"So, dad would have these big dances and get a great big crowd in the poolhall. And one night the guys from Mullen come up and was getting friendly -- fresh with the Mexican women, and they got in a knife and gunfight. And they had the cops -- the sheriffs from five counties in here to settle that fight down."
"Well dad had the store, and had a lumber yard, and had a pool hall over here, the lumber yard over here then it burnt down. And I learned to dance in that pool hall 'cuz he gave dances and people 'd come on horse-back from everywhere. We had big crowds so they'd push the pool table up in the corner and put the -- I can remember back to being put on the table, 'till my dad getting me up and saying no girl of mine is gonna not learn to dance. So I stood on his feet and I learned to dance."
"So whenever Bishop Beechler visited Mullen, usually he'd come up and stay in Hecla with my dad. And the funny thing is, is in those days, they had a magazine about this size -- about that size, instead of, like today's Playboy. Whiz Bang was one of -- was a naughty book in those days. So my brother and I would crawl out when we was supposed to go to bed, and they'd sit back in their chairs and we'd listen to them tell stories over Whiz Bang magazine."
Alma GottlobEdelman, daughter of Bill and Becky Gottlob who owned the Gottlob General Store, lived in Hecla for about eight years, so she was able to recall many of these stories. She gave up one of her afternoons for an interview to tell me a little about the town.
Hecla had a few instances of fire, one which forced the Gottlobs to move and eventually the town became no more. Pauline Gottlob tells about these (in Hooker County, Nebraska ~ The First 100 Years 1889 - 1989) when she writes, "We had a nice school in Hecla, always had six to fifteen pupils. The school was used for election and sometimes for church services. It was at one time, badly damaged by a bolt of lightning. One Saturday, a hot July day, our livery barn caught fire and it was full of horses belonging to the freighters, luckily the horses were all rescued, but the barn was a total loss. It was always thought a spark from a Passenger Train 44 caused it." She also wrote about the Gottlob General Store fire, "One early morning about 3 A.M. the Hecla citizens were awakened to gun fire and smoke - on further investigation they found our store was on fire and it was the ammunition exploding that they'd heard. Everyone was virtually helpless in the situation and Dad was home alone."
Pauline Thurston wrote in Hooker County, Nebraska ~ The First 100 Years 1889 - 1989 about her parents who owned and put up the Gottlob General Store. There were many different races in Hecla consisting of Whites, Blacks, Mexicans, and the few gypsies that occasionally drifted through. "Now and then we would experience some excitement. Two old gentlemen got into an argument one time and the bullet holes were evidence in one of the counters. Another time, two young boys were visiting in the store when Sheriff Ridenour appeared, they attempted a quick exit, but weren't successful in getting away. Gypsy's would come through town once in a while and weren't too welcome. However one time, one man in their group asked Dad for some asprin for his wife, upon further investigating the situation, Dad found she was delivering a baby in the old covered wagon." Many girls were made to stay indoors and hidden when gypsy's would come to town for fear of kidnapping.
