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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 1948)
The Frontier x VOLUME >8—NUMBER 20. O'NEILL. NEBRASKA. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 23. 1948 PRICE 7 CENTS Redbird Farmer Dies of Injuries Lloyd A. l*help«. ^8, Is Pinned Under Tractor in Farm Accident Expires in Hospital REDBIRD — A well-known north-Holt county farmer, Lloyd A. Phelps, 58, of Red bird, died early Sunday in the Lynch hospital from injuries suffered in a farm accident on Wednesday, September 15. In explaining the accident, relatives say that Me. Phelps was dismounting from the machine to open a gate, near the house, when a pant-leg became entangled in the gear shift. The tractor lurch ed, he was thrown in front of the machine, and he was run over. 'Though critically injured, j Mr. Phelps managed to recov-1 er and stop the tractor. Members of the family reach: ed the scene and rushed him to Sacred Heart hospital at Lynch. No bones were believ ed to have been broken but attendants knew' the internal injuries were critical. His life hung in the balance j for several days, but at 2:15 a. m. Sunday he died. Funeral services are to be held today (Thursday) at 2 p. m. at the Dorsey church. Bur ial will be in the Scottville cemetery. Pallbearers will be: Ray Nel son, Leon Mellor, Edward Car son, George Barta, Lee Brady, Orville Pickering, Joseph Jere beh and Lewis Marshall, jr. Lloyd Abraham Phelps was born-February 3. 1890 at Deep River, la., a son of Alonzo Phelps and Mary Fry Phelps. He was reared in Iowa and came to Holt county in 1911 from near Deep River. On May 7, 1913 he married Retta Coleman at O’Neill. They . moved onto a farm in the Red bird vicinity in northeast Holt county. The Phelps' became the parents of four children, three of whom, together with the widow, survive. One son, Leo. is deceased. He was a member of the Modern Woodmen and Odd Fellow lodges. Survivors: Widow; sons — Robert Phelps, of Randolph, Minn; daughters—Loula Wells, of Cherry Grove, Ore.; Velma Conard, of Redbird; brother— Wilbur Phelps, of Redbird; sis ter—Mrs. Elsie Nelson, of Fair bault, Minn.; half-brothers — Howard Slack, of Dorsey, and Forest Slack, of Gaston, Ore.; half-sisters—Mrs. Thomas His eock, of Redbird. and Mrs. Maude Huber, of Wenatchee, Wash. There are seven grand children. Laxity in Signing for Draft Cited Mrs. W. H. Harty, chief clerk for the Holt county selective service board, Wednesday cited laxity on the part of eligible registrants in fulfilling their obligation to the government under the new draft law. She said that a number of; young men had failed to reg- j ister here at the proper time. Mrs. Harty pointed out that the law provides that men reg ister within five days after j their 18 th birthday anniver sary. About 900 registrants have been received at the selective service office here on the sec ond floor of the First Nationa) bank building. This is consid erably short, Mrs. Harty ex plained, of the estimated num ber expected to be signed here. MARRIAGE LICENSES Gerhard J. Babl, 30, of O’ Neill, and Ardis Loree New man, 19, of O’Neill, Septem ber 18. Lloyd A. Phelps . . . run over by tractor . . . dies in Lynch hospital. (See story at left) CONARD RITES ARE HELD HERE Widow of Late Robert Conard Expires in O'Neill Hospital Funeral services were held at 10 a. m. Monday at St. Pat rick’s Catholic church here for Mrs. Mary Katherine Conard, 75, who died at 9:15 p. m. Fri day, September 17, at the O’ Neill. Rt. Rev. J. G. McNamara, church pastor, officiated and burial was in Calvary ceme tery. For the past seven months the late Mrs. Conard had been in failing health, rela tives said, and she was i.'ed fast most of that time. Mary Katherine Conird, daughter of John and Ann Carr Liddy, was born at it. Michigan, Mich., on May 14, 1873. She came with her par ents to Holt county in 1879 from what is now known as Ft. Randall, S. D. She married Robert Martin Conard at O’Neill on January 8, 1891. He died several years ago. They became the parents of seven children. Survivors include: Daughters —Mrs. Ralph Stevens, of Page; Mrs. Gertrude Schaffer, of Long Beach, Calif.; Mrs. Em ery (Mary) Peterson, of In man; sons—George Conard, of Inman; Martin Conard, of Co lumbia, Ore.; John Conard, of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Edward Conard, of Deer Island, Ore.; sisters—Mrs. B. Swanson and Mrs. George Conard, both of O’Neill, and Mrs. Bert Jones, of Norfolk; brother—John Lid dy, of Hastings; 13 grandchil dren, and four great-grandchil dren. The pallbearers were: Harry Harte, John Sobotka, Joseph Gallagher and James McMahan, all of Inman; H. E. Coyne and H. D. Grady, both of O’Neill. Half-Century-Old Yards Being Razed INMAN—The livestock yards near the Chicago & North Wes tern railway depot are being razed. Their disappearance means the passing of another landmark. Oldtimers say the yards have been a fixture here for a half century. Rail officials posted the yards for sale by bid. James Ferris was the successful bid der, and workmen are at work clearing away the timber. Since the advent of the mo tor truck, the yards have been used very little. Joseph Keller, of Humphrey, arrived Monday to visit at the J. L McCarville, sr. home. Mr. Keller is the 86-year-old father of Mrs. McCarville. JOE A. MANN, 74, SUCCUMBS HERE Veteran Businessman and Last Member ot Early Family 111 4 Months Funeral Wednesday Joseph A. Mann, 74, the last remaining member of the pion eer John Mann family and a veteran businessman, died at 3:40 a. m. Monday at his home in O’Neill. He had been ill for four months and bedfast dur ing the past 30 days. Funeral services were held at 10 a. m. Wednesday in St. Patrick’s Catholic church here and burial was in Calvary cemetery. Rt Rev. J. G, Mc Namara, church pastor, offic iated. The late Mr. Mann was born on November 19, 1874, at Darlington, Wis., a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Mann. His mother died short ly after his birth. He came with his father and other members of the family to O’Neill in 1884, a year af ter his brother, John, jr., had established a general merchan dise store here. The father opened a harness - making shop. Joseph A. Mann was reared and educated in O’Neill. He spent his early years working for his brother, John, in the O’Neill store and in about 1890 went to Spencer and opened a Mann store there. He returned to O’Neill at about the turn of the century and was active in the Mann store for a few more years, until the death of his sister, Katherine, who became the manager of the store after John, jr., went to Chicago, 111., to enter the manufacturing busi ness. In 1913 the late Mr. Mann joined the firm Morris, Mann & Riley, a novelty manufac turing house in Chicago in which John Mann was one of the original members. Sixteen years later—in 1929 —he returned to O'Neill to retire. For many years he was in terested in the Galena Lumber Co. with the late Clyde King. In recent years the firm was sold and became known as the Spelts-Ray Lbr. Co. For many years he was a direc tor of the First National bank of O’Neill. Mr. Mann’s fatal illness be gan in May. That month he entered a Rochester, Minn., clinic for a major operation, which was unsuccessful. Burial was in the family plot in Calvary cemetery. Pallbearers wree^ James Corkle, F. J. Bazelman, Elgin Ray, H. J. Birmingham, Ed ward Campbell, H. E. Coyne,' Pat O'Donnell and H. D. Grady. Business houses were closed from 10 to 11 a. m. Among those from a distance here for the funeral services were: Mrs. Louise Murray, of Tucson, Ariz., a niece; Donald C. Gallagher, of Chicago, 111., a nephew; R. E. Spelts and Wil liam Spelts, both of Grand Is land; and Ralph P. Evans, of Chicago. 111., friends of the deceased. Arthur King, of Phoenix, Ariz., a nephew, and his wife, who have been in O’Neill for several months, were also present. Goes to Washington — Miss Janet Enright left last Thursday for Vancouver, Wash., where she will be employed. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Don Enright, drove her to Grand Island. He Is Good News, Not Big News By MAUDE SILVERSTRAND Special Correspondent ATKINSON—I stopped to see George White the other day. He always gives me a lift. He was sitting quietly by his ra dio smoking his pipe. Maybe you don’t know George, but perhaps you know someone like him. Some people just na turally have a soothing ef fect. He doesn’t have an exciting day. It starts in the morning when his landlady brings his breakfast in to him. He care fully seats himself at his table and eats a solitary meal. George used to have a room mate, Andrew McKathnie, but Andrew is gone now. r After breakfast, if the weather is nice, he goes out- j side and takes his exercise. He takes hold of the rope the lady of the house has strung for him and walks back and forth, back and forth, with his hand on the rope. Sometimes, when he gets tired, he sits down on the bench placed at the end of the rope and friends come by to chat. Sometimes he just sits for an hour or two to enjoy the sunshine. Then he goes in side and turns on his tiny ra-‘ dio for the news or maybe a jig tune or two, for George likes to keep up on everything from the latest news to the latest tunes. You’ve guessed it by this time, I know. George is total ly blind and has been blind for eight years. But he is one of the most restful and courag eous of people that I know. George White is 71-years old. His family came to Holt county in 1910 and moved to Atkinson in 1918, and George went into the dray business a few years later. His team was a familiar sight for many years, 15 to be exact. Then his sight began to fail and in 1940 he became totally blind. I asked him how he kept so serene, and he said, “Well, I just don’t worry about it.” He tells the time of day by instinct between the strikes of the clock in his room. George says his clock and his radio are very im portant to him. He loves little children and many of them drop by to see him and to talk with him. The little grandchildren of the lady he rooms with keep their toys in his room. The baby buggy is also there. It makes him feel a part of the family. I was so unconscious of his blindness as I visited with him that I picked up a toy and said, “This is a new one. Have you seen it?” Perhaps, George isn’t big news. But he’s good news, do n’t you think? Nephew of O’Neill Women Named Editor of New Los Angeles Tabloid Newspaper J. Edward Murray, 33. son of Mr, and Mrs. GeorRe E. Murray, of Lead, S. D and nephew of Mrs. Clyde Street* I er and Mrs. Dean Streeter, of O’Neill, has been named man aging editor of a new Los An geles. Calif., tabloid newspap er. the Mirror. A University of Nebraska journalism graduate. Murray will be one of the youngest managing editors of metropli tan newspapers in the United States. During World War II and since its close, he has been a staff correspondent * for the United Press in Rome, Italy, returning to the States during the Summer to rest. After the war Mr. Murray had his family with him in Rome. The Los Angeles Mirror is considered in newspaper circles as one of the biggest new ventures in the metropolitan field. Murray, who has visited O’ | Neill frequently, has not been here sine# his return to the States hut has been resting at Lead. _ J. Edward Murray . . . from a small South Dakota town to managing editor of a metropolitan daily. PAGE COUPLE IN GOLDEN WEDDING Frank Snyder and Wife Married Half-Century Apo at Tecumseh PAGE—Mr and Mrs. Frank Snyder celebrated their golden wedding anniversary Sunday, September 19. Although the anniversary date was Septem ber 21, Sunday was consider ed the most convenient day for most to attend. Dinner was served for 15 relatives at noon. Open house was held during the afternoon and evening when relatives and friends called to extend con gratulations. The guest book, in charge of Mrs. Melvin Car son, was signed by 168. Ice cream, cake and coffee were served by the nieces and the nephews of the Snyders. A number of rek. ives and friends baked cakes. Chairs and tables were placed in the yard where a number of the guests spent the afternoon vis iting. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder re ceived many gifts, cards and letters. Among the gifts were a blanket, a floor-lamp, two scatter rugs, two tablecloths, glasses and sherbet dishes, jewelry and a purse of money. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have two grandchildren, Lois Fink, of Grand Island, and Ross Fink, of Sheyner, N. D. Only Miss Lois was able to be here Sunday. Miss Nova Henry and Frank Snyder were married at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Henry, of Tecumseh, on September 21, 1898, by Rev. Lucy Dodge. There was a group of 50 in attendance and five of these were present Sun day. After the wedding they left for Omaha where they attend ed the world’s fair for several days. Forty-two years ago they moved to Holt county. Two years after coming here they moved to the farm north of Page where they continued to live until two years ago, when they moved their house to Page, Both Mr. and Mrs. Snyder enjoy "fairly good health." They care fee their garden and do a great deal of can ning of fruits and vegetables. Those from a distance at tending the- golden wedding were: Miss Lois Fink and Tom E. Sinnard, of Grand Island; Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Henry, Keith and Carol Ann, of Cole rdige; Mrs. Wanda Schmidt, and Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Jacka and Willard, of Tecumseh; Mr. and Mrs. Victor Snyder and son. of Atkinson; Mr. and Mrs. Roy Snyder and Dorothy, of j Ainsworth; Mr. and Mrs. Rich-1 ard Dolph and daughter, of Columbus; Mr. and Mrs. Rus sell Fink, of Fremont; Joy Stewart, of Corte Madera, Calif.; Mrs. Lowell Miller, Miss Dorothy Zellars and Wendell I Stevens, all of Lincoln; Mr. and Mrs. Harry Snyder, William Ruge, sr., and William Riege, jr., all of Norfolk; Mr. and Mrs. Lee Fink, Bert Fink and 1 Mrs. Bonita Harris, all of Ew ing; Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Ko pecky and Miss Eva Murten, of Inman. FILMS TO BE SHOWN Free combat films photo graphed during World War II will be shown tonight (Thurs day) at 8 p. m. at the Ameri can Legion club, according to S/Sgt. James Lyons, newly appointed Army-Air Force re cruiting sergeant here. GOP Caravan Coming Tuesday The Republican caravan, which will leave Lincoln early Monday, September 27, for a tour of the Fourth congression al district, will enter Holt county the following day— Tuesday, September 28—short ly after noon, arriving from Bartlett. The caravan is ex pected to reach O’Neill at 12: 45 p. m. Included in the group will be: Sen. Kenneth S. Wherry and Congressman A. L. Mil ler, according to County GOP Chairman Ira H. Moss. Mr. Moss said he expects Gov. Val Peterson and Acting State GOP Chairman Joseph Wishart, of Lincoln, also to be on the Fourth district tour, buL-be has no definite word to that effect. A street meeting is planned near O’Neill’s main downtown intersection at Fourth and Douglas streets. In the event of inclement weather, the one hour session will be moved in doors at a place to be desig nated. McKenzie burial RITES ARE SET Interment in McPherson National Cemetery for Dorsey Soldier DORSEY — Military funeral services for Pfc. Ted McKen zie, son of Mr. and Mrs. Claude McKenzie, sr., of Dorsey, will be conducted at 9:30 a. m. on Tuesday, September 28, at Ft. McPherson national cemetery, near Maxwell. Private McKenzie entered the Army in the Fall of 1941 _ Pfc. Ted McKenzie ... he entered France with his unit on D-Day. and was killed in action in France on August 4, 1944. A member of the Fifty-Fourth i field artillery unit, he died at| the age fo 25. He had entered ! France with his unit on D-day. Survivors include; Parents; brothers—Dale McKenzie, of Oakland, Calif.; Dan McKen zie, of Winner, S. D.; Clyde | McKenzie, jr., of O’Neill; and Victor McKenzie, of Dorsey; j sisters—Mrs. Alford Ehrhardt, | of McLean; Mrs. Gleason : Landberg, of Randolph; Mrs. | Jack Bowlby, of Omaha, and Miss Mary Anne McKenzie, of j Dorsey. Private McKenzie was born near Dorsey, was reared there, and educated in Holt county rural schools and O’Neill high school. Upon finishing his education, he entered farming wtih his father, with whom he was associated until he enter ed military service. Miss Van Zandt and Mrs. Florence Butler, of Ewing, were guests Tuesday at the home of Miss Elja McCullough. Bartlett Rancher Dies in Air Crash 8-VOTE MARGIN FOR WATER ISSUE Mild Campaign Nearly Upsets $48,000 Bond Proposal The proposed 48 thousand dollar bond issue for further improvement of the municip al water system squeaked to a narrow eight-vote victory in a special election here last Thursday. Only 288 votes were cast and the proposal needed GO percent of the votes to win. One hundred and eighty-two O’Neill voters indicated their preference “for" the proposal while 106 voted "against" the proposal. With the election over, the city council can now turn its attention towards deter mining where the water ex tensions will be made. A series of hearings will be held, Mayor H. E, Coyne said. He pointed out that several months ago similar hearings were conducted in regard to sewerage extensions, but home owners did not manifest in terest in the hearings, and complaints were brought to the council after contracts were let and workmen were on the scene. He said he hopes the forthcoming water hear ings will not be a repetition and that those people without municipal water service or without adequate service will assist the councilmen in deter mining where the extensions are to go. The hearings will be adver tised in next week’s issue of The Frontier. The city engineer has already strongly advised that many "dead ends” in the system be linked together in order to achieve "betteT circulation." A mild campaign was con ducted last Thursday to defeat the proposal, but it was not organized. Many residents in outlying districts are confronted with the ironic state of having sew erage running by their front door, hut lack municipal wa ter Extensive sewerage exten sions cost the city 65 thous and dollars during recent months, and the development of two new wells, several miles south of the city, cost in the neighborhood of 85 thousand dollars. This ex penditure was extended ov er the past two years. Both projects, however, de pleted the city’s treasury and made a bond issue the only solution in completing the im provement It is the first major work in connection with the municipal water system since it was installed in 1913. The “boxscore”: “For” “Against” First Ward 61 27 Second Ward 51 22 Third Ward 70 57 Totals 182 106 Total votes cast 288 ‘PEEPING TOM’ REPORTED ACTIVE City Abounds with Stories but No Complaints Made Officially O'Neill has been buzzing with “peeping tom” stories during the past 10 days, but until noon Wednesday no of ficial complaints had been fil ed with city and Holt county officials. County Attorney William W. Griffin said that despite a series of “attack” ahd “scare" stories, details of none of the incidents have been reported to the police or county attorney's office. One married woman is re ported to have been accosted near home and a struggle en sued before the attacker left. “Rumors that a prominent businessman is suspected and an arrest is about to be made and charges filed are absolute ly false as far as I know,” Griffin said. Griffin said that citizens should file their com plaints with duly constituted authorities immediately after an incidence occurs. Mr. and Mrs. James P. Car ney returned Monday from vis iting in Fremont, Lincoln and Kearney. Leonard Grossnicklaus, 33, Encounters Trouble in Dense Fog Plane Is Demolished A two-passenger Cessna air craft, piloted by Leonard Grossnicklaus, 33 - year - old Bartlett rancher, hit the earth with a rending crash shortly before 8 o’clock Wednesday morning, instantly killing the only occupant. The accident occurred near the Ditchcamp ranch, six miles southwest of O’Neill. Officials at the O’Neill air j port said that Mr. Grossnick laus had made arrangements to bring his plane here for re pair preparatory to making a fishing excursion. There were no witnesses, but several persons heard the crash. The plans appears to have crashed at a steep angle, bury ing the nose and landing gear. Civil Aeronautics Authority officials were to arrive early today (Thursday) and conduct an investigation. The entire region was blanketed by a dense fog early Wednesday, and If is believed that Grossnicklaus i encountered the fog and spun to the ground. The young Wheeler county rancher had been flying his own plane for several years, friends said. He operated a ranch about seven miles north and two miles west of Bartlett, in Wheeler county, or about two miles west of the Four Comers. A traveling salesman, driv ing into O'Neill from the south, reported hearing a plane while three miles south of O’ Neill on highway 281. This was about 7:30 a. m. This is the sixth air fatal ity in Holt county during the past 11 months. Two other crashes claimed the lives of three and two persons, re spectively. Grossnieklaus formerly lived at Elgin. The body was brought to the Biglin Brothers funeral home here pending the removal of the body to Elgin where fun eral arrangements will be made. There were indications that the plane barely cleared a fence row before crashing. The wreckage was strewn ov er the countryside. Mr. Grossnieklaus had tele phone the O’Neill airport earl ier in the morning that he was bringing his aircraft to O’Neill for waxing. Mr. Grossnieklaus, married, was the father of a 3-year-old adopted daughter, Marlene. Crandall Burial Friday at Chambers CHAMBERS — Final burial for Pvt. Calvin D. Crandall, son of Mr. and Mrs. Don Cran dall and European theater fa tality during World War II, will be held at 10:30 a. m. Fri day at Chambers. The body will arrive in O' Neill by rail early Friday morning under military escort and will be taken to Chambers by Biglin Bros, and military rites will be held. Private Crandall is a Cham bers high school graduate. Workmen Unhurt in Atkinson Explosion ATKIN90N — Workmen in stalling a gas furnace at the Earl Houts residence here were unhurt early Wednesday in an explosion that occured. The fire department was summoned, but there was no outbreak of a blaze despite the fact that it was believed the house was full of fumes. Blood Transfusions for Mrs. McClanahan Mrs. Earl McClanahan, who is a patient in University hos pital at Omaha, has received two recent blood transfusions. Among O’Neill donors who have gone to Omaha to offer blood are: Murol McClure, Wilma McClure. George Hen drick, Fred Colfack. Merlin Lee, Earl Pierson, Dorrance Crabb, Lloyd Bausch, Orville Eppenbach, Frank E. Eppen bach, Ed Hanley and Dick Tibbetts. ,