My memories of Silas Napolean Howard,
better known as "Grandad Howard", was an
average size man, thin built, wore a full beard,
chewed "Horse Shoe" tobacco and was very
kind to my Mother, Mrs. Shinn and we two
boys. He wore his full beard for years and
years but one day he went to town and had
it all cut off. Not a soul in town knew him.
He rode his horses and enjoyed hunting
coyotes with his hounds. Mrs. Shinn sold him
a cream colored colt which he broke to
ride - some times he would buck Grandad
off - then come back and stand for him to get
on and wouldn't bother any more all day long.
It was one of these horses he used to hunt
with. Sometimes he would get up very early
and ride most of the day-returning in the
middle of the afternoon, sometimes he
wouldn't get any coyotes but his largest catch
was five. He would skin them and sell the
pelts.
One year he sold all of his cattle so he could
go on a Big Hunting trip up in the Rocky
Mountains. He never got very far as the man
he was supposed to go with took him for
everything. He came back to his place south
of Mullen, Nebraska, bought some cattle with
borrowed money, trying to make a new start.
This was in the Dirty 30's and things were bad
- so the banker from Whitman, Nebraska got
the land, cattle and all.
Mr. Mann McIntosh and Grandad enjoyed
hunting together, also Bud Crawford went
hunting along with Grandad quite often. This
man wrote for a National Hunting Magazine
and some of the articles and pictures were of
their coyote hunting trips they made togeth-
er.
While he was riding around the neighbor-
hood on his horse he would often stop at the
schools during recess and ask how many of
the children could do this trick. He held the
broom with each hand and then jumped over
the broom stick forward and then backwards.
He would ask Mrs. Shinn to write some
letters for him to his daughter who lived in
Canada at that time.
Silas had two brothers that Ralph knew of.
Moses Howard was a U.S. Marshall - rode
the trains when they thought there might be
a train robbery. On his way through Nebraska
on the train and had nothing urgent he
(Moses) would stop off and stay with his
brother for awhile. Moses traveled on a train
pass. Moses was entirely different from
Grandad, the way he dressed and thought.
Moses lived with a Mormon family for awhile
trying to catch a fugitive and he succeeded.
In later years Grandad lived about a mile
west of Mullen in a little one room house with
his dog. The house was owned by Mann
McIntosh and he gave Grandad a horse to
ride.
We went to his funeral - very few people
were there - a few neighbors and friends.
There could have been some relatives from
Litchfield, Nebraska.
He is buried at Seneca, Nebraska along
side his brother - David E. Howard 1857-
1921.
Grandad Howard owned a Winchester 12
gauge pump shot gun, a 45 Colt Automatic
Revolver and a 38-55 Marlin Rifle, that was
his big game Rifie.
Silas N. Howard born Feb. 17, 1855 and
died June 23, 1951.
