July 2020 • Nebraskaland 37
Both sides later accused the other of starting the brawl.
Somebody yelled "Hey, Rube!" – circus carny slang to call for
help in a fi ght – and the brawl was on. The men fought with
fi sts and blackjacks for the next 10 minutes or so. Within the
crowd a photographer managed to capture some of the chaos
without getting his camera smashed.
The fi ghting ended when somebody shouted, "They have
killed Burt Sell!" Sell, of Arcadia, was one of the Farm Holiday
men. He wasn't dead but lay unconscious with a broken jaw.
Though it wasn't clear who started the fi ght, only one
side faced legal consequences. Mother Bloor and eight other
strike supporters were convicted of inciting a riot. They were
fi ned $100 each and sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Today, a state historical marker on the Sherman County
Courthouse lawn says that the jail sentences "marked the end
of the attempt by the far left to organize farmers and workers
in Nebraska." But that wasn't the only thing that undermined
the Farm Holiday Movement. Another factor was the
popularity of the New Deal. The federal programs designed to
provide jobs, housing, Social Security and economic stimulus
were controversial, but in 1936, Nebraskans helped re-elect
Roosevelt, giving him 57 percent of the state's vote.
N
Visit History Nebraska's website at history.nebraska.gov.
A crowd gathers on the Sherman
County Courthouse lawn. History
Nebraska RG2543-4-19
Strike supporters hope to give speeches, but the gathering becomes a standoff .
History Nebraska RG2543-4-23
The fi ghting begins when somebody shouts, "Hey, Rube!" History Nebraska RG2543-4-22
