Veteran's Day November 11, 2008 - Staff Sargent Jule Steunenberg

We honor our men and women serving around the world today and all those who have served and sacrificed throughout our history.


B17 Flying Fortress (contributed by sfalcont to footnote.com).

I never met my Uncle Jule (Juke) Steunenberg as he died over the Pacific on July 20, 1946 in an accident involving two B-17's such as the one pictured above. He was one of the six children of Julian and Francis Steunenberg. The others are my mother Brenda, Uncle Cal (both living at age 90 and 95 respectfully) Uncle Bud, Aunt Doris and John (died in infancy). Of course all were great grandchildren of Frank and Belle Steunenberg. Frank, having been assassinated on December 30th, 1905, never had the opportunity to see any of his grandchildren.

Jule had already served five years in the Army Air Corp during WWII. On the day of his death, two B-17's were patrolling in search of missing planes and investigating the possible sighting of a life raft when this tragic accident occurred. Twenty crew members died.


Written by my mother Brenda Steunenberg Richards on the back of the above left picture of Jule: "Brenda's brother Jule (Juke) youngest of my 3 brothers. They were so good to little sister Brenda."















Proclamation from President Lyndon Johnson. Not dated and probably done as a Memorial Day event during the Johnson Administration.

Also see:
Footnote Pages

The Marines

Robert K. Steunenberg-WW II Veteran on LST 808 and Distinguished Scientist

December 31, 1905 - Telegram from President M.E. Cady of Walla Walla College

A little worn and difficult to read in spots but this is a telegram from M.E. Cady, President of Walla Walla College 1905-1911, to Julian Steunenberg, expressing his sympathies on behalf of the students and faculty.

December 31, 1905 Letter of Condolence from a friend

A letter of condolence from Clarence Kime, friend of Julian (Bill) Steunenberg and Francis Wood (Steunenberg), my grandparents. They had all been friends at Walla Walla College.

January 1, 1906 - Francis Wood to Julian Steunenberg

This is a letter from my grandmother Francis Wood, known as Fan or Fanny, to my grandfather Julian, known as Bill. They would be married later in October 1906. The letter was mailed from Medical Lake, Washington, on January 1, 1906 and arrived in Caldwell on January 2nd 1906. Click on the images to enlarge. I think you can read it pretty well. I will get transcribed copies up here eventually.

12/31/1905 - Western Union Telegram

This telegram is from Clarence Kime, a good friend of my future grandfather Julian Steunenberg, eldest son of the assassinated governor. It is written to my future grandmother Francis Wood.











"Julian's Father was Murdered at 7PM Dec 30th.
Clarence W. Kime"

More Historical Idaho Music

Check out Gary Eller's latest historical songs found recently during his wanderings through the Idaho panhandle. Some great stuff and new CD's coming soon. Gary has been making a major contribution to the discovery, preservation and recording of historical Idaho music. Many of the songs have been directly related to mining and labor and he even finds the occasional lyrics that refer to the Haywood trial and Governor Steunenberg. I will give a holler to everyone and maybe have some pics to post when the CD's come out.

Following comes from Gary:

Greetings, friends of early Idaho Roots music. The pre-radio Songs of the Month for Nov and Dec now can be heard and read about at

http://www.bonafidaho.com/idahosongs.htm

These postings feature some of the neat songs I found during my month of song collecting and performing in the Idaho panhandle in September.

The book/CD "Early Songs of Southern Idaho and the Emigrant Trails" will be available in two weeks, well in time for Christmas.

The Idaho Songbag CD will be finalized this week and available in time for Christmas as well.

Regards, Gary Eller

THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS - 1896 & 1898

A few election tidbits from 110-112 years ago when Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg was running for his first term in 1896 and second term in 1898. He won by a landslide in 1896 and handily in 1898 but certainly not by the same wide margin. In 1898, the Populists ran their own candidate as opposed to 1896 when they had fused with the Democrats and supported Governor Steunenberg along with silver Republicans.

August 21, 1896


Just a couple of more days and we will have the election of 2008. Get out and vote.

New York Times October 29, 1898

Converted Again?

Chicago Tribune, July 27, 1909

Click here to see what else I am finding on Footnote.com.


















Atlantic Constitution, June 12, 1907.
Not a real clear picture but I lightened it up a bit for better viewing. Taken from a little different angle of Orchard on the witness stand then I have seen before. Click image to enlarge.

3/16/1905 - Letter from Governor Frank Steunenberg ("Pop") to son Julian

"I have crossed the continent twice without taking a sleeper and you certainly can ride one night in a chair car or coach.
Pop."




















This is a brief letter from Ex-Governor Frank Steunenberg to his son (my future grandfather) Julian that I have decided to make public. You can also read a more lengthy and formal fatherly lecture in a letter from the governor (on Idanha Hotel letterhead) to Julian posted on my Saturday, March 1, 2008 blog entry. As opposed to the historical records and letters pertaining to the business of State, family correspondence gives us a glimpse into the more personal side of Frank Steunenberg and the everyday lessons that he imparts to his children. Here we can see that that Frank was a man of thriftiness and certainly wanted Julian to learn to be the same.

"Dear Julian -
Herewith pass to Huntington, you will have to pay $3.00 fare from there home. Herewith check for $25.00 - if this is not sufficient have Mr. Ohustaurm (spelling?) send me bill for balance. Show him this letter as authority. He will pay you enough out of the $25 to come home on. If you take night train you can come right through and not have any expense at Pendleton. You do not need to take a sleeper - I have crossed the continent twice without taking a sleeper and you certainly can ride one night in a chair car or coach.
Pop."


The letter and envelope are Caldwell Banking and Trust Company letterhead. Julian was attending Walla Walla College at the time. The envelope is postmarked March 16, 1905 from Pocotello, ID. About nine months later, on December 30th, 1905, the governor would be assassinated when opening the gate to the yard of his Caldwell, ID home. Julian would be home from college at the time visiting for the holidays. Typically Julian would have been at his fathers side but by a twist of fate had stayed in town for a few more minutes. He was walking toward home when the explosion occurred.

The Criminal of the 20th Century?

Publication Title: The Atlanta Constitution
Content Source: Allen County Public Library
State: Georgia
City: Atlanta
Year: 1907
Month: June
Day: 7
Page Number: 6
Volume: 39
Number: 357

So what is you opinion?

You can also view this item as one of my Footenote.com Spotlights.

Statements Of Principal Actors In The Haywood Trial

No, the title does not refer no to the actors in the 2005 stage play, The Gate on 16th Avenue, or the Idaho Public TV production of Assassination: Idaho's Trial of the Century--but it could have. Be it a courtroom, a playhouse stage or a TV production, the saga of the Haywood trial in 1907 up to its most recent depiction in 2007 has continued to spark our interest and intrigue in this tragic story. Then as now, we have seen, read about and heard many individuals who have demonstrated great skill and passion in all of the above venues.

Click on any of the images to enlarge. This is part of a more extensive news story in the July 29, 1907 Chicago Tribune reviewing the verdict of the Haywood trial. The photo that goes with it, "What The Jury Did" is in my September 27th post below. See the full article in my CONNECTIONS on Footnote.com.

"Squabble Over Man's Politics"

5/19/1907 - The Chicago Tribune

Again this afternoon there was a joke of local application that created a good deal of merriment in the room. Daniel Clark*, who said he was a democrat, was being examined by Richardson, who asked him what kind of democrat he was, referring to the democratic split in the state over the question of supporting Steunenberg for his action on the Coeur d'Alene troubles in 1899. "I object to that question," cut in Hawley, who is a democrat, "on the ground that it is a libel on the democratic party. There are too few of us left in the state to be split up."**

Judge Wood, who is a sturdy republican, found a lot of merriment in that suggestion.

*Daniel Clark was being questioned as a perspective juror. He was one of three Democrats that were seated on the Haywood jury along with eight Republicans and one Prohibitionist.

**Here we are a 100+ years later and there are probably still "too few" democrats in Idaho. John (great grandson of an Idaho Democrat).

See the full article entitled "Face Third Week of Jury Hunting" under my Footnote Spotlights.

7/12/1907 - Haywood Swears He is Guiltless

To see the article that goes with this picture and many others I have found, go to my Footnote Profile Page and click on "Annotations." Be sure to checkout the "Spotlights", "Story Pages" and other links too.

Another Look at the Idaho Penitentiary

The Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise. I have these posted elsewhere on the blog but from here you can go to Footnote.com where I have it as a 'Spotlight" item for better viewing.

Click on the image to be taken to the Footnote viewer.

Who is Harry Daus? Was he in the Steunenberg house on 12/30/1905?

Well here is an interesting little tidbit of information courtesy of our friend Jan Boles, the archivist over at the College of Idaho in Caldwell.
10-1-08
Yesterday, while searching through C of I publications from the 1960s, I found a very odd statement in the “Alumni News” section:

“HARRY DAUS, a 1907 graduate of The College of Idaho Academy, who died on December 30, 1974, was a special part of Idaho history. An academy student, age 16, he was living in the home of former Governor Frank Steunenberg when Steunenberg was assassinated by a bomb planted at the gate of his Caldwell home on December 30, 1905…”

There is no attribution with this statement. I have no idea where it came from.

Until 1912, there was no men’s dormitory at the C of I, so male students had to room and board with townsfolk. So, Daus would have been living some where in Caldwell. But Frank, Jr., certainly makes no mention of him in Martyr of Idaho.

We know he went from the C of I to the U of I, where he earned a B.S. in 1911. By 1929 he was in the insurance business in Portland. He died in Portland on December 30, 1974. An obit would help. I’ll see what our Alumni News reported and get back to you.
(Courtesy of Jan although I didn't really ask him first!)

A quick search of the Heritage Quest Census records shows a Harry Daus and a Daus family in Caldwell at the time of the 1910 Census and that Harry had moved to Portland (consistent with Jan's information) by the 1920 census. That being some fourteen years after the assassination, the sixteen year old Daus would have been thirty-years old, a fact confirmed by the 1920 census record. Nothing is available that I have yet located for later years.

Among all the written accounts, investigations and stacks of documents and copies, I am not aware of any reference to a Harry Daus or for that matter anyone other the family members being in the house at the time of the assassination. It would be hard to believe that such a fact would have escaped the official accounts and news reports. If someone knows something we do not, or there are Daus family members out there that knew Harry, please shoot me an email, as we would sure like to know if he ever stayed in the Steunenberg household.

Thank you Jan, for providing another interesting trail we can try to follow. John