Neb. State Historical loeiety
The Frontier
VOL. LV1I O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 13,1936 No. 13
Lt. Com. Meals
Writes of Boy
hood Days
Friends of Lieut.Commander
Frank M. Meals will be interested
in the following letter that will
recall his memories of his boyhood
days in O’Neill. Recently Mr.
Meals visited his brother, George,
in Atkinson, and during his stay
there he tame to O’Neill and called
upon old acquaintances here.
Among other pictures Mr. Meals
had one taken thirty-six years ago
showing £ group of boys ranging
from five to eight ye-v.s old who
■were among ti e first attendants
at St. Mary’s Academy. When
the picture was shown to those
who were in it few recognized
themselves. About ten of the or
iginal picture gathered together
and had group pictures taken. Mr.
Meals sent the recent picture and
his letter accompanied the photos,
one of which was sent to each of
his old time friends:
Unalaska, Alaska, July 16, 1936.
Edward Gallagher, O’Neill.
“Dear Eddie: Upon my return to
the coast from my visit home my
ship was ordered to sea and to
Alaskan waters and it was not un
til a short time ago I received the
prints of the pictures of our group
taken on the bank steps. I am
enclosing five prints, one each for
you, Eddie Campbell, Hugh Bir
mingham, Brennan and “Chaw”
I McManus, which I would appreci
ate your distributing. I will send
prints to the others of the group
direct. When I return to the
states I will have enlargements
made for each of the group.
“I need not tell you how much
I enjoyed our brief visit. For near
ly thirty-five years I had been away
from O’Neill and, except for an
occasional letter from Neil Bren
nan during the first few years,
completely out of touch with the
old town. Perhaps I am a bit
more sentimental than most people
—men who follow the sea for a
living usually are—but I have al
ways had a warm spot in my heart
for O’Neill and the boys I went to
school with. I have a very vivid
recollection of our early school
days and I have quite a collection
of old time snap shots I took with
a Brownie camera while attending
the convent. Many times I w'ould
look at these and wonder where
the kids were and. what was hap
pening to the old gang. I had al
ways intended coming back some
time but it was not until this spring
that I was permitted to do so.
“It is a rather strange thing
about one’s birthplace, especially if
one has spent the days of one’s
childhood there. One gets a men
tal picture of the place that per
sists throughout the years and, of
course, one is painfully surprised
and hurt to find that time there, as
elsewhere, has not stood tlill and
old landmarks have changed. A
few years ago upon my assign
ment to duty in Oakland I met
Gerald Harrington after an ab
sence of thirty years. Together
we went back to those old days
and relived many a stirring event
of our childhood association. You
boys who have continued to live
in O’Neill do not realize the changes
that have occurred because you
were there while they were occur
ing and the changes have ben grad
ual. But I had to bridge a gap of
nearly thirty-five years and the
changes struck me like a blow in
the face.
“To illustrate let us go back to
1900. You know my old home
house. This house was built about
1880 and father acquired it a few'
years later. Father planted cot
tonwood and maple trees in the
yard about the house the idea being
that the cottonwoods being of quick
growth would furnish good shade
within a few years and could be
cut down when the maples, of
slower growth, reached near matur
ity. Well, those maples have reach
ed their full growth and the old
home seems dwarfed, smaller than
I remember it. Then again, across
from our home was an open pra
rie reaching clear to the old John
Mann place. The base ball
grounds were located there,and it
was a great playground for us
(Continued on page 4, column 1.)
The possession under lease of
three quarters of land four miles
east of the fair grounds was the
cause of both a civil and criminal
suit in county court. Emil O.
Jinda had leased the place through
one O’Neill agency and was in
possession when Edwin f^rnum
came onto the place with a lease
from another agency Barnum
was arrested for trespassing but
the case was dismissed and he
started an action against Jinda
for forcible detention. This was
set for hearing in county court
Tuesday. By mutual agreement
judgment was entered giving Jinda
the peaseable possession of the
property.
O’Neill Store
Changes Owners
Last Thursday veiling a business
transaction was completed where
by Ralph Tomlinson becomes the
owner of the U. and I. grocery
store, Thomas Brennan who strated
the business a few years ago re
tiing. Ralph has been employed
in the store so is thoroughly fam
iliar with the business. He is a
young man of energy and qualities
necessary to make a success, lived
here about all his life and is en
titled to cordial welcome and sup
port as one of the factors in the
commercial interests of the com
munity.
BRIEFLY STATED
Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Eby and son
are spending a few days with
friends at Basset before their de
parture Sunday for a tour of the
Pacific cpast, having a finely ap
pointed trailer in which to live
while on the trip.
Victor Harley, the Chambers
blacksmith who had an arm nearly
severed with a buz saw a few
weeks ago, was operated on last
week in the Stuart hospital and
the arm taken off, blood transfus
ions also being found necessary
It is reported that the contractor
on the new federal building will
have a force of men here on the
24th to commence work on the
building. The contract was let
two months ago and it seems they
are a little backward in getting
started.
Mrs. Mattie Soukup returned on
Wednesday morning from a week’s
visit with her brother and family
at Leed, S. D. She also visited
Deadwood and was a spectator at
their annual “pow wow” the days
of ’76. She says it was a great
show.
Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Mclntire, of
Webster City, Iowa, stopped in the
city yesterday on their way home
from a visit to Mrs. Mclntire’s
parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Olsen,
formerly of O’Neill but now at
Payette, Idaho. They stopped here
for a short visit with an uncle of
Mrs. Mclntire.
The Elm Grove Poultry Club held
their regular business meeting at
the John M. Grutch home on July
29. Demonstrations were given by
several members, also new songs
ar.d cheers practiced. The nexft
meeting will he on August 9 at the
Den Hynes home. Refreshments
were served by Mrs. Grutsch.
When there is a lack of plenty,
thieves take most anything they
can get. Undmindful of the risk
of detection from a notorious and
pronounced odor an individual
with an appetite for onions got
into the hay loft of a barn in the
south part of town and stole a
bushel of nice Burmadas that the
householder had dug from his
garden and put in the barn to dry.
The thief left about a gallon of
small ones.
The eighth meeting of the Elm
Grove Poultry Club was held at
the Den Hynes home on Sunday,
August 9. There was a picnic
each bringing their lunch. The
program for the Club tour was
planned and feeders and waterers
were demonstrated by Club memb
ers. The next meeting will be held
at Riverside Park on August 23.
Many visitors were present and the
Club welcomes any that wishes to
come.
Poultry Inter
ests in Gath
ering Here
The institute of American Poul
try Industries have adopted a
Poultry Grade Buying Program in
I practically every midwest state.
Poultry packers and shippers have
adopted definite grades for buying,
whereby the producers marketing
i good quality poultry will receive a
premium or higher market prices
for their efforts.
Regional committees have been
| appointed to carry out this prog
I ram, and have been holding edu
cational meetings in this section
the past two weeks.
Regional chairman, J. II. Dahl
berg, of the Omaha Cold Storage
company,, Norfolk, Near., called a
meeting for O’Neill, which was
held at the Armour Creameries
last Thursday, August 6th. At
this meeting, 40 dealers and buy
ers of poultry were in attendance,
representing 18 towns in this vic
inity. Mr. Dahlberg exhibited
birds of various grades and ex
plained the necessity and advanta
ges of buying on a quality grade
basis, both for the producer and
the dealer.
A scoring contest was held in
connection with this meeting, 15
birds of the various grades being
used. Results of ^he individual
scores as compared with the official
grades were excellent and above
the average.
The Institute members, are,
through this program of buying,
making a determined effort to see
that the producer of a quality pro
duct receives a quality price for
his effots. It also promises to do
even more for the industry than
any effort thus far, to bring about
the elimination of diseases among
poultry flocks. They feel that the
quality prices will be such that
there will be an incentive on the
part of the producer to take better
care of his poulty, resulting in
cleanier and healthier flocks.
All of the dealers and buyers
represented at this meeting enthu
siastically endorsed this quality
graded basis of buying poultry
100%. It is expected that the
poultry industry will be on this
basis of buying in this section
within the next week.
P. J. O’Donnel
Good at Golf
Rome was not built in a day, nor
are top flight golfers developed in
a year, but P. J. O’Donnell was
wearin’ down the greens on the
local golf course last Sunday after
noon.
A foursome, consisting of Mr.
O’Donnell, Dr. G. E. Peters, J. M.
Liewer and George Reed, went to
the course in spite of a high wind
sweeping in from the northwest.
P. J. had his batting eye aslant to
overcome wicked cuts that often
occur on windy days and went at
his game in earnest.
The first nine holes he emerged
the victor with a 33, one under
par. Seemingly the first round
was a warm up session for the
venerable Pat as he started the
second round with a birdie on No. 1.
He repeated with birdies on No.s.
3, 6, 7 and 9 to total 31.
About five years ago C. W.
Peasinger shot a 31 on the Ran
dolph links, that record stood up
until the remarkable playing of Mr.
! O’Donnell Sunday. — Randolph
Times.
A near crash at the busybusiness
intersection of Fourth and Doug
las when two cars were after the
same spot in the street at the
same time. A timely turn of the
steering wheel on the car .slightly
to the rear gave a somewhat reck
less driver in the other vehicle op
portunity to chase out of the way.
Miss Emily LaPour, employed at
the O’Neill Food Center, was sum
moned to Gregory, S. D., Sunday
night with the sad intelligence
that her father had been killed in
an automobile wreck.
Monsignor Mandeville, of York,
visited relatives here this Week.
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Tammany s Practical Farm Suggestions
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Street Scenery
An industrdious tiller of the soil
out in Shields, who is also an
authority on pigs, got notice to
come in and get a corn-hog check.
Nobody delays long when so sum
moned. He got the check, some
thing less than $100 and walked
out like a millionaire. Who cares
if it never rains when money
comes that easy.
i Y
A sovereign citizen wanting
to express at once his choice
for president asked a group
on the street if mail votes
could be put in now. Explaining
his anxiety the inquirer said: “I
am leaving soon for Texas. You
know the uncertainities of life on,
the highway today. I have never
voted the republican ticket but am
| determined to do so this year. To
make sure of my ballot I want to
| vote before I leave.”
A cigarette flipped from the
open window of a car with a Wy
oming license, enroute from Win
nepeg, Canada, to O’Neill, set fire
to oats straw in the attached trail
er carrying a horse. The car pull
ed into O’Neill Tuesday. The
horse had, been scorched rather
badly on the left front leg, several
spots on his shoulder, side and head
but was still up on his feet. The
two men with the outfit are rodeo
riders and pulled out of here for
Burwell.
Americans have the reputation
of being always on the move, pleas
ure, profit or necessity. Many con
trivances on wheels pass through
town each week conveying dis
tressed occupants away from their^
former moorings. One family
passed through on foot Tuesday,
consisting of a man carrying a
heavy grip and bundle and leading
a very small boy. A very young
woman with a baby held close J
walked cheerily with smiling face |
by his side. Blackened by sun and
wind and bare heads, but rugged
and united, an American family
facing an uncertain future.
Stopping.for a mid-day lunch atj
O’Neill Monday, four booted and
spurred Oklahoma riders, swarthy
features under big hats suggesting
a strain of Indian, were on their
way to the Burwell bucking broncho
exhibition. Traveling in a good
car—and their departure for the
Burwell highway at Atkinson
showed that they travel—with a
hooded trailer in which was encased
two dun-colored mustangs with the
rodeo riding equipment. They
were entering the two nags in the
bucking exhibition and their fat,
round hips looked like they could
make it interesting for who ever
crawled into the saddle.
Improvements are being made
at the Ralph Mellor residence, a j
porch being built and stucco work
done.
A Car of Baling Wire
Agent Downey at the Burling
ton was puzzled over the distri
bution of a carload of hay wire re
ceived Tuesday for various dealers
in Holt county. W ith the consign
ment was a few spools of fencing
wire and kegs or nails. The
puzzle seemed to be to make the
bundles of baling wire correspond
ing with the bill of lading. A
large demand is on now for wire
for hay baling, a start being made
to supply the dealers in various
towns of the county with the ship
ment.
Lee Hershiser went to Norfolk
Sunday. He sent word to Eli that
Tom Shively, of a former O’Neill
family and for many years an en
gineer on the Northwestern, had
a leg amputated Monday. It was
the result of a frost-bitten foot
last winter which developed into a
serious condition, necessitating the
removal of the leg below the knee.
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Sprague and
son, Ramon Ley, of Omaha, have
been visiting at the home of Mrs.
Sprague’s parents, Mr. and Mrs.
H. R. Allen east of town and. with
other relatives and friends here.
Mr. Sprague is a brother of Mrs.
Hary Rosier and a nephew of R.
II. Mills. They left Monday for a
visit with his parents near Redbird.
Iowa Feeders at
Sale Pavillion
Report of Atkinson Livestock
Market, Tuesday August 11, 1936:
Hogs: Market extremely active
with all classes of feeder pigs from
1.50 to 2.50 a hundred higher, or
at the best prices in over a month.
Fat hogs and butcher sows showed
an advance of 15 to 25 cents a
hundred with a top of 10.60 a hund
red paid for some nice 220 aver
ages; 40 to 50 lb. pigs at 6.00 to
7.00, 55 70 averages at 7.00 to 7.50,
75 to 120 lb. averages at 10.85 to
8.65, 125 to 150 averages at 9.00 to
10.00, 180 to 240 lb. averages at
10.35 to 10.60; fat sows at 8.40 to
9.00; thin sows at 7.40 to 8.00.
Cattle: Best demand of the
season with all classes from 25 to
75 cents a hundred higher, particu
larly on anything with flesh. Best
yearling heifers went to Iowa at
5.05 with the bulk bringing from
4.65 to 5.00. A small lot of spring
heifer calves sold at 5.40, yearling
steers from 4.75 to 5.35. Fat cows
from 4.40 to 4.90, cutter cows from
3.50 to 4.00, canner cows from 2.75
to 3.40. Bulls at 4.00 to 4.50.
The bulk of the day’s offering
were bought by eastern Iowa feed
ers.
Martin Bazelman went to Ewing
Sunday to look over some cattle
he has there and spot out a
bunch for market. One critter
was a puzzle as it was a guess
whether buyers would class it with
the -teers or heifers.
An O’Neill citizen had found a
way to extract a bit of comfort
during the hot afternoons by erect
ing a bed in the basement where
he went daily for rest. Monday
afternoon he had gone there as
usual and was reposing in dream
less slumber when another member
of the household went to the base
ment on an errand and unwitting
ly locked the sleeper in. All others
left the house to be gone until
evening. By mid-afternoon he was
up and hammering on floors and
door to be let out, but finding his
efforts fruitless went back to sleep
again.
McWhorter Des
cendents Meet
9
For the third consecutive year,
the descendents of the John Mc
Whorter and James Brady families
met at King’s Park in Nofolk on
Sunday, August 9. Eighty-seven
relatives were present.
Those attending were: Mr. and
Mrs. Floyd Ludwig, Mr. and Mrs.
Leo Silver and son and Mrs. Frank
McWhorter, of Omaha; Mr. and
Mrs. Ford McWhorter, of Hastings;
Mrs. Date Compton and two daugh
ter, of Waterloo; Mr. and Mrs.
Fred Arp and daughter, of Yutan;
Mr. and Mrs. Herb McWhorter and
Connelly Hartsock, of Nickerson;
Mr. and Mrs. Earl Plymesser, of
Sioqx City; Mr. and Mrs. Hans
Sorenson, of Laurel; Mr. and Mrs.
Fred Hansen and three children,
of Nofolk; Mr. und Mrs. Will Mc
whorter, Mrs. Plymesser, James
McWhorter, Mr. a^id Mrs. Bert
Van Buskirk and son, Mrs. McCor
mick and Alice Van Buskirk, of
[Foster; Mr. and Mrs. Wiggo Lar
son and two sons, of Plainview; Mr.
and Mrs. Robb McWhorter and two
daughters and Mr. and Mrs. Mar
vin McWhorter and daughter, of
Noth Bend; Mr. and Mrs. James
i Carson, Mrs Harold Kelley and
(laughter and Mr. and Mrs. Melvin
Carson, of Page; Mr. and Mrs. J.
j C. Wolfe and son, of Winner, S. D.;
Mr. and Mrs. Lester McWhorter
and family, of Osmond; Mrs. F. Z.
Wolfe, of Lynch; Mr. and Mrs.
John Carson and son, and daughter
and Lizzie Carson, of Redbird; Mr.
and Mrs. Duane Carson and daugh
ter, of Chambers; Mr. and Mrs.
Harry Johnson and daughter; Mar
cella and Geraldine Johnson and
Mr. and Mrs. John Brady, of Wal
nut; Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Brady and
family, of Dorsey Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Brady of Star.
Propoganda in the Pictures
One of the rawest tricks of
which the New Dealers have been
guilty is the WPA plan of using
relief money to buy motion pictures
propoganda in support of the
Roosevelt administration. Every
important newsreel company but
one has been invited to bid on a
contract to produce films recording
the story of Works Progress Ad
ministation activities. The only
big concern which was not invited
to bid is Universal newsreel which
last spring warned motion exhibi
tors, “Don’t let your screen be used
for propaganda by any one or any
interest.”
The picture most familiar to
WPA workers whioh should be
taken, which will not be taken,
would show men from the relief
rolls toiling with pick and shovel
at $55 to $f)5 a month while politi
cal favorites are holding down
supervisory and. administrative
jobs at $100 and $150 a month and
up.—Bruce Gustin, in Omaha Bee
News.
Mr. and Mrs. Faye Miles came
down from Chadron Friday last
and visited here, including a trip
to Randolph, until Monday. Sat
urday with Fay’s father, Geo. A.
Miles, they went to Randolph and
returned with Mrs. Miles who had
been visiting a brother there.
Reports of the threshers in
northeast Holt give the rye yield
from 3 to 8 bushels per acre, most
i fields producing 4 bushels. With
i t he price more than double what
| it was for last season’s normal
yield the cash returns wrill amount
; to about the same.
The R. R. Morrison family de
parted Sunday for Casper Wyo..
for a visit and mid-summer outing.
Dam Building
is Now Being
Considered
John Robertson, of Dustin, Mr.
Rhodes, of Stuart, Representative
Otto Bentzen and Messrs. Gus
Wickum and William W’indmeyer,
of Naper, and Representative L. G.
Gillespie, of O’Neill, went to Lin
coln Sunday and on Monday got in
touch with state and government
authorities in behalf of getting
work on the roads for needy farm
es, having in mind partiularly the
completion and extension of the
road from Stuart to Naper.
They were advised that the work
intended for the farmers so select
ed was the building of dams in the
various counties in the drouth area
to conserve water for future needs.
The area to be covered in any one
dam from three to five acres.
These sites are to be selected by
the governing body of each county
in the drouth area, and certified by
them to the PWA administrator,
who in turn will assign a regularly
employed engineer of the depart
ment, or a county surveyor to in
vestigate the site and report as to
its feasibility and need.
As this takes time, and the need
of the farmer is present and can
not wait until the preliminary steps
to establish sites are taken and the
work performed, they have permis
sion to assign farmers to work on
purely PWA projects, either in
course of completion or those that
may have been proposed, and ap
proved, but upon which work was
not started because of the lack of
relief workers, under the rules and
regulations governing the WPA
projects in the beginning. In the
latter case a WPA project that
was proposed, submitted and ap
proved, but not worked for the
reason assigned, upon application,
it may be reinstated and farmers
certified under the new set up, as
signed work thereon. To be certi
fied the farmer makes application
to the relief office where all details
and red tape are kept, and are
most too voluminous and compli
cated for a newspaper.
Heretofore, in different parts of
Nebraska one person has been
assigned to two or more counties,
the counties to investigate the
needs of applicants for work under
the WPA. An investigator is now
to be assigned to each county in
order to take care of the applicants
and certify the needy ones in as
short a time as possible. Some
5,000 additional WPA projects
were authorized and it is sought to
get these under way at once.
IS DROUTH A DREAM?
Henry Wallace said the crop
failure fright was caused by specu
lators who were giving out mis
leading statements for their own
financial gains. Dun and Brad
street, in their last bulletin said the
drouth is more psychological than
real. Therefore, when you farmers
look at a cornfield and find it either
withered or eaten by grasshoppers,
you must understand that it is all
in your mind: it’s “psychological”;
the field is all right. You have just
gone nuts and can’t see straight,
and speculators have got you hyp
notized.—Creston, Iowa, News
Adversiser.
As a relief measure, perhaps
Wallace and the other New Dealers
will provide our farmers with green
glasses through which the fields
will still look green and full of
life. They may even put green
glasses on the cows, as they, too,
are said to be suffering from the
“psychological" idea that pastures
are gone.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Sunday school, Junior depart
ment, 9:00. Young people and
primary department, 10:00
Morning worship 11:00, “Hold
ing Fast.”
The Union evening service will
be at the Presbyterian church at
8:00. The pastor will be in his
pulpit for these services. You
are invited to join us for a bigger
and better year.
H. D. Johnson, Pastor.
Police Judge George Bay has
been confined to his home to nurse
an infected foot.
