Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 1936)
Nab. Stata Historical feaiet; The Frontier VOL. LVII O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 1936 No. 14 L—---—---——-— Call Meeting to Deal With Fire Hazard The county board has taken action to meet the fire hazard now menacing the county and has asked the precinct officers of the various precincts to meet in O’Neill Sat urday, August 22, to put in effect a concerted effort covering the en tire county for the saving of the hay from fires. Already considerable loss has been sustained in the destruction of what must amount to a few hundred stacks of hay. The very dry grass is easily set aflame by the thought less dropping of a burning cigar ette, sparks from tractors and cars, constituting a real menace that will be present until moisture falls. Almost daily fires are reported that destroy hay stacks, one of our main dependents for income this season. It is hoped by a united effort to get fire guards plowed and burned along roads and section lines so when local fires break out they can be kept under control. Something country residents al ways fear is possibility of fires set by hunters and the governor will be asked to declare Holt county closed this season for hunting. The game warden has made an order giving Holt an open season but in view of the tremendous hazard from fires citizens here desire a closgd season. ^ A return to the methods of the early settlers when every home steader surrounded himself with fire guards will be necessary to make the country reasonably safe. A heavy black and.wide streak between the Northwestern and the river gives promise that the high way south will soon be completed , with the oil surfacing. Highways t to the east and south have been torn up much of the summer and autoists and truck haulers have their troubles getting through. The very hot weather added to the much detouring has rendered the hauling of great loads of hay and racks crowded with live stock no pleasure trip at any time this sum mer. Particularly, with a load of bales that just about scrape the telephone wires drivers must move with caution. w With a huge concrete mixture in operation preparing the mixture and rubber-tired dump carts in use hauling from the mixing machine the few feet to a hoist much of the former laborious process of hand ling the heavy concrete is elimin ated and makes possible rapid pro gress in building construction at the court house. A great quantity of concrete is used in constructing the vaults and this has had to be hoisted from the ground upward as the building progresses. The old hod carrier seems to be completely replaced by men with dump carts mounted on pneumatic tired wheels. NOTICE. Holt County Farmers’ Union will hold its Annual Picnic on Wednes day, August 26, 1936, 2 miles east of the O’Neill cemetery, 1 mile south and 80 rods west, on the south banks of the Elkhorn river. A nice grove and a good road in. State President H. G. Keeney, of Omaha, will be the speaker. A ball game and other sports will be on the grounds. All are welcome. Turn out and hear Mr. Keeney. W. E. Snyder, President. J. B. Donohoe, Secretary. James McManus arrived Monday from Chicago for a visit *vith his brother P. J. and sisters, Mrs. S. A. Horiskey and Miss Mayme. Forty I four years ago James left O’Neill and for forty-two years conducted a large meat and grocery business in Chicago with a racing stable as a side line. Two years ago he retired from business after making a fortune and now has large real estate holdings in the city. jk Marriage Licenses W- William Peters and Gertrude St rlmeyer, both# of West Point, Married at Atkinson the 12th by Rev. William G. Vahle. Surviving the wreck of time are three signs on O’Neill buildings put there by the brush of painters in the long ago. Across the top of the Gallagher store building on the south side is still visible the sign of the old Keeley Institute that was in operation here back in the latter eighties. On the bricks of the same building in bold letters is the Pfund & Wagers sign, mer chants of a bygone day. “Sliver” Triggs claims an interest in these signs as one of the painters who put them there. Another faded sign barely discernable on an old wooden structure is “Neil Bren nan.” That was painted some forty years ago by Mike Kirwin, for long the only sign painter in these parts. 2300 Hogs at Tuesday Sale Report of Atkinson Livestock Market, Tuesday August 18, 1936: Hogs: Receipts 2300 head, about 500 head of which were fat hogs and butcher sows, the balance of 1800 head were feeder pigs and thin sows. The market ruled firm to higher on all kinds, or at about the best prices for over a month. Best butchers brought from 10.85 to 11.00, heavy butchers at 10:00 to 10.50, best sows at 9.15 to 9.GO or equal t® Omaha top for the same day. Fair to good sows at 8.50 to 9.00; thin sows at 7.50 to 8.50; heavy shoats at 8.00 to 9.50; medium weights at 7.00 to 8.00 and lightweights at 5.50 to 7.00. Feeder pigs were bought for shipment to Georgia, Illinois, Iowa and Cali fornia. Cattle: Receipts 700 head. Most cattle were bought to go to eastern Iowa, with a few to Ne braska and Illinois.The feature of the auction where 165 head of two year old steers sold by Henry Hookstra of Atkinson. They sold for 5.30 to 5.90 a hundred, every one of them going to an Iowa feed er. The market on all classes was from 35 to 50 cents a hundred high er. Best fat cows brought from 5.00 to 5.50; fair to good ones at 4.00 to 4.75. Canners and cutters at 2.85 to 3.85; best fleshy heifers at 5.25 to 6.45; fair to good heif ers at 4.00 to 5.00; common kinds at 3.50 to 4.00. Heavy steers at 5.30 to 5.90; best yearling steers at 5.00 to 6.00; fair to good steers at 4.00 to, 5.00. Bulls at 4.00 to 4.50. Selling continued until near ly 10 o’clock at night. OBITUARY. The people of Inman and com munity were deeply grieved Sun day morning at the passing away of little Margaret Harte here at the home of Mrs. Lizie Colman where she was being cared for. Margaret Joan Harte, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Harte, was born in Inman Febru ary 7, 1926, and passed away Sun day morning August 16, 1936, at the age of 10 years, 6 months and 9 days, after an illness of several weeks. Margaret became ill early^ in the summer and was taken to an Omaha hospital for treatment and it was found that her condition was very critical.' However, after returning home she showed marked improvement and high hopes were held for her recovery, until last week when complications set in resulting in her death. Margaret was a bright, loveable child and was a general favorite in the community. She was a student in the Inman schools and was to have entered the sixth grade this fall. She will be missed by all who knew her for she was loved by old as well as young. Margaret is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Harte, her little brother, Jimmie, her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Donnelley and a host of other rela tives and friends. Funeral services were held Tues. day morning at 9 o’clock at St. Patrick’s Catholic church in O’Neill and interment in Calvary cemetery. The floral offerings were many and beautiful. James F. O’Donnell was an early morning driver yesterday going south on a business trip to south ern Holt arid points i:> Wheeler county. WHEN THE CHAFF GETS IN HIS EYES 1 _ i !\\ W —Reproduced by Courtesy of Buffalo News STREET SCENERY Privileged to look into a nicely j furnished “house on wheels’’ a half mililon they say are now in use in America, as it parked on our streets it seemed somewhat unusual to find on the table not the card deck and ash tray but a beauti fully bound copy of the Bible. It is none of the writer’s, readers’ or public’s business but that does not reduce the bump of curosity as to why a beautiful young woman in the full bloom of health should add a full length coat to adequate and becoming summer attire on a blistering day, fanned only by a hot wind. Watch most any group of four or five men congregated on the street. A word from one is all that is necessary. Immediately all are thirsty. Four abreast they go to the nearest bar. That’s what pays the licenses and tax, with a profit added for the folks behind the bar. From time immemorial the First National bank corner has been the hangout of all shades of citizenery —from the common poltroon to distinguished representatives in various lines. Athens had its areopagus but O’Neill has its bank corner. Politics, religion, crops, weather, industrial and social prob lems, profanity and coarse gossip, the preferable type of automobile, live stock markets, price of gaso line and predictions on baled hay, with an occasional flash of poetry and art all find proficient hand ling. When the shadows begin to lengthen the first arrivals ap pear and as the cool of evening drops its merciful mantle the sages of the community join in. A sort of backwater to catch the driftwood of current history and shape it up for free discussion. The daily street parade furnish es endless amusement and study to the one interested in types, j There is the smart young man with j the funny little hat tied to the j side of his head, the circumference of which seems out of proportion to its contents; possibly better fit ted to the size of the hat. The feminine element furnishes the greatest variety in attire. Rather Hay Destroyed by Fires A prairie fire in the Opportunity country last Saturday afternoon destroyed 90 stacks of hay and burned over a strip of country one mile wide and two and a half miles long, when it was finally smothered by a large army of fire fighters. It is estimated that there was 500 tons of hay cosumed and, at an estimate of $10 per ton, it entails a loss on northeast Holt county farmers of about $5,000. Ie is supposed that the fire start ed from the backfiring of a tractor. The blaze was noticed at noon and it raged for about two hours. The O’Neill fire department went out and joined the large army of farm ers and other residents of the city who went out to do thei mite in i getting control of the fire fiend, and , it was finally extinguished about 3 o’clock. We have been unable to get a complete list of the losers in the fire but it is reported that Mr. j Soukup was the heaviest loser hav ing 32 stacks of hay burned. An other farmer lost 15 stacks and Judge Harrington, of this city, lost 6 stacks. The rest of the hay was owned by different farmers in that section of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Archie Stone, of Coleridge, visited at the Kersen brock home early in the week. Mrs. J. A. Erwin, of Norfolk, visited at the home of Mrs. J. P. Gallagher on Sunday. fiashly colored and bedecked pants are worn by some of the young ones; still younger ones, but no longer mere children, in semi-nude attire that would have made our mothers scoot for cover. The pre dominate type are clothed in sate j summer garbs and pass along in' graceful dignity. Fellows from off the prairies clump along on r hot day in their high-heeled bo>tc and big hats, and an occasional 200-pound dams stumps by on 3-inch heel shoes that sag" badly. I The kid in his bare feet and pants held by a strap across one sho ddev is probably the happiest of a’l *b types. BRIEFLY STATED Dick Kerns, of Walnut, was an O’Neill visitor Tuesday. Herman Medlin, lately employed in the meat department at the Barnhart market, has taken a simi lar job with a concern at Grand Island. A lone workman was put on the job yesterday cleaning the grounds of shrubbery and otherwise getting things ready for construction work for the post office building on upper Fourth street. Mrs. Bauman, Miss June Ander son and George Johnson, all of Gregory, S. D., were guests of Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Mills last Sat urday, going from here to Plain view and returning to Gregory on Monday. Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Blinco were here Monday from Yankton, S. D. Both were residents of O’Neill in an earlier day. Mr. Blinco’s pri mary object of this recent visit w'as to give their cemetery lots some attention. A fire started by a tractor on section one, one mile south of town, j was quickly extinguished. Haying crews are watching the situation closely in their respective fields of | operation as the fire hazard is a real thing this season. Superintendent McClurg is back to his office after some ten days spent at Dallas, Texas, and points west of there. He says weather conditions have been favorable throughout that section this season, good cotton crop about Dallas and through the cattle country further west plenty of feed being available. Increasing amount of traffic on the streets may render it neces sary sooner or later to employ traffic officers at certain intersect ions. A near crash every day and an occasional real crash at one or the other of the busy intersections suggests the need. An evening recently at Third and Douglas such occurred With disastrous results to the cars but no one much in jured. Unless someone is killed little attention is drawn to a car --noh "o common are they. It would be interesting to know how many citizens of the county, now residing in the county, who held certificates and taught school under the administration of Bart ley Blain, one of the very early county superintendents of public | instruction. O’Neill has one such ■ citizen in the person of M. H. Mc Carthy, long since retired from the teaching profession. Mike attend ed his first institute in Holt county held by Bartley Blaine in 1885 at Atkinson, where he, Mr. McCarthy,! was then residing. A short time | later he came to O’Neill and one of his first schools was what they j called the Dwyer district northeast of town. Second Raid at Emmet For the second time in recent months, the Emmet State bank was robbed Monday night. The loss is reported at $*>(), all in silver and nickles, the usual amount of small change kept in the bank. Entrance was made to the build ing by lowering the upper sash of a window and removing an iron bar. The outer enclosure of the vault was opened in sledge-hummer fashion but the robbers failed of access to the inner recesses of the vault containing tjie bank’s supply of currency and other valu ables. The small change was se cured by opening the outer doors. The job is said to be similar to the one a short time ago, leading to the belief that the same fellows did both jobs. Some local talent is under suspicion and it is believed by getting the finger prints the guilty ones will be run down. OFFICE BUILDING POLL GIVES LANDON LEAD The Stuart building national po litical poll closed Wednesday, Aug. 12, with a landslide vote for Gov. Alf. Landon and Frank Knox. The poll showed a marked, advance of voters on the republican ticket from the election in 1932. The actual count was as follows: Landon and Knox .170 Roosevelt and Garner . 36 The number of votes cast, altho not complete coverage, seems to give a representative sample of the way votes from the Stuart building will be cast in November. Plans are being made to conduct another vote later to determine any change that might arise during the cam paign.-r-Stuart Building News, Lincoln. A truck of Holt county bales pulled out of O’Neill Tuesday for Eklaka, Mont. The truck driver had come here with Ben Jones who brought in some horses, contem plating himself, we are informed, returning to this county. That section of Montana has been dealt with harshly and ranchers have had to dispose of their stock or move it into other communities. The load of hay going out of here for that point was merely incident to having come here with a load of horses and taking a load back. Miss Maxine Harrington re turned Sunday night from a two week’s visit at the home of June Carol White at Bristow. Miss June came back with her and will visit here for a week. Mrs. Walter Patras and family and Mrs. Keith Craig and family, of Clearwater, are visiting this week at the home of their sister, Mrs. Clyde Keller. Judge and Mrs. R. R. Dickson returned Monday night from Lake Okeboga, Iowa, where they had been enjoying themselves for a few days. Frank Riser, of Friend, accom panied by his mother from Milford, arrived here Friday for a visit with relatives and old friends. Chester Calkins is taking a week off from police duties. Bill Lewis is clothed with the badge of police authority in the meantime. -- Mr. and Mrs. Floyd France, of Lynch, visited here Sunday. Mr. France is a brother of Mrs. H. W. Tomlinson. September 8 Free Day in the Old Town Tuseday, September 8, has been definitely decided upon as the O’Neill Free Day, Mayor Kersen brock informs us. Much effort has been put forth by the mayor and others to bring the proposal to a conclusion* raise the necessary money and get those interested to agree upon a date. September 8 seems to be satisfactory to all. Last year’s program was put on late in September and very un favorable weather prevailed at that time. It is hoped to avoid such an experience by holding the event early in the month. The program was not fully worked out yesterday but a number of things have been decided upon. A parade in the morning in which various business houses of the city will be represented with attractive floats. Several have indicated their desire to participate in this event, for which prizes will be awarded. Mayor Kersenbrock de sires all those that expects to have floats in the parade to get in touch with him as soon as possible so that the number participating in the opening event will be known. Corps and Pierce German band Corps and Pierce Gernna nband will be here. Free rides for the children on gliders and merry-go rounds, races of various kinds, a prize fight, ball game between At kinson and Red Bird and a pave ment dance are on the program as now being arranged and those sponsoring the effort are doing their level best to put on a day’s entertainment that will be enjoyed by the anticipated crowds. Hospital Notes Jean Roberston, 8, of O’Neill, had her tonsils and adenoids removed on Wednesday. Miss Frances Sands, of Ewing, came in last Thursday for medical treatment. She is convalesing nice ly at present. John Harte, 6, had his tonsils and adenoids removed Thursday, the 13th. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Harte, of Inman. Donald Kallhoff, 9, of Ewing, had his tonsils and adenoids re moved Tuesday, the 18th. He went home the following day. Mrs. Gladys Green, of Chambers, came in Saturday for medical treatment. She is gaining in strength rapidly and will soon be able to return to her home. William Mohr, from north of town, came in Sunday evening and was operated on for ruptured ap pendix at once. He is improving much better than was expected. Mr. and Mrs. William O’Neill and Mrs. Rudy Eggerth, of Madi son, Nebr., were brought to the hospital August 13 suffering from an auto accident, which occurred seven miles northwest of the city. They were quite seriously injured but were able to return to their home Tuesday. Their 8-month old daughter, LaRue, was injured so badly she died before reaching the hospital. School Notes In view of the fact that a few of our schools will start on the 31st of August, pre-opening day will be held on Saturday, August 29. The meeting will commence at 9:30 at the High School auditorium. I am making this announcment be cause a number of districts have not reported teachers hired for the coming school year. Teachers who are securing cer tificate renewals must have their certificates registered prior to the beginning of the school year. No teacher will be excused from pre opening day unless they present a legitimate excuse. Clarence J. McClurg, County Superintendent. CARD OF THANKS. We wish to thank our good friends and neighbors for their many kindnesses during the illness of our dear little Margaret, also for their loving kindness when she died and for the beautiful flowers. —Mr. and Mrs. James P. Harte and Jimmey.