Obituary - Norman Snearly

PIONEER HOTEL MAN OF HENRIETTA DIES AT OKLAHOMA CITY

Henrietta, May 21 - The funeral of N. Snearly, who died Saturday night in a sanitarium in Oklahoma City will be held this afternoon at 3:30 o'clock from the Catholic Church by Father Schieasel and Father O'Friel.

Mr. Snearly was a pioneer of Henrietta and Clay County he having helped organized the county.

He is survived by his wife and three daughters, Mrs. W.B. Culwell and Mrs. P.H. Neville of Henrietta and Mrs. Louis Campbell of Oklahoma City. Mr. Snearly had been ill for the past six months.

Pallbearers this afternoon will be Messrs. A. J. Oheim, J.M. Hanagan, J.A. Alcorn, A. B. Gough, B. Staggs, C. M. Worsham, Alvis Fuller and L. R. Hamm. Honorary pallbearers are A.. W. Rapt, F. P. Neville, L. H. Koethe, D. A. Bates, W. H. Myers, A. H. Bevering, J. F. Dale, G. W. Ellis, C. W. Easley, W. S. Ikard, W. H. Chilson and E. A. Graner.

Per Romance and Dim Trails by Katherine Christian (Mrs. J. W.) Douthitt, published 1938, page 263
As told by his daughter May Snearly Neville

Norman left Williamsville, New York, and went to work for an uncle in Niles, Michigan. He worked for the railroad for a while, and then for a Mr. Metzger. Norman, Mr. Metzger and his sons took a trip out West and came to Clay county in 1873. Alec and Joe remained and with Norman took up land.

Norman was a member of the convention organizing Clay county, a member of the first City Council, the first school board and the first grand jury. In 1874 eleven members of the jury excluded the twelfth, Jim Barrington, and indicted him for the murder of Murphy. Murphy was a successful card sport who received a load of buckshot through his open door. Barrington and Mrs. Murphy were arrested, jailed, but escaped. A sort of half-wit named Smith in a spirit of braggadocio said he shot Murphy. He was hung at the mound north of the Hope Cemetery.

Norman changed his name to Pete. When his brother Elner arrived in Henrietta and asked for "Normy," no one knew Pete by that name.

Pete had a restless disposition, eager for new places and change and driven by his restlessness he made two trips over the Santa Fe trail, one to Colorado and one into Arizona and New Mexico. He and his pal, Jake, tried the banking business and the sheep business. They watched from a hill top while Indians attacked a little village at the foot of the hill, killing all the white people.

In the early eighties, he was connected with his brother Albert in the Feed and Wagon Yard business. They also hauled mail, express and passengers to Graham, Texas. In 1884 Pete married Catherine McCuen, and they had three daughters Ida (Mrs. Will S. Culwell,) May (Mrs. Percy Neville,) and Frances (Mrs. Louis Ikard.)

After the death of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Margaret McCuen, he took over the management of the City Hotel and changed its name to St. Elmo. The name came from an experience that Pete had in the St. Elmo mining camp in Colorado. The miners left to go to work for the day. Later, Pete saw a little cloud, heard a clap of thunder that made the mountains tremble, and saw a flash of lighting. He knew that, as he always said, "the Devil was to pay for this," as the mining camp had been wiped out.

The hotel was moved to a new location, and in the early nineties, a three-story brick was built. Guests included Joe Bailey, Governor Hogg, William Harrison, Quannah Parker and his wives. The old registers are treasured keepsakes in the Snearly family.