O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1934.
No. 48
g_!
MRS. R. H. MILLS DIES
MONDAY MORNING
AFTER LONG ILLNESS
Was Among The tiarliest Settlers Of
Holt County, Having Resided
Here Since 1882.
Mrs. R. H. Mills died at her home
in this city last Monday morning, after
an illness of several months, of cancer,
at the age of 57 years, 7 months and
12 days. The funeral was held from
the Presbyterian church Wednesday
afternoon at 2 o’clock, Rev. H.D. John
son officiating, and the remains were
laid to rest in Prospect Hill cemetery.
Clara Jane Sprague was born at
Snyder, Illinois, on September 4, 1876.
In 1882 the family moved to this
county and settled in the north east
ern part of the county, where she grew
to womanhood. On December 31, 1895,
she was united in marriage to Henry
Rufus Mills and made her home in
this city since that time. Mrs. Mills
was the mother of three children, two
of whom survive here, and three step
children, all of whom were present at
the funeral, except Mrs. Ada Cof
field, of Portland, Oregon. The child
ren, who with her loving husband, are
left to mourn the passing of a kind
and indulgent mother are: Mrs. Oscar
Pierson, Hudson, S. D.; Ralph R. Mills,
of O’Neill; Ida Coffield, of Portland,
Ore.; Jesse G. Mills, of Omaha, and
Elsie Mills, of Berwyn, Nebr.
Mrs. Mills was a lovable woman and
had a host of friends in this city and
vicinity. Although she has been a
sufferer from cancer for some time and
had. submitted to medical treatment at
various points in an attempt to cure
the disease, she bore her affliction
without complaint, always being more
concerned with the welfare and com
fort of her loved ones than she was
of herself. Her many friends tender
the family their heartfelt condolences
in their hour of sorrow.
EDUCATIONAL NOTES
The April Teachers’ Examination
will be held at Stuart, Atkinson,
O’Neil! and Ewing on Saturday, April
21st. This is the last examination to
be held during the school year.
Grades are being recorded this week
of the Eighth Grade examination. The
grades as a whole show evidence of
very good work done in the schools.
In visiting the various schools I find
that music is being stressed in a num
ber of them. Chambers has organized
an orchestra with 22 members under
the direction of Mr. Catlett. In Em
met, music and singing have been
stressed and an orchestra has been
organized and conducted by Miss Ger
aldine Harris. This is composed of
: both the grade and high school pupils.
The following reports of teachers
hired, have been received recently:
Amelia—District 228—John Lama
son, high school; Wilda Dicrks, inter
mediate grades, and Zelma Waldo,
primary grades.
Ewing Public School—Elja McCul
lough, superintendent; John A. Shirn
onek, Howard T. Zook, Elsie R. Chase,
Grace M. Benjamin, Mrs. Pearl Bord
en, Josephine Retzloflf, Alice Selah,
Mrs. Myrtle Wood and Leona Pribil.
Stamp Club Meeting
Friday evening members of the
O’Neill Stamp Club will meet at the
Walter Stein residence to discuss
stamp business. This club is flourish
ing and now has 15 members.
At the last meeting, Ray Toy, vice
president of the club reported, Thomas
Burgen, of Lincoln, attended and ex
hibited his stock case, old covers of
around 1880 and he answered many
questions propounded by other stamp
admirers. The Friday evening meet
ing starts at 7:30 sharp.
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Heitman left
last Friday nioning for Grand Forks,
N. I)., in response to a telegram an
nouncing the sudden death of Mr.
He it man's father in that city. They
expect to be gone a week or ten days.
Phil Welch, assistant manager of the
Gamble store, of Norfolk, arrived in
the city last Friday afternoon and will
have charge of the local store until Mr.
Heitman returns.
Those here who have spaded grassed
or weedy patches say they found no
grasshopper pods. Some pods have
been reported in the northern part of
Holt county but the egg deposit there
is said to be very light compared to
other Nebraska and South Dakota
counties.
A flock of purple grackles, .large
blackbird*, arrived here fresh from
Dixie a few day* ago. Most persons
rates this bird a bad actor.
No Change In Rulings
On Contracted Acres
There have been no changes in rul
ings relative to use of contracted acres,
or land rented to the government, und
er th eagricultural adjustment pro
gram, state corn-hog administrator
W. H. Brokaw said today. The recent
report relative to putting forage crops
in so-called free acres was inter
preted by some to mean that it was
possible to use contracted acres for the
production of forage or pasture crops
without any restriction. “This is not
true,” Brokaw said, “contra’ted acres
cannot be used for any harvested
crops.”
Asks Compensation For
Death Of Bryan Simmons
A case in which compensation of
$15 a week for 300 weeks and $12
thereafter which was heard by the
state compensation commissioner filed
by Alice Simmons, widow of Bryan
Simmons, who was killed here about
a year ago when he is alleged to have
jumped off a freight train after, it was
alleged., he had obtained employment
with the inland construction company,
then working near Atkinson, which
was denied by the commissioner and
then appealed to the Holt county dis
trict court, was submitted to Judge
Dickson last Thursday afternoon.
Simmons was a son of Sheridan
Simmons, well known scout and. early
settler, historian and long time citizen
of Holt county. His son lay for about
an hour on the railway right-of-way
with part of his foot off from contact
with train wheels. After several days
of intense suffering, he died.
Former Holt Countyan
Dies At Sioux City At
The Affe Of 104 Years
The following is taken from the
Monday issue of the Sioux City Trib
une and the subject mentioned and her
husband were among the first home-1
steaders of Holt county, filing on a
tree claim south of Inman. Mr. Ryan
was a brother of the late Peter Ryan
who lived for years on a ranch south
east of this city, near Inman, and later
lived in this city for several years.
Only the early settlers will remember
Mr. and Mrs. Ryan, although they
lived on their homestead about eight
years.
Funeral services for Mrs. Ryan were
held at the Immaculate Conception
Catholic church at Sioux City Wed
nesday morning and burial was in the
Calvary cemetery at O’Neill about 4
o’clock Wednesday afternoon.
Mrs. Ryan never forgot the exhilcr
ating tang of the boundless outdoors
she experienced on her Holt county
homestead, the extreme consideration
of distant neighbors for one another,
the winds, sand, flitting snows of hard
winters nor the withering suns of
Irygone summers when sky was watch
ed for a bit of a cloud to water sapling
cottonwoodss that should ward off the
sun and the cruel zero.. She wanted to
enter her long sleep as near as she
could to a bit of the old sod and asked
that her remains be lowered “out in
O’Neill’s little town on the banks of
the Elkhorn.”
in tne account ui iuia. is.you a uwm
the Tribune said:
“A broken hip suffered in a fall Fri
day the 13th cost the life of Sioux
City’s oldest resident, Mrs. Ann Mc
Donald Ryan, 104, Sunday.
“One of the few who pass the cen
tury milestone, Mrs. Ryan was in ro
bust health for her age until the time
of the accident. She died in the home
of her daughter, Mrs. Arthur Rogers,
2023 South Royce.
“Funeral services for the centena
rian will be Wednesday in Immaculate
Conception Catholic church. Burial
will be in O’Neill, Nebraska.
“Although she has only two immedi
ate survivors, Mrs. Rogers, and an
other daughter, Mrs. A. L. Curtis of
Vancouver, B. C., who visited her last
August 15, 1033, when the aged woman
celebrated her 104 birthday, Mrs. Ryan
has a host of friends, especially in
Immaculate Conception church where
she attended mass every Sunday. Her
favorite pastime was piecing quilts
and in the last ten years she presented
37 to be given away as prizes at baz
ars sponscred by the church.
“She was a native of Castlebar,
County Mayo, Ireland, and experienced
the famine there years ago. She mi
grated to the United Stutcs when she
was 34 years old, settling in Pennsyl
vania. She married a Castlebur youth
she had known all her life at Scranton,
Pa., and then moved to a tree claim
Id miles southeast of O’Neill, Ne’or.
They lived on the claim for eight years
and then went to Omaha for fourteen
years. In 1W>5 they came to Sioux
i City. Mr. Ryan died here in Ibid and
Mrs. Ryan went to live with her
daughter, Mrs. Rogers,
“During the famine in Ireland Mrs.
Ryan recalled in an interview with a
Tribune reporter at the time of her
103 birthday, ‘older folks pointed out
it was a part of the prophecy of St.
Columbkille. This saint, whose sound
forecastings cost him his life, predict
ed the era when messages would be
sent by sticks, ships would fly and
dive under the sea.
“ ‘They always used to talk about
this back in Ireland, then they would
say, ‘none of us would live to see
that.’ But I did! It was God’s will.’
Mrs. Ryan told the reporter.
“In 1903 Mrs. Ryan received h ques
tionaire from John Hopkins university,
a medical school, asking her about her
life and to what she attributed her
longevity.
“ ’They wanted to know if I lie down
in the day time,’ she scoffed. ‘I never
lie down during the day. The Lord
has been kind to me and has let me
live to see all these wonderful changes.'
“Mrs. Ryan lived a routine life aris
ing each morning at 7:15 a. m. and
always going to bed between 9:30 and
10 p. m.
“Despite her long life Mrs. Ryan
never lost interest in politics and cur
rent events. Her daughter read the
paper to her daily after her eyesight
began to fail. Although she drew no
party lines, she voted for Roosevelt in
1932, and A1 Smith in 1928.
“It took Mrs. Ryan six weeks and
four days to cross the ocean. She was
astounded when told of ships crossing
in four days.”
Mrs. Ann McDonald Ryan, 104, who
died in Sioux City last Sunday, and
whose remains were buried here Wed
nesday, is believed to have been the
oldest person in the state of Iowa. Her
death almost coincided with another
very aged woman, and the strange
thing about it is that their names are
similar.
At Savanah, Georgia, death claimed
Mrs. Belle Rhynes, 123 years of age.
Mrs. Rhynes said she had smoked a
pipe since she was 11 years old. She
was born in Ireland. They kidded her
about being old when she was 121, and
she said: “I am as happy as a little
pig in the sunshine, and they talk
about me being old! Why, Uncle
John Shell was 130 and he started out
to get some wood to cook with when
he fell dead in the yard.”
The Mrs. Rhynes, of Savanah, was
laid to rest last Monday but the day
of her death is unknown here. Likely,
she died about Friday, only several
days before the death at Sioux City of
the oldest Iowan whose remains were
buried in O’Neill Wednesday. The
Georgia woman claimed smoking not
only did not hurt her health, but on
the contrary she maintained it caused
her to live as long as she did.
During her younger days Mrs.
Rhynes was employed by a circus and
she traveled extensively as a snake
charmer and dancer. It is just pos
sible she has been in O’Neill, not in a
circus, but in traveling to sec the
country after her circus days were
over. There are few towns she had
not visited.
Administrative Ruling
No. 12, Is Amended
“‘A new producer,” as defined in Ad
ministrative ruling No. 12, if unable
to obtain a hog base by transfer as
permitted under this ruling, is per
mitted to have two litters in 1934, and
hogs produced therefrom, and is per
mitted to buy up to two sows or gilts
for the purpose of having such litters.
Meteor Easily Visible
A meteorite, described as large and
in dazzling illumination as it passed
throught the strata above our atmos
phere and was extinguished as it struck
the atmosphere, was seen a few nights
ago by several young persons of the
Phoenix neighborhood.. Those in the
party were George Syfic, Jr., Carl
Damero, Violet Neoma and Alma
Syfie and Virginia Damero. The
meteorite fell about 9:30 in the even
ing. The light was pear shaped, the
spectators reported.
Clyde Davidson, son of Mr. and Mrs.
James Davidson, of Sioux City, owner
of a fleet of trucks, his wife and child
ren, are, according to friends here,
preparing to leave for California for
a months plcasue trip. On the return
trip, the report indicated, the family
planned a visit here with relatives.
Wild hay is still moving out of this
county but at a greatly diminished
rate, most of it being private exchange
in contrast to former governmental
distribution to drought sections.
Six More Names Added
To The List Of Those
Asking For Nomination
On April 16 a petition was tiled in
the office of the county clerk, signed
by twenty-five voters, asking that the
name of William H. Decker, of Page,
be placed upon the ballot as a candid
ate for the democratic nomination for
representative from this district. A
receipt for the filing fee was filed with
the petition. Mr. Decker has until 30
days before election to file his ac
ceptance.
John C. Gallagher has filed for re
nomination to the office of county clerk,
subject to the action of the democratic
voters at the primary next August.
Mrs. James Shorthll, of Emmet, has
filed for the democratic nomination
for the office of register of deeds.
Vivian Grant Curran, of Star, has
filed for the nomination to the office
of county superintendent.
Esther Cole Harris has filed for re
nomination to the office of register
of deeds, subject to the action of the
republican voters at the primary elec
tion next August.
Hy. F. Nightengale, of Atkinson,
has joined the list of applicants for
the position of supervisor of the Sev
enth district, by filing as a democratic
candidate for the nomination.
O. S. Cooper, Agricultural
Engineer, In O’Neill
O. S. Cooper, Agricultural Engineer,
has been stationed in O'Neill for the
balance of April. While here he will
make a survey of the county in regard
to the possibilities of extending elec
tric service on rural lines. Anyone
interested in this kind of service should
get in touch with him at Conrad’s
cabin camp.
New Highway Surfacing
Is Mistaken For A Lake
The high and wide new highway
covering on No. 281 south of here is a
sort of mirage for those who look at
it from a half mile or more from the
sidv,s. The surfacing is a white clay
and it looks exactly like a great body
of water. One hobo said to another:
“Lookie there, haymow, how about a
swim ?”
“Sure ting, on our return trip, meb
bie.”
“That’s a highway," was volunteered
by a native.
“Looks like it with a motor boat tos
sin’ spray like that,” one of them re
plied.
Automobiles rooling over the road
causes white dust to rise and this looks
like water spray and smoke.
Seven Awarded letters
At St. Mary’s Academy
Amid hilarious cheering and bursts
of applause, “Letter Day” was cele
brated at St. Mary’s on April 5th. A
very appropriate and enjoyable pro
gram showing sincere gratitude was
presented by the students as 1934’s
basketball team received their well
earned letters.
The first event on the program was
a tribute from the cheering squad.
This was followed by two songs to
Alma Mater. Mary Lois Hamond ad
dressed. the boys, offering congratula
tions and appreciation, in the name of
the student body, to the Team, to
Lather Leahy, and to Jerry Phalin.
Father Leahy presented sweaters to
the following boys: Gene Gallagher,
Bob Biglin, Hugh Ryan, Peter Price,
Francis Soukup, Mike Harty, Claude
Callen, and Bob McCarthy. Father
Leahy commented on each player’s
work for the year, and expressed his
appreciation for the excellent record
1st. Mary’s team has made during the
past season.
Gene Gallagher gave a few words of
thanks to Father Leahy and Coach
Phalin in the name of the team.
For a tiinalc, the student sang “Al
oha, Cardinals.”
CARD OF THANKS.
We desire to express our sincere
thanks to the many kind friends and
neighbors for their sympathy und kind
ness extended and for the many beau
tiful offerings sent in our recent be
reavement, the death of our beloved
mother and grandmother.
David Bellar,
Chris Bellar
The Grandchildren.
CARD OF THANKS.
Wp wish to thank the many kind
friends, neighbors and relatives for
their generous assistance and acts of
kindness during the illness, death und
i burial of our loved one; also for the
beautiful floral offering*. Your kind
ness will never be forgotten.
Mr*. T. F. Donohoc and Sons.
Will Hold Grasshopper
Control Meeting
A meeting will be held in the court
house in O’Neill on April 27, at 8 p.
m. At this meeting 0. S. Bare, exten
sion entomologist, will outline the pro
gram of grasshopper control for Holt
county. Nebraska’s quota of Federal
funds is limited in amount and in order
to receive this federal aid it will be
necessary to meet the requirements of
the government, which call for an in
tensive campaign at the most effective
time. Everyone interested should
make it a point to attend this meeting.
Texas Women Blame
Nebraska For Sand
The Lubbock, Texas, chamber of
commerce sent a letter to Professor
E. E. Schramm, of the Universiity of
Nebraska, stating he should see sand
is kept in Nebraska. A year ago,
rich red alluvial soil of Texas was de
posited in eastern Nebraska by a south
wind and Nebraskans laughingly fig
ured it enriched this state $25,000,000.
The sand storm the other day sort of
returned the borrowing, like one neigh
bor borrowing, then returning a cup
of sugar, a common stunt on the
prairies in early days, it was alleged.
Women of Texas are huffy about the
uneven exchange, a paper humorously
commented, and they are having a
high old time down there working the
grit out of their homes.
Nebraska may file a special appear
ance in this case or even may plead
entrapment. It may be proved the
dust and sand which went south for
the winter and spring originated in
South Dakota. It may be proved Ne
braska was not at home on days when
the sand went south, that South Dako
ta told Montana she was going to play
a dirty trick on Nebraska some time,
that numerous grasshopper eggs on
the sand in Texas indicates none
save South Dakota could furnish
such sand, and that the malicious,
felonious, diabolical, immaterial, incon
sequental, perpendicular, horizontal,
lackadaisical, unconstitutional, pre
medlatcd, heartless, but not breathless,
devastating, interstate, hurricane, orig
inated, organized, incorporated, fumi
gated and stood up on its South Da
kota legs, vaulted leaped, jumped and
roarded over and above cowering Ne
braska, and, wilfully, maliciously, fel
onously, braggadocioly, breezily, be
tweenwhiles, beeswax, balony, bull
whackers, birdshot and branchiate
boomerang, and did, ravish, rummage,
revolutionize, renovate, regurgitate,
re-pressively resuciate the innocent
and fair state of Texas and did, cheer
fully and wickedly, throw kisses at
Missouri and missed, hitting Texas and
knocking that fair young flower entire
ly out of the box.
Hospital Notes
Mrs. John Eggar underwent a minor
operation Saturday evening. She
went home Tuesday afternoon.
Mrs. Carl Dahlstein is getting along
very nicely at the present time.
Everett Michaelson, of Page, was
operated on Monday morning for aeute
appendicitus.
Edith Baker underwent an opera
tion Monday evening for acute append
icitus. She is convalescing nicely.
Harold Parks, of Page, was brought
in on a stretcher Tuesday morning,
seriously ill with pneumonia. At
present he is doing as well as can be
expected.
Mrs. Helmer Widtfeldt and son
Hclmar Morris, were dismissed from
the hospital Saturday afternoon.
Charles Manson, who was injured
Wednesday, was brought to the hospi
tal Thursday noon, to have his injured
knee treated.
Gertrude G. Graham, of this city,
who has been doing demonstration
work for the Staley Starch and Syrup
company, out of Decatur, III., for the
past six months, left Omaha last Sun
day night for Los Angeles,California,
where she will continue with her work
on the Pacific coast for the summer
and • also visit her brother, Edward
and sister, Mrs. C. C. Jackson. She
expects to return by fall and again
make her old territory, South Dakota,
Iowa and Nebraska.
Recently the dead bodies of a dog,
hog and horse were found lying on top
of the ground here and it is presumed
those who did not bury the carcasses
intended that coyotes or mountain
lions should devour the remains. First
news of the carcasses came by wire
less.
Goldie Boyle and Maxine Posover, of
Chambers, were here shopping Tues
day and visiting at the home of Mr.
und Mrs. Jufmes Boyle.
MRS. MATTIE SCHMIDT
IS DEAD; AN INVALID
FOLLOWING A STROKE
Had Boon A Resident Of Holt County
Since 1886, Coming Here From
Canada With Her Father.
Mrs. Mattie Schmidt, widow of An
drew Schmidt, died last Monday morn
ing after being an invalid some weeks
following a stroke. Mrs. Schmidt was
77 years, 7 months and 21 days old,
having been born August 25, 1856, at
Wesley, Ontario, Canada. There she
grew to womanhood and married John
Bellar on November 18, 1877.
Mrs. Schmidt died at the home of
her sister here, Mrs. J. U. Yantzi, just
across the street from her own home
in east O'Neill.
The funeral of Mrs. Schmidt was
held Wednesday morning at 10 o’clock
with services in the Menonite church
north of here and burial was in the
cemetery of that church.
Some years following the death of
her husband, Mrs. Bellar married An
drew Schmidt in June, 1914. To the
first union there was born two child
ren who survive their mother, Dave,
of O’Neill, and Christ, of Wilson, Kan
sas. Other near relatives left to
mourn are four sisters and two
brothers.
Mrs. Andrew Schmidt was such an
outstanding woman as is referred to
as the salt of the eurth. She came to
Holt county in the year 1886 in com
pany with her father, Christian Ernst,
a famous carpenter who constructed
most of the frame buildings in central
Holt county. He threw himself into
the upbuilding of his new land heart
and soul and won a reputation for in
dustry that had no equal in thiscounty.
The gaining of money was a secondary
consideration.
It fell to the lot of Mrs. Schmidt to
experience the rigors of life on the
bleak prairies in its most adventurous
and exciting phases. She often told
of her husbands brother, Joe Bellar,
losing his life in the great blizzard of
1888, while with team and wagon on
his way to a neighboring place where
he was to pay for a purchased hog.
John Gordon, who barely saved his
life by existing under an overturned
wagon box in that storm, was at the
Bellar funeral, swathed in bandages
over his frost bites, she said.
Mrs. Schmidt told of her mother in
Canada cutting off wool, shearing it,
carding, spinning it taking it to a
weaver and of making all thechildren’s
clothing, even underwear, suits, over
coats and all. She related often that
we have things pretty soft now; that
her father often sung or whistled as
he walked off to work before daylight,
as far as fifteen miles frofti his home.
For years there was no price at all
on chicks, but eggs ranged in price
from four to six cents per dozen and
calico was cheap, six cents a yard, or
a store dress could be purchased for
fifty cents. Mrs. Andrew Schmidt
saw the good old days bloom and fade
and she was alwuys happy and content
ed while her faith in better things for
all never faltered.
There never was a better neighbor
than Mrs. Schmidt. Sh^loved prairie
life and could tell interestingly of it
all day long. Before the family of
Christian E. Ernst came from Canada,
he built a fine residence and walked
five miles to work evary day until it
was completed. Orr the homestead,
five miles northwest of O’Neill, when
the family arrived, everything was
complete, the house and everything to
run it. All that had to be done was to
start the kitchen fire and prepare a
meal. Twenty-five bushels of pota
toes reposed in the cellar, two fat
hogs had been butchered, and it was
found the head of the house had made
tables, beds, chairs and even a potato
masher, a slicer and a comb for the
hair of the newcomers,
Mrs. Schmidt often told of the
battles they fought to keep things
moving on the homestead; snow tun
nels dug to reach half famished live
stock; all day trips to Emmet to get
groceries and hard work garnering
hay and even cornstalks for fuel. Yet,
Mrs. Schmidt said she enjoyed it all.
In Canada she had worked on 12 hour
I shifts in a woolen mill.
Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Blinco, of Yank
ton, S. D., arrived in the city last Sun
i day for a couple of days visit with old
: friends here. Albert Blinco was a
' resident of this city for many years,
having been an employee of the Short
Line, between here and Sioux City.
At the time the road was taken over by
the Burlington he remained with the
1 (ireat Northern and ia still in their
1 employ, with heudquarUrs at Yankton.