Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the data on the interactive map comprehensive?

A: No. The data on businesses, residences, locations, addresses and individuals was selectively inputted based on some connection to the main story line of the murder case. It is not comprehensive and thus does not match census or city directory data. Any numerical inferences drawn by readers from the evidence — such as the percent of boosters who were lawyers — should be considered impressionistic. Much of the data was derived from Hoye's Directory of Lincoln City for 1891, Hoye Directory Company, 1891, which may be consulted online.

Q: On the interactive map, when I am in any of the specific spatial narratives and then click on "View Image" and then try to go back to the map I was in, it resets itself to the initial map. How to I go back to where I was?

A: To get back to where one was when one clicked on "View Image" to examine the close up of a photo, one has to repeat the steps taken to get to the spatial narrative map. If you would like to retain the map, in most browsers you may right click (control-click for Mac users) on "View Image" and then open the image in a new window. You will then have to close or minimize the new window to get back to the map you were in.

Q: How does the search function work?

A: The search function currently only searches the metadata (title, author, date, caption) for the document archive which consists of legal documents, newspaper articles, photographs and postcards. It is not a full text search. Each search searches all of the documents in the archive with an "or" operator, so if someone searches for "Sheedy trial", the returned results will list all documents containing the word "Sheedy" or the word "trial".

Q: How may I use material from this site?

A: This site is under copyright to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. One must receive written permission to use any of the images, documents and photos for any purpose other than educational use.