Keb. State HistoaUal Saeaaa*
Frontier
VOL. Lvm * O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, WAV 27.1987. _ No. 2
McCLURG RESIGNS
POST AS HEAD OF
COUNTY’S SCHOOLS
Miss Elja McCullough of Ewing
Named By Board To Fill
the Vacancy.
Miss Elja McCullough of Ewing,
is the new county superintendent
of Holt county, having been elected
by the county board this morning
to fill the vacancy in the office
caused by the resignation of Clar
ence J. McClurg, who resigned last
Tuesday and whose resignation was
accepted by the county board that
afternoon. Since Tuesday the
county has had no county super
intendent. i'ho final vote on the
selection of his successor was four
for Miss McCullough and three for
Warren J. McClurg, of Inman, a
brother of the retiring official.
Miss McCullough has been sup
erintendent of the Ewing public
schools for the past seven years,
and is at present filling that posi
tion. Before her. election to the
superintendency of the Ewing
schools she had taught in several
schools in the county and had serv
ed two and one-half years as deputy
county superintendent under Miss
Anna Donohoe.
Six applications were on file with
the county board for the position
of county superintendent, as fol
lows: Luella Parker, former county
superintendent; Lillian Barker and
Harold M. Denney, teachers in the
O’Neill public schools; Miss Elja
McCullough, superintendent of the
Ewing public schools, Ewing; Miss
Viola E. Haynes of Page, and War
ren J. McClurg of Inman.
The first ballot to bring out the
list of candidates resulted as fol
lows: McClurg 3, McCullough 2,
Parker 2. A second ballot was
taken to pick the second candidate,
the holding being that the three
votes of McClurg assured him a
position on the final ballot. This
ballot resulted, Parker 3, McCul
lough 4. Then the final ballot for
the position, as between McCullough
and McClurg resulted as follows:
McClurg 3, McCullough 4, and she
was declared selected to the posi
tion. Miss McCullough will file
her bond and will probably assume
the duties of her office next Mon
day.
Considerable interest was mani
fested in this city and over the
county last Monday when it was
learned that County Supt. McClurg
was going to resign his position.
On Tuesday, shortly after noon, Mr.
McClurg submitted the following
letter to the county board:
“To the Honorable Board
of Supervisors of Holt
county:
“A few days ago I was offered
another position which will take
me away from Holt county, and
after giving the matter consid
erable thought, I have decided to
accept the position.
“I feel that I would be doing
myself an injustice by staying on
when I can accept this other
position. It is a position that I
feel will afford me greater oppor
tunity for advancement than the
one I have at the present time.
“In compliance with Section
79-1509 of the Nebraska School
Laws, I hereby request an im
mediate acceptance of my resig
nation.”
Yours very sincerely,
Clarence J. McClurg.
As he asked for the immediate
acceptance of the resignation the
county board complied with his
wishes and about 2 p. m., they ac
cepted it and since that hour he has
ceased to be an official of Holt
county.
Mr. McClurg informs us that he
will leaveO’Neill aboutJune 7 for
Omaha and he wil 1 enter the em
ploy of the K. B. Printing company
and will represent them in the state
of Nebraska as a salesman for
their school supply line. The man
who filled this position for the
company for several years was re
cently killed in an automobile ac
cident near Lincoln. He figures
that it is a much better position
than that of county superintendent
and removed him from the political
firing line.
Mr. McClurg was elected county
superintendent in November, 1934,
having a majority of 937 over the
then incumbent, Mrs. Luella Park
er. He took charge of the office in
January, 1935, and since that time
has been head of the schools of
I
Holt county. He has given fairly
good satisfaction in the office and
has a good many friends over the
county who will regret to learn that
he has left the ranks of Holt
county employees, and wish him
success and prosperity in his new
line of work.
It oftimes happens that men die
while in office, but resignations are
few and far between. For this
reason, if no other, he is entitled
to a niche in the Holt county hall
of fame. His resignation makes
the second in the history of the
county. The other official was
Robert E. Chittick of Stuart, who
resigned as county treasurer of
the county over a quarter of a
century ago, and Mr. Chittick in
formed us a few years ago that he
never had regretted his action.
Since his resignation he has been
active in politics, in behalf of his
friends, but has never been a can
didate for^ny except local office
in his home town of Stuart.
SOUTH DAKOTA MAN
SENTENCED HERE
ON SPRINGVIEW JOB
One of Two Men Who Committed
Over Four Score Robberies
Sentenced by Dickson.
A life of crime does not pay is
probably what Ray Brown, resid
ence somewhere in South Dakota,
today believes true. Brown was be
fore Judge Dickson here Wednes
day morning on a complaint charg
ing him with breaking into and
robbing a store at Springview, was
sentenced to ten years in the state
penitentiary and he was at once
taken to Lincoln by Sheriff Mc
Cracken of Keya Paha county.
Brown, 36, has served time in
the state reformatory and was out
of there but a few months when he
started out on a life that was going
to set all the Dillingers and others
in the shade. He had as a partner
one Gus Malmborg, who for a time
lived at Norfolk and was in trouble
several times on prohibition
charges during the life of the
Eighteenth amendment.
In a confession made to County
Attorney Weddel of Keya Paha
county, according to Mr. Weddell,
Brown admitted, that with his
partner, Malmborg, from October
23, 1936, up to and including April
28, 1937, they made forty-eight
different entries and that during
this time they robbed 38 safes, 52
stores, 4 postoffices, 2 court houses
and 1 depot. A fairly busy record
for six months and if they had not
been caught the chances are that
they would have enlarged their
program. All of the above rob
beries were in Nebraska, except
one, the court house at Martin,
S. D., and a store at Pine Ridge.
Among the numerous robberies he
confessed to there were three in
this county.
Brown was thrown into jail on
a charge of drunkeness at Winner,
S. D., and the Keya Paha officers
located him. His partner, Malm
5 minor charge and the officials got
both of them together and they
began to talk with the result that
the officers secured the information
about their lives of crime. Malm
berg was taken to Alliance, Nebr.,
where he entered a plea of guilty
to robbing stores in that district
and was sentenced to six years in
the state penitentiary by the dis
trict judge there last Monday.
Sheriffi McCracken, sheriff of
Keya Paha county; T. G. Weddell,
county attorney and Oscar A.
Jackson, county clerk and ex-officio
clerk of the district court of Keya
Paha county, were in attendance
when Brown was sentenced.
Marriage Licenses
Clarence Wheeler and Miss
Phyllis Keller, both of this city,
on May 22.
Melvin Maulding and Miss
Frances Graham, both of Bartlett,
on May 22.
Emmet E. Wright of O’Neill, and
Miss Mildred Lehmann of Cham
bers, on May 24.
Anthony Craig and Miss Beulah
Walker, both of Page, on May 25.
HONEY CREEK POULTRY CLUB
The Honey Creek 4-H Poultry
club held a meeting at the Henry
Vequist home, at which all mem
bers were present. The next meet
ing will be held June 10, at the
Ralph Rees home.
O’NEILL HIGH TAKES
FOURTH AT WAYNE
TRACK-FIELD MEET
■*
Bergstrom W ins Low Sticks and
Gunn, Spindler Vincent, Benda
and Hunt Add Points.
Nine members of the O’Neill
High school athletic squad went
down to Wayne last Saturday
where they entered an invitation
athletic meet sponsored by Wayne
college and the local boys captured
fourth place in the tournament.
In this meet'Leonard Bergstrom,
star of the local team, again won
honors, winning the 120 yard high
hurdles and the high jump event.
In the half mile race Bob Gunn
won second place; in the mil^ race
Leroy Spindler won second place;
Jack Vincent won 3rd place in the
high hurdles and in the 220 yard
race Allen Spindler won third.
In the half mile relay race the
O’Neill team won third. The team
was composed of Buck Hunt, Clar
ence Benda, Jack Vincent and Allen
Spindler.
The local boys say the meet was
a classy one and about as good as
the state meet. Mitchell won
first; Fremont second; South Sioux
City third and O’Neill fourth.
Rain Here This Week
Totals 1.42-in. of Water
A beneficial soaking rain fell in
Holt county and over most of the
! state last Tuesday, Tuesday night
and Wednesday morning, the pre
■ cipitation here, according to Ob
server Bowen amounting to 1.42
j inches. From the information we
have been able to receive the rain
fall over the county was practic
ally the same as in this vicinity.
This brings the rainfall for the
month of May to 2.70 inches, or
.98 of an inch more than they have
reecived at Norfolk so far this
month. The rain started falling
about 1 a. m. Wednesday morning
and continued until nearly 9 o’clock.
At 6 o’clock that morning the rain
fall measured .83 of an inch, so
.69 of an inch fell from 6 o’clock
to 9. It was a nice steady rain and
the dry ground absorbed all of it
and it is a boon to growing crops
and corn just planted.
From the daily press we learn
that the rainfall was quite general
over the state and scientists figure
that it will prove valuable, not
only to growing crops but also to
help kill off the grasshoppers that
are becoming a pest in certain lo
calities of the state.
Farmers in the city Wednesday
were very cheerful and said that
the rain would practically assure
a rye crop here.
Following is the rainfall chart
for the month of May, as kept by
the local weather observer, Harry
Bowen:
May 1 . .03
May 2 - .21
May 3 43
May 4 .07
May 7_ .48
May 8 . .04
May 11 .02
May 25 .. 29
May 26 __ 1.13
Total 2.70
This brings the rainfall for the
year up 7.44 inches.
The temperature and moisture
record for the week follows:
High Low Mois.
May 20 . 82 57 T.
May 21 .. 79 47
May 22 . 77 46
May 23 81 49
May 24 . 88 64
May 25 _ 85 59 .29
May 26 . 65 50 1.13
" •
Memorial Day Services
In O’Neill Next Sunday
All ex-service men are urgently
requested not to forget the meeting
at the Arbuthnot & Reka service
station at 2 p. m., on Sunday, May
30, to join the parade which will
march to the K. C. hall for the
Memorial Day program, which will
be given at 2:30.
Fifty Couples Attend
Country Club Dance
Fifty couples attended the open
ing dance Monday evening at the
O’Neill country club. Sissell’s or
chestra played for the dancing and
was very satisfactory. It was one
of the best opening dances ever
held by the club, and congratula
tions were freely given to Max
Golden, chairman of the entertain
ment committee.
Dr. L. A. Burgess, president of i
the club has announced that Mar
jorie Dickson and Helen Biglin will
be in charge of the ladies' activities
for the season. They will sponsor
an opening picnic and luncheon
that will be followed fey similar
affairs with other ladies in charge
of the parties. The Misses Biglin
and Dickson will name the commit
tees to manage the summer func
tions as well as the committee to
aid them at the time of the tourna
ment entertainment.
A membership that will exceed
that of any previous year is al
ready assured and recent rains will
put the course in the finest of
shape for the sixteenth annual
tournament to be held June 20,
21 and 22.
Uncertain About the
Rebuilding of Armour
Creamei y Plant Here
Men from the Armour headquar
ters in Chicago were in the city the
first of the week checking over the
loss caused by the fire a week ago
in the plant here. An insurance
adjuster was also in the city the
forepart of the week and the mat
ter of adjustment of the loss will
be taken up directly with the head
office of the company in Chicago.
Until the fire loss is adjusted the
company have held in abeyance
their future plans for the plant
here. They may rebuild and they
may abandon the local plant.
SOUTHWEST BREEZES
By Romaine Saunders
Becoming of age has been moved
up from 21 to 65.
Some of the Bailey family are up
from Kansas visiting at E. E.
Young’s.
Bernard Kennedy and family
made a trip to the county seat last
Thursday.
Art Doolittle' and family were
over this way Wednesday, guests
at the Kennedy home.
Not doing so bad. Cream is sell
ing for enough to buy Cochran’s
much taxed gas to haul it to
market.
It is said the new British queen
comes from the ranks of the com
mon crowd. She looks to be well
endowed with common sense.
I see there is a complaint that
no American canned beef is on the
market. The kind sold around here
as “canners” I don’t know what
I anybody would want with it.
Mrs. Riley, Mr. and Mrs. Baker
and Ned Saunders went to Albion
and return Sunday. They say that
community is in distressing condi
tion because of lack of moisture.
!
Mrs. Saunders and son, Ned,
leave Thursday of this week for
Lincoln to bring home the younger
son who has been in school. They
expect to return early next week.
The court packing proposal has
at least disclosed a lot of muddled
ideas entertained throughout the
country concerning the functions
of the judicial branch of govern
ment.
A democratic senator from New
York wants to know if farmers
have mistaken the capitol dome
for a nursing bottle. The Nurse
Maid of Capitol Hill began the
bottle feeding.
A general rain visited the south
west Tuesday, the day previous
having brought a heavy downpour
southwest of Amelia. The rain
here Tuesday amounted to one inch,
about the same north to Atkinson,
somewhat less in central Swan and
one inch over thru Wyoming. If
the three green heads that were
meandering around on the dry pra
irie some days ago looking for a
spot to wet their web feet will
come back they can now float down
the creek and spot a few frogs.
Two showers within four days
brought us slightly more than a
half inch of moisture. This Tues
day morning finds the fiky heavily
overcast with a damp atmosphere.
The southwest is robed in gorgeous
green, dotted here and there with
beds of deep blue floral bloom. The
(Continued on page 5, column 1.)
ST. MARY S SENIOR
CLASS EXERCISES
TO BE NEXT WEEK
Class Day Exercises Next Thurs
day and Commencement Will
Be Held Friday.
Class Day exercises for the 1937
graduates of Sv. Mary’s academy
will be held Thursday evening,
June 3, at St. Mary's academy.
Graduation exercises will be held
Friday morning, June 4th, at 9:30 a.
m., at St. Patrick’s church. The
following is the program for the
Class Day exercises:
Greetings, Mary Janet kubit
schek; “Brise Printaniere,” Mary
Janet Kubitschek, Gertrude Lang
er, Elsie Peter and Grace Pribil;
Class Roll, Marie Antoniette Stew
art; “St. Mary’s,” Class of 1937;
Class History I, Eileen Sullivan;
Class History II, Ann Pribil; “La
Golondrina," Gertrude Langer and
Grace Pribil; Ctass History III,
Lorraine Murray; Class History IV,
Mary Bachelor; “Thanksgiving,”
Mary Janet Kubitschek and Ger
trude Langer; Class Prophecy,
Anna Rose O’Donnell; Class Will,
Margery Lyons; “Charge of the
Uhlans,” Grace Pribil; Class Motto,
Colors and Flower, Margaret Don
ovan; Farewell, Elsie Peter; “Ave
Maria,” Class of 1937.
Class officers: President, Marie
Antoniette Stewart; Vice president,
Mary Bachelor; Secretary, Lor
raine Murray; Treasurer, Gertrude
Langer.
Class motto: “Per Mariam ad
Christum”; class colors: Azure
Blue and Silver; class flower: White
Rose.
Following is a list of the grad
uates of 1937, with their home
addresses:
Mary Bachelor, Kennedy, Nebr.;
Ventura Callen, Atkinson; Margar
et Mary Donovan, Mission, S. D.;
Mary Margaret Earley, O’Neill;
Arlene Farran, Dorsey; May Gokie,
O’Neill; Dorothy Grimme, O’Neill;
Mary Janet Kubitschek, O’Neill;
Gertrude Langer, Norden, Nebr.;
Margery Lyons, Millboro, S. D.;
Lorraine Murray, O’Neill; Anna
Rose O’Donnell, Emmet; Elsie Pe
ter, Grace Pribil, Ann Pribil, Marie
Antoinette Stewart and Eileen Sul
livan, all of O’Neill.
Federal Land Bank
Meeting Held Here
A meeting was held in this city
last Tuesday of the directors of
the five associations of the Federal
Land bank of Omaha, located in
Holt, Wheeler and Boyd counties.
The meeting was called by the rep
resentatives of th« Federal Land
bank and a representative of the
Farm Credit administration of
Washington, D. C., and was for the
purpose of establishing these as
sociations under group manage
ment.
The program as outlined by the
representatives met with the ap
proval of the association directors
present. Under the new manage
ment the five associations thus or
ganized must have in their employ
one secretary-treasurer to handle
the affairs of the association, and
this officer will have headquarters
in O’Neill. Applications for this
position as secretary-treasurer will
be received by the presidents of the
various associations up to June 8,
1937, and they are as follows:
Frank Keller, Newport; Sol Fried,
Butte; Frank Allen, Page; C. J.
Bartek, Bliss; Lewis Barthell,
Kola; C. V. Johnson, Atkinson.
New Court House
Dedication June 16
The dedication ceremonies for
the new court house will probably
be held^xi June 16. While in the
city today, Governor Cochran said
that date would be agreeable to him
and that he would be here on that
day. Arrangements for the dedica
tion will be completed within the
next ten days.
Wallace Johnson Has
Read Frontier 55 Years
Wallace R. Johnson, one of the
real old timers of the county, was
a pleasant caller at this office last
Saturday and we enjoyed a couple
of hours visit with him, talking
over old times. Wallace has been
a resident of the county for nearly
fifty-seven years and has been a
reader of The Frontier for over
fifty-five years, and still reads it
every week and says that he en
joys it.
Wallace came here Sept. 12, 1880,
and ever since has been a resident
and one of the leading citizens of
the county. He located northwest
of this city on the Eagle and has
one of the nicest places in that sec
tion of the county. His old post
office was Ray, which was discon
tinued several years ago, when
Washington decided to eliminate a
lot of little offices to aid the larger
ones. He now receives his mail at
O’Neill. He is one of the most
successful farmers and stockmen
in the county and his small home
stead has been extended until he is
now the owner of several quarters
of land in that section and is on
easy street financially.
THOSE CONVICTED
IN LIQUOR STORE
THEFTSENTENCED
Cornelius O'Connell Draws 1 to 14
Year Sentence for Perjury
In the Liquor Trial.
Tuesday morning was sentencing
day in the district court. That
morning, Frank Pitcher, who plead
guilty on March 3, 1937, to break
ing into the Weber liquor store in
Atkinson last fall and stealing a
quantity of lqiuor therefrom, was
sentenced to two years in the state
penitentiary, sentence to begin on
March 3, 1937, he day that he plead
guilty in district court.
Robert Carr, who also plead
guilty last March, withdrew his
original plea and plead guilty to a
misdemeanor, and was sentenced to
thirty days in the county jail, sen
tence to begin June 1, 1937.
Cornelius J. O’Connell, who was
convicted last week for perjury,
in the case of the State of Nebraska
vs. his son, was sentenced to an in
determinate term in the state pen
itentiary of from one to fourteen
years. As far as we have been able
to learn this is the first conviction
for perjury in the county.
Motion for a new trial was filed
in the O’Connell case last week
and a hearing was held on the mo
tion last Saturday. The motion
was overruled that afternoon and
sentence was passed Tuesday.
Sheriff Duffy took Pitcher and
O’Connell to the state penitentiary
at Lincoln Wednesday morning.
Rural School Eighth
Grade Promotion Held
Wednesday In O’Neill
The Eighth grade promotion ex
ercises were held at the K. C. Hall
in this city Wednesday afternoon.
At this graduation 253 students
bid goodbye to the grades and were
ready to enter high school.
It was a splendid class, having
fifty-three on the honor roll, that
is students with an average in the
examinations of over 90 per cent.
Leading the students was Helen
Johnson of District 142, Spencer,
with an average of 97.7 per cent.
She was closely followed by Marion
Prill of District No. 23, Page, with
an average of 96.4 per cent.
The graduates met at the court
house shortly after noon and they
were all photographed on the steps
of the new court house, then
marched to the K. C. Hall, led by
ex-County Superintendent McClurg
whose resignation as County Sup
erintendent was accepted the day
before by the County Board of
Supervisors, but who had charge of
the exercises. At the hall the fol
lowing program was rendered:
Music, high school band; Invoca
tion by Rev. H. D. Johnson; Song,
“America” by the audience; Wel
come, County Supt. C. J. McClurg;
Address by Valdemar Pterson, Sup
erintendent of Schools, Elgin, Neb.;
Presentation of Scholarship Awards
and Diplomas, C. J. McClurg; Bene
diction, Rev. H. D. Johnson.
HONEY CREEK SHEEP CLUB
The Honey Creek 4-H Sheep club
held a meeting at the Henry Ve
quist home Sunday, May 23. All
members were present. The next
meeting of the club will be at the
Henry Vequist home June 17.
The many friends of Mrs. Cath
erine Matthews north of this city,
who has been in a hospital in Nor
folk for the past three weeks re
ceiving treatment for diabetes, will
be glad to learn that she is improv
ing and is expected to return home
within the next ten days.
GOVERNOR STOPS
IN CITY THURSDAY
WITH ENGINEER
Routing of Highways 20 and 8
Settled During Governor’s
Brief Visit Here.
Governor Roy Cochran and State
Engineer Tilley, of Lincoln, were
in the city for a couple of hours
today, stopping for diner on their
way to Chadron, Nebr., where the
Governor delivers a graduating ad
dress tomorrow morning. Several
of our citizens met with the govern
or at an impromptu dinner party
at the Golden at noon.
The question of the route of
highways number 20 and 8 into
this city was taken up with the
Governor and the State Engineer
by some of our local business men.
The Federal highway department
was holding up the building of the
highway on the route surveyed over
a year ago along the north side of
the railroad tracks into this city.
Number 20 was to start west at the
junction of No. 8 southeast of Page
according to these plans. In a.
telephone conversation from this
city today State Engineer Tilley
got the Federal highway depart
ment to approve the route already
surveyed on the north side of the
Northwestern tracks, and work on
the highway will probably com
mence late this fall.
Atkinson Hogs Steady
To 25 Cents Higher—
Horse Demand Good
Atkinson, Nebr., May 25.—Fat
hogs sold steady to 25 cents higher
than a week ago with the bulk of
the best 200 to 300 pound weights
going at 11.00 to 11.20. Fat sows
sold at 10.50 to 11.00; wet sows at
0.50 to 10.15; piggy sows at 10.00
to 11.00; heavy feeder pigs at 10.50
to 11.50; light feeders at 11.00 to
12.50; weanling pigs at 14.00 to
22.00 a hundred. The days re
ceipts totaled 268 head.
Altho cosiderable rain was re
ported in a good many places the
cattle market did not carry the
snap of a week ago and prices gen
erally tended lower. The cow and
heifer market seemed most affected
with prices ranging from 25 to as
much as 50 cents a hundred off
from last week. Good quality
yearlings and the better calves
were about steady while the plainer
kinds looked 25 cents lower.
A load of good quality black
steer calves sold at 8.45 for the
day’s top, with the bulk selling
around 7.25 to 8.00; heifer calves
at 6.25 to G.75; best yearling steers,
at 6.75 to 7.50; yearling heifers at
5.50 to 6.80; plainer yearling heif
ers at 5.00 to 5.50; plain steers at
5.00 to 6.00; best fat cows at 6.50
to 7.50; heavy heifers at 6.75 to
7.40; canners and cutters at 3.35
to 4.65; bulls at 4.75 to 6.00.
About 20 head of horses were in
cluded in the days run. Demand
for horses showed improvement
and all sold readily at the seasons
best prices.
Next auction, Tuesday, June 1,
starting at 1 p. m.
EMMET BEST COOKS
The meeting of the Emmet Best
Cooks was held at the home of
Shirley Bates Wednesday, May 19.
The meeting was called to order
by the club president, Darlene Ses
ler. All members were present ex
cept Armella Pongratz and Marion
McNally. The guests were Irma
Luben, Mrs. Claude Bates and Miss
Halbert.
During the meeting the leader
explained the next project. It was
also decided to hold a meeting of
the club each week, the next meet
ing to be at the home of Clara and
Sadie Marie Lowery. After the
business meeting a demonstration
was given by Shirley Bates and
Mary Welsh on how to measure.
At the close of the meeting a de
licious lunch was served by the
hostess.
E. J. Renwald of the Food Cen
ter, drove over to Gregory, S. D.,
last Tuesday and spent that day
and Wednesday looking after busi
ness matters in his old home, re
turning Wednesday afternoon.
John D. Rockefeller, the Standard
Oil multi-millionaire and one of the
richest men in the United States,
died at his winter home in Florida
last Sunday at the age of 97 years.