The Frontier
VOL. LIV. O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1934. No. 39
JOHNSON ORDERED TO
SCOTTSBLUFF TO TAKE
CARE OF RELIEF WORK
Had Hcen Here Since Latter Part Of
October Taking Care Of Relief
And CWA Work Here.
Max Johnson, who has been the di
rector of federal relief in this county
since November 1, 1933, has been
transferred to ScottsblulTs and left for
his new post of duty Wednesday after
noon. On Tuesday evening Mr. John
son received a telegram from Randall
C. Biart, state director of federal re
lief, directing him to turn his office
over to Miss Dorctha Grady and to
leave at once for Scottsbluffs and to
take charge of the office there.
Mr. Johnson came here on October
29, 1933, and on November 1st took
charge of the federal relief in this
county. For a time he had. CWA
activities in the county, as well as the
relief work, and was one of the busiest
men in the entire county. His record
here proved him to be a man of splen
did executive ability and his handling
of the many intricate problems that
confronted him won for him the praise
of his superiors and the plaudits of the
people here who were familiar with
his work.
A would-be local politican was con
tinuously howling about Mr. Johnson's
actions in giving work to some repub
licans and stated on the streets on
several occasions that he would have
his “scalp.” The howling of this dis
gruntled one did not affect Mr. John
son in the least and he continued tak
ing care of the matters that confronted
him with ability and dispatch, irres
pective of political or other influence.
He made a splendid record and the
people of this city and county regret
that he was transferred to another
county, but his transfer was a pro
motion and he goes to his new field of
labor to iron out many difficulties that
have confronted several directors who
have had charge of the office there.
And Max will straighten them out and
run the office as it should be run.
Congratulations and good luck Max,
is the wish of your many Holt county |
friends. ,
Still At It
Sunday there was a great game of
baseball out on Mullen Field and the
only thing the players objected to was
the lack of gate support and the
heat. ‘“It beats the devil,” one kid said,
“how hot it gets here.” Well, boy,
it gets hotter than the devil there, too,
so go on with your games.
The game Sunday was by the East
Minors and the South Sluggers, nines
thut have been contesting for suprem
acy all winter. Out on Mullen Field
there is no Rose Bowl but there may
be one by next winter if the CWA
boys have the heart and enough money
East Minors 2, South Sluggers 18
was the way the final score read after
the game. The East battery was R
Porter and Jack Brittell; South—Mar
vin Van Every and R. Loy.
Home runs—R. Loy four, M. Van
Every four.
There should have been many more
home runs, one of the players reported,
but one boy ran a spare leg in a
badger hole, another thought he heard
an airplane and a third thought he
heard his mother calling him, which
was true, although he didn't care, yet
he knew he was to get three spankings
at one time for not putting water in
a milk cow and failure to carry in a
couple of tons of wood with which to
fire up the supper cookstove.
Just south of the river bridge south
of here and west of the highway is
one of the finest “makings” of a swim
ming. skating, boating and fishing
hole youngsters ever saw and many
have expressed the wish water will
be turned into it and left for a per
manent pond. The bottom is perfectly
level. Earth, taken from it is being
used to grade the highway. It is not
known to what use this depression is
to he put but if left to the youngsters
there would be no doubt about the use
of the hole.
East Saturday afternoon on the
field near the Jess Scofield oil station,
boy* of the sixth grade played foot
ball with the boys of the fourth and
fifth grades of the public school. The
score reported is 120 to 12 in favor
of the sixth graders. The boys re
ported no broken lames but many
handly bent.
The fourth-grade student daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Blakeley, of
Albion, accidently swallowed a three
inch lead pencil. No distress was
complained of by the girl but she is
under the observation of a doctor.
Final Corn Loan Date Set
February 28 is the final day for
corn loans. Fnal papers must be
mailed, not later than midnight Feb
ruary 28, 1!>34.
To date there have been 2fil corn
loans completed totaling $109,233.45.
If you plan to take out a corn loan
do it as soon as possible.
Anderson and Enters
File For State Senate
Senator Crist Anderson, of Bristow,
has filed for renomination for state
senator for this district, subject to the
action of the democratic voters at the
primary election next August. He is
now serving his second term in this
office. Chris had a walk-away in the
last election, the Roosevelt landslide
helping him to several hundred votes.
Democrats in this county are not very
well satisfied with his record during
the last session and they promise lots
of trouble for him in the coming elec
tion. If there are several candidates
in the field he might win the nomin
ation, but the election is another
matter.
Last week Paul H. Engler, of Bas
set, filed, as a democratic candidate for
state senator from this district and
will contest for the nomination with
Crist Anderson. From what we hear
on the sidelines there will be at
least one more candidate for the demo,
cratic nomination, and possibly two.
from this county. The pre-primary
contest promises to be interesting.
Has Excellent Speciman
Of Stone Chippers Work
A very fine Indian knife of stone
lies on the specimen table of Dr. H. L.
Bennett, complimentary of Den Hynes,
who farms on upper Eagle creek.
Those who profess to know something
of stone knives say this one is not
typically Pawnee and looks like Sioux
work.
The stone is petrified, white wood
with a tinge of pink running thru it.
It is about half a foot long and two
inches wide. Some call it a belt knife.
Mr. Hynes is said to have picked up
on his farm a bushel or more of flint
tools and weapons and the site may be
one of the village places supposed to
have flourished on the Eagle long ago.
It is possible the Ponca ranged there,
some say.
McNichols Again In Race
Hollywood Inside Facts: The two
men on the democratic side of the
fence getting all the attention from
mass populace seems to be William J.
McNichols and Upton Sinclair. They
are both expressing ideas which would
have been considered radical enough to
throw them in jail a few years back.
Today, they are basking in the spot
light of public favor. Mr. Sinclair is
going to extremes in his program
while Mr. McNichols is following to a
certain extent the program as laid out
by President Roosevelt.
The campaign is on and it should be
a grand show. We will try to keep
our readers informed as to the merits
of all candidates, their ideas and their
ideals.
If you wish you may make this
column your forum. We will be glad
to not only publish the views of those
running for office, but the views of
any reader who thinks he has a mes
sage of public interest.
There is another type of “wild man”
down in the city of Fullerton. While
the D. C. Arrasmith family was away
from home recently, someone entered
the home and smashed two radios,
dishes, furniture, lamp globes and
shades and poured kersene over newly
washed clothes and smashed eggs and
made a sorry mess of things in gen
eral. A small boy saw a man heave a
washing machine off a porch and that
is the only clue at hand. Eggs and
kerosene were smeared on almost
everything in the home.
Farmers report the present winter
is the most ideal for the propagation
of grasshopper eggs they ever ex
perienced or heard of and that a great
hatch of the pests is sure to threaten
next summers crops, especially in the
northern part of Holt county. Most of
the farmers are in favor of an air
tight organization to comt the hoppers
before they get “organized" und out
of bounds.
According to Harry Bowen’s wood
pile, clothing and travel regulator at
the court house, the government ther
mometer, the highest temperature re
corded her Tuesday was «7. not a
record, hut causing a day nicer than
anything June ever mantled over Holt
county. There was no wind and
plenty of sunshine for everyone.
Large Amount Of Hay Has
Been Shipped From O’Neill
The wild hay business created here
by purchase for distribution in South
Dakota drouth and grasshopper strick
en ureas continues on a huge scale
without precedent.
According to Roy Sauers, North
western railway agent here, there was
more hay shipped out of O’Neill last
January than there was any month
during the 15 years he has been here
as agent. The Northwestern in Jan
uary pulled out 184 carloads, most of
them large cars, and so far, the first
10 days of February, when these fig
ures were obtained, 120 cars were
hauled out. About 20 cars a day is
the average. Most of the hay is sent
to South Dakota but some is ordered
elsewhere. Indications are that every
wisp of wild hay is to be eagerly
sought and shipped.
Mr. Sauers also reported that since
fares were cut on rail passenger ser
vice, passenger travel has increased
here about one third.
Lota! Hoy Scout Troop
Attends Court Of Honor
Scoutmaster H. D. Johnson and thir
teen Scouts went to Orchard last
Thursday night to attend the Scout
banquet and Court of Honor. Troop
Committeemen Peter Todson and Roy
Carroll accompanied them and took
part in the ceremony. Mr. and Mrs.'
C. F. McKenna furnished transporta
tion for some of the boys and attend
ed the Court of Honor.
This Scout gathering proved to be
one of the best in this district. The
North Central District, of which Rev.
H. D. Johnson is chairman, has been
developing these meetings for the past
two years and they are proving to be
a great stimulus to Scouting.
The local boys received a large
number of awards. Ralph Johnson,
Robert Gunn, Willis Bachman received
merit badges. William Maxwell re
ceived his First Class badge. Robert
Williams, Willis Bachman and VirgiJ,
Johnson received their Second Class
badges. Hugh McKenna, Charles
Herrick, Richard Loy and Howard
Graves received, their Tenderfoot
badges.
Besides the O’Neill Troop Creighton
and Orchard were represented. A
total of sixty-five boys and forty men
were present at the banquet.
Hospital Notes
Mrs. Lyle MeKim, of Opportunity,
was operated on for acute appendicitis
on Monday.
W. F. Harris, of Page, was in the
hospital from Sunday until Tuesday
for Radium treatment.
Harold Summers, of Page, under
went an operation on Mondoy for
hernia.
Mrs. James VanEvery underwent a
major operation Tuesday morning.
Mrs. Lloyd Brittell, of Inman, is
doing nicely at the present time.
Should they put robiijs, and those
who see the first one in spring, under
the NR A blue eagle’s wings?
I
O’NEILL BASKETEERS
ADD TWO MORE WINS
THE LAST WEEK-END
St. Mary's Defeats Ewing Friday, And
Public School Takes Two From
Lynch Saturday Night.
Last Saturday night two teams of
basketball players came here to take
the scalps of the O’Neill boys but the
invaders had poor luck. The result
of the first team game was O'Neill
14, Lynch, 12. At the end of the
second attack, played by the second
teams of the two towns, the score
read O’Neill 18, Lynch 6. The games
were played in the gymnasium of the
public school and the spectators filled
the seats almost to the limit.
On the academy floor, last Friday
night, the St. Mary’s ucademy team
took the Ewing high school digesters
by a score of 33 to 13. The second
teams of the schools entertained the
crowd and at the final whistle, Ewing
had 12 points and the academy team
8, Elmer Stolte, public school coach
here, refereed both the games at the
academy.
Security State Bank At
Atkinson Will Liquidate
The stockholders of the Security
State bank at Atkinson have decided
to liquidate the bank and at the close
of business on February 10, ceased
their functions as an active bank De
positors of the bank will be paid in
full and the bank will be kept open
for the payment of money to deposi
tors and for the collection of money
owed the bank, but no deposits will be
received. The officers of the state
banking department have given the
officers of the bank until December 1,
1934, to liquodate the affairs of the
bank. The deposits of stockholders in
the bank will be held until all other
depositors have been paid in full.
Holt County Man Loses
Finger Joint in Buzz Saw
Butte Gazette: William Robertson,
who has been working on the Sol Fried
ranch, got in an argument with a buzz
saw Monday, and the saw won the
discussion.
He was brought to Butte and the
wound treated. He lost the first joint
of one finger but it was thought that
the rest of the finger could be saved.
Wednesday Mrs. John Lull, now of
Hot Springs, South Dakota, and Mrs.
Mary Brown, of Portland, Oregon,
came here by automobile from Omaha
where they had been visiting. Both
are former residents of O’Neill. They
are staying at the Maurice Johnson
home, Mrs. Brown being a sister of
Mrs. Johnson. Thursday afternoon
the visitors went to Page for a visit
with friends and relatives and they
planned to return here for a visit of
indefinite period. They had been in
Omaha two weeks.
John Barton, of Laurel, was in the
bargain conter of the northern part
of the Great Plains last Saturday.
Corn-Hog Contract
Sign-up Progressing
The Corn-Hog reduction contract
sign-up is well under way. Each
township has shown unusual interst.
To date 119 contract have been signed.
Sign-up days are as follows: If there
are any changes in these places, each
precinct will be notified.
Grattan township at the Golden
hotel Friday and. Saturday; Shields at
Shields town hall Friday and Satur
day.
February 19 — Saratoga-Coleman,
at the Phoenix school; ltock Falls at
the voting place; Paddock at the Pad
dock town hall.
February 20—Scott, at the Scott
town hull; Steel Creek, at the Dorsey
school; Willowdale at the school, Dis
trict 96.
February 21—Verdigris, at the Odd
Fellow’s Hull; Iowa, at the Bowen’s
school.
February 22—Ewing and Golden, at
the Ewing town hall; Deloit, at St.
John’s hall.
February 2J—McClure and Lake, at
the Martha school; Conley, at the Leh
mann school; Shamrock and Chambers
at the Chambers town hall.
February 24—Shamrock and Cham
bers at the Chambers town hall; Wy
oming and Fairview at the Amelia
school; Swan and Josie at the Pfund
school.
February 26—Holt Creek and Fran
cis at School District 210; Green Val
ley at School District 20!1.
Spelling Contest Friday
Night At Public School
Pupils of Holt county schools are to
gather Friday at the public school
auditorium here for the annual spell
ing contests. Judged by the intense
application pupils have studied the
combinations of P’s and Q’s recently
some contestants are sure to be deci
sively defeated here tomorrow night.
The spelling shall be under way by
seven o’clock, evening.
Prices 108 Years Ago
Hot Springs, S. D., Star: An Ohio
newspaper unearthed a copy of a news
printed over one hundred years ago,
which contained a list of articles of
food with the prices prevailing at that
time. S. R. Gattly saw the account
and handed it to the Star.
Here they are, prices of household
commodities during the winter of
1825-1826.
Eggs, 4 cents a dozen; butter, 8
cents a pound; sugar, 10 cents a pound;
coffee, 31 cents a pound; bacon, 6 Vi
cents a pound; whiskey, 25 cents a
gallon; tea. $1.50 a pound; wheat, 40
cents a bushel; oats, 15 cents a bushel,
corn, 25 cents a bushel; muslin, 20
and 31 Vi cents a yard; calico, 36 cents
and 50 cents a yeard; flowered wall
paper, 4Vi cents a yard; salt, 2Vi
cents a pound.
Paul and Art Forrest and Alfred
Blake, of Hanopolis, Kansas, spent
several days in the Holt county seat
last week. Highways to Kansas were
reported in fair condition.
Bert OldSy Holt County's Fresh Air Fiend, Moves From
His Out-Door “Home” To Omaha—With Objections!
_ V
Last Friday morning Sheriff Peter
Duffy and a newspaper worker under
took an expedition to the canip of the
stranger who has been on creeks in
the vicinity of where the Eagle creek
pours into the Niobrara river. Recent
ly the man had been living on the farm
of Frank Searles. Mr. Duffy reached
the Searles place about 9 o’clock in
the morning, and about 9:30, six men
in a wagon reached the camp of the
so-called “wild man” of northern Holt
county. The other four men were
Chester Ross, Frank Searles and
Orville and Cecil Miller.
The sheriff had decided to bring the
stranger here and take him to the
government concentration camp for
homeless men at Omaha.
Breakfast was on the fire as the
party of six in team ami wagon drew
within haling distance of the hermit.
His greeting was rather friendly, yet
he hung his head and nervously forked
a piece of stubborn fat-pork around, as
he said something about bothering a
man when he did get something to
i cat after going without several days.
A month ago he gave his name as
Bert Olds, with no permanent home.
The neighbors he found in northeast
Holt county nre the finest in the
world. Now and then they supplied
the stranger with food and he was even
induced to cut wood for one of them in
i t turn for things he needed.
A camera brought into piny a« he
ate did not bother the man. He sus
t--- w
pected trouble though, and h;s huge
police dog reared and scratched at the
six as if it sensed an end to a happy
home. The dog was left with a
neighbor.
Mr. Duffy waited long and patiently
for the man to finish breakfast. He
said he planned to wash, but the day
was a bit cold and he might gather
firewood, instead.
Breakfast over, Duffy made his
speech, telling the “wild man” what
he had to do—place him in a camp ac
cording to the orders of the govern
ment. Things began to happen righ
there, and from then on until the Holt
county jail was reached, thru ques
tioning and the man’s own affability,
his life story highlights were brought
out, a bit here and a bit there.
Bert Olds said he’d rather not tell
his age because at times lie had
worked on railway sections and there
is an age limit and he wanted to pro
tect himself. He said he tried hard
to he a Christian but that he met so
niuny selfish, mean, low-down and
ornery folk he often cut loose and gave
cards and spades to the mule-drivers
of Missouri, L and high water, Peter
and Muses in the bull rushes and
dunder and blit7.cn.
He said he had been jailed many
times, had seven dogs <>f his taken and
shot, hud been jailed at Valley City,
North Dakota, for operating a five*
gallon whiskey still, never married,
owned several teams and wagons and
lost them thru the cupidity of crooked
or overly sharp traders.
Duffy asked him if ever he had been
in O’Neill before. “Yes,” he said,
“remember walking in there from
■lorthwest llolt county with all tin.
coyote skins I could waddle under,
almost, looking for bounty money.’
Boys said they saw such a roar, here
several years ago near the Emil Bniggs
blacksmith shop where someone tried
to tease the man with a sorry outfit.
One of the first things Duffy was
told was that the north part of Holt
county was put under a curse right
now for apprehending Olds and that
it would not again rain in that section
of the country. The four farmers in
the capture party laughed. To make
it any drier would, indeed, require the
services of a miracle man, and he
might have to wait a long time for
his pay at that.
Olds told of putting curses on var
ious parts of the country and on per
sons, the thing working with deadly
monotony, hut Duffy, after waiting
patiently a half hour, ordered the her
mit to make ready and get in the
waiting wagon. The wagon was taken
to the camp because the creek had to
be forded. The camp was southwest
of the Scarlcs residence, on the south
side of the Eagle, about one mile from
the house.
A small campfire burned on a huge
(Continued on page U, column four.)
FARMERS SHOULD NOT
SPEND MONEY TO GET
CONTRACTS MADE OUT
* *
Private Aid Would Be A Waste, As
Contracts Would Have To Be
Checked By Clerks.
No farmer in the state of Nebraska
need pay anyone a cent for special
services in making out the corn-hog
contract and forms, W. H. Brokaw,
state corn-hog administrator, declared
at Lincoln today. Rumors that men
are setting up offices to help their
farmer friends for a nominal fee have
reached state headquarters and are
the cause of the warning being re
peated at this time.
In each county the agricultural col
lege extension service and the county
officials have set up a county head
quarters with an agricultural agent in
charge. Farmers have elected a temp,
orary committee to help with the sign
up program. This committee now has
the help of a local committee in each
precinct. The county committeemen
and the agricultural agent have trained
a small group of men in the details of
filling in the contract and, forms, and
meetings have been held to help the
farmers make out their own work
sheets and statements of evidence.
The services of the trained clerks,
the local committee, the county com
mittee, and the agricultural agent are
free to the farmers wanting to sign
eonracts. Whatever expense there is
attached to the contract signing days
will be borne by the county corn-hog
control association as an organization. .
It will come out of the benefit pay
ments due the farmers who sign con
tracts when the budget of expenses
of the association is made up by the
permanent board of directors and then
approved at Washington. Should in
dividual farmers ignore all this ser
vice which is available without direct
cost and spend their money to get
“expert” advise on the contract, their
contracts and forms must be checked
and approved, anyway, first by their
precinct committee and then by the
elected permanent county allotment
committee before the papers will be
•sent to Washington.
Thinks Bert Olds Should
Live To Be 200 Years Old
Regarding the man who has been
living out doors on Eagle creek in
northeast Holt county most of this
winter, the man Sheriff Duffy placed
in a hobo camp at Omaha last Friday,
the Associated Press, in one news
story, had this to say:
“Out in the great open spaces of
Nebraska, 62-year-old Bert Olds was
living in a tent, leading neighbors to
believe he would freeze to death. So
they had the sheriff bring him to a
federal shelter in Omaha.
“I can’t sleep a wink,” he protested,
“I can’t breathe. I need to be out
doors."
He said he had lived outdoors ever
since he was 19 and “never froze yet.”
A medical examiner looked him over
and said he would “live to be 200.”
Bert thinks he’ll go back to his fresh
air.
An eight pound boy was born Sun
day, February 11, at San Antonio,
Texas, to Mr. and Mrs. Russell Wein
gartner. Mrs. Weingartner is the
former Margaret Leach. She is a
daughter of Mr. anA Mrs. Edward M.
Leach, farmers, three miles east of
O’Neill. Mrs. Weingartner taught the
school near ihe Leach farm for several
terms. The baby, in this case, proved
a birthday present. On February 11
Mrs. Weingartner became 25 years of
age. The child was named Jerry Ed
ward Weingartner. Russell is ge
ologist in the employ of anoilcompany.
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Shoemaker
left the last of the week for Gregory,
South Dakota. He goes out under
one of the largest creamery companies
of Omaha and he will be stationed, at
Gregory for a while. With the gov
ernment loaning money to farmers to
buy dairy stock with and also sl.inpirg
thousands of tons of hay and g'ains
into the state, South Dakota looks for
ward to a rapid pick-up in the cream
ery business.
The condition of the wound in the
left hand of J. K. Ernst, which was
seriously cut in a buzz saw accident
Februury 1 at his farm a few miles
northwest of here, is satisfactory and
now it is likely the fingers may be
saved. The blade ripped its way just
, below the thumb to a point almost
! half way across the hand, starting
Ion the thumb side. Mr. Ernst has
j been making daily trips to the office
{of his doctor in this city.