Excerpts of a murder from the Franklin City History Book 1883-1983
Editor's Note: The "murder" was of Mr. R.G. Beck. In 1905 a P.L. Kemper lived in Section 16 of Franklin Township - which is located about 3 miles southeast of the City of Franklin. This is the location of the murder. According to my Franklin City History Book I found the following:
Page 118:
R.G. Beck Killed
The most shocking death which duty has yet compelled us to chronicle occurred at two o'clock this afternoon and claimed as its victim one of the county's most respected citizens, R.G. Beck, living about three miles southeast of Franklin. No one will ever know what Mr. Beck went through or how he suffered, for human eye did not witness the death struggle away in a lonely spot of the pasture with an enraged bull. He had gone to the pasture early in the morning and as the forenoon wore away and he did not return, search was instituted and resulted in finding him lying in a little creek which goes across the pasture. He was in a semi-conscious state and although stiff from cold was still breathing. Dr. Byerly was summoned and reached the Beck home about eleven o-clock. He found one of the worst bruised up human beings it is possible to imagine. The head and face were fairly skinned and the body was one solid bruise with at least six or seven broken ribs. The physician was able to do but little except to relieve in a measure the intense suffering. If death was ever welcome it was certainly so to Mr. Beck when it came about two o'clock as stated, probably six or seven hours after the encounter. We understand that the bull was vicious and that Mr. Beck had had several encounters with him before, but had always succeeded in conquering the dangerous brude. A pitchfork with the tines bent and twisted was found in the pasture as evidence that the unfortunate man had held his life as dearly as possible.
The deceased was perhaps 55 or 60 years old and leaves quite a large family, most of whom we believe are grown. (April 1905)."
....END QUOTE...
Editor's Note: My Greenwood Cemetery book shows: BECK, Rasmus C., b. 27 Dec 1850, d. 14 Apr 1905
Some early photos.
Senter Park, Franklin, Nebraska
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