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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1950)
16 PAGES — 3 SECTIONS I SECTION — 8 PAGES •NtFeS North-Nebraska's Fastest-Growing Newspaper VOLUME 70.—NUMBER 33. O'NEILL. NEBR.. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 21. 1950. --PRICE 7 CENTS INTEREST AND DISINTEREST ... Monty Ray (left) and his twin sister, Marlene Fae, children' of Mr. and Mrs. Claude Pickering, of Redbird, registered both interest and disinterest when they called on Santa at the O’Neill public school Saturday afternoon. Both have I red hair. Their mother is in the background. The twins are 3% I years-old. Monty wants a tractor, Marlene a dolly.—The Frontier I Photo. mmm Terry Bosn. 7. daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Simon Bosn, of O' Neill, told Santa she wanted a "set of dishes" or a "doll buggy" come Christmas eve. Santa talked with Terry and 949 other young sters Saturday under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce.— The Frontier Photo. .. - A---— YULE BUYING HITS NEW HIGH 5 Leading Firms Here Establish A11 - Time Records Tlhe 1950 yule buying season will draw to a close with at least five of O’Neill’s leading firms establishing new records. Peak buying took place on Saturday, December 16, but at least one major store established an all-time record the preceding Saturday. Checks clearing in the O' Neill banks indicated that buy ers from as far as a hundred miles were making O'Neill their Christmas shopping head quarters. Never in the city’s history have stores been as well stocked as they were this year. Most mer chants last spring and summer thought they had purchased ad equate stocks, but the buying this year exceeded most expecta tions. Indication of the business in crease showed up at the postof fice, too. Postmaster Agnes E. Sullivan told The Frontier that Monday, December 18, “may have been an all-time record on volume of mail and parcel post.” The rail strike in centers east of the Mississippi river had no effect on postal service here. Nine hundred and fifty chil dren were issued goodies by Ol’ Santa when he made his annual trip to O’Neill to see the small fry. Traveling by jet plane, he landed at the airport and rode into town aboard a fire truck, arriving promptly at 2 p. m. A|Hundred more children were served this year than a year ago. They received fruit, candy and gum. Santa was aided and abetted by the Chamber of Commerce. O’Neill’s Christmas dress was completed last week when mul ticolored strings of lights were stretched across Fourth street and Douglas street at intervals. Meanwhile, the true Christmas story will be retold in Holt coun ty churches in worship and song. Most churches have planned special Christmas programs and details of these can be found on pages 8 and 11 in this issue. • MARRIAGE LICENSE John William Leist and Miss Lois Jean Parks, both of Page, on December 15. Ryan's Remains Are Brought Here Remains of Eugene Ryan, 63, of Superior, Wise., a former O’ Neill resident, reached O’Neill early Monday, December 18, and brief rites were held preceding burial in Calvary cemetery. Very Rev. Timothy O’Sullivan offered a prayer at Biglin Bros, funeral home. A requiem mass was said earlier at Superior. The late Mr. Ryan’s widow and his sister, Miss Mary Belle Ryan, accompanied the remains here, They departed later in the day for North Bend. Mr. Ryan was born in O' Neill, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Ryan. His father was an early saloon-keeper here and died when Eugene was 2-years-old. His mother. Belle Ryan, died five years a go. Both parents are interred in Calvary cemetery. Mr. Ryan went to school here and attended Creighton univer sity at Omaha where he studied pharmacy. Later he established a drug store in Superior. His wife also was a pharmacist. Mr. Ryan’s estate owns the business property on Douglas street now occupied by Matt Hynes’ pool hall. Until the past few years Mr. Ryan owned resi dential property here and made frequent trips to O’Neill. O’Neillites Attend Funeral at Burke A number of O’Neillites at - tended funeral rites Saturday, December 9, at Burke, S. D., for Mrs. Neal Ellston, 53, mother of Kenneth Ellston, of O’Neill. Mrs. Ellston, who had been a Gregory county courthouse em ployee for eight years and re cently employed by the Burke hospital, had been ill only a week. She died December 6. Burial was in Graceland ceme tery at Burke. Among those from here attend ing were: Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Ellston, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Long, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Col lins, Mr. and Mrs. D. F. Murphy and son, Mrs. T. M. Harrington and Miss Bea Murphy. Survivors include: Widower; son—Kenneth, of O’Neill; daugh ters — Mrs. Lawrence (Beverly) ! Williamson, of Austin, Minn.; Miss Betty, of Burke; mother — Mrs. M. Squires, of Minneapolis, Minn.; two brothers and one sis ter. RANCHER DIES AT STEERING WHEEL Heart Attack Proves Fatal to A. R. Bell, Chambers Man CHAMBERS— A heart attack about 7 p. m., Tuesday, Decem ber 14, proved fatal to A. R. Bell, 68, well-known Chambers rancher. He was driving his truck away from the O’Neill Livestock Market and was near ing the Bazelman Service Station when he was stricken. His wife, Myrtle, who was with him, summoned a physician. The body was taken to Biiglin Bros. Funeral services were held at 2 p. m. Monday, December 18, at the Methodist church in Chambers with Rev. Ralph Gerber, of O'Neill, officiating. Burial was in the Chambers cemetery. Amos Reed Bell was bom on June 6, 1882, in Pottawattamie county, Iowa (near Red Oak). His parents were Mr. and Mrs. Willis Robinson Bell, who origi nated in Ohio. On August 28, 1904, he was united in marriage to Myrtle Jef fers, of Chambers, and to this union one son was bom. Mr. Bell came to Holt county from Dorrance, Kans., in 1887 and was a lifelong farmer and rancher. The Bells for years resided at the edge of Chambers. From youth Mr. Bell has been a member of the Kellar Presby terian church. He affiliated with the IOOF lodge in April, 1909. He had been engaged in ranch ing and trucking. Survivors include: Widow; son —Melvin Bell, of Chambers; bro ther — Dale Bell, of Chambers; sister—Mrs. Hazel Miller, of Chi cago, 111.; granddaughter-*- Lana Alden Bell, of Chambers. Reverend Gerber’s text was taken from John XIV:l-4. Music was furnished by a mix ed quartette comprised of Mrs. Ed Eisen Lower, Mrs. C. V. Rob ertson, Ray Hoffman and Ernest Farrier. The following selections (Continued on page 8.) Atkinson Marine Wounded in Korea ATKINSON — Marine Pfc. Ralph Eugene Farewell, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Farewell, of Atkinson, has been wounded in action in Korea, the depart ment of defense announced Mon day. No further details are known by the parents. Holt County Service Officer John Grutsch said that the Fare well casualty is the first among Holt countyans in the Korean war. On October 3 Army Pfc. Rob ert C. Wright, son of Mrs. Dora M. Mat ing, Atkinson, was listed as missing in action but subse j quently returned to duty. Corn Is Picked For Ewing Farmer— EWING—Neighbors of Wilbur Bennett gathered at his farm near here Monday morning and completed harvesting his corn crop. 1 Those who took part in the project were DeWitt Hoke, Leo Miller, John Napier, Ralph Shra der, Lynn Fry, Roger Bennett, Wayne Shrader, Carl Chrisiton, Alton Gunter, Harold Bennett, Wilbert Napier, Alfred Napier, Gordon Shrader and Mr. Ben nett. Members of the Bennett family were injured in an automobile accident Novmber 27, and were hospitalized. They are now at home again. Miss Virginia Bennett, who works in the county extension office at O’Neill, is now back at her duties. DIES FROM POISONING Mrs. Anna Wehde, 55, step mother of Mrs. Glea Wade, died Wednesday, December 13, in a Des Moines, la., hospital. She be came ill after eating an Omaha baked pie. On November 18 sev eral score of persons were strick en, but Mrs. Wehde’s death is believed the first among the vic tims. Mrs. Wade attended the funeral. SUPERVISORS MEET Members of the board of su pervisors of the Holt County Soil Conservation district met Wed nesday at the annex. JOHN KENNY, WIFE WED 50 YEARS Couple Spends 43 Years in Atkinson Vicinity; Plan Reception ATKINSON — Mr. and Mrs. John Kenny will hold a recep tion for their friends at the Knights of Columbus hall on Sunday, December 24—marking their golden wedding anniversa ry. There will be a family dinner at noon. The reception will be from 2 to 4 o’clock. Mr. and Mrs. Kenny were mar ried December 24, 1900, near Al bion by Rev. D. J. Pointer. They resided with Mrs. Ken ny’s father, Zeb Woodgerd, for a time, then moved to a farm eight miles west of Albion. After spending five years in Custer county, the Kennys came to Holt in 1907, residing first near Am elia then onto their present place about six miles southwest of At kinson. The Kennys have two sons — Raymond, of Amelia, and Dwight, of Atkinson, and two j daughters—Mrs. Gertrude Carr, of Atkinson, and Mrs. Ruby O’- j Connell, of Emmet. Induction Orders for 6 Holt Men The Holt county selective ser vice board has announced the names of six registrants who have been ordered to report for induction on January 2. They are: Robert H. Scott, of Chambers; Andrew Ramold, of Atkinson; Harold R. Krugman, of O’Neill; Dale Mliner, of Atkinson; Eugene L. Sobotka, of Inman, and Fred Burival, jr., of O’Neill. When these six men are in ducted the total number of Holt countyans drafted during the new emergency will be 31. Mrs. W. H. Harty, chief clerk for the Holt draft board, said Wednesday no new quotas for preinduction physicals have been assigned to the county. O’Neill Man Want* to Be Santa Claus An O’Neill man, a goodfel low indeed, came to The Fron tier office Wednesday and de clared: "I want to be Santa Claus for a family of O’Neill chil dren. Help me locate a needy, deserving family, will you?” We said we’d try. If you know of an O’Neill family where the stockings will be wanting for gifts come Christmas morn, why not for ward the names to The Fron tier? We’ll turn the corre spondence over to this O'Neill man whose own family—a son and a daughter— already are grown. This Santa Claus in a work ing man’s clothing asked that he be not identified. Like oT St. Nick himself, this man has his limitations but he wants to help someone. Girl’s Eyesight Will Not Be Impaired ATKINSON —The eyesight of Eileen Wagman, 12, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wagman, of Atkinson, will not be impaired as a result of injuries suffered when struck in the left eye with an air rifle shot. She was accidentally shot Sun day by her brother, Christy, a bout 10. The shot apparently went a round the eye, Norfolk hospital attendants said. The girl’s condition is reported as “good.” She was taken to the hospital Sunday evening. DRAW PAY EARLY Holt county employees will draw their monthly pay checks the day before Christmas in ac cordance with a long-established custom. The board of supervisors met Wednesday to allow the claims and perform sntuf other routine business. Regular month ly meeting, however, will not be held until next week. Here for Holidays— Robert Allen, of Omaha, an employee of the United Benefit Fire Insurance company, came Friday to spend a two weeks va cation with relatives and friends. ‘pOTc / tliou^l NEW PLATES TO GO ON SALE JAN. 2 ‘New Look’ Will Feature White Numerals on Black Background The 1951 automobile license plates with the "new look” will go on sale January 2, 1951. Instead of the traditional "36” numerical county prefix, the 1951 plates will designate the county by the letters “HL.” Holt has been "36” since 1922. The original numerical refer ence determined the county’s rank in population, but the rank ing has long since been outdated. The 1951 plates will be is sued in the same order as your present number, except no one wiU have a number over ”999." But there will be a suffix (or letter following) to designate the thousands. "A." "B." "C etc. County Treasurer J. Ed Han cock explains, for example, that the 1950 number “36-1234” in 1951 will become “HL-234B”; the 1950 number “36-2234” will be come “HL-234C"; the 1950 num ber "36-3234” will become "HL-234D,” etc. All passenger plates will be the same in size with white nu merals on black background. The recent general election has created a change in fees for 1951. The change will affect all vehic lee except diesel licenses and light trailer licenses. A passenger car with a rated weight of less than 2,800 pounds will be $3; 2,800 pounds and over, $5. Farm truck and commercial vehicles, dealers licenses and hearses will be the same fee that was charged in 1949. Motorists can receive licenses 'through the mail by forwarding the 1950 certificate, the proper fee, the tax amount and eight cents for postage. Hancock said that beginning Tuesday, January 2. the door of the county treasurer's office will not open until 10 a. m.. enabling the office force to spend two hours each morning to work the mail, make depos its and perform some book keeping. Nine hundred more motor ve hicle certificates were issued in i950 than in 1949. A change has been made in the dates for examination for driv ers’ licenses. Change is from the first and third Saturday fore noons of each month to the first and third Tuesday afternoons. The change will take effect Jan uary 1. A. Marcellus Buys Horiskey Building A. Marcellus, O’Neill automo bile dealer, has purchased from Mary Horiskey the frame Horis key building which was damag ed by fire last spring. The build ing is situated on the south side of Douglas street between Fourth and Fifth. It was occupied by the Elite cafe at the time of the fire. Mr. Marcellus said he plans to erect a one-story fireproof brick building on the site, 22 x 75 feet. A new building is nearing completion on the lot immediate ly east of the Elite site. It will be the new home of the Gilligan drug store. Homer F. Mullen is the owner. Erection of the two buildings in the heart of the business dis trict will be major improvements for the city. Consumers Rebuilds Li n e to Emmet Consumers Public Power com pany construction crews are working on the project of re building the high tension line from O’Neill to Emmet. The new line has a greater ca pacity for conducting current to meet the load requirements. L. C. Walling, manager of the O’Neill district, said the O’Neill Emmet link had been badly i damaged by sleet and wind in i the past and some serious dam age had been done to the old line i by pranksters with gunshot. Work has been done night and-day to prevent service dis ruption. The improvement will I cost about 14-thdusand dollars. Gets Promotion— F. W. O’Connell is visiting his | parents. Dr. and Mrs. F. A. O’ j Donnell, until after Christmas. | He has been promoted to the rank of sergeant and is station ed at Qffutt air force base, Om I aha.