Besides these two capable assistants, our printing office had something no other paper could boast. Our “itchyfoot” Devil—for a short time only—was a personality of high adventure. Like Nellie Bly, of (National) magazine fame, and Ed Howe of (Atchison) Daily Newspaper fame, Bert Wilson, better known as “Spike” Wilson, went around the world. But unlike Nellie, backed by a magazine in a race against time; and Ed, teeming with newspaper dollars, our “Spike” bummed his way, with a minimum of work—mostly dish-washing—all the twenty-five thousand miles around the globe while still in his teens. “Spike” aspired to become a printer for the advantage it would afford him in his desire to see the world. A journeyman printer could always get a lift from any country newspaper in those days. Old Busbee, Nationally known “tramp printer” dropped in on us one time. He was given a day’s work—and a half-week’s salary. He tried to discourage “Spike”—and maybe he did. But I think his woe-begone looks was the greater influence. Busbee came this way three times within my recollection. “Spike” Wilson was the stepson of “Mule” Gibbons, who came here with his family from Corning in the early 90’s—and several years later moved to Holton. President Grant’s Congress — 1876 —memorialized the state legislatures to have County Histories written for the benefit of posterity. Nemaha County has had three—but not one of them touched on the subjects covered in this volume. Usually local histories are compiled for profit — colored, biased; boosting individuals who are willing to pay for a write-up. There is no angling for profit in this work. These stories are now printed in book form to preserve them for their historic value. The book is not for sale. It is my gift to the home folks. The books are costing me about ten dollars a copy—and, naturally, I won’t have enough of them to be passed out promiscuously. I shall place them in the schools, and libraries, and with the newspapers in the county—and with friends here and there, where all the home folks can have the chance to read the book, should they so desire. I am sure that I have more friends than I have copies of the book, and I trust that those who do not receive a copy will not feel that, in my estimation, they do not rate one. Wetmore It was not an excess of water, as one might suppose, that gave Wetmore its name. Nor was it, as some have been led to believe, because a certain Captain Wetmore, with a number of soldiers during the Civil War chanced to camp over night at our ever-flowing mineral spring. Art Taylor says his grandmother told him that such was the case.