"The National salute of one hundred and one guns was fired by Sidney's battery at sunrise. Let it be stated, for once, that more than a hundred shots were fired in Sidney without in a< ' ident."

"Fitzpatrick was ruled out of the greasedpole climbing contest because of his great length. He was too near the top of the "pole :ii the start."

"C K. Allen came within an ace of plucking

immon, but just as he was reaching

for the nugget, when as luck would have it,

some buttons attaching his suspenders to his trousers in the rear, gave way, and Mr. Allen retired as gracefully as the circumstances would permit."

"Smithy played a 'stopless' organ, and for aught we know he is playing it still."

There was a greased pig, cortests of all sorts, and a race between "bulls" and "mules" attached to freight wagons. "A lot of money changed hands on this affair, for the 'bulls' won by ten feet."

The Affair at Zobel's

In 1877, John Zobel ran a restaurant with a bar on the west side of Rose street. It was typical of the time and usually full of customers.

A friend of the Oberfelders from New York had come to Sidney, and Bob, while showing him around, dropped in Zobel's place. At one table sat three distinguished characters ; Hank Clifford, from the Stage station on the Niobrara river ; Ben Tibbets, beef killer and squawman from Red Cloud agency, and "Arkansas John" Wyseckler. Their bibulous feast had reached a stage of mellowness where they were shampooing one another with tomato ketchup. One of them reached for the pepper sauce bottle, and Bob and his guest "beat it."