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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1950)
■ ■ * y J ‘s 4 16 PAGES — 3 SECTIONS ' . Q ’ North-Nebraska’s Fastest-Growing Newspaper VOLUME 70._NUMBER 25~ ” O'NEILL. NEBR., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26. 1950. PRICE 7 CENTS Joseph Ritts, 27. and his wife. Fern, about 40 . . • being held in lieu of $5,000 bonds on charge of robbing a truck driver at the point of a knife.—The Frontier Photo. Pair Held After Knife Holdup • . O’Neill Man Pleads Guilty to Armed Robbery Charge Joseph Ritts, 27, and his wife, Fern, age about 40, are being held in the Holt county jail in lieu of $5,000 bonds on charges of robbing a truck driver late Sat urday at the point of a knife. The O’Neill couple is charged with taking $63 from Lee Rem, Osceola trucker, in an incident behind a beer tavern. In preliminary hearing before % Justice of the Peace H. W. Tomlinson late Tuesday, Rills pleaded guilly, his wife pleaded innocent. Charges were brought by Coun- i ty Attorney William W. Griffin. ' Both signed statements for au thorities after their arrest and af ter Mr. Ritts had submitted to lie detector tests. The holdup culminated an eve ning spent with Mr. Rein, a grav el truck driver who has been working near here. The principals met in a beer tavern, had sever al drinks, went to the Ritts home at the invitation of Ritts and his wife. The party went downtown to claim a case of beer that had been purchased earlier. The r o b bery took place near South Third T Street. Ritts initially attempted the holdup, according to Rein’s state ment, with a cap gun. Rein recog nized the “weapon” was harmless and a scuffle ensued. Rem said Ritts struck him above the right eye and knocked him down. When he got back on his feet, Ritts drew a knife. 1 According io Rein, Mrs. runs took his billfold. The money t was later found by the matron at the Holt county jail, Mrs. Al bert Sipes, in Mrs. Ritt's under clothing. Persons who had witnessed the preliminaries in the tavern and anticipated trouble called author ities. , . Mr. and Mrs. Ritts drove out of town, later returned to town and were arrested by Police Chief ! Chet Calkins. During questioning Ritts agreed to submit to a lie detector test, * denying participation in the rob bery. He was taken to Lincoln by Calkins, Deputy Sheriff Albert Sipes, State Patrolmen Fay Robe son and Frank Dineen. At Lincoln the detector work ed against Ritts and he later — about 3 a. m. Monday—signed a statement admitting guilt. He was returned to the Holt jail and hearings for both hi111 and his wife were held late Tues day afternoon. Justice Tomlinson bound botn over to the Holt county district f court. Observers who have watched the case expect Riffs to be lak Jn before District Judge D. R. i Mounts today (Thursday) or Friday foT sentencing. Ritts, who was in the army and got into difficulty with military authorities, has been in O’Neill i about two years. He and his wife were married in December, 1949, in South Dakota. Griffin said an armed robbery charge in Nebraska carries a pen itentiary sentence of from three * to 50 years. , f Both Ritts and his wife are be * ing held on the same charge. 1 Mother, Daughter Appendix Victims * AMELIA - Miss Dorothy Kam { phaus was taken to Our Lady of i Lourdes hospital in Norfolk and operated on for appendicits on Friday, October 19 Her mother Mrs. Joe Kam phaus, «sr., who was staying with her at Norfolk, was taken sud denly ill and submitted to an ap pendectomy Saturday night. MARRIAGE licenses Keith Milton Weis, 20, of O’ Neill and Miss Leatha Lorene Harmon, 16, of Belvidere, on Oc tober 21. , Mnylan R. Fox worthy, 20, of Long Pine, and Donna Rhodes, 18, of Stuart, on October 21 BURIAL AT PAGE FOR MRS. NISSEN Dies in Stuart Hospital Following a 4 Week Illness PAGE—Funeral services were held Tuesday, October 24, at 2 p. m. at the Methodist church here for Mrs. Peter E. Nissen, 60, who died early Sunday in the Stuart hospital. She had been seriously ill for i about four weeks. Rev. Carl G. Rayburn, a for mer pastor, conducted the rites and burial was in the Page cemetery under the direction of Biglin Bros. Pallbearers were Carl Mays, R. V. Crumley, Junior Sorensen, Leonard Miller, Harry Tegeler, Ralph Larson, Glen Stewart and Orville Kemper. The churcn was unable to ac comodate the throng of relatives and friends who gatnered for the service. Alma Margaret, daughter of Blatz and Kate Fuelberth, was born at Sand Prairie, 111., March 8, 1890. In 1893 the family mov,-*d to Osmond. There the deceased grew to womanhood. She was united in marriage to Peter E. Nissen on December 21, 1910. To this union six children were born. All survive their mother’s pass ing except the eldest, Helen Ber nice, who died in 1929. In 1920 the family moved to Page and located on a farm where, with the exception of a few years spent in Iowa, they resided until a few years ago when they retired to their home in Page. Survivors include: Widower; son—Robert Benjamin, of Page; daughters — Mrs. Henry (Alta Pauline) Hennigan, of Blockton, la.; Mrs. Harold (Katherine Ma rie) Freemeyer, of Bedford, la.; Mrs. Laurence (LaVerne Esther) Haynes, of O’Neill; and Mrs. George (Evelyn Lorraine) Leub bers, of Osmond; mother— Mrs. Kate Fuelberth, of Osmond; bro thers — George, of Hartington; Walter, of Corning, la.; Henry, Benjamin and Lorenz, all of Os mond; sisters—Mrs. Anton (Paul ine) Nissen and Mrs. Neil (Freda) Asher, of Page, and Mrs. Ernest (Ella) Brunckhorst, of Inman; 13 grandchildren. 4 Sales Listed on Frontier’s Calendar Four sales are listed on The Frontier’s auction calendar. These include: Friday, October 27—J. J. Har rington lands, 940 acres, unim proved, located 5 Vi miles north of Page. E. C. Weller, of Atkin son, auctioneer; John R. Galla gher, of O’Neill, attorney. Friday, November 3—The heirs of Adam Martin will sell a fine, big livestock and grain ranch 11 miles north of O’Neill on highway 281 and three miles east. Saturday, November 4 — The heirs of Theodore Thorson will sell a fine, improved 400 - acre farm plus two unimproved quar ters. This sale will be held on the premises 11 miles north of O’Neill on highway 281, two miles west and one mile north. On Monday, November 6—Holt county Hereford Breeders’ asso ciation will hold its annual fall sale at the O’Neill Livestock Mar ket. Sixty-one registered Here fords—49 bulls and 12 females— will be auctioned. For a catalog, write James W. Rooney, sale manager. PRAIRIE FIRE The O’Neill volunteer firemen were summoned Tuesday after noon about 1:15 to a prairie fire one mile east of town on the George Losher farm. The fire had practicalliy burned itself out be fore the firemen arrived. Fire men were delayed by cattle cross ing a road. Tune in regularv . . . “Voice of The Frontier”, 9:45 a. m., Mon., Wed., Sat., WJAG (780 k. c.). MRS. GALLAGHER DIES SUDDENLY Son Officiates in Burial Rite for Mother; , Native of O’Neill Mrs. R. E. Gallagher, 64, widow of a former O’Neill realtor and insurance man and a onetime county official, died about 2 a. m. Saturday, October 21, at her home here. She had been ill for about two weeks but confined to her home only a few days. Death was caused by a heart ailment. All members of her im mediate family were near her when she died. Funeral services were conduct ed Monday at 10 a. m. in St. Pat rick’s Catnolic church. Mrs. Gallaghers' son. Rev. Eugene F. Gallagher, S. J., of St. Louis, Mo., officiated in the requiem high Mass. He was as sisted by Very Rev. Timothy J. O'Sullivan, church pastor, and Rev. Peter Burke, of Ewing. Burial was in Calvary cemetery beside the grave of her husband, who died December 13, 1944. B. Helen McCafferty was born Mrs. Gallagher . . . resident.—The Frontier Photo. at O’Neill on August 21, 1886, a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John J. McCafferty, who were among the earliest settlers in the O’Neill colony. Her birthplace was the original McCafferty home on the site of the present W. J. Froelich residence. The original McCafferty homestead represent ed the northeast one-fourth of the present city of O’Neill. Her father, who was a native of Ireland, was a pioneer hard ware merchant and mortician. She attended St. Mary’s acad emy, graduating with the third class—in 1905. On November 19, 1912, she mar ried Robert E. Gallagher. They spent all of their married life in O’Neill with the exception of a bout 18 months during World War II when they resided in Grand Island. The Gallaghers became the parents of two sons—John R., an O’Neill attorney, and Rev. Eugene F., a Jesuit priest who is now an official at St. Louis university. The late Mrs. Gallagher was a member of St. Patrick's church, the Altar society and Simonson unit of the American Legion auxiliary. She was active in community affairs and in her younger years won acclaim as an actress in hometalent plays. She was a favorite of children in her community because of her story-telling. Pallbearers were Henry D. Grady, P. C. Donohoe, M. H. Hor iskey, Fred Saunto, Jack Arbuth not, Edward M. Gallagher, Ben nett Gilligan and Cal Stewart. A rosary was offered Sunday evening at Biglin Bros, funeral chapel in which Mrs. Gallagher’s son also officiated. One of the largest crowds ever to attend a rosary rite was present. The body lay in state at Biglin’s until the funeral hour. Survivors include: Sons—John R., of O’Neill, and Rev. Eugene F., of St. Louis, Mo.; sisters — Mrs. John C. (Marne) Melvin, of O’Neill, temporarily living at St. Louis, and Mrs. John A. (Flor ence) Frenking, of Omaha; four grandchildren. Among those from out-of-town attending the funeral were: Mrs. Melvin and her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Shelton, of St. Louis; Mr. and Mrs. Frenking and daughters, Mary Ann and Joanne, and son, John J.; Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Kleyla, of Omaha; Mrs. Carrie Townsend, of Page (sister of .the late Mr. Gallagher); Mrs. Roy Townsend, of Page. Visitors Here — Mr. and Mrs. Henry Frank ar rived Saturday, October 21, to spend trie weekend with Mr. and Mrs. Don McKamy and Mr. and Mrs. Pat Gamel. O'Neill's blueclad municipal band members are doing their bit on "There Is No Place Like Nebraska" in this photograph taken at half-time Saturday during the Penn Siate-Nebraska football game in Memorial stadium at Lincoln. Over 3.200 prep school mu_ .. — ...- . ■ _ sicians representing 60 bands look part in the band day activities. O'Neill's band is stationed somewhere between the director cen ter platform) and the evergreen tree.—The Frontier Photo. I- <?, James W. McDermott Dies Suddenly Here James W. McDermott, 66, a longtime resident of the O’Neill community, died late Sunday, October 22, in O’Neill hospital little more than an hour after he had become ill. Funeral services were conduct ed at 9 a. m. Wednesday in St. Patrick’s Catholic church and burial was in Calvary cemetery. A rosary was offered Monday night at Biglin Bros, funeral chap el. Pallbearers were John Sulli van, William Sparks, Thomas J. Joyce, M. H. Horiskey, George Shoemaker, Thomas Enright and H. D. Grady. The late Mr McDermott was born on December 3, 1883, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel A. McDer mott. The family came to Holt county from South Dakota in 1906. Mr. McDermott married Alice McNichols on September 3, 1913. They were childless and she died 14 years ago. Mr. McDermott’s occupation was a farmer. He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents and several brothers and sisters. Only sur vivor is a sister, Mrs. Margaret B. Vlasius, of Los Angeles, Calif. She arrived late Tuesday to at tend the funeral. Atkinson Man Survives Sinking ATKINSON — John Warner, DN2, who was a crewmember of the navy’s minesweeper Pledge, which went down in Korean wat ers on October 12, survived the disaster. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Warner, and others were concern ed about his welfare because they knew he was a member of the vessel that had listed as a casualty of Red mines. News that their son was safe reached them early Wed nesday. Young Warner has been in the Navy several years. He is now in a U. S. hospital in Japan recover ing from injuries- Most of his clothing was blown off him by the explosion that preceeded the sinking. First Service in New Church CHAMBERS—The first services were held Sunday in the new Memorial Baptist church in Chambers. Dr. Luther A. Horn, a Southern evangelist, opened a series of meetings which will last for two weeks. A trio of Negro singers are also here for the services, i They are nationally known as the Jericho Jubilee singers. W. F. Grothe, Wife Plan Open House Mr. and ^Irs. W. F. Grothe, of Emmet, will hold open-house for their friends and neighbors on Sunday, November 5, at the Gro- ' the farm home between 2 and 4 p. m. Frontier for printing. The O'Neill musicians are gelling settled for the second half of the Penn State-Nebraska game, won by the Huskers, 19-0. as this picture was taken in the north bleachers. The banner added to the O'Neill unit's exhibition in parading through Lincoln streets before game time. For the band day trip the O'Neill high school and St. Mary's academy music pupils rolled out of bed at 3 a. m. Saturday, ate breakfast at Columbus, got back home about 3 a.m. Sunday. One of the three chartered busses had mechanical trou ble returning causing the delay.—The Frontier Photo. Club Activity to Attract Many Holt Women to Hear Report on Biloxi Meeting Extension club women from all corners of the county will gath er in O’Neill today (Thursday) for the annual achievement day pro gram. Theme of the meeting, to be held at the O’Neill public school auditorium, is ‘‘Home—Fountain Head of Democracy.” Highlight of the program will be a talk by Mrs. Vern Sageser, of Amelia, president of the Ne braska home demonstration council. She has just returned from Biloxi. Miss., where she attended the national meeting as an official Nebraska dele gate. Registration begins at 9:30 a. m. A coffee hour, beginning at 3:30 p. m.. will climax the activi ties. The international theme will be used in decorations, costumes and refreshments. Mr. and Mrs. Neil Haskell, of Laurel, were guests at' the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Gallagher Monday, October 23. » 1 Masquerade Dance for High Schools A masquerade dance under the joint sponsorship of the American Legion auxiliary, the Legion and the Lions club will be held at the Legion auditorium on Hallowe’en. Guests will be high school stu dents from St. Mary’s academy and O’Neill high school. There will be prizes for the best costumes, refreshments will be served, and there will be su pervised dancing between 8 and 11 p. m. There is no admission charge. , Here from North Platte — Robert Ott and wife, of North j Platte, visited over the weekend with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. ! A. Ott, of O’Neill, and also Mr. ] and Mrs. Francis Curran and fam ily. ; - < Mr. and Mrs. Charles Alridge, j of Sioux Falls, S. D., arrived on j - Thursday, October 19, to visit Mr. j and Mrs. Lowell Johnson. They left Saturday, October 21. 1 - i, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Johnson ' were dinner guests at the home ( nf Mr. and Mrs. Herman Grothe, if Emmet, Sunday, October 22. a c Corn Softness Slows Picking Softness of the 1950 corn crop in the O’Neill region has delayed considerable picking. Many farmers have decided to let the corn dry further before harvesting. The yield is “good” but the first freeze inflicted heavy damage. No precipitation was recorded here during th$ past seven days. Indian summer weather charac terized last weekend. On Thurs day the mercury mounted to 82 degrees. Summary based on 24-hour per iods ending at 6 p. m. daily fol lows: Date Hi Lo Prec. October 19 . _ 82 49 October 20 72 40 October 21 _73 51 October 22 _ 45 37 October 23 __ 52 28 October 24 .. 59 42 acouts Begin Number Selling O’Neill’s Boy Scouts are begin, ning a systematic canvass of the city to sell business and residen tial numbers to be used in ready ing the city for door-to-door mail I delivery. The Scouts will earn a small profit on the project, which has been supported by the Lions club and Chamber of Commerce. The materials were purchased by the city. The street-markers, meanwhile, are being erected on steel poles, Hundreds Pack Hall for ‘Stag’ The Chamber of Commerce was host to more than 1,200 men Wednesday night, October 25, in the annual "stag party" (for men only) at the American Legion au ditorium. The standing-room-only sign was draped on the entrance be fore the 8 p. m. starting time. A dutch lunch and refresh ments followed the show by V Roy, the magician; Miss Chester field, the dancer, and other en tertainers. Holtorf Favor* Education Aid Hans J. (“Jack") Holtorf, Ger ing attorney who is Democratic candidate for congress from the Fourth Nebraska district, made a statement in O’Neill last Thurs day that he is “for Federal aid to education." Holtorf said it should be han dled in the same manner as Fed eral grants to the highway de partment and be “handled exclu sively under state control.” Lorelto Youth, 16, Hunt Casually — Kenneth Fleek, 16, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fleek, of Lor etto, was taken to a Norfolk hos pital Friday afternoon after being sprayed by gunshot while hunt ing ducks near Chambers. Seven or eight pellets went through his clothing and embed ded themselves under his skin. They were removed and the boy’s condition is “good.’’ He was hit by a charge fired by companion about 60 yards away.