A Prisoner’s Plea

This sheet music has fabulous cover art. Don’t know who drew it, but it sure fits the music.

The second piece of sheet music isn’t as visually interesting but the prisoner numbers pop up again.

By Deb Arenz, Senior Museum Curator

(April 2011)

The Society has a large collection of Nebraska-made/Nebraska-themed sheet music. While cataloging some a few weeks back I came across two pieces that piqued my interest–mainly because the composers were identified only by their prisoner numbers.

A little research shed light on the prisoners behind the numbers.

Prisoner #7280 was Louis Chobar (aka Lee Vaugh) who was convicted of murder in York County and sentenced to life.

Prisoner #8940 was Art Boyd (aka Floyd Denton) who was convicted of burglary in Otoe County and sentenced to three to ten years.

”Omaha, I Love You” was written around 1927 and I suspect the other was as well considering Art’s lesser sentence.  I haven’t been able to dig up much on Art Boyd but our Librarian Cindy Drake has done some searching about Louis Chobar (at bottom right) and found that he was arrested for the murder of Albert A. Blender, a farmer he and his wife had been working for, on November 28, 1917.  Although Chobar was accused of robbing and then murdering the farmer, he claimed to have been defending his wife.  He was convicted of first degree murder in 1918 and sentenced to life.  The sentence was commuted to twenty-five years in 1932 and he was discharged from prison the following year.  While in prison, Chobar studied the Science of Music (composition), published several songs, and was director of the Nebraska State Prison Orchestra from 1924 until his release.

Louis Chobar

After prison, he returned to Illinois (where he claimed to have been born) and copyrighted several more songs into the 1940s and 1950s but little else is known about what happened to him.

 

Art Boyd

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

You May Also Enjoy

The Birth of the South Omaha Stockyards

The Birth of the South Omaha Stockyards

The 1918 Flu Pandemic in Nebraska

The 1918 Flu Pandemic in Nebraska

On This Day: Armistice Celebrated Early

On This Day: Armistice Celebrated Early

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.