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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1939)
Ttoyd ADVENTURERS* CLUB M HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELFI “ The Color of Death” Hello everybody: You know, if Death can be said to have a color, most people would say that color was black. Maybe a few of us would pick red as the most appropriate hue for some of the more violent forms of the thing. But to Elizabeth Murphy of Queens, N. Y., the color associated with death and danger —and adventure, is khaki. And khaki it will always remain to Elizabeth. There’s a doggone good reason behind Elizabeth’s way of thinking, and that reason goes back to the days when she was a girl in Ireland, living with her mother and dad. Back to July 6, 1921, when, if you’ll remember, the Black and Tan revolution was going on in the Emerald Isle! Maybe you’ll remember, too, that that was a pretty tough revolution. The Irish fought a guerrilla warfare, and the Eng lish sent some pretty tough customers over to keep order. All through that mix-up, Elizabeth’s family ran a pub, or bar, In the little town of Dingle, County Kerry, and on that fateful July day two "Tans," as the British troopers were called, walked in and called for drinks. “Tans” Start Drinking in Murphy Barroom. "We lived In the rooms upstairs over the bar,” says Eliza beth, "and each member of the family, from mother and father on down, did his or her bit behind the bar. On this particular day mother and I were on duty, mother behind the bar and I on the outside handing trays of drinks around. The ‘Tans’ sat down and drank steadily, and after several ‘small paddies’ one of them began to get obstreperous and nasty, and poor mother tried to quiet him down by being extra nice to him." But mother didn’t have much success with the fellow. She had barely started talking to him when he began to get abusive, and then threat ening. And mother thought it would be best to change the subject. The I l P' III I' ' |i ' HII “He grabbed me with his right hand and kept choking and choking.” surly fellow was wearing a pair of brand new khaki pants and In order to get his mind on something beside threats and violence she said, “You’ve got on a fine new pair of pants. That material would make a lovely skirt.” The fellow turned suddenly to Elizabeth. "Would you like a skirt made out of this stufT?” he demanded. And without thinking, Elizabeth said, “No, I wouldn't care for it.” And the next minute she knew she had said the wrong thing! “At the time 1 said it,” she says, “I had no idea of casting any aspersion on the king’s khaki, but this brave bucko flew into a rage. ‘So you don’t like the color, eh?‘ he shouted. ‘Well, I’ll make you like it!’ ” And the next thing Elizabeth knew, he had her by the throat! Crazed Soldier Terrorizes Daughter of Inn Keeper. “He grabbed me with his right hand,” she says, "and he kept choking and choking, and at the same time shouting over and over again, ‘Do you like it?—Do you like it?’ without even giving me a chance to answer. It would have done him no good if he had, for by that time my Irish temper was up and I’d prefer to choke rather than make a sign that I had given in to him.” But all of a sudden Elizabeth heard something that cooled off that temper of hers. A revolver shot! At the same moment, the second "Tan” leaped up from the table where he had been sitting quietly all the time, caught hold of his partner and made him let go of Elizabeth’s throat. And then Elizabeth saw the re volver. It was in the hand of her attacker. While he had choked her with his right hand he had fired that shot with his left. He had missed. The bullet had flattened against the hinge of the door. But now Elizabeth knew she was dealing with a man in a mood to commit actual murder—and she was scared to death. The second "Tan” was remonstrating with the first. "Would you shoot the girl?” he was saying. The first "Tan” roared. “Yes, I’ll shoot her. I don’t care who she is!” Another argument was starting, and Elizabeth, thoroughly frightened by this time, tried to smooth it over. “It's all right,” she said. "He wasn’t aiming at me.” And again the wrong thing had been said. For the surly "Tan” whirled on her suddenly, whipped up his revolver again and cried, "You think so? Well, this time I won’t miss!” Then the battle started in earnest. The second "Tan” grabbed his arm and tried to wrest the gun from him, and at the same time he shouted to Elizabeth to run. "And boy,” says Elizabeth, "I did run.” Elizabeth Escapes Clutches of Tormentor. She dashed out of the bar and into the house next door. The neighbors there had heard the shot and wanted to know what was the matter. Elizabeth didn’t even stop to explain. She dashed through that house to the back door and out into the yard. And the neighbors, knowing what sort of thing can happen in a country that is fighting a revolution, ran along behind her. There were three of them in that neighbor family. Elizabeth climbed the fence into the next yard, and they followed. That next yard led to a carpenter’s workshop, and the carpenter, and his workmen, when they saw four people dash through his place without even a word of ex planation, decided they’d better run, too. Out in the street more people Joined in the panic. "There was quite a little bunch of us, all on the run to gether,” says Elizabeth, “by the time things quieted down and somebody shouted to us that the ‘Tans’ had left the locality and we would have no more to fear from them.” Elizabeth says that now she looks back on it, she can see a certain amount of humor in the situation of half a town running because one drunken “Tan” had fired a revolver, but doggone if she could see it then. “I have always believed,” she says, “that I owe my life to that ’Tan’ who interfered with the other one. And wouldn't it have been awful to have died all because of a pair of khaki pants?” (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) Tom Thumb Presented to Royal Family in 1854 Tom Thumb (Charles Sherwood Stratton) was born at Bridgeport, Conn., on January 4, 1838. His par ents were of normal size and he showed no peculiarity until he reached the age of seven months, when he ceased to grow. In 1842 his mother took him to P. T. Bar num. At that time he was 28 inches in height and weighed a little more than 15 pounds, though he later in creased in size. He was perfectly proportioned, active, and intelligent. His exhibitions proved a great suc cess and in 1854 he was taken to England by Barnum and presented to the queen and royal family. In 1863 Tom Thumb married Lavlnia Warren, a dwarf, and together they traveled widely and gave exhibi tions. He died at Middleborough, Mass., on July 15, 1883. ‘Keep Fit’ Program The federal government has lent support to Australia’s ’’Keep Fit" campaign by establishing $5,000 an nual subsidies for lectureships in physical education at the six Aus tralian universities. The universi ties will be required to grant di plomas in physical education NATIONAL AFFAIRS Reviewed by CARTER FIELD ! Laymen offset economists’ gloom with war order pros pects ... Importance of em bargo votes in presidential campaign . . . Washington hears that German army officers /dottedSoviet tie-up. WASHINGTON.—Most of the New Deal economists have not been op timistic about business and employ ment prospects for the coming spring. They have heavily discount ed prosperity from war orders, in sisting that these will not be so great as expected. But the chief thing worrying them is inventories. They insist that American producers have piled up tremendous stocks in antic ipation of popular demand, that this demand has not increased in proportion, and that hence produc tion must ease off. They are not predicting anything remotely resem bling a crash, just an increase in unemployment. These arguments are pretty near ly the whole case of those left wing ers who have been screaming late ly for a new spending orgy by the federal government. It is only fair to say at this point that this desire for federal spending, so essential in the eyes of most left wingers, is neither the chicken nor the egg in this case. Some of the govern ment economists making this pre diction of spring conditions are per sonally not in sympathy with spend ing at all. They are holdovers— not appointees given places at the suggestion of the Frankfurter-Cor coran-Cohen group. But to the layman, so ignorant of statistics that he might have dif ficulty understanding one of the elaborate charts so dear to the econ omists, there is much skepticism about these gloomy prophecies. The war orders are very tangible. They are tremendous. They promise to grow bigger. Far from slowing them down, sinking of ships carry ing the supplies to Britain and France will increase the demand, for every cargo sunk must be re placed. For example, if a situation should arise under which every other cargo exported to Europe were destroyed, and continuation of this condition clearly faced the British and French, they would still be com pelled to keep on buying, and to buy twice as much as though the seas were clear! They have to defend themselves and eventually to win the war, as they see it, and though neither the British nor the French will like wasting money, money is not and cannot be the prime essen tial for a long time to come. May Fly Planes to Europe To Avoid U-Boat Menace Already there is talk about flying the planes to Europe—from New foundland—to circumvent the sub marine menace. But it is obvious that the more serious the submarine menace becomes, and the more seri ous the menace of German bomb ing planes becomes, the more air planes Britain and France will need —both to fight Nazi planes and to spot Nazi subs. Starting from that, and looking at the whole situation with a cold eco nomic eye, it is obvious that Amer ican factories producing planes, mu nitions and other supplies for the allies are going to be kept pretty busy. It is just as obvious that the people working in those plants will have money to spend, and hence will buy things calculated to keep other lines of production occupied. The very argument so much used by left wingers as to the advantage of federal spending—in that the dol lars spent keep right on circulating —applies with equal force to this war spending. Besides, there will be heavy fed eral spending, even though no great new WPA fund or anything of the kind is voted by congress. Embargo Votes May Figure In Presidential Campaign The Republicans are headed for a lot of grief in the presidential cam paign so soon to open if the old maxim of history, that one must judge the future by the past, holds good. The point is that an over whelming majority of the Republi cans in the house and senate voted against lifting the arms embargo, while the Democrats, also in over whelming majority, voted to lift it. The number of Republicans in the house voting against accepting the conference report—actually the final vote on the embargo—was 141. To these must be added four Repub lican members not voting but paired against it, which brings the total to 145. Only 19 Republican house members voted to approve the con ference report, with one more, mak ing 20, paired on that side. Thus the ratio is 7V« to 1. Whereas the Democrats in the house voted 222 for the conference report, or for lifting the arms embargo, and only 29 voted against it, a ratio of about | 7% to 1. It really amounts to this, that the Democrats voted to follow their leader. President Roosevelt, while I the Republicans voted to follow their leaders, with almost an equal j proportion of each party bolting their leadership on the ballot. Now all this might readily become unimportant if certain things hap pened. But the chances seem at least 100 to 1 that these things will not happen before the nominating conventions next June. Let us consider what these things could be. First, there might be peace before that time. But the chances for peace seem mighty slim, and growing thinner every passing day. To illustrate this, some bets were laid in mid-Septem ber that peace would come before November 1, this year. The odds were 10 to 1 against peace, but nev ertheless there were takers of the long shot. How Shrewd Political Observers Dope It Out The logic of those betting on peace was that, having conquered Poland and obtained all the objectives over which the war started, Hitler would make a reasonable peace offer, and that France and Britain, hopeless of liberating Poland, would accept Hitler's offer. The shrewdest political observ ers here believe that if the war is still going on next June and next November, politicians running for office will benefit by having cast a vote calculated to help Britain and France, and suffer by the reverse, except in a number of congression al districts so small as not to have much national significance. If the United States should meantime have gotten into the war, it is true, the pro-embargo side might be able to say “I told you so,” but that would not be very good political medicine for a country in the fresh fury of a war fever, sound as it might be four years later. Hear German Army ujjicers Plotted Soviet Tie-Up One of the reasons being given in well-informed diplomatic circles here in Washington for the Soviet Nazi pact is the utter distrust by the high German army officers of Italy. Not that they distrusted Mus solini’s intentions. What they lacked confidence in was the fighting abil ity of the Italian army and navy. Further, they regarded Italy as be ing highly vulnerable to attack by Britain and France. Altogether they figured that, as an ally, Italy would be a liability rather than an asset. According to these reports, based on excellent authority, the high Ger man officers had been plotting for the tie-up with the Soviet for many years. Some of the authorities place the conception of the notion in German army circles ai>far back as 1923. W. G. Krivitzky, in his ar ticles in the Saturday Evening Post, has told his own conviction that Stalin finally became converted to the idea immediately after Hitler’s famous purge. Up to that time he had doubted whether Hitler was sufficiently ruthless to stay in pow er long enough to be a real ally. The two theories, coming from such widely separated sources, fit together very nicely. Especially as the reports about the objectives, now accomplished, of the high Ger man officers are that they did not convince Hitler of the soundness of their plans until just prior to the out break of the war. “The process was very much like water wearing away rock,” said one of this writer’s informants. “Hit ler did not accept the idea readily at all. When it was finally put to him, after a long process of letting him hear this or that report that the Italian army would be of no value, and this and that discussion of how vulnerable Italy would be to British and French attacks, Hitler almost had a brainstorm. " ’What!’ he shouted to the of ficers at this particular conference. ‘Tie up Germany with the Commit ern? Absurd.’ But he had been set thinking about it, and pretty soon it became obvious that no other course could be followed. “What the British and French were thinking about I cannot imag ine. But every well-informed per son in Berlin knew what was going on." High Army Officers Kept Pegging Away at Hitler Every now and then, according to this version, some high army of ficer would be able to see Hitler for some reason or other. Always something would be said by the army representative to Hitler which would be calculated to make him see the inevitability of the tieup with the Soviet, no matter what its cost. There was no need for similar work at Moscow. Stalin had been con verted to the theory for several years. An entirely new twist on the whole story has been brought back from Berlin by well-informed Americans with excellent connections since the outbreak of the war. This theory, not soundly substantiated but inter esting, is that Hitler did not intend to keep faith with Stalin when he finally agreed to give his high army officers their way as to the tieup with the Soviet. The essence of this was that Hitler hoped to use the Russian alliance as a sure-fire stop per to prevent Britain and France from going to war. Then he hoped to block Stalin when it came to de livering, either in Poland, around the Baltic, or in the Balkans. But destiny moved otherwise. Britain and France were allowed to get too far out on the war limb before they were apprized of the deal between Berlin and Moscow. So they started fighting. So appar ently Stalin will get all he was prom ised without much danger of a double-cross! (BeU Syndicate—WNU Service.) WHO’S NEWS THIS WEEK By LEMUEL F. PARTON XTEW YORK.—Rudolf Friml, mak ' er of melodies for 25 years, final ly gives credit to his collaborators. With the ouiji board, he’s always Noted Composer r fa°? Credits Ethereal composers, Collaborators and every once in a while they help him round out a score. He never knew why the “Song of the Vagabonds” just sang itself through in five minutes, faster than he could score it, until he learned that he had an ethereal spokesman, or spooksman. His career, from the start on down to his present fifty-ninth year, is a testimonial to occult guidance, in planting him al ways in the highway of Lady Luck. In Prague, his birthplace, his father worked in a bakery. One day, his mother gave his father money to buy wood. Fates or phantoms guided him instead to a pawn shop, where he made a down payment on a tiny piano. Rudolf’s mother was so angry she wanted to chop it to pieces, but the boy persuaded her to let him keep it. One day the owner of the bakery passed by, heard the lad playing beau tifully and helped groove him into his musical career. At the age of 10, he had pub lished a barcarolle. In the musical conservatory of Prague, where he studied under Antonin Dvorak, he teamed up with Jan Kubelik. They were playing at a concert which Daniel Frohman happened oppor tunely to attend. He took them to the United States for a tour of 80 cities. Whether or not Mr. Friml was just an amanuensis for spirits, his com positions streamed along rapidly— "Glorianna,” "The Firefly,” “Ka tinka,” "High Jinks,” "Music Hath Charms,” “The Vagabond King,” and a whole album of others, none of them seeming to be of ghostly inspiration. Hollywood still keeps him busy and successful H GORDON SELFRIDGE, the • Anglo - American merchant prince, visiting this country, makes it a tossup between communism „ e 11 'J and ruinous H. G. Self ridge taxation. Sees Passing of Queried about SiJ..n communism uccess Idyll overrunning Europe after the war, he asks, “What of it? What is the difference between communism and a society where a tax takes half of the income and a surtax the other half?” He says the day of initiative and enterprise is past. He is an authority on that subject. Sixty-two years ago, he swept out a store in Ripon, Wis. Two years later, he was an errand boy for Marshall Field & Co. in Chicago, and a partner when he quit, in 1904. Punch ribbed him mercilessly when he opened his store in London, and the smart salons were full of clever mots about the American invad er. He made them like him. He hired as head of his dress de partment Lady Afflick, who had thought up the cleverest jokes about him. Here in 1937, he was optimistic about Europe and the world in gen eral. Now he says, “The opportu nity to achieve and to show results has been eliminated all over the world.” ALBERT SARRAUT, French min ister of interior, swings on the French Reds with a spiked club. He links them with the Germans and ... - . promises to Albert Sarraut sweep them Tough One Day, from all "vil Pacific the Next and towns." And he means to do just that. M. Sarraut, as governor-general of French Indo-China, was regarded as a hard-fisted and implacable colonial administrator. Returning to his country villa in France, he read Tolstoy, and renounced all belief in force. When he became minister of interior, his enemies, catching him thus off guard, swarmed all over him. He resigned from the minis try and said: “I find now that 1 have no de sire to smite hip and thigh those who do not think as I do. You gentlemen take over the job and see what you can do with it.” He again became minister of the interior, but offered his resignation when King Alexander was assassi nated in Marseilles. But, taking the premiership, he again swung his war club, hotly denouncing obstruc tionists and meddlers. Alternately tough and conciliatory, he is a vet eran of the rough-and-tumble of French politics. A vacation, in his garden, where he is given to read ing and meditating, is apt to bring on the Tolstoyan mood. (Consolidated Features—WNXJ Service.) Gay Scottie Pattern For Pillow or Toy By RUTH WYETH SPEARS 13Y FAR the most admired toy u in a gay and modern nursery was a red and black striped Scot tie with a gleam in his button eye. This pattern was used for an ap j plique for Sonny’s pillow which met with enthusiastic approval. By this time it seemed obvious that a Scottie might solve the Christmas gift problem for any number of people. So here he is. You can make a pattern for him yourself by following the diagram. By ruling the paper in either larg er or smaller squares, you may make a dog any size desired. A tiny applique is amusing for a bathrobe or jacket pocket. * • * • NOTE: Readers who are now using Sewing Books No. 1, 2 and 3 will be happy to learn that No. 4 is ready for mailing; as well as the 10-cent editions of No. 1, 2 and 3. Mrs. Spears has just made quilt block patterns for three de signs selected from her favorite Early American quilts. You may have these patterns FREE with your order for four books. Price of books—10 cents each postpaid. Set of three quilt block patterns without books—10 cents. Send or ders to Mrs. Spears, Drawer 10, Bedford Hills, New York. ( VoritPutoff\ YA/katiztnq',\ I when you have these 1 I signs of 1 (Acid Indigestion ) Check these symptoms —and if you suspect excess stomach acids, take Phillips’ Milk of Mag nesia. If trouble persists, See Your Doctor. Today it’s so easy to “alkalize" excess acids anywhere you are. Now when distress comes at home, all you do is take 2 tablespoonfuls of liquid Phillips’ Milk of Magnesia. When you are out with others, simply slip 2 Phillips’ Milk of Mag nesia Tablets in your mouth like you would candy mints. That’s all you do to feel wonderful. Either form of Phillips’ works the same way—very quickly. You can’t beat it for welcome fast relief from after-eating distress. Almost at once you feel “gas”, nausea, that “lumpy feeling from hyper-acidity begin to ease. “Acid” headaches, “acid breath” are corrected right at the source. It’s a wonderful way to free your self from distress and embarrass ment. Try it. But be sure when you buy to ask for “Phillips’ ” to in sure getting the genuine fast-acting Phillips’ article. PHILLIPS[ .gff. QUESTION Which are the only cough drops containing Vitamin A? (CAROTINS) Respect Your Host Never speak ill o’ them whose bread ye eat.—Proverb. Conquering Fate To bear is to conquer our fate. —Thomas Campbell. • When winter dumps snow and ice on roads and highways, the crash rate goes up. Lives are lost. People are injured. Cars and trucks require expensive repairs. Accident costs are tremendous. Even the most careful drivers are in danger. A quick, safe stop may be necessary any second. Play safe. Don’t gamble. Keep tire chains in your car and truck and be ready for stormy weather. Use WEED | American Bar-Reinforced TIRE CHAINS ' With Weed Americans you can start easier, drive safer, stop quicker. And you get more than twice the mile age. Ask for the chains with red end hooks. American Chain & Cable Com pany, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., also makers of tractor chains and chains for all farm uses. 4 GREAT FEATURES! | Bar-reinforcements on ■ cross links more than double the mileage. O Patented Lever-lock End ^ Hooks—easy to use and positive fastening. 2 Made of Weedalloy—• M stronger, tougher metal. 1 4 Side chains hardened to Q resist curb and rut wear —increases cross chain mileage.