The Frontier _ _ VOLUME 66.—NUMBER 33. _ O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THUR SDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1946. _PRICE 5 CENTS NO SNOW BLANKET THIS CHRISTMAS Proverbial White Yule An Exception; Mercury Rises to 56 BUYING IS HEAVY That traditional “blanket of snow” which proverbially covers the Christmas scene was an ex ception this yuletide in the O’ Neill area. The countryside bathed in a sun that sent the mer cury into the 50s with no snow in sight. . But snow or no snow, Christ mas was in the air and the day was solemnly observed in the city. Most Holt county churches sponsored the usual Christmas services in commemoration of Christ’s birth nearly two thous and years ago. Schools Dismiss The O’Neill public school and St. Mary’s academy dismissed pu pils Friday for the annual Christ mas vacation. The buses and trains were filled with pupils leaving to spend the holidays elsewhere and college students, teachers, and others returned to sbend the yuletide in their homes here. Innumrable family reun ions were held. On the commercial scene, Christmas buying was heavy and possibly hit an all-time high. Shortages, however, restrained considerable buying and some stores reported a leveling-off of yule sales a fortnight before Christmas. Higher prices contributed to the increased volume, but some stores reported more sales resist ance this year than in 1945. Shop pers generally found a greater variety of items this year and were prone not to take the first item they saw. Postal Record Seen Postal workers have been too busy to compute this year’s totals and compare with previous years, but they are certain that the vol ume is heavier than in 1945, des pite the embargo that was brought about early in the month due to the coal tsrike. Postmaster Agnes E. Sullivan said today (Thursday? that the 194(5 Christmas volume would probably establish an all-time high at the postoffice here. The week’s weather summary, based on daily readings at 8 a.m. follows: Date Hi Lo Moist. December 20 41 16 T December 21 40 28 December 22 41 24 December 23 _ 57 21 T December 24 40 20 December 25 _ 45 28 December 26 _ 56 20 Balmy, Warm Yule Week Here — Christmas week, 1946, will be remembered ds one of the balm iest and warmest on record. The temperatures were so mild that overcoats were frequently discarded during the daytime. ELDERLY PAIrIn AUTO ACCIDENT Mr. and Mrs. Gary Saxton, 80 and 78, respectively, suffered mostly from shock in an automo bile mishap west of here early Monday. The Ainsworth couple was enroute to Denison, la., to spend the holidays when their machine, driven by their daugh ter, went off the highway. They were immediately taken to the O’Neill hospital and were dismissed today (Thursday). Kick from Cow Results in Fractured Leg CHAMBERS — Mrs. E. H. Russell suffered a leg fracture recently when a cow she was milking kicked her. She was knocked-over and trampled by the animal. Mrs. Russell is being treated at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Glen Grimes, north of here. WHOLESALE FIRM OPENS The Jerry D. Kusy company, of Norfolk, has opened a branch wholesale firm in O’Neill with James Donlin in charge. The Ku sy firm jobs fountain flavors, candies, cigars, and cigarettes, j According to Mr. Kusy, the O’- i Neill branch will serve from O’ Neill west to Ainsworth, north to Bristow and south to Clear water. FATHER DIES William Ristow, 81, of Foster, father of Fred Ristow, of O’Neill, died at 2 a.m. Sunday at his home. Funeral services were held Tuesday at the Stark Val ley Lutheran church. The late j Mr. Ristow was born at Doeletz, f Germany, coming to Nebraska at the age of 16. He originally set tied at Schuyler. MARRIAGE LICENSES John Ressel, 23, of Chambers, ! and Miss Virgie Hartland, 17, of O’Neill, December 23. I Holt’s tirst 1947 Baby to Be Showered with Gifts The first baby to be born within the confines of Holt county in 1947 will be a lucky tot, because a group of O’Neill business firms are a self-ap pointed reception committee. Brown-McDonald’s will give a baby Chatham blanket to the first-comer of the new year; the O’Neill Photo company will present an, 8x10 enlargement in a gold frame; McCarville’s have PAGE'S SECOND OLDEST IS 90 P. T. Stevens Quietly Passes Milestone; Born in Maine ■ PAGE — P. T. Stevens, 90, Page’s second oldest resident, Sat urday observed his birthday an niversary quietly at his home. For the past two years Mr. Stev ens has been confined to his bed. He 'had enjoyed the best cf health until that time. Mr. Stevens was born at Dead River, Me. When a small child, he moved with his parents to Iowa. On September 2, 1882, he and Mrs. Stevens were married at Walker, la. In 1886 they movt d to Nebraska and settled on a homestead near Middlebranch. There they endured all the hard ships of pioneer life. They moved from the farm to Page on June 14, 1905, and have since resided here. For many years Mr. Stev ens operated a harness and shoe shop here. Of the Stevens’ nine children, three live at Page. They are Mrs. Evelyn Gray, Mrs. Leila Snell, and Ralph. The other children are Herbert, Atkinson; Lloyd, Long Beach, Calif.; Guy of Norfolk; Mrs. Florence Neilen, Sioux City, la.; Mrs. Blanche Darr, Los An geles, Calif.; and Mrs. Lulu Town send, Portland, Ore. During the recent war their son, Guy, and eleven grandchildren were in service. One grandson, Glenn Darr, was lost in action. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens reside in a small cottage in the west part of town. It was built several years ago after their original town home was destroyed by fire. Mr. Stevens received more than 40 birthday greeting cards on his anniversary. Page’s oldest resident is Mrs. Ida Townsend. She passed her 90th milestone July 27. O'NEILL HOSPITAL NOTES Mrs. Alvin Parks, Mrs. Albert Derickson, Mrs. Dale Ravell and their infants were dismissed this week. . . Arthur Rouse, who suf fered a broken leg recently when kicked by a horse, was dismissed Sunday. Guests Come from Distance — Miss Anna O’Donnell is enter taining M. F. O’Donnell, of Dal las, Tex., Edward L. O’Donnell, of Denver, Colo., and Miss Pa tricia O’Donnell, a student at Rosary college, River Forest, 111., during the holidays. Her guests arrived Saturday evening. Nurse Visits Here — Miss Maragaret Halva, a reg istered nurse of St. Elizabeth’s hospital, Lincoln, arrived Satur day to spend the holidays with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Halva. Miss Halva expects to be here about two weeks. Entertains Sioux Cityan — Mrs. Sibyl Maring, of Sioux City, spent Christmas with her sister, Mrs. Alice Bridges. She returned Thursday morning, her nephew Zane Cole taking her there by plane. Miss Ann Clark, of Omaha, is spending the holidays with her sister, Mrs. Agnes E. Sullivan. 5 a baby sweater (pink for a girl, blue for a boy); the Lindberg Home & Auto Supply will give a slumberide; McIntosh Jewel ry has reserved a gold infant’s ring; Gambles is offering a clothesbasket; the Ralya IGA store will set aside two quarts of homogenized milk; the Un ion store has packed an assort ment of Heinz baby foods; Pen ney’s will present a baby book; and, for good measure, The Frontier will issue the doting parents a free one-year sub scription. On page three of this issue of The Frontier may be found the details of the contest. The rules are simple. Par ents whose infant can qualify must write a letter to the First Baby Contest Editor, The Fron tier, O’Neill, noting the par ents’ full names and addresses, name and sex of the baby, name and address of the at tending physician, and date and hour of birth. The contest editor assumes that the first baby will arrive during the first six days of the new year, and therefore all en tries must be postmarked not later than 6 p.m., Monday, Jan uary 6. 400 Vets Off Rolls for Failure to Comply Nearly 400 Nebraska World War II veterans taking training or educational courses under the GI bill of rights remain off the subsistence payrolls because they have failed to report their earn ings as required by law, accord ing to Ira M. DeWalt, a contact representative for the Veterans administration. He explained that the wage re ports were due November 5, that the subsistence allowance of 1,500 Nebraska veterans were original ly suspended for failure to com ply. “About 75 percent of those sus pended,” DeWalt said, “have been reinstated by reporting their in comes in response to followup letters sent out by the VA’s re gional office.” Conies from Ohio — Charles Shatto, of Delaware, O., spent Christmas here with his wife and daughter. Mrs. Shatta was the former Loretto Carr. INMAN PAIR WED HALF-CENTURY Coventrys Hold Open • House Sunday for Family, Friends INMAN—Mr. and Mrs. George A. Coventry, longtime residents of Inman vicinity, have been married a half century. • f'arly 100 guests gathered Sunday at “their home to help them commemorate their wed ding day. Open-house was held between 2 and 5 p.m. The Coventrys were married December 2?, 1896 at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Smith, at Olds, Alberta, Canada. They began housckeep ; ing on a homestead near Olds, and in 1904 they moved to a farm six miles south of Inman. In 1914 they moved • into Inman where they have continued to reside*. Mr. Coventry was a partner in the Watson & Coventry store until the partnership was dissolved in 1918. Mr. and Mrs. Coventry are the parents of three daughters and two sons. Thev are: Mrs. Sher man (Louise) Grazier, of Jeffer son City, Mo.; Mrs. James (Car rie) McMahan, Mrs. Kenneth (Hessie) Smith, James Coventry and Kenneth Coventry, aU of In man. Mrs. Elwin Smith, of Inman, was in charge of the guest book during Sunday’s open-house. Numerous gifts, flowers and cards were received 3-Tiered Cake The table for the bride of a half-century ago was laid with a lace cloth. A three-tiered white wedding cake, topped with a swinging golden bell, was the centerpiece. Guests were served a tray lunch which was carried out in gold - and - white colors. Refreshment hostesses were Mrs. James Coventry, Mrs. Kenneth Coventry, Mrs. James McMahan, Mrs. Sherman Grazier and Mrs. Keneth Smith. Members of the couple’s imme diate family present included Mr. and Mrs. Sherman Grazier and George, Jerry, James and Sharon oue.-M^l of Jefferson City, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. James McMa han and Patricia, of Inman; Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Smith and De ritha, Yvonne, Beverly and Bert, of Inman; Mr. and Mrs. James Coventry and Kpan, Kay and William, of Inman; Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Coventry and Ronald, Richard and Robert, of Inman. Also present were John J. Smith, of Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, a brother of Mrs. Coventry, the only guest who was also present at the wedding in 1896; Mrs. L. S. Mapes, of Fremont, a sister of Mrs. Coventry; Millie Munroe, a cousin of Mrs. Coventry; Lilly Bruner, Mrs. King and Miss Al my, all of West Point. Enjoy Excellent Health Unable to be present were two grandchildren, Mrs. Betty Wright, of Harrisburg, Pa., and Miss Don na Grazier, of Jefferson City, and the only great-grandchild, Vicky Lou Wright, of Harrisburg, Pa. Both Mr. Coventry, 75, and Mrs. Coventry, 71, enjoy excel lent health. CHAMBERS SICK & INJURED CHAMBERS — Howard Beei submitted to an appendectomy at a Norfolk hospital Friday. . . Dr. and Mrs. J. W. Gill are both pa tients at St. Elizabeth’s hospital at Lincoln. . . . Glen Grimes, re cently treate at the O’Neill hospi tal, is now at his home north of Chambers. Joy and Saddness Mingled in Uncovering $3,440 ATKINSON — How would you like to find a wad of dirty old U. S. greenbacks (or cur rency, if you prefer the term)? And how would you like to be almost certain that it’s a case of ‘finders-keepers’? Mrs. John Zahradnicek, who lives northwest of Atkinson, uncovered $3,440 recently, but her reaction was not the usual. It was a mingled feeling of joy and sadness. The joy is easily explained, but the sadness is brought about because the money belonged to her aged mother, who might well have used it for her own welfare be fore she died in 1939 at the age of 89. • While moving an old reed organ, which had stood in a storage room of her family home for many years, Mrs. Zah radnicek discovered the roll which her mother, the late Mrs. Cecelia Voigt, had hidden away, presumably because of a mistrust in banks. Mrs. Voigt had made her home with Mrs. Zahradnicek after a disastrous bank failure had taken her son’s savings and had caused him to be des pondent, Mrs. Zahradnicek re counts. The money, all in large-sized I bills, was taken to a bank for safekeeping. The organ was a second handed one that had been pur chased by Mr. Voigt when Mrs. Zahradnicek was a small girl. A Mason & Hamelin, walnut finished instrument, it “had lots of gingerbread,” its present owner remembers. The organ gradually fell into disuse and was relegated to a corner during the period of Mrs. Voigt’s residence in the Zahradnicek home. After her death, the room was converted into a storeroom and the or gan remained unmolested. Recent remodeling prompted Mrs. Zahradnicek to move the organ onto the porch, where the treasure was revealed. Mrs. Voigt’s will left the res idue of her estate to Mrs. Zah radnicek, so she has little doubt but what the find will be hers for keeps. Mrs. Zahradnicek is a Gold Star mother. Her son, Harry, was killed on Luzon during World War II and the body is buried there. Another son, Walter, campaigned in Africa and Italy and after the war was won, the carelessness of a com panion almost cost him his life. A bullet from an “unloaded” German Luger pierced his shoulder and severed a large artery and a nerve which led to the fingers of his right hand. 3 LODGES PICK 1947 OFFICERS Three O’Neill lodges recently elected officers for 1947. Masons (Garfield lodge 95, AF &AM) — Paul Shi ek, master; Larry Johnson, senior warden; Jack Davis, junior warden; John Harbottle, secretary; H. L. Lind berg, treasurer. Eastern Star — Esther Harris, worthy matron; Mrs. Paul Shi rek, associate matron; H. J. Kruse, worthy patron; H. L. Lindberg, associate patron; Mrs. Ella Porter, conductress; Mrs. Ed na Kruse, associate conductress; Mrs. Bright, secretary; Mrs. Lor enz Bredemeier, treasurer. Odd Fellows (Elkhom Valley lodge 57) — Emmet Crab, noble grand; C. H. Sweitzer, vice-grand; Elmer Bowen, secretary; L. G. Gillespie, treasurer. Neligh ^Voters Okay Airport Proposal NELIGH—The city of Neligh Tuesday voted a $10,000 bond is sue to purchase approximately | 100-acres of land one mile south of the city for a municipal air port. The land, owned by Louis SPafahl, an extensive landholder, would cost $100 Per acre. The count was 376-64 in favor j of the proposal. The movement was actively backed by the Chamber of Commerce, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign I Wars, and Rotary club. Neligh has plans for a class 2 airport which will be built with state and federal funds. _ RALYA RETURNS Clayton Wayne Ralya, son of Mr. and Mrs. Earl W. Ralya, ar rived here Christmas to spend two days with his family. Mr. Ralya works for the Standard Oil company in Charleston, W. Va. AUTO TABS GO ON SALE JANUARY 2 — State Reverts to War Policy to Save on Metal j The sale of 1947 tabs to be at tached to 1946 license plates will begin Thursday, January 2, it was announced today (Thursday) by County Treasurer J. E. Hancock, whose oTic" in the Holt rounty courthouse issues the automobile licenses. Mr. Hancock points out, how ever, that the supplies have not yet been received, but are ex pected this week. The use of the tabs for 1947 is a conservation measure, he px nlnins. It is the same practice that was employed during the war years. Complete plates were issued for 1946. All motor vehicle owners must turn in their 1946 registration certificates when they apply, the treasurer points out, and they must also Day their automobile tax for 1946 and any delinquent tax against the vehicle, according to state law. Vehicle owners have the month of January only in which to se cure their 1947 tabs. Affer Jan ”3>-v .31 th° owners will bo sub ject to arrest by peace officers if their vehicle is found in use on 'ho highways. Mr. Hancock exnects the usual last-minute rush for new regis tration certific°toS and tabs, but he urges Tv’of,orj<;f