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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 1950)
16 PAGES -2 SECTIONS North-Nebraska’s Fastest-Growing Newspaper VOLME 70.—NUMBER 13._O'NEILL, NEBR., THURSDAY. AUGUST 3, 19S0. — pHiCE 7 CE1^ 1 Election Nears, Interest Mounts i __. ! Unicam, Sheriffs Races Are Attracting Most Attention (Turn to pages 6 and 7 for Republican and Democrat sample ballots. Also see edi torial, "Let's Vote," on page 10.) Another Nebraska primary election is at hand. Holt countyans will trek to the polls on Tuesday, August 8, to exercise their great Ameri can privilege—voting. Interest has been mounting during the past week as the red letter day approaches. Most of the interest centers around local contests and, of these, the uni cameral race and the wide-open sheriff’s meelee predominate. Two of 3 candidates for the 28th district seat in the state legislature will vie in the gen eral election. Seeking the nom inations are Frank Nelson, of O’Neill; Norris Coats, of Stuart, and Fred J. Jungman, of Atkin soon. This is a non-political race and Nelson is the incumbent, having served a term. Nelson is an O’Neill farmer living north of town. Jungman is an Atkinson stockman and Coats is a Stuart businessman and former publisher of the Stuart Advocate. Curiously, all 3 unicam can didates are Holt countyans. The district embraces 4 coun ties—Holt, Boyd, Rock and Keya Paha. The Republican race for the county sheriff nomination re volves around Glea H. Wade, A. B. Hubbard, Ben Oetter, Lawrence Haynes and D. S. McCage, all of O’Neill, and Lawrence Hamik, of Stuart. The Democratic chase for the nomination for sheriff is almost as interesting. Candidates are John Kersenbrock, Leo S. Tom jack and Bob Tomlinson, all of O’Neill, and Thos. J. Davis, of Inman. Another attention-compelling race is between Incumbent Ruth Hoffman and Esther Cole Harris for the Republican nomination for county clerk. Mrs. Harris presently is register of deeds, but in anticipation of consoli dation of the 2 offices, by virtue •of Holt’s declassification be cause of population loss, Mrs. Harris filed for the clerk’s post Miss Hoffman has been clerk for 5 years, originally appoint ed by the board of supervisors to fill a vacancy. On the state level. Gov. Val Peterson, who is endorsed by the Republican state conven tion, is opposed on the Repub lican ballot by A. B. Walker and Ernest A. Adams. On the Democratic side, Walt er R. Raecke and Frank B. Morrison both enjoy party en dorsements with Henry L. Fill man, Harry R. Swanson and Terry Carpenter other candi dates. (* denotes incumbent; ** de notes endorsement by state convention of party.) Other Republican candidates include: STATE TICKET For lieutenant - governor : Charles J. Warner** and An (Continued on page 4.) July Moisture in Holt 4.25-Inches The final week in July was dry compared to the other 3. A shower on Monday, July 24, netted .29 of an inch and no traceable moisture has fallen since. Precipitation for the month was 4.25 inches, according to Government Observer Elmer Bowen. Prolonged wetness made it a notable month in his tory. First few days of August were cool. M!ercury dipped to 50 de grees early Wednesday. Summary based on 24-hour periods ending at 6 p. m. daily follows: Date Hi Lo Prec. July 24 - 78 55 .29 July 25_ 88 60 July 26 . 81 58 July 27 .. _ 82 57 July 28 _ 78 58 July 29 _ 88 60 July 30 _ 84 68 July 31_ 82 70 August 1 78 68 13 HANDS NEEDED ATKINSON — Thirteen hay field workers are needed at At kinson to supply the demand, according t o Claude Hum phreys, volunteer farm place ment representative for the Ne braska employment service. TOWER GETS PAINT O’Neill’s municipal water de partment tower (standpipe) this week is receiving a coat of paint inside and out. This accounts for low water pressure. Mr. and Mrs. Pat Hynes vis ited Patrick J. (“Patty Joe”) Rotherham in a Norfolk hospital Monday. Jimmy Davidson . . . plumb er, heating expert, fisherman and fireman. —O'Neill Photo Co. JAMES DAVIDSON EXPIRES IN OMAHA O’Neill Man, 45, Member of Pioneer Firm; Rites Thursday James E. Davidson, jr., 45, member of a pioneer O’Neill business firm, died about 7 o’ clock Sunday morning, July 30, in St. Joseph’s hospital at Om aha, where he had been a pa tient since January 14. Mr. Davidson was a victim of cancer. Funeral services will be held at 10 o'clock today (Thursday) in the Methodist church in O'Neill. The body lies in state at Big lin Bros, mortuary until time for the funeral. Rev. V. R. Bell, church pastor, officiated and burial will be in Prospect Hill cemetery. Mem bers of the O’Neill volunteer fire department, an organiza tion to which Mr. Davidson be longed since 1925, will act as pallbearers. The late James E. Davidson, Jr„ affectionately known to hundreds of people in the O' Neill region as Jimmy David son, was born in O'Neill on June 8, 1905, a son of James E. Davidson, sr., and Anna Hansen Davidson. He was educated in the -O’ Neill public school and upon leaving high school he joined his father in the Davidson plumbing and heating firm. The late Jimmy Davidson was a fix ture in O’Neill community life and always was very active in his field, in the fire department and in community events. The late Mr. Davidson never married and always resided in the parental home. Jimmy was an ardent fisher man and all of his leisure hours were spent fishing in numerous lakes and streams in this terri tory, and many homes bene fited from his fishing success es. The grave will be near that of the late James E. Davidson, sr. His father, the founder of the Davidson firm a half-century ago, died in 1942. Three sons have carried on the plumbing and heating business — Jimmy being in charge of the service depart ment. Survivors include: Mother, of O’Neill; brothers—John, Ralph and Owen, all of O’Neill; Ed ward, of Casper, Wyo.; Clyde, of Roscoe, Calif.; Lloyd and Frank, of Culver City, Calif.; sisters—Mrs. J. Fred (Dorothy) Degnan, of Buffalo Gap, S. D.; j Mrs. O. H. (Frances) Johnson, ' of Clark Fork, Idaho; and Mrs. ! Cy (Eileen) Bruning, of San 1 Gabriel, Calif. j YOUTHFUL PASTOR . . . Rev. Robert Olson, 25, is new pastor of Christ Lutheran church at O’Neill and Imman uel Lutheran church at Atkin son. He is a recent theological school graduate, this dual pas torate is his first assignment. —The Frontier Photo. LARGE CROWD AT i BARGER FUNERAL Military Burial for 37 Year-Old Veteran of World War II Funeral services for Virgil H. Barger, 37-year-old O’Neill man, were held at 10 o’clock Saturday morning, July 29, at the Methodist church here. Mr. Barger died about 9 o’ clock Wednesday morning, July 26, at his home here. He had been critically ill for 4 days. Rev. V. R. Bell, Methodist pastor, officiated and interment was in Prospect Hill cemetery, i Members of Simonson post 93, of the American Legion, con ducted military burial rites and served as pallbearers. Virgil H. Barger was born May 8, 1913, at Marion, Ky., j son of Mr. and Mrs. William Barger. When he was 6-years old, he moved with his par ents to Elm Creek, where the Barger family resided until 1922, when they moved to Norfolk. Virgil was educated and grew to manhood there, became a meat-cutter by trade and spent some time as a salesman. He was inducted into the ar my on May 15, 1943, at Denver, i Colo., and served for 2 Vi years in World War II. He spent a year and 7 months overseas with the 397th antiaircraft ar . Virgil H. Barger . . . earned soldier's medal. tillery battalion in Africa, Mid le East, Europe. Decorations in clude soldier’s medal and Bel gian Fourragere. Sgt. Barger was separated from the service at Denver on December 8, 1945. Shortly after that he came to O’Neill. On November 14, 1947, he married Winifred Walling, of O’Neill. Mr. and Mrs. Barger operat ed the Barger Super Duper Market until illness forced him to withdraw from active business. He spent consider able time in Veterans' hospi tals. and recently had recov ered sufficiently to become an employee at Gambles. Survivors include: Widow; sisters—Mrs. L. W. David and Mrs. Tony Karara, both of Pon tiac, Mich.; Mrs. Frank Stewart, of Denver; Colo.; brothers — Learner, of Nampa, Ida., and Brownie, of Deary, Ida. The body lay in state at Big lin Bros, funeral home until time for the funeral. A large crowd attended the rites. Pall bearers were Dale Buchmaster, Robert Moore, Glea H. Wade, Melvin Ruzicka, John Conard, John Stuifbergen, Willard Napr stek and Gene Cantlon. Mr. Barger’s brothers and sisters were all here to attend his rites. Other relatives and out-of-town friends included: Richard and Melvin Barger, of Norfolk; Mrs. Ina Kirk, of Nor folk; Mr. and Mrs. E. Butter field, of Neligh; Jim Lovejoy and Joe Thompson, of Valen tine, Mrs. June Baker, of Neligh. _ Reservist Gets Call To Active Duty First O’Neill reservist to be called to military duty during the current crisis is Robert Lowery, an employee of Amer ican Gear Co. Lowery was a staff sergeant in the air force during World War II, serving as a radio and radar maintenance man in Eur ope. He is to report for duty Au gust 10. Married, he is the father of 2 children. He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lowery. Spend Weekend Away— Mr. and Mrs. Elgin Ray spent the weekend in Loup City and Grand Island. Patrick Joseph Rotherham, 6, has reason to be happy. He's recovering nicely from brain surgery. Little hope was held that he would live after being struck by a state-owned vehicle on an O'Neill intersection.—Photo courtesy Norfolk Daily News. PLAN TO ENCLOSE HOSPITAL IN FALL All Materials, Equipment For St. Anthony’s Purchased All materials and equipment to be used in connection with construction of the 420 - thou sand-dollar St. Anthony’s hos pital have been purchased and deliveries arranged. Work, is progressing rapidly on the hospital site, immediate ly west of St. Mary’s academy, and excavation is nearing com pletion. Melvin Jarvis, traveling rep resentative for Busboom St Rauh, general contractors, of Salina, Kans., visited the site Monday and advised the build ing committee that work would advance rapidly from now on. He declared it was the in tention of the contractors to have the building built and enclosed before the winter weather arrives, thereby en abling workmen to proceed on the interior throughout the winter months. Over the weekend 2 carloads of materials arrived by rail—a car of brick and a car of cement. Brick is the light buff color. A new concrete mixer is be ing shipped from the factory di rectly to the O’Neill job. Olof Mathisen, construction superin tendent, said Wednesday the mixer was enroute by rail. Jarvis explained to James M. Corkle, head of the building committee, that all materials were ordered and some of these were stockpiled before the Kor ean war began. Building committeemen ex plain that even with shortages and cutbacks it would be prob able that the hospital con struction programs would have priorities on materials. Comittee still needs more contributions. — ■ < White Way Energizing Highlights Dollar Days— Leading O’Neill business firms will participate in a dol lar days promotion on Friday and Saturday, August 18 and 19. Highlights of the 2-day mer chandising festival will be the energization of O’Neill’s new white way. Theme of the promotion will be back-to-school- The Cham ber of Commerce’s retail trade committee is in charge of ar rangements. Ted Cooper Dies After Heart Attack Ted Cooper, about 50, son ol Mr. and Mrs. Chester Cooper S former O’Neill residents, died I Friday in a Denver, Colo., hos pital. He was enrout? to th< West coast when he was strick en with a heart attack. Funeral rites were held Mon day in Denver. Body was ere : mated. Mr. Cooper lived at O’Neill for a number of years when a young man. His parents operat ed a cigar store and ice cream parlor. He left here, became mar ried. and lived for a time in Chicago. 111., and New York City. His daughter, Donna Rae, became a well - known vocalist with Fred Waring's orchestra and Mr. Cooper served for a time as Waring's publicity manager. The late Mr. Cooper spent a year in the O’Neill and Atkin son communities after World War II. He has been located re cently at Hastings and Lincoln. Cub Scouts to Receive Awards— Monday evening, August 14, will be an eventful night for the Cub Scouts as a court-ot awards will be held at the Am erican Legion club room. A parent must be present for their son to receive an award. The boys have worked hard to earn credits. !>-— *~r • PROGRESS REPORT ... In a week's time the site for the proposed St. Anthony's hospital was transformed as men. machines and horse drawn dirt scoops went to work. Results of a week of excavation can be seen in background. Discussing hospital blueprints are Edgar L. Coleman, of Grand Island, employee of the Frank McNett architectural firm: Walter Voss, of O'Neill, employee of James E. Davidson & Sons plumbing and heating firm, and Olof Maihisen, of Salina, Kans., construction super intendent for Busboom & Rauh. general con tractors.—The Frontier Photo. Physical Exams for 56 Holt Men ---,*s 6-YEAR-OLD BOY WIL L RECOVER Rotherham Youth Makes ‘Good’ Progress After Surgery (Picture at left.) Patrick Joseph Rotherham, 6 vear-old O’Neill boy who was struck by a state-owned vehicle in an intersection here Friday, July 21, will recover. He is mak ing “good” progress in Our La dy of Lourdes hospital at Nor folk where he was taken after the accident. Patty Joe, as he is known to his friends, was hit by a state higway department truck driv en by Gene Porter, 22, of O’ Neill. The boy is reported to have gotten off the ground and walk 'd away from the accident. A few hours later he lapsed into unconsciousness. A hemmorhage on the brain had developed. Originally it was thought he may have suffered a skull frac ture, but this later proved un true. By coincidence, a famous brain surgeon. Dr. Chriato pher Landry, of Boston. Mass., was in Omaha for a confer ence. Advised of the case, he rushed to Norfolk to perform the operation. For 4 days Patty Joe lay in critical condition at the hospi tal and doctors held little hopes for his recovery. Saturday he was allowed to sit up for a short time. Monday , he grinned for the photogra phers. Patty Joe’s mother died 6 weeks ago at the time his baby brother was born. There are 6 other children in the family. The father, John E. Rother ham, is considering moving the family to Omaha. 2 O'Neill Men Receive Degrees— The University of Nebraska conferred 454 degrees Friday at the conclusion of the summer session—2 going to O’Neill men. Warren A. Burgess, son of Dr and Mrs. L. A. Burgess, and Gene M. McKenna, son of Mr. Gene M. McKenna, son of Mrs. Mabel McKenna, each received a bachelor of science degree in the college of business adminis tration. Hay Days Boosters Coming Today— ATKINSON—The Baler club will invade O’Neill on Thursday evening, August 3, to herald the Hay Days celebration to be held in Atkinson on Wednes day and Thursday, August 16 and 17. The Balers will stage a brief program at the main square | and then will go to Danceland where a Baler club dance will be held. Korean War Responsible For Revival of Conscription The Red-inspired Korean war will make its first impact on community life in Holt county when 56 young selective service registrants, between the ages of 25 and 18, report for preinduc tion physical examinations dur ing August. The Holt county selective ser vice board received its first or ders from state headquarters on Thursday, July 27., Under draft regulations, names of men ordered to prein duction examinations are not revealed. For the present no married men, no World War II veter ans or none known to have been previously rejected will be called. ! Mrs. W. H. Harty, chief clerk for the Holt board, said there are few men in the age groups now being called who are in class 1-A. Most of the 1-A men in the county are in the younger age groups. Upon receipt of the first call, the Holt board convened and elected Glea H. Wade, of O’ Neill, chairman of the board. Wade is a World War II veteran, having served as a sergeant in the Pacific theater where he was wounded 4 times. He holds the Purple Heart award with 3 clusters. He is a Republican can didate for sheriff in the August 8 primary election. Other members of the board are: Fred J. Jungman, of Atkin son, who lost a son in Europe during World War II; and Wil liam E. Wutf, of Ewing, ^rho recently waft appointee!to luc I ceed John Q. Archer, also of Ewing, resigned because of ill ! health. Mrs. Harty, clerk, also lost a ! son. in Europe during World War II. All 56 men will be sent from here simultaneously for prein duction examinations. ._ Thiesens Get Hiway Contract Two contracts for construc tion of 5 miles of U. S. highway 281 between O’Neill and Spen cer were awarded Tuesday by the state highway department. Thiesen Brothers, of Osmond, won both of the contracts. For I trading the new construction ; and installing culverts, grading and graveling the detour road, the firm will receive $29,619.30. The Pierce county firm made a | low bid of $10,687 for install ing culverts on the new con struction. The work will start north of U. S. highway 20, IV2 miles north of O’Neill. The detour will be 1 mile west of the highway under construction. Grading the 5 miles of high way will require the excavation of about 150 - thousand-cubic yards of earth. Twelve metal culverts and 2 concrete box culverts will be built to provide adequate drain age for the new road. 3 Persons Hurt in Auto Smash Three persona were injured about 5 p. m. Wednesday in a 2-car accident 5 miles east of O'Neill cn highways 20-£75. Miss Nancy Le Masters, of Arizona, who had been visit ing at St. Paul, was rushed to Lutheran hospital at Omaha with a shattered left knee cap. She was the lone occupant of the eastbound Arizona car. Mr and Mrs. Roy McGregor, of Olympia, Wash., who with 3 children were enroute to O’ Neill, were occupants of the other machine, which was trav eling west. Mr. and Mrs. Mc Gregor are in O’Neill hospitaL Mr. McGregor has a cut knee and his nose; Mrs. McGreg or suffered bad cuts on her knee, eye, ear and arm. Both suffer ed from shock. The children were unhurt. Mrs. Florence Schultz return ed home Monday evening after an extended visit with her daughter and husband, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Tadd, of Spring field, Mo. She also visited an other daughter and her hus band, Mr. and Mrs. Owen Hiatt, in Omaha enroute home. %