH&S Mill. His was murdered several years later on the evening of 12/30/1905 when he opened the gate to his home triggering a bomb (see below).
This is the same pic that I requested be posted on the "Historical Tour" link on the City of Caldwell website several years ago. The Steunenberg name had been there but a blank spot with no picture. Click the link and then "Choose site" and "Steunenberg." Check out the rest of the houses and information on the site.
