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About The Alliance herald. (Alliance, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1902-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1920)
Si 4o Official Paper of Box Butte County VOLUME XXVIII. MRS. M'ELH ANEY ' HELD FOR TRIAL ATTHIS TERM WOMAN CHARGED WITH MURDER TO HAVE SPEEDY TRIAL PRELIMINARY LAST SATURDAY Judge Tash Holds There is Sufficient Evidence to Connect Her With Murder of Earl Anderson Trial Starts Tomorrow Evelyn Preiss McElhaney was bound , over to district court for trial at the present term, following a preliminary hearing held before County Judge Tash Saturday afternoon. Mrs. Mc Elhaney is charged with the murder of Earl Anderson, barber, last Tues day morning. Judge W. H. Westover has set the case for Wednesday, and the first woman to be tried for murder in this part of the state will have a .speedy hearing. District Judge Westover has re quested that the Alliance newspapers withhold printing the testimony at the preliminary hearing until Friday, in order to facilitate the selection of jurors in the case. Mr. Westover's opinion is that delay in printing the actual testimony brought out at the preliminary will save Box Butte coun ty in the neighborhood of a thousand dollars, without serious inconvenience to either the newspapers or the tax payers who are anxious to read every thing about the case. A juror cannot be disqualified for a belief based on ordinary news reports, but if he forms an opinion based on actual evidence brought out at the preliminary, he cannot sit on a jury. It is quite probable that there will be some delay in securing a jury, no matter how the newspapers act in the matter. Unless something occurs-to prevent, the weeding out process will begin tomorrow morning. Assistant Attorney Employed. Attorney W. A. Prince of Grand rfcyp-1 ba been rined by the county commipslonerTTi assist in the prose cution of the catse. He was present at the preliminary' hearing last Satur day, and spent the entire day in get ting acquainted with the facts in the case, interviewing witnesses and mak ing arrangements for his part in the sensational trial. Mr. Prince was the prosecuting attorney in the famous Cole-Grammer murder trials. Attor- new William Mitchell and H. E. Gantz have been retained by the defense. The preliminary hearing was semi private. The county court room holds less than thirty persons, and with rep resentatives of the press, the attor neys and the witnesses, practically all the Beats were filled. Judge Tash an nounced before the hearing that he would not permit the court room to be crowded and that the average citizen had about one chance in a thousand to get a seat. Despite this warning, however, a huge crowd was gathered In the halls of the court house by noon, and when court convened the would be spectators crowded into the dis trict court room. Plea to be Self-Defense. It was brought out at the prelim inary that the plea of the defense -would be that Mrs. McElhaney shot in self-defense; that , she had reason to fear that Anderson intended to kill her, and that it was a question of -whether she got him or he got her. The prosecution called only a few -witnesses, most of them personal friends of the defendant, while the defense called no witnesses. Among those who testified were Miss Mydia Virdie, known as "Mike," who was Mrs. McElhaney's partner in conducting the rooming house; Tom Gray; Earl Mallette, soda dispenser at the Joe Smith pool hall. Dr. George Hand told of conducting an autopsy on the body of Earl Anderson. Mrs. McElhaney had lort the jaunty air which has heretofore character ized her since her arrest. During the long hearing she did not once smile, and appeared plainly ill at ease. She stood up to hear the complaint read and was apparently nervous during the ordeal. In making her plea of "not guilty" to the indictment, she spoke in a scarcely audible tone. She appeared in the court room quite well dressed, but did not look around the room or at the witnesses during the testimony. Husband Supporting Her. Her husband, L. A. McElhaney of Edgemont, S. D., was present during the preliminary, as were a number of other friends of the defendant. Fol lowing the hearing, Mr. McElhaney and his wife embraced, and the hus band assured his wife that he would -do everything in his power to secure V; i . - , i S, " . . i -"i : ' i. . . ;l $ . v ;. ;v . iiiv , ; f ' . iwv t . : : v .: . - - ' i EVELYN PREISS M'ELH AN Ef Pretty twenty-five-year-old Alliance woman who will go to trial in dis trict court Wednesday morning be fore Judge W. IT. Westover. She is charged with the murder of Earl B. Anderson, barber. her freedom. The same day he is re ported to have sold some jewelry at a considerable sacrifice to Alliance citizens. There have been no further rumors of a big slush fund on the part of Alliance business men to aid the de fendant. When she was first placed under arrest, she is reported to have said that she could get a fund of five or six thousand dollars without any difficulty. Ander .on't. Brolher Located. The body of the murdered man was rent to Atlanta, Ca., l'. evening, fol lowing the locating of a brother there. Anderson had been in the service and last week the Omaha Red Cross sec retary forwarded the address of a sis ter in Atlanta, but the police there were unpble to find her. The next day, however, a wire was received from the brother. Sheriff J. W. Miller is in receipt of a letter from Mrs. Kenneth Anderson of Svoux Falls, C. D., in which she expresses a fear that the murdered man may have been a relative. It developed later that this was not the case. The letter follows: "I was informed about the shooting of a young boy by the name o Ander son by Evelyn McElhaney. We all know her and know what she is. She ought .to be in prison for she has ruined many a young man. We would like to know very much about this boy as I have a nephew whom we could not keep away from. She got all of his money after he came out of the army. We are enclosing you a photo of an Anderson boy and kindly re turn it if it is not him. If it is our boy, wire David Toffguire at once at Sioux Falls, S. D. I am sending you two photos, and kindly return them if it is not the boy we know. Kindly let us hear from you at once." POTASH PROSPECTS BETTER THAN. EIGHT MONTHS AGO William G. Haldane, former super intendent of the Western Potash plant at Antioch, who visited Alliance early in the week, is very optimistic over the western Nebraska potash outlook, in spite of the fact that all five of the large Antioch plants have recent ly closed down. "I believe that things look better now for the Nebraska pot ash industry than they have ftr the past eight months," said Mr. Haldane. "The prospects of a protective tariff are excellent; wages will be much lower and help easier to get; freight will undoubtedly come down and the cost of fuel and materials is rapidly dropping." Although Mr. Haldane would not state that he considered the Nebraska potash manufacturing industry a per manent one, he expressed himself as believing that it will be a profitable one for several years. He stated that the present situation causes the need of an efficient separation process to be keenly realized and that at least three of the large plants are working at the present time to perfect processes by which the potash can be easily and cheaply separated from the soda and the soda- converted into marketable form, the latter being shipped at the present time with the valuable potash and nothing realized from it. Mr. Haldane was for two years president of the Colorado School of Mines at Golden and at the present time is a consulting engineer with headquarters at Denver. He is fre quently called to Alliance and Antioch for consultation on technical proposi tions affecting the potash industry. Miss Grace Shean is assisting in the city light office. TWICE A WEEK TUESDAY AND FRIDAY P.OX BUTTE COUNTY, ALLiANCETO TRY FOR NEXT STATE FIREMEN'S MEET TO SEND STRONG DELEGATION TO YORK IN JANUARY. Prospects Good for Securing 1922 Ses sion This City Favored by Firemen. The city of Alliance is going after 'he 1922 convention of the state vol unteer firemen's association, to be held in January of that year, it was decided at the second of the weekly luncheons of the Alliance chamber of commerce, held yesterday noon in the chamber's new rooms above the Bren nan drug store. The first step in the campaign will be made by the dele gates from the local department to the 1921 convention, which will be held at York January 16, 17 and 18. Five delegates were selected at a re cent ineeling of the Alliance depart ment, Ray Trabert, Roy Butler, Ray Burns, Ward Hall and 0. C. Moore. This delegation will be made about about four times as large. The state firemen have always liked Alliance, having been well entertained on previous visits. Delegates to the 1920 convention stopped oft in this city last January, largely because they liked the sort of Entertainment the local department hands out. Alliance was eligible to the convention this year, but was not in a position to handle the proposition. The annual attendance is usually I well over 500, and it is not a slight . task to entertain them. The Alliance J fire boys have already started , planning the entertainment for 1922. beintr fairly certain that they will land the convention. The state fire-' the various cities in tuin. The cham ber of commerce is backing the local firemen in full force. ANTIOGH MAYOR'S CAR COLLIDES WITHPOLE Fletcher P. Walker, the energetic mayor of Antioch, the potash town, came near to an untimely end when his big roadster collided with a new thirty-five foot electric light pole just south of the Burlington viaduct in the east part of Alliance Monday after noon. Spectators reported that the Antioch mayor was making excellent speed in the direction of his home town when his heavy car left the road and struck the pole with such force that it snapped off like a pipestem, almost completely demolishing the car and leaving the heavy wooden pole swinging from two electric power wires carrying twenty-three hundred volts' of electricity. The wires were feed lines for the city septic tank sta tion southeast of town. About all that remained of the car was the engine, which remained in practically one piece, as did the mayor. PLAN TO CONSOLIDATE TELEPHONE COMPANIES The following statement has been issued by W. B. T. Belt, resident of the NorthwerUrn, Nebraska and Iowa telephone companies: It is planned to consolidate the three Bell telephone companies oper ating throughout the states of Ne braska, Iowa, Minnesota, . North Da kota and South Dakota under the name of the Northwestern Bell Tele phone company on January 1 next, subject to the approval of the public uutilty commissions in those states which have such bodies The name, "Northwestern Bell Tele phone company," has been chosen for the proposed new coirmanv because a considerable part of the territory in cluded in the organization has long been known as "the northwest," and the name in itself identifies the com pany's location in the country. The consolidation proposed will in clude the Nebraska TeleDhone com pany, which operates throughout Ne braska and part of South Dakota; the Iowa Telephone company, which oper ates throughout Iowa: and the North western Telephone Exchange com pany, which operates An Minnesota, North and part of South Dakota. For ten years all of these companies have been under a single management ana no changes ara contemplated in the officers or In the district, division or general headquarters of the or ganization. Naturally there has been consider able inconvenience In the operation of three separate companies and three distinct corporations under one man agement This will be eliminated by the change to a single corporation. NEBRASKA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1D20.' STIiLL WRITES ABOUT FREIGHT RATES ON SPUDS OMAHA BANKER DISCUSSES CON DIT10N OF AGRICULTURE Suggests That Grain Corporation Should be Again Called Into Existence At the noon luncheon of the Alli ance chamber of commerce yesterday, Secretnry J. W. Guthrie read a letter from William Stull, Omaha Invest ment banker, calling attention to a story appearing in the Omaha papers to the effect that potato growers in the legion of Kearney will not buy their seed potatoes in western Ne braska, but in Minnesota, due to the fact that the freight rates are unrea sonably high between Alliance and Kearney. George Walker, selling representa tive at the Nebraska exchange, says the report is an error, and that the freight rate between Kearney and Al liance is only 27 Va cents, although the rute to some points in southern Ne braska is higher than to th bit mar ket centers. The letter is particularly interesting in view of the fact that the Omaha chamber of commerce is interesting it self in the spud freight rate question, and with their co-operation, the local exchange may be able to secure a more advantageous tariff to some point in Nebraska. Mr. Stull also discusses the wheat situation. His let ter follows: Omaha, Neb., December 4, 1920. Secretary, Commercial Club, Alliance, Nebraska. Dear Sir: .A Kearney dis patch published in the Omaha "Bee" of this morning refers to freight rates on seed potatoes between Alliance and Kearney, and from points in the Min nesota potato fields to Kearney, from which it would appear that your lo cality is put to a disadvantage. ! Will you be kind enough to tell me j jut what the rate on these potatoes is from Alliance to Kearney, the dis-! tatce by the shortest route, and the dijance by way of Omaha 7 This is a Matter not only ef interest to po tato growers, but to every farmer and every consumer of food stuffs in the state of Nebraska. One of the chief factors in this, I fancy, is the same iniquities practiced by the railroads of the country in making low rates to meet water com petition, preventing its development, and recouping their loss by extortion ately high prices from the interior to those waterways. I shall be glad to hear from you fully in regard to the matter. Such a system is an outrage. It, in substance, is based upon the theory that all the benefits accruing from waterways belongs, primarily, to the railroads, and to a few people living or doing business along those water ways. No movement on the part of the people of Nebraska promises greater benefit to the whole state than that this system be broken down. This is important at all times, but particu larly so just at present when the ar tificially fixed prices upon farm com modities are placed so low that they are below the cost of production. (Continued on Page 2) ELKS MINSTREL WAS THE HJTJF THE YEAR "The Jollies of 1920," the produc tion staged by the Alliance Elks, aided and abetted by the Joe Bren Production company, was the hit of the year in theatrical circles. It was a more or less finished production that greeted the packed house last Friday evening, and everything went off as smoothly as clockwork. The partici pants had been practicing only a lit tle over a week, but there wasn't a single hitch' in the program. The first part of the entertainment was an old-fashioned minstrel, in which there were a number of good gags and a number of catchy melod ies. D. C. Bradbury acted as inter locutor; the end men were J. W. Guth rie, H. E. Reddish, W. L. O'Keefe, Fred Murphy, J. B. Miller, Bernard Hoist en, Joe Williams and Sibley Ross Harvey. Solos were sung by J. W. Guthrie, Fred Murphy, M. D. Nolan, J. II. Vance, H. D. Shallenberger and Sibley Ross Harvey. The chorus was composed of L. S. Olson, M. D. Nolan, W. B. Minor, J. H. Vance, Norman Newberry. H. A. Cribble, H. A. Sage, J. C Parker, R. O. Reddish, F. A. Bald, II .E. Gantz, Frank Buechsen stein, F. A. Hively, H. D. Shallenber ger, F. H. Carlson, E. J. Baskin, E. M. Burr and W. R. Metz. The finale was a rag-time wedding introduced by Miss Katherine Kneist, who sang beautifully, "If They'll EARL a ANDERSON Alliance barber who was shot and killed in the alley in the rear vf the Joe Smith pool hall shortly after 1 o'clock Tuesday morning. The bul let penetrated his abdomen, pass ing through the stomach and lodg ing near the spine, inflicting injuries from which he died within a few minutes. Only Tlay My Wedding March in Rag time." J. W. Guthrie took the part of the bride, Fred Murphy the groom, W. I O'Keefe the parson, J. B. Miller and Ross Harvey bridesmaids and Joe Williams and B. Holsten the grooms men. The second half of the program con sisted of various scenes. The first was laid "In a Cabaret," in which J. B. Miller took the part of the hand some waiter, and E. M. Burr, Frank Buechsenstein and Miss May Graham other leading parts. The chorus was composed of Janet Grarsman, Mrs. H. E. Gantz, Ethel Graham, Mrs. D. C. Bradbury, Mrs. E. J. Baskin, Emma Barry, Ruth Morris, Winnie Barry, Katherine Knelot, Irene Rice, Mabel Young, Messr?, Edwin Burr, N. New berry, E J. Baskin, M. D. Nolan, W. Minor and Frank Buechsenstein. Miss Janet Grassmnn sang, "Hold Me." The "Peachie Chorus", was a decid ed hit in the second scene. Miss Win nifred Barry taking the lead and Miss Irene Rice, Mrs. Ellis Baskin, Ruby Campbell, Emma Barry, Mabel Grassman, Emma Jane Davis, Mabel Young and Katherine Kneist compris ing the beauty chorus. The awkward squad, captained by S. Ross Harvey and comprising J. W. Guthrie, H. E. Reddish. W. L. O'Keefe, Fred Murphy, J. B. Miller, B. Holsten and Joe Wiliams, was another feature. Mr. and Mrs. Morris Nelson inter preted the "Cat Step," a variety of the Fox Trot, with exceptional grace. W. R, Metz and H. E. Gantz put over a fake mind rending stunt with con siderable cleverness. Mr. Metz act ing as manager of the great Persian Matiffiff, Prince AH Ben Boozle. The program closed with "Songs of the Past," by the entire company . Proceeds of the performance, which will reach nearly $500, will go to the Salvation Army for Christmas din ners to those who need them. The Elks, as well as the public, ore well satisfied with their venture, and plan to put on a similar performance next year. BOX BUTTE BANKS IN SPLENDID CONDITION The four banks of Alliance were never in a more prosperous condition than now. A compilation made a day or two ago shows that the total re sources of the Alliance banks is $3, 374,409.47; the total deposits, $2,901, 777.55, and the total cash reserve $771,589.03. This is a remarkable showing for a city of this size. Lester S. Olson, who has been a member of the Herald force for three years, to a day, having commenced work December 17, 1917, will leave Friday morning for Harvard, 111. He intends to go into business with his brother at that place, and will visit at Great Falls, Mont, and other points on his way home. Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Smart spent the week-end in Omaha. WANTED a HAT Someone at chamber of commerce luncheon Monday non picked up my brown Stetson hat by mistake. Please return it to me as soon as possible. Dr. G. J. HAND. TUE WEATHER Forecast for Alliance and ricinity: Fair tonight and Wednesday; colder tonight Official Faper of the City of Allianc NO. 5 ANGORA PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT GAS PROSPECTS POCKET LOCATED ONLY EIGH TEEN FEET UNDERGROUND BURNS FOR OVER EIGHT HOURS Enthusiastic Citizens Think There fa Big Body of Oil in Indian Creek Vicinity Traces of Oil on Red Willow The neighboring town of Angora is in a fair way to become excited over oil prospects, following the discovery of a pocket of natural gas about 2:3(1 Saturday afternoon at a point on the government irrigation lateral, on In dian creek, five miles southwest of that city. John II. Brubaker, wh was in Alliance Monday, is responsible for the story of the discovery. It seems that the workmen on th lateral had sunk a hole for a blast some eighteen feet beneath the surface level. When the blast was fired, there was a rush of gas from . the hole." One of the workman, more curious than the rost, touched a match to it. and for the next eight hours there was a blaze, which was finally extin guished by shoveling sand and gravel Into the aperture. r For some time it has been believed that there is oil in this vicinity. At one time, a few years ago, Alliance, men were interested in Red Willow creek, the surface of which, at that time, had a habit of getting covered with oil. W. G. Haldalen, well known Antioch geologist, at that time was called and gave it as his opinion that it was undoubtedly evidence of bona fido oil seepage, but did not say as to whether he believed oil existed in quantities sufficient to pay for the drilling. The fact that there is a gas pocket there is not regarded by the oil men ns positive evidence that oil will be round, inc gas might have been seep age from a considerable distance awny. However, th Angora men are said t be fairly well satisfied with the pros pects, and are- already talking of be ginning arming operations. , une An gora man, R. K. Mayhell, manage I to buy a share of-a well rayincr oil syn dicate and his fellow citizens are con siderably attracted to the gume. "THE KIKADO" COMES TO IMPERIAL TONIGHT Tonight's program at the Imperial is a Ralph .Dunbar presentation of 'The Mikado," recognized "as the best of the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas The Dunbar company for the past few years has been reviving some of the old comic operas, coming here last season in "Robm Hoo and ' The Chocolate Soldier." The play is ade quately cast, and the Japanese set tings and costumes, as well as the entertaining story, will make tonight a red letter occasion in Alliance the atrical circles. Last year the Dunbae production had some exceptionally good singers, a number of whom are in the cast for tonight. Thst exceedingly homely screen iter. Will Rogers, is the attraction Wed nesday evening in a photoplay, "Cupid the Cowpuncher." The story deals with the romance of Alec Lloyd, one of the Bar-Y cowpunchers, who has won for himself the nickname of "Cupid" through his propensity for marrying off "the Boys", although the matches don't always end happily. Alec's time comes, and he falls in love with the boss' daughter. There's a patent medicine show, and a popu lar girl contest, as well as some land sharks which help to make the fillum interesting. Marguerite Clark in "All of a Sud den Peggy" is scheduled for Thursday. Marguerite has the role of an Irish girl, Peggy O'Hara, who with her mother, a widow, is staying at the manor of Lord Anthony Cracken thorpe, an English nobleman engross ed in the study of bugs. Mrs. O'Hara is a noted scientist and is helping; Lord Anthony write a book on spid ers. The sister of the peer sends for her son, Jimmy, because she thinks Ppirtrv ho dpttnia nn Anttinnv Tn reality the girj sees that her mother and the nobleman are in love and wants to promote the match. Jimmy, of course, falls in love with Peggy, there is a laughable mixup when Peggy makes a premature announce ment of their marriage in order to render her mother free to wed Anthony, but it is all cleared op sat isfactorily in the end. n. X. White is leaving Monday for a visit with his brother at Spirit Lake, ia.