Frontier
---- 2 SECTIONS
North-Nebraska’s Fastest-Growing Newspaper Section 1—Pages I to 8
VOLUME 69—NUMBER 20_O'NEILL, NEBR., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22. 1949 PRICE 7 CENTO ★ ★ ★
Mr. and Mrs. N. M. Ross . . . today they recount their bless
ings and hardships.
O'Neill Pair Marks
60th Wedding Date
Mr. and Mrs. N. M. Ross
Settled in Meek
in 1904
Hardships and blessings of
60 years of married life will
be recounted today (Thurs
day) as Mr. and Mrs. N. M.
Ross, of O’Neill, observe their
wedding anniversary.
A very few close friends
have been invited to drop in
for the quiet celebration with
the esteemed, kindly couple,
who were married at Boone,
la., on September 22, 1889.
Hardships have been of
both the economical and
physical nature. Blessings
include many years of wed
ding bliss and reasonably
good health down through
the decades.
It was not until 1904 that
the couple joined the ranks of
Holt county’s farmers and
landowners. They settled near
the Meek community in North
ern Holt county on a 240-acre
farm.
Since that time, Mrs. Ross
said, it seemed like one “thing
after another” appeared on
scene to stifle their attempts
for moderate success.
Mr. Ross recalled that for
many years immediately after
they settled near Meek, the
weather was extremely dry
and crops were not plentiful.
Then, there came an interlude
when there was too much
moisture.
In 1915 Eagle creek was out
of its banks and the rain and
flood waters did serious dam
age to the crops. Shortly after
the rain torrents in 1915, 30
hogs “burned up” with cho
lera.
In 1917, their six-room home
was razed by fire. It was not
covered by insurance and was
a total loss. Fortunately, Mr.
Ross said, there was no one
in the house at the time.
By this, time, they were rais
ing a family of one girl and
three boys.
Martha, the oldest, who now
resides in Fremont, is married
and has a family.
John, the next eldest, is a
veteran of World War I. He
too, is married and has a fam
ily.
Elmer, of O’Neill, lives with
the folks and is a veteran of
World War II.
As life’s hardships seem to
lift for a few years, they
struck again in 1923.
Albert, 16, the youngest son,
was fatally injured when a
(Continued on page 4)
Page School Enrolls
Over 120 Students
PAGE — School here began
September 12 in the rebuilt
school house for over 120 pup
ils.
Sixty are enrolled in the
Sades while over 60 are reg
;ered in the high school.
The Page scool building was
destoyed by fire late last
Spring and was completely re
built during the Summer
months.
The new building and fix
tures cost over $60,000, accord
ing to spokesmen for the
school district.
Attend Funeral
for Young Boy
DELOIT—Mr. and Mrs. Bill j
Sehi and family and Pete1
Thiele and family attended the i
funeral Saturday morning for
Darrel Welding, 7, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Gilbert Welding. The
lad died early last Thursday.
He was a kin of Both the
Sehi and Thiele families. The
lad had been ill only a few
days.
IRA L. LIVINGSTON
EXPIRES SUDDENLY
Well- Known Atkinson
Rancher-Retired Meat
Man Heart Victim
ATKINSON—Ira L. Living
j ston, 52, a well-known ranch
! er residing Southwest of At
| kinson, died suddenly late
Monday at his home. Death
resulted from a heart attack.
Funeral services were held
Wednesday at 2 p. m. in the
Atkinson high school auditor
ium with Rev. Orin C. Graff,
Presbyterian church pastor,
officiating. Burial was in
Wood Lawn cemetery under
Seger Mortuary direction.
The late Mr. Livingston was
born on March 22, 1897, at
Grinnell, Kans., a son of Dan
iel S. and Sarah Livingston.
He came to Atkinson from
Clearwater in 1919.
He was a butcher by
trade and formed a partner
ship with R. E. Chace. Un
til 1935 they operated under
the firm name of Chace &
Livingston.
Upon retiring from the bus
iness field, Mr. Livingston
turned to ranching.
Relatives said Mr. Living
ston had not been ill and the
fatal heart attack came as a
complete surprise.
Mr. Livingston was a mem
ber of the Presbyterian
Ira L. Livingston... heart
attack fatal to Holt's "big
gest butcher'* and "biggest
rancher".
church and the Elks lodge. In
physical stature he was one of
the largest men in Holt coun
ty, and had been a prominent
figure in Atkinson communi
ty life. He measured 6 feet 9
inches in height and weighed
more than 500 pounds. Friends
affectionately referred to him
first as the "biggest butcher"
in Holt county; later as the
“biggest rancher".
Survivors include: Widow—
Fern Livingston; sons—Zane,
Gene and Joseph, all of At
kinson; sisters — Miss Leona
Livingston, of Des Moines, la.,
and Mrs. Hay Pegden, of
Chapman.
BOOK DODGERS,
AERIAL JUMPER
‘Crazy Piper Cub’ Act
and Auto Smashes to
Feature Program
Enthusiasm is mounting for
the Diamond Jubilee-Fall Fes
tival celebration to be held here
Friday, September 30.
The sponsoring organization,
Simonson post 93 of the Amer
ican Legion, continues to make
increasing progress for the event.
Commander of the post, Gor
don O. Harper, announced this
week that the Davis Shows
have contracted to bring a
carnival company here for the
celebration.
District Judge D. R. Mounts
and Ira L. Moss have been ap
pointed judges by the celebra
tion committee of the American
Legion for the selection of the
oldest residents—a man and a
woman—who will reign over the j
one-day festivities.
Honorary king and queen
entry blanks were published
in the September 15 issue of
The Frontier.
The Diamond Jubilee par
ade will ignite the celebration.
The parade will get under
way at 10 a.m. Among latest
I entries are: McCarthey Style
Shop, Parent-Teachers’ associ
ation, Elkhorn extension club,
Friendly Neighbors extension
club, Goldenrod rod extension
club, Up-and-At-It 4-H club,
Future Farmers of America
' and F e t r o w Refrigeration. J
(Eighty, earlier entries are
listed in a Story on page 6.)
Mr. and Mrs. Anton Jura
cek have announced that
they have an "ancient" car- j
riage that they will enter in
the parade. The carriage will
be drawn by horses.
M. E. (“Jake”) Jacobson,
chairman of the parade com- !
mittee, pointed out Wednesday
that more entries are sought.
He said it’s an opportunity
for “oldtimers to express
themselves”. Covered wagons,
ox carts, carriages, coaches,
(Continued on page 4)
SLOT OPERATORS
ARE COOPERATING
Voluntarily Close Machines
to Comply with Edict
from Attorney-General
Slot machines in veterans
clubs and other private clubs in
Holt county have ceased to sing.
All bingo games and “other
forms of illegal gambling” have
disappeared from the surface,
too, to * conform to an edict is
sued last week by Attorney-Gen
eral James H. Anderson.
Holt County Attorney William
W. Griffin said Wednesday that
officials have visited all opera
tors who have been operating
machines on the record and have
been palying federal tax. Right
down-the-line, he said, the op
erators have voluntarily agreed
to banish the slots.
A recently published list of
machines in the county, furnish
ed by federal authorities, reads
like this:
O’Neill — American Legion
club (6), Friendly club (6),
Knight of Columbus (3).
Atkinson — American Legion
club (5).
Ewing — American Legion
club (4).
Most of the machines had
come into existence after
World War II. One of the first
non-service clubs to close
down its battery of slots was
the Old Plantation club at El
gin.
Several of the clubs as well as
church and fraternal groups
have conducted bingo games.
Usually, although illegal, the
games were reserved for benefit
purposes.
Professional games and pro
fessional slot operations in Oma
ha and other cities have been
largely responsible for bringing
about the law.
Ruins of Hay Barn
Continue to Smoke
INMAN— The ruins of the
Watson hay bam continue to
smoke and smoulder.
The bam was struck by
lightning Saturday, Septem
l beT 10, and the fire that re
sulted destroyed completely
the structure and 560 tons of
hay. Estimated damage was
set at $12,000 by Ira L. Wat
i son, owner.
TV Towers Change City's Skyline
• • • i*
— - m * *
Jacobson-Beha tower . . .
overall height 62 feel.
Two elaborate television tow
ers have been erected in West
O’Neill and overnight the
city’s skyline has been trans
formed.
With the raising of towers
video officially comes to O'
Neill.
Owners of the sets are W.
B. Gillespie, who has his in
stalled at his home, and M. E.
Jacobson and Matthew G. Be
ha, who have made their in
stallation at Slat’s cafe. Both
sets are experimental and
the backers are Interested in
television for commercial rea
sons.
Gillispie’s set received “per
fect” signals on Monday even
ing with the aid of a "booster”
which is attached to an al
ready elaborate antennae. Ar
rival of the booster will as
sure reception, also, for the
Jacobson-Beha setup.
The cafe tower was erect
ed last week It measures 50
feet and the antenna meas
ures 12 feel, totaling 62 feet
in height The Gillespie an
tenna has an overall eight
of 115 feet.
Gillespie’s Monday evening
reception was from WOW-TV
and KMTV. Both are Omaha
stations.
The owners say the install
ations represent an investment
ment of hundreds of dollars.
As far as is known, O’Neill
is the fartherest point from
Omaha where the TV signals
have been received. Except for
the towers, however, television
sets are useless In this terri
tory. Omaha is nearly 200 air
line miles from O’Neill.
Gillespie tower
all height 115 feel
STOVE FALLS
ON TOT; DIES
Kenneth Lawrence, Born
Here, Is Accident
Victim
Commital services were held |
Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Cal
vary cemetery here for Kenneth
Ralph Lawrence, age 21£, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Lawrence,
who was fatally injured Thurs
day at his home while playing in
a shed at Valentine.
Msgr. J. G. McNamara officiat
ed at the rites.
The tot died shortly after 10
a.m. Thursday after suffering a
fractured skull when a large old
fashioned electric stove toppled
over on him while he was play
ing beside it. The stove was
stored in a shed at the rear of
the Lawrence home.
The boy lived approximately
'0 minutes after the accident oc
curred.
Reports indicated the small
boy was sitting on the ground
beside the stove playing. A four
Kenneth Lawrence . .
Dies after freak accident
year-old playmate was climbing
on the stove and it overturned
on the Lawrence tot.
There was some evidence that
the boy and the playmate might
have dug around the legs on one
side of the stove.
Kenneth Ralph Lawrence was
born at O’Neill on December 1,
1946. He moved with his parents
to Butte in 1947 and then to Val
entine about one year ago.
Besides his parents, Kenneth
is survived by a brother, Fran
cis; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs.
Claude Hamilton and Mrs. Em
ma Lawrence, of O’Neill; an
uncle and aunt Mr. and Mrs.
Ray Lawrence, of O’Neill.
A brother, Eugene Leroy, died
in infancy.
The parents of the boy are for
mer residents of O’Neill and
Holt county. *
Pallbearers were: John J.
Uhl, Robert Clements, James
Donohoe, and Donald Caulkins.
Frontier for job printing!
Mrs. Shaughnessy
Dies At Wayne
Mrs. Estelle Shaughnessy, 80,
widow of the late William H.
Shaughnessy, died Monday at 2
a.m. at Wayne, where she was
residing near her daughter, Mrs.
Ellen Philbin. She had been ill
three weeks.
Funeral services will be held
today (Thursday) at 10 a.m. at
St. Patrick’s Catholic church
with Rev. C. J. Werner officiat
ing. Burial will be in Prospect
Hill cemetery, near the grave of
her husband.
Mrs. Shaughnessy was born at
Leon, la., on July 3, 1869, a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George
Whitaker.
On December 31, 1890, she
married Mr. Shaughnessy.
They came to Holt county in
1898. For many years they
resided on a farm 1 Vt miles
Southeast of the city.
They became the parents of
two sons and three daughters.
Mr. Shaughnessy died on Janu
ary 11, 1933.
Survivors include: Sons —
Thomas Shaughnessy, of Dinuba,
Calif., and Harry Shaughnessy,
of Omaha; daughters—Mrs. Leo
(Winnie) Mullen, of O’Neill, Mrs.
Esther Reka, of, Glendale, Calif,
and Mrs. Philben.
Pallbearers will be: Jack Ar
buthnot. George Weingartner,
H. E. Coyne, James Kelly, Lloyd
Whaley and F. N. Cronin.
JOHN HUNTER, 89,
SUCCUMBS IN IOWA
Homesteader in Mineola
Community Brother of
Late J . M. Hunter
John Hunter, of Atalissa,
la., died Tuesday, September
6 at the home of his daughter,
Mrs. Margaret Todd, in Tip
ton, la. He was 89-years-old.
News of the death reached
Holt county this week.
The late Mr. Hunter home
steaded in the old Mineola
community in about 1885 His
original place is now owned
by Ray Noble.
Mr. Hunter resided there
for several years, then went
to Iowa. In 1909 he returned
to Holt county to reside for
several more years. He was a
brother of the late J. M. Hunt
er, who died in O’Neill in 1926.
Survivors include: daughters
—Mrs. Margaret Todd, of Tip
ton, la., and Mrs Henrietta
Salsbury, of Malta, Mont., sis
ter—Jennie Schooley, of Endi
cott, N. Y., five grandchjl
ren, and nine great-grandchil
dren.
Visit Colorado—
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Reim
ers were recent visitors in
Loveland, Colo.
BOY, 3, FATALLY
INJURED IN FALL
Suffers Skull Fracture in
Tumble from Moving
Automobile
—
A 3-year-old North Dakota
lad, Robert Francis Mattison,
died about 2:30 p. on. Sunday
in the O’Neill hospital as a
result of a skull fracture. The
b<*v fell from a moving car
j near Emmet about 9 a. m. the
same day.
He was riding with his par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. R H. Mat
tison, of Medora, N. D.
i
According io the parents, j
the rear seal door flew op
en and the boy fell out on
to the hardsurfaced road.
It was believed the lad was
leaning against the door
when it became unlatched.
The family had been visit
ing relatives at Albion and
the Mattisons were enroute to
their home in North Dakota.
The accident occurred several
miles West of Emmet.
Dr, O. W. French, the at
tending physician, said the
death resulted from a frac
tured skull.
Funeral services for the in
fant were held Tuesday after
noon at Aurora. The body
was forwarded from O’Neill
on Monday by Biglin Bros.
The lad was born Septem
ber 5, 1946, at Macon, Ga. His
father is a native of Belgrade,
near Albion, and hig mother
was reared at Glltner.
Mrs. Robert Barnes and
daughter, Cheryl, spent the
weekend in Omaha visiting
Mrs. Fern Wicks.
HEART ATTACK
FATAL TO MAN, 27
Ross E. Harris, Jr., Dies
in El Centro, Calif.,
Restaurant
Funeral services were held
at 10 a.m Wednesday from
the Methodist church here for
Ross E. Harris, jr.. 27, of El
Centro Calif., son of Mrs. Est
her Cole Harris, well-known
Holt county official, and Ross
Harris, of El Centro.
Rev. V. R. Bell officiated at
the rites and interment was
made in Prospect Hill ceme
tery here.
Harris died on Friday
following a heart attack at
El Centro. He was dining
in a restaurant when he was
stricken at 5:05 p.m.
The late Mr. Harris was
born on January 16, 1922, and
graduated from the O’Neill
high school in 1939.
Following his high school
graduation, he attended Morn
ingside college in Sioux City
for one year. He then returned
to O'Neill and was employed
at the Royal theatre as a pro
jectionist.
In 1942, after training at
Douglas aircraft factory in O
maha, Harris was employed
at Martin bomber plant at
Baltimore, Md., as a technical
supervisor.
He returned 'to O’Neill in
1944 and managed Lloyd’s
Ross E. Harris, jr. . . .
burial here Wednesday.
shoe store. On August 15, the
same year, he married Doro
thy M. Nelson, of Sioux City.
The rites took place in Lin
coln at St. Paul’s Methodist
church.
In 1946 in the Interest of
his health he went to Califor
nia to reside.
Harris was a member of the
O’Neill Lions club, the Inter
national Union for Motion
Picture Projectionists, the Met
hodist church and choir, and
was chairman of the executive
committee of the Cub Scouts of
El Centro.
Besides his wife, the late
Mr. Harris is survived by his
mother, Mrs. Esther Cole
Harris, of O’Neill; father, Ross,
of El Centro, sisters—Ruth, of
Shanghai, China, and Betty,
of O’Neill; a brother—Guy, of
O’Neill.
The young man’s mother is
Holt county register of deeds.
His sister, Ruth, is a Metho
dist missionary in China. Miss
Harris was advised of her
brother’s death by cablegram
and an acknowledgement was
received the following day.
(Continued on page 5)
4 SALES ON CALENDAR
Four public farm sales are list
ed in the Frontier’s sale calen
dar. They are:
Friday, September 23—Lester
Oetter, who lives 25 miles South
of O'Neill on highway 281 and
111 miles East, will hold a sale
of his personal property, which
includes 18 head of cattle, a full
line of farm and haying machin
ery, all 32-volt electrical equip
ment. a 1939 For > automobile
some household poods and mis
cellaneous tools. Ed Thorin, ol
Chambers, will be the auctioneei
and the Chambers State banl<
will clerk.
Friday, September 30—Floyc
Dve, who lives 25 miles South ol
O’Neill on highway 281 and ther
two miles East and a half milt
South will have a public sale o:
his personal property, which in
eludes 136 head of cattle, fis
head of horses, complete set o
household goods, a full line o:
farming and haying machinery
and other miscellaneous items
(Complete details will be founc
on page 7.) Ed Thorin will b<
the auctioneer, and the Cham'
bers State bank will clerk.
Monday. October 3—Charley
Fleming, who lives 5 miles
l Northeast of O’Neill on the Op
l portunity road, will hold a sale
of his personal property, which
includes a big line of farm ma
chinery. (Complete details will
be found in a later issue.) Wal
O’Connell and James G. Fred
rickson are the auctioneers. First
National bank will clerk.
Saturday,,October 29—Vernon
Hixson, who lives 24 miles South
on highway 281, one mile West
and 1 % miles South of O’Neill,
will hold a complete dispersal
sale of registered Herefords,
some farm and haying machin
ery and a large, complete line of
other personal property. (Com
plete details will be found in
The Frontier in a later issue.) Ed
Thorin and Johnny Donner are
: the auctioneers with Lawrence
! Buller, field man with the Ne
: braska Farmer, andtheChaan
r bers State bank will clerk.
The Frontier’s auction service
[ includes newspaper advertising;
i radio advertising and handbUb
■ —a three-way plan that assures
maximum results.