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.
