Thomas Downes (1848-1899) was a Nebraska farmer and a charity fundraiser.
Biography[]
Thomas Downes was born in Valentine, Nebraska, and he worked as a farmer before marrying a woman named Edith and having a son named Archie. He also founded the Charitable Organization of Nebraska, raising funds for the poor. In 1899, he prevented Arthur Morgan from beating the brawler Tommy Spiegel to death in a public brawl on the street. Later that year, he fell into financial instability and was forced to take a loan from Leopold Strauss, who sent Morgan to collect the money back when Downes was unable to repay him. Morgan was forced to beat him, causing the sick Downes to cough blood into Morgan's eye; Edith told Morgan that he had now contracted tuberculosis. Morgan left the home immediately, and he died later that year; Downes also died shortly after due to his increased frailty.