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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (March 20, 1947)
The Frontier O'NeilL Nebraska CARROLlTw. STEWART Editor and Publisher Entered the Postoffice at O’NeilL Holt County, Nebraska, as sec ond-class mail matter under the Act of March 3, 1879. This^news paper is a member of the Nebras ka Press Association and the Na tional Editorial Association. Established in 1880 Published Each Thursday Terms of Subscription: It Holt and adjoining counties. $2 per year; elsewhere, $2.50 per fear. _ Out of Old Nebraska — CLAIMJUMPER 2D TO HORSETHIEF By James C. Olson, State Historical Society Supt. . Of all the varmints on the frontier of old Nebraska, none were so low as the claimjump er—except, of course, the horse thief. Horsethieves were dealt with quickly, and once and for all, with the aid of the nearest tree, or (later and further west) telegraph pole. The claim jumper didn’t get treatment quite this rough, but when cnught, he was snown in a number of convincing ways that the most dcsiiable thing be tween him and the community was distance. The usual procedure was first to warn the offending gentle man to get out of town. Should that warning fail, more per suasive methods were used. Along the Missouri a favorite technique was ducking in the river. On cold days, especial ly, this usually was enough to convince all but the most thick skinned of the undesirable cit izens. Claim jumpers were a breed of rascals spawned by the con ditions of the frontier. Before the government surveys were run, and the land auctions held, settlers simply laid claim to certain tracts of land on a first come, first-served basis. Once a claim was staked out, the law of the frontier decreeB that the claimant, or “squatter,” should 7— ' .. NOTICE Lois Fern Beauty Shop would be pleased to sc ve you from i 8 a. m. to 6 p. m. next Monday in two weeks ! before Easter Day. M y mother will take care of my baby. 3 Blocks West of Postoffice 75c-45 be protected in his property rights. Prior to the establishment of regular forces of law and order, however, it was difficult for the squatter to defend his rights. Claimjumpers, seemingly al ways present in great numbers, took advantage of the situation to euchre him out of them, eith er by force or cunning. One technique for “jumping a claim1’ was simply to remove the stakes already set, and put up others with the jumper’s name on them. Given Short Shrift To protect themselves from this type of activity, the early settlers organized claim clubs, which were simply vigilante committees founded to protect the rights of the members. These organizations took the law into their own hands and gave short shrift to claimjump ers wherever they were found. Claim clubs were organized under formal constitutions. In each instance officers were elected and a set of rules and regulations adopted. (The State Historical Society, incidentally, has a copy of the records of the Platte Valley Claim associa tion.) To be recognized by the club, a man had to record his claim at a meeting in full hearing of all the members. Once the land was recorded and the claimant admitted to member | snip, me ciuu iuok. idle ui me | rest. On the day when the government surveys finally were completed and the land auctions held, members of the club attended in sufficient 1 numbers to assure each organ ized squatter that he would be able to bid in his land at not more than $1.25 per acre. Wtih the establishment of land offices and machinery for the sale of land, claim clubs ceased to function. They were an important aspect of frontier justice, however, in the days before the land officers of the Federal government arrived. Allen B. Connell spent the weekend at home with his family. On the way home frorp Alliance, he was accompanied by Mrs. G. W. Reising and son, Dennis, who had been at Morrill, where Mr. Reising has his place of business. Mr. and Mrs. Francis Kelly and James Kelly returned Friday from Omaha and Lincoln. Dur ing their five-day stay they at tended a convention for well drillers. Mr. and Mrs. Allan P. Jaszkow viak and daughter, Nyla, were in Sioux City Monday on busi ness. Mr. and Mrs. Ted Manzer and daughter, and Mrs. Myrtle Man zer, all of Ainsworth, were Sun day guests of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Brown. - t Mr. and Mrs. George Layh en tertained Harold Wetzler, of Her rick, S. D., last Thursday and Friday. & war*' Au.’As for Alice Most party-liners deserve “honors” for their thoughtful consideration of others who may use the line. And because—due to shortages— three out of four telephones are party lines, courteous regard for co-users is mighty im portant. We are working hard to speed the day when enough equipment and lines can be obtained to provide exactly the kind of telephone service that everyone wants. Until then, your friendly cooperation will be greatly appreciated. NORTHWESTERN BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY BRINGS TOP MARKET PRICE Florida’s grand champion Hereford is annoyed by candid ! photographers who crowded the champ at the Southeastern fat stock show at Ocala. “Grand Champ Bucky” was owned by Mary Edna Jackson, 13, Gaines ville, Fla., who netted $1,441.50 when Bucky was sold to meat packing firm on the last day of the show. Bucky’s price-per pound was an all-time Florida high. __ [ pRAI RIEL AND | TAJ ATKINSON • • • A ^ I' Route 5 LINCOLN — By an unex pected turn of events, I came in touch nearly a year ago with a boyhood friend at O’Neill in the 80’s and an exchange of let ters has been the next-best to a handclasp. There must be at least a few left on The Fron tier’s list of readers who will recall Homer Campbell. His father had a restaurant direct ly across the street from where the K. C. hall now stands and you could get more to eat there for a 25-cent piece than you can get now for a dollar. In a recent letter he recalls the marriage of Joe Meredith and Miss Cora Riggs in 1885, the wedding being “an after part of an amateur dramatic association performance.” Mrs. Chas. McKenna, of O’Neill, is a daughter of the Merediths. He expresses regrets on learning of the illness of D. H. Cronin and recalls that he is “about the last of the old bunch who constituted the O’Neill cornet band. . . . Jimmy Trigg in a bearskin chapeau was drum-majoring the band. Den ny played second alto, the af ter-beat part. The tuba would go ‘umph’ and the second alto would follow with ‘tu-tu-rum tum.’ ” Homer is now living the life of Riley in Seattle, Wash., and is compiling the manuscript for a book on “The Life of a Print er.” And, as I recall, he ac quired the status of journey man printer in the old Frontier shop in the days when columns of type were set by hand and printers acquired literary tal ent along with the art preserva tive. And out of memory’s frag rant store, there comes to him the notes of Prairieland’s “first year meadowlarks and the dainty kildeers’’ with a glimpse again at the “wild tigerlily putting on airs in the society of bunch grass and bluestem.” Prairieland, where the magic j wand of nature waves the vcl- i vet plumes in treetops and the ! cull of prairie creatures awaken when pink dawn of a summer morning distills the dew on grass blade and bush to add its charm to the beauty and frag rance of rose and apple bloom. The hum of insects, the song of birds, white floating clouds, the warmth and glow of long days ending in the gold of sun set. * * • The auditorium was filling. Balcony seats were taken. One minute more and the group to occupy the rostrum would file in, introductions be made and the lecture would be on. In the pew just in front of me sat an elderly couple and by their side a wrinkled old lady who could have been taken for the widow of Methuselah. She moved close to the matron on the left and began an animated tale in subdued tones. I caught (in an attentive ear) four words as I saw a tear stain the wrin kled old face of the speaker: I am so lonely.” There, in an hour of quiet meditation, was revealed the heart throb that unveiled the depth of human pathos, a lone ly old soul facing the tragedy of life’s sunset. The wrinkled face, moistened by a teardrop, suddenly became beautiful. Out of a lonely home through lonely days she had come this day for the con solation of human fellowship, for release from loneliness found in *he contact of kindred minds. *" Childhood, youth, maturity, age—and then the sunset, when into the consciousness of so few glows the golden beams of . life’s full fruition. Organized society has its ro bots ministering a pittance for material needs; that greater need of heart hunger finds re lease when the wrinkled face shall nevermore be wet by tears. A new book is offered to the intellectuals to help “men and women get more out of life.” Get more —that »s life’s over shadowing philosophy in this, our day. More money, more of the glamorous and transatory stuff money will buy. More, more, more is the cry of pro fessionals and artisans, of work ers and idlers. Across the cen turies comes a Voice: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Should the aim be to get more out of life or put more into it? • • * Pres. Truman, Mr. Churchill, the world’s great and good men, are doing what is humanly pos sible for world unity. In B. C. 600 a Hebrew prophet, scholar, and statesman gave this answer to future programs for united nations of Europe: “And where-, as thou sawest iron mixed with miiy clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” • • * A handsomely lithographed document, officially signed and sealed in glittering gold, auth orizes the sale of a commodity that can be the means of land ing the purchaser next morn ing in the drab realm of mu nicipal court. “Fined for di unken driving,” reads the re port. The state has authority to set up a condition and then impose fines and penalties for I results. » • • “The young mother with her Gillespie's • Use* no more current than on ordinary lamp bulb. • Simplest refrigerating mech anism ever built. • Permanently sealed in steel. • Piw.‘acted against service ex pense for 5 yeors. “Home Appliance Headquarters” O’NEILL LOCALS Mr. and Mrs. Maford Yenglin were Sunday dinner guests of Mr. and Mrs. George Layh. Mrs. J. M. Kennedy, of Ains worth, visited her parents, Mr. and Mrs. David N. Loy, Sunday. C. E. Tenborg, of Emmet, visit ed at the Bart Malone home Fri day. Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Lowery en tertained Mrs. Grant Peacock and son, Kenny, of Emmet, Monday. Warren Cronk, of Page, was a guest for the weekend at the home of his sister and her hus band, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin E. Lorenz. Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Lundgren had as their guests this weekend. Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Miller, of Syd ney. Mr. and Mrs. Don O. Lyons were in Kimball, S. D., Friday, on business. Mrs. M. B. Marcellus and chil-» dren visited Mrs. Marcellus’ pa rents, Mr. and Mrs. George Rob ertson, for the weekend. Among O’Neillites attending the hockey games in Omaha Sat urday were Mr. and Mrs. George Rector, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Mar tin and Mr. and Mrs. Axel Borg. The Misses Beverly Jane Mc Carthy and Helen McNichols re turned Monday from a four-days’ stay in Kansas City, Mo. Mr. and Mrs. Max Wanser were entertained by Mr. and Mrs. John Walker, at Ainsworth, Friday. Mrs. Francis Bazelman and son left Saturday for Omaha to visit Mrs. Bazelman’s sister. Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Melena were on business in Omaha two days last week. Mr. and Mrs. James Lyons and children drove to Winner, S. D., Saturday and Sunday to visit rel atives. Mrs. Hugh J. Birmingham and daughter, Barbara, returned Thursday from Chicago, 111., where they spent a week. baby in her arms is a Madon na-inspiration of poet and of painter, but the new father is the comedy relief who passes out the cigars,” says a woman’s magazine. The new father also digs down for a couple of hun dred to pay the hospital and medic. * • « By adding a cipher and mis placing a comma The Frontier recently went back many thou sands of years before time be gan. It was in 2,200 B. C. the scientific builders started a tower, “whose top” was to “reach to heaven.” * * * A collector of bits of humor says that a sign on a depart ment store counter reads: “Ex tra large bath towels—just the thing to wear when the tele phone rihgs.” Mrs. Kevin Cronin and chil dren, of Chicago, 111., who have been visiting Mrs. Cronin’s pa rents, Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Mor rison, for a few weeks, will de part for their home Saturday. Mrs. Robert E. Gallagher en tertained Mrs. Charlote Ressegieu at dinner last Thursday. Mrs. Harold Klingman, of Butte, was a caller Wednesday at the home of Mrs. Robert E. Gal lagher. Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Arm bruster entertained Dr. Lucien Stark, of Norfolk, Sunday eve ning. Mrs. Emmett J. Carr and daughter, Karen, returned Tues day from Bridgeport, where they had visited Mrs. Carr’s aunt <£id uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Con ! nors, for nine days. Mrs. Frank Clements enter tained her cousin, Miss Laura Vandersnick, of Ewing, Tuesday. Mrs. Arlen Kirk, of Spencer, ! spent the weekend visiting her i father, Thomas Donlin. L. D. Putnam and Thomas A. Greene visited L. Moler and Jo seph Schollmeyer at a hospital in Lynch Monday. Alfred Strube was in Sioux City on business Tuesday. ^ £$i stfclverfilrtt in fduiards c7o€Um6 For the proud parents and their little toddler ... Pink* f 9 ** '4 Blue, or White shoes. They're gift wrapped (n^ beautiful transparent Acetate Boxes. Just the thing for the *blg event" gift; $2.98 ♦ ■ ■ i,-,- - ■ <—.-..... *. *• w Crepes— Sheers— -N Jerseys \ $895»nd?1095 Plenty of Half Sizes All Regular Sizes There’s a definite newness about l the new Spring dresses. Unhampered ^ by fabric and fashion restrictions, de signers have given free reign to their genius. This has resulted in wide variety. Every p? —ry type— every need can now be filled. Easter Sunday is April 6