•%c*
The Frontier.
VOLUME XXX.
O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 5. 1909
NUMBER 7
- —i-—
CORNERSTONE^ IS LAID
Exercises Largely Attended by the
People of This Community.
STIRRING ADDRESS BY BISHOP
Church Dignitaries, Laity and Gen
eral Public Partisipate. —Some
Parish History.
The 4th of August, 1909, was a grand
and glorious day in O’Neill where the
business houses weie all closed and
the business places and homes were
decorated with American, Irish and
papal Hags and it, was a red letter day
for St. Patrick’s church and parish
where and when the corner stone of
the future grand Romanesque church
was laid by the Right Rev. J. J.
Keane, the great and good bishop of
Cheyenne, Wyo., assisted by twenty
live other clergymen.
The day was suitably fitted to the
occasion and was as beautiful as
could be found in the world, not bar
ring the plains of Lombardy. Mon
day’s rains cleared the atmosphere
and the morning Of Wednesday ush
ered in a day of golden sunshine and
blue sky, peculiarly Nebraskan, and
people came to O’Neill from all the
surrounding country and towns by rail
auto, buggy horse, and on foot and
O’Neill city outstripped her former
self in hospitality, color and dress and
was aglow in smiles and new clothes.
All creeds and races were merged in
one solid body of citizens who vied
with each other to do suitable honor
to the occasion and visiting clergy.
Mass was said in the old church every
hour from 6 to 10 and at 10:30 O’Neill
witnessed her first pontilicial or corum
episcopo mass with Rev. Moriarty of
North Bend celebrant; Father
Loecker of Atkinson, deacon; Father
D. W. Moriarty of Omaha, sub deacon;
and Father Steuson of Creighton uni
versity, master of ceremonies. At
the close of the mass Bishop Keane
imparted the blessing and the people
repaired to the K. of C. hall where
the matrons and ladies of St. Patrick’s
parish served a substantial dinner,
the proceeds of which go into the
building fund.
The bishop of the dioeeses, Right
Rev. R. Scanned, was to be here and
take an active part in the ceremony,
butwas unavoidably detained at home
by the presence of Cardinal Gibbons
in his metropolitan city.
The main ceremony was the laying
of the corner stone and blessing the
great undertaking. At 3:30 the pro
cession, headed by the old soldiers or
survivors of the civil war, followed by
the boys and girls, K. of C. and then
by the people of the parish who wend
ed their way south to Everet street,
thence east to Fourth street and
north on that street to the church
where on the temporary floor over the
basement, on the new building, bow
ries for the speakers and seats for the
audience were provided.
After the blessing of the foundation
and laying of the corner stone, with
contents, the bishop and assistant
priests chanted a suitable hymn in
which Fathers Reising and Brass,
Muenich, Morarity and Brougeist
took leading parts. The Right Rev.
J. J. Keane of the dioceses of Chey
enne, Wyo., delivered the sermon of
the day and tobk his text from the
first book of Moses in Geneses where
Jacob sacrificed his time in that noted
journey in the desert, on his way to
Mesopotamia, by piling stones in
honor and to the glory of his God and
after the manifestation of God’s pres
ence even in that wilderness Jacob
immortalized himself in the minds
of the human race by exclaiming:
i
'
Nichols Carnival Co.
On the Streets of 10 High Class Shows
| O'NEILL and 5 Big Free Acts
_ «. rx - _T. ,* . Big up-to-date Merry-Go-Round,
Six Big Days and Nights free band concert afternoon and
Iawit winru night by Prof. Rid and his solo mu
ON sicians. Grand Balloon Ascension
a , a Aii i _ 1/14-1^ and Parachute Leap every after
AvigVISt yth to 14th noon during the Carnival.
“God was in this place and I knew it
not.” He dwelled on the important
essensuality of building temples of
worship to the ever living God, and to
the utility of prayer and sacrifice, but
showed that what Jacob did in the
desert was more than done here in
O’Neill, today by my good friend
Dean Cassidy and his people, for
while Jacob sacrificed his time in his
poverty you have consecrated the
corner stone of this future temple of
divine worship in the sacrifice of your
means embalmed in the endurance of
your undying faith in the great
Jehovaand in His only begotton son,
the God-man, Jesus Christ, and in
sanctifying grace of the Holy Ghost
that gave to the early fathers of
Christendom the fortifying grace and
power to carry down the stream of
time in tradition and otherwise Ilis
holy gospel and divine law. He said
faith was the greatest of all motive
powers when we were prompted by
natural instincts and by the super
natural grace of God.
But it would be an act of presumpt
ion on my part to strive to even ’ des
cribe his sermon which was superbly
grand and culminated in a sublime
couplet in which he held up to the
admiration of his audience the Amer
ican Hag—Old Glory—the stars and
stripes on whose escutcheon there is
not a single blotch or stain and en
twined it with that other Hag—the
sunburst of Erin—with its glories and
sorrows commingled, with its cross
and round towers and the hybrosal
tides weeping coupious tears on her
sea-beaten shores, where for the last
two hundred years the exile of Erin
departed heart-broken and dejected
to find a new home and country under
the protecting folds of Columbia’s
starry banner, which has protected
and sheltered the worthy exiles from
all lands. He then pictured the two
great wars in which these two Hags
were carried side by side in the inter
est of liberty and humanity by the
progeny of Uncle Sam in which the
fighting race of Kelly, Burke and
Shay are merged, culminating in the
total rout and defeat of perfidious
Albion, the pirate and robber nation
of the world and the trailing of the
Union Jack in the dust.
The good bishop and gifted orator
held his audience spell-bound and
transfixed to their seats for about an
hour, which only seemed a few min
utes, but he was the right man in the
right place. He is a great orator, had
a great subject and preached a great
sermon to what he called a great
people doing a noble work. The
bishop has paid several visits to the
emerald-tinted city of O’Neill, where
he has many loving friends, but every
time he comes he finds a new and
deeper resting place in the love and
affectionate regards of O’Neill people.
1 Father McNamara was cross bearer
at the laying of the corner stone and
Father Flanagan at the high mass.
A committe composed of Frank
Campbell, Joe Mann and P. J. Mc
Manus then took up a collection
which amounted to $400, which went
into the building fund, after which
St. Patrick’s choir sang a suitable
bymn and the Very Reverend and
brilliant bishop imparted the papal
benediction.
Judge J. J. Harrington was marshal
of the day and was mounted on a
milk-white steed, and both looked
and acted well. He was aided by Col.
Neil Brennan, Major M. H. McCarthy
and Senator Frank Campbell.
The following clergyman were here:
Rt. Rev. J. J. Keane, Cheyenne: Rev.
p. McCarthy, Jackson; Rev. J. Rue
sing, West Point; Rev. D. W. Mori
arty, Benson, Rev. J. T. Smith,
Omaha; Rev. H. Loecker, Atkinson;
Rev. E. S. Muenich, Coleridge; Rev.
W. |L. McNamara, Alliance; Rev. J.
G. McNamara, Bloomfield; Rev. T. S.
Moriarty, North Bend; Rev. W.
Kroupa, Ord; Rev. J. W. Stenson,
Omaha; Rev. C. Stratman, Butte,
Rev. A. Brass, Howells; Rev J. Hut
ner, Stuart; Rev. J. Buckley, Norfolk;
Rev. J. Crowley, Albion; Rev. B.
Lordeman, Spencer; Rev. C. Petlach,
Verdigris; Rev. J. Rose, Ewing; Rev.
P. A. Flanagan, Benson; Rev. L.
Blare, Valentine; Rev. M. Dolan,
Chadron; Rev. M. Bronsgest, S. J.,
Creighton University, Omaha; Rev.
M. F. Cassidy, Rev. W. J. O'Sullivan,
O’Neill.
Historical Sketch.
St. Patrick’s parish was founded in
1877 by the O’Neill colony who be
longed to the old faith; in fact it
be said that the church was founded
in 1874 when the colony reached
O’Neill on the 12th of May. O’Neill’s
first mass was celebrated in the early
fall of 1874 and read by Father Bedard
of Frenchtown, where a colony of
French Canadian Catholics had
founded a colony in 1871. This colony
came from Kankakee, 111., and settled
in the northwest part of Antelope
county and on the north bank of the
Elkhorn. Father Bedard was the
only Catholic priest between West
Point, Nebraska, and Butte, Mont.
His first mass in Ilolt county was
I—I
NKW ST. PATRICK’S CHURCH
*
said in the sod house of Thomas Cain,
in the presence of the said T. Cain
and wife, John Fallon and wife, John
Reddy and wife, James Ryan and
wife, Michael McGrath, and wife, Pat
Murray and wife, Joe Kresser and
wife, John Grady, Tim Connor, R. J.
Hayes, and T. N. J. Hynes and Ann
Fallon. Tom Hynes served that mass
and most of Father Bedard’s other
masses in O’Neill for he came here at
intervals of two or three months and
services were usually held at Cain’s
and at John Fallon’s.
In the spring of 1877 the colonists
hauled lumber from Yankton, Da
kota, mostly with ox teams, and built
a little church 18 x 36 which was com
pleted in July and its first mass
was said by a Father Smith of Council
Bluil's who was sent here for the pur
pose and in his sermon he said he
brought the glad tidings that we were
going to get a resident pastor.
In September of that year (1877)
Father John T. Smith was installed
as O’Neill’s first Catholic priest and
St. Patrick’s parish was temporarily
organized with the said Father Smith
as pastor and Patrick Hagerty and
John McBride the two lay trustees.
The land was then public domain and
the virgin prairies, unbroken and un
claimed, lay invitingly awaiting the
approach of the homesteader who
soon came in, entered claims and es
tablished homes so that Father Smith
soon found his ever increasing congre
gation out grew the seating capacity
of his 18x30 church. He started to
colleet money to build a new and
larger church but his people were as
short of funds as his church was of
seating capacity and he finally suc
ceeded in raising the money and
building Hie church moved away to
make room for the new and handsome
Romanesque structure about to take
its place and in all probability des
tined to become a Cathedral at some
future day. It was an arduous task
that the good Father Smith set be
fore himself as it sometimes iseemed
we would never have any use for a
larger church as one disaster after
another followed each other in rapid
succession. First grasshoppers, fol
lowed by electric storms and pro
tracted droughts. The first money col
lected for the new church, built by
Father Smith, came from a bequest
of John Hughes, a bachelor, who died
here and willed his property to St.
Patrick’s church—several thousand
dollars in notes, on parties in Iowa,
but for various causes Father Smith
realized only seven or eight hundred
dollars on them.
O’Neill’s second church was a frame
building 40x1000 with brick and stone
basement heated with furnace, bul
had neither towerflnor bell, and cost
$8,000 and was finished in 1882
Bishop O’Connor visited the parish
for the lirst time in 1880 and confirm
ed a class of ninety-one persons. Said
confirmation took place in the old 18)
36 church, which was moved away in
1881 to make room for church numbei
two, which now, in the course o
events, makes way for church numbei
three. When moved away churcf
number one became O’Neill’s first
public school building and contjnuec
as such until 1884 when school districi
seven built the present brick schoo
house.
St. Patricks first assistant pries
was Rev. T. Cullen and its second wa
Rev. P. Brophy, now a designini
inventor. Both served under Fathe
Smith and lived with him in the oli
parish house (now Mrs. Dykeman’s.
In July, 1886, Father Smith wa
transferred to Cheyenne, Wyo., am
was succeeded in the pastorage of St
Patricks by the present incumbent
Rev. Dean M. F. Cassidy, who attach
ed a ninety-foot tower to the churcl
in which he hung a five ton McShan
bell, whose tolling of the morning,
noon and night Angelus is as pleasing
to the ear of an O’Neillite as was the
sounds of the bells of Shandon to the
ear of Father Prout. These improve
ments were made in 1880: Tower,
cost $1,125 00, and bell $594.
November 9, 1896, St. Patrick’s
church was duly incorporated under
the laws of Nebraska with Rt. Rev.
Bishop James O’Connor, president;
Rev. Michael F. Cassidy, pastor and
treasurer; Patrick Hagerty, secretary
and John McBride and Very llev. R.
A. Shaffel, incorporators.
In the summer of 1887 Bishop O’
Connor again visited St. Patricks’ and
confirmed a class of 172 Catholic child
ren, which took place in churcli numb
er two.
The parish erected a new parochial
residence at a cost of $3,500, in 1888,
being a frame house with stone base
ment. The house is 45x54, two full
stories, with porch and attic. In 1896
John McBride ceased to be a trustee
and John J. McCafferty was appointed
in his place, who acted as said trustee
with Patrick Hagerty up to 1905, and
with John B. Donohoe, who succeeded
Hagerty, in that year, up to January,
1909, when Neil Brennan and O. F.
Biglin became trustees.
In 1888 St Patrick’s parish attained
it largest number of people. Then il
had an enrollment of over 200 CatholU
families and at that time the parish
oners built a Catholic or convent
school, 45x75 feet, two full stories witt
basement and attic, of brick anc
stone, but the building was burned t(
the ground just as it was being com
pleted, entailing a loss of over $14,000
But as God wills everything for th<
best that pile of ruins was replaced it
1900 by the present beautiful Francis
can convent school, second to none it
the state, where over twenty teach
ing sisters qf that order are day b;
day imparting a good moral and in
tellectual training to 300 happy child
ren.
June 28,1891, Rt. Rev. Bishop Scan
nell visited the parish for the firs
time and confirmed a class of 172, am
rgain on June 8, 1897, he can\e am
confirmed St. Patrick’s greatest clas
of 213.
The parish is the mother of othe
parishes as it had charge of many out
side missions from time to time
Some of tho3e misssons have been df
tached and are now prosperous an
independent parishes themselves
(Continued on fifth page.)
HMifluuKraun
Unprofessionals Playing Profession
al Base Ball.
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TO FRONT
Basset Lads Shut Out, Locals Rqn
Three Scores, In Fast and Inter
esting Game.
Attorney Carlon of Bassett arrived
in town last Sunday morning at the
head of the Bassett ball team and
that afternoon, with the High School
team as opponents, they pulled off
one of the. nicest games seen on the
O’Neill diamond this season. Al
though the Bassett boys were given
nine successive goose eggs, while the
High School boys were making the
rounds three times, the game was a
dandy from every point of view. San
ford Parker was an interested specta
tor and said the game reminded him
of the champion contests pulled off by
the O’Neill Champions last year and
the year before. Hugh Coyne was on
the tiring line for the High School
and twirled his usual classy game,
holding the boys from the west down
to two measly hits, the first of which
came in the sixth inning. His sup
port was very classy at all times, the
only semblance of a bobble coming in
the eighth inning, but at that it
came near proving disastrous. In
this inning the first man up con
nected for a single, the second of the
game, the next up sent a slow one
to Foreman who fielded it and tossed
it to Kane who was covering second,
in the hopes of making a double. It
got away from Kane and both were
safe. The next man up sent one in
to short left, which was fielded by the
short stop who went to throw to
third for an out, but that base was
not covered and the bases were drip
ping and none down. Then Coyne
tightened up and forced the next
man to hit him to him and he nailed
the man at the plate. The next man
up was retired the same way and the
third out was easy, second to first.
This was the only time during the
game any where near making the ac
quaintance of the home plate. In
addition to holding them to two hits
Coyne whiffed six Of them. Stock
well was on the mound for Basset and
is some pitcher himself. He held the
High School boys down to seven hits,
three of which were given the locals
by the slowness of the Basset third
baseman in coming in after bunts,
they being able to beat the throw
out. He also caused ten of the locals
to lay down the willow after trying
vainly three times to connect with
, the ball. The score:
O’Neill.0 2000001 0-3
Bassett.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0—0
The Plainvlew News picked this
up some place: The Burlington has
let contracts for the building of a new
i line from Kirby, Wyo., to a point
west of Shoshoni. This is said to be
' a move to give the Burlington a
■ second road to the Pacific. This
- move taken in connection with the
ballasting of the O’Neill line is taken
- to mean that long proposed extension
t from O’Neill to Alliance is very liable
1 to become a fact. It is well known
1 that this piece of road would give
3 the Burlington the shortest line into
the great northwest. The deal looks
r good on paper, but the officials seem
■ slow to give out any definite inform
• ation.
j The Great Shoe and Furnishing
goods at Sullivan’s is where you can
- buy goods at the sight price. Come
and see for yourself. 1-3
and
CARNIVAL
Next Week!
>
Fast Horses, Good Shows and Some
! thing Interesting all the time.
5 t
i . =
, Shows all week, starting Monday. Races Wednesday, Thursday
and Friday, August 11-12-13.
i .
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