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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.