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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1951)
12 PAGES — 2 SECTIONS I * i North-Nebraska’s Fastest-Growing Newspaper «• • VOLUME 71.—NUMBER 5. ’ O'NEILL. NEBRASKA. THURSDAY. JUNE 7. 1951. PRICE: 7 CENTS ——_ ■ - 1 — ' 1 ■ 1 " — -- - - - 1 1 - __ STATE HIST SOC ^ 3 Couples Will Renew Vows Stouts Wed 50 Years; Daughters to Observe 25th Anniversaries An O’Neill couple Saturday, June 9, will celebrate their gol den wedding anniversary, and simultaneously their 2 daugh ters with their husbands will be observing silver wedding anni versaries. Principals in the unusual tri angular celebration are among * O’Neill’s most prominent citi zens. They are Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Stout, who were married June 9, 1901; Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Froelich, married Ji’v 21, 1926, and Mr. and Mrs. H -■ Birmingham, married September 16, 1926. The three couples will go to the altar at St. Patrick’s Catho lic church in a special 9 an. mass Saturday and renew their nuptial vows. Very Rev. Timo thy O’Sullivan will officiate. No special invitations have been issued by the 3 couples, but they are cordially invit ing all of their friends to the mass and to the open house reception from 2 until 5 p.m.. in the Birmingham home. The families request no gifts be sent. Culminating 50 years of mar ried life for the Stouts also means completion of a half-cen tury of continuous residence in O’Neill. tt was at the altar of the or iginal St. Patrick’s church that C. E. Stout, a young pharmacist who had just completed his ap prenticeship, and Miss Kitty Dwyer took their original vows. Mr. Stout, now 76, was born in Blair, a rugged river town, in October, 1875. He was reared 1 and educated there. His father helped to build the railroad bridge across the Missouri river. Just out of high school, young Charles decided he wanted to be a pharmacist. He went to Des Moines, la., for a snort course Back in Blair again, a traveling salesman encountered young Stout with the proposition of an opening for an apprentice with the P. C. Corrigan store in a town called O’NeilL “First Pd ever heard of the place,” Stout recalls. It was in 1895 the eager ap prentice rode into town aboard a slow train. Five years later he was quali fied to hurdle the state drug exams—and he did! > Meanwhile, the firm had be come known as Gilligan & Her shiser—(the late Dr. J. P. Gilli gan and Jake Hershiser, who now lives in California.) By 1901 the nanne had changed again. It became Gilhgan & Stout. Kilty Dwyer was the daugh ter of Irish immigrants, Timo thy F. and Mary Dwyer. Her mother used to tell about the 6 weeks crossing of the North Atlantic in a sail boat. Kitty was bom near Hancock, Mich., where her parents spent an interim before yielding to the beckoning of Gen. John ONeill. * Her father made an advance trip to Holt county and filed for a homestead in the so - called “Michigan settlement” northeast of O’Neill. Pretty little Kitty Dwyer al ready was a well-travelled young lady when she met the young pharmacist. She had been bom (Continued on page 8.) Minority Opposes Security Payments The Holt county board of su pervisors conducted an open meeting Tuesday night at the court house. Purpose of the meeting was to determine the sentiment of the public regard ing the paying of social securi k ty for county employees—a mat ter which is optional to state, county and municipal govern ments. Board Chairman Frank Cronk conducted the session. The ma jority of those present, which included mostly county employ ees, favored participating in so cial security. The supervisors, however, will make the matter official at their next meeting. A minority in the audience protested the social security scheme. Mrs. Gilman Davis, Stuart, Succumbs > - STUART — Funeral services for Mrs. Gilman Davis, 75, Stuart farm woman, will be held at 2 p. m., today, (Thursday) in the Community church at Stuart. Rev. Orin C. Graff, church pas tor, will officiate and burial will be at Atkinson. Mrs. Davis died late Monday following a heart attack. She had been ill about a week. , Survivors include: Widower; sons—Marion, of Stuart; M. Ray of Des Moines, la.; Feme, of Atkinson; daughter—Mrs. Ar thur (Winnie) Weber, of Bas sett. Hold Picnic in Page Park— The annual Holt county ex tension club picnic_was held on , June S at the Page park. Merriman Is New City Councilman L. M. Merriman, head of an O’ Neill bottling firm, Tuesday was appointed new First ward city councilman and at the same time the appointment was confirmed by the council. Merriman was appointed by Mayor J. E. Davis to complete the unexpired term of L. M. (“Mike’’) Diehlman, who moved to Phoe nix, Ariz., in April. Earlier Merriman had been appointed to the post but the appointment failed to be con firmed. The O’Neill volunteer fire de partment submitted to the coun cil specif icatoins for the 15 thousand-dollar fire truck author ized by the voters at the April election. The firemen want a new truck equipped with a 750-gallon capacity pump, a 300 - gallon booster and a hose body that will accommodate up to 1,500 feet of 2%-inch double jacket hose. The city will advertise for bids. W. A. DOERING EXPIRES AT ALBION Heart Attack Fatal to Operator of 3 Stores W. A. Doering, 46, operator of Doering ladies’ ready-to - wear stores in O’Neill, Albion and Scottsbluff, died about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 3, at his home in Albion. He had suffered a heart attack 2 weeks earlier and ap parently was on the road to re covery when he was fatally stricken. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, June 5, at 2 p.m. in the Methodist church at Albion. A mong those from O’Neill attend ing were Mr. and Mrs. Bartley Brennan and Miss Mary Alice Judge. The body was taken to Tripp, S.D., Wednesday for burial. Mr. Doering was born Decem ber 1, 1904, in South Dakota. He managed Montgomery Ward & Co. stores before establishing his own firm. In 1946 he went to Albion and the following year purchased the Apparel shop in O’Neill, which has been managed by his sister in-law, Miss Ruth Case. Three weeks ago he added the Scottsbluff store—the longest-es tablished store of its kind in that city—to the organization. Survivors include: Widow— Mildred: daughters—Donna, who graduated this spring at Albion high school, Kay and Janice, 4; son — Robert; 5 brothers and 3 sisters. Vandals Interfere with Communications Consumers Public Power dis trict officials Friday reported that vandals have been shoot ing at and destroying the red blinker light atop the radio transmitting tower on the east outskirts of the city. “This has happened on sev eral occasions,” Manager L. C. Walling said, “but Friday a rifle shot severed a coaxial cable link ing the transmitter with the an tennae.” The matter was reported to the Holt county sheriff. Donald Gallagher, jr.. Gets Master's at Yale— Yale university has awarded a master’s degree in electrical eng ineering to Donald Gallagher, jr., in O’Neill. He is a son of Donaid Gallagher, sr., former resident, of Lincoln, who is well-known Donald, jr., graduated with dis tinction from the University of Nebraska last year and attended Yale under an Edison fellowship granted him by the le'.ier univer sity. His master’s degree at Yale under the fellowship was attain ed with honors. Donald will be a member of the electronic research staff at the Motorola laboratories in Chicago, 111. 'Montana Jack' Sullivan Arrives Wednesday— “Montana Jack” Sullivan, of Butte, Mont., former resident and an illustrious figure in the sport ing world, arrived in O’Neill ear ly Wednesday. Each year he vis its O’Neill and this year timed his visit to coincide with the golden wedding anniversary cel ebration of Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Stout. He had been to Indianapolis, Ind., for the memorial day auto racing classic and will visit here about a week. AUXILIARY GIVES Simonson unit of the Ameri can Legion auxiliary Wednesday night presented a $500 check to St. Anthony’s hospital building fund, boosting the auxiliary’s total to $1,000. New officers elected and installed are: Mrs. Axel Borg, president; Mrs. Noal Long, first vice - president; Mrs. Virgil Laursen, second vice-pres ident; Mrs. H. D. Gildersleeve, secretary; Mrs. C. V. Sullivan, treasurer; Rose Minton, chaplain. ALLIANCE PASTOR GETS APPOINTMENT Rev. Luvern Jay Will Be M. E. Superintendent; Rev. Bell Returns Rev. Luvern Jay, Methodist pastor at Alliance for 4 years, Friday was appointed superin tendent of the newly-created O’Neill district fcy Bishop Dana Dawson, of the Nebraska-Kan sas area. Reverend Jay and his wife will reach O’Neill on Thursday, June 14. The Jays will reside in Ihe former P. J. McManus resi dence, which the Methodists purchased a fortnight ago. The new O’Neill district is made up of portions of the for mer Norfolk district and the former northwest district. Rev erend Jay’s supervision will ex tend over a territory extending from Cherry county on the west to the Missouri river on the east. The northern boundary is the South Dakota - Nebraska line. Rev. V. R. Bell, O’Neill pastor for 3 years, was reassigned for another year. Rev. E. G. Hughes was returne d to At kinson to begin his second year, and Rev. Charles C. Chappell was returned to Ewing-Inman for his second year. The Page pastor, Rev. C. E. Wilcox, and the Chambers pastor, Rev. L. R. Hansberry, will also remain at their present stations. Rev. Marjorie Johnson, of Spencer, was ordained a deacon in the conference. Miss Ruth Harris Reaches New York Miss Ruth Harris, daughter of Mrs. Esther C. Harris, docked Tuesday at New York City after having served about 4% years in China as a Methodist, missionary. Miss Harris, whose return itin erary included visits in India and Europe, called her mother from New York. Her sister, Mrs. Der ald May, of Omaha, and her brother, Guy, a student at Wes leyan university in Lincoln, were at the Harris home at the time of the call. She will depart soon for a week’s visit in Lewistown, Pa., at the home of Miss Doris Caldwell, another missionary who returned with Miss Harris. From June 20 through June 27 she will attend a national conference of mission aries at Green Castle, Ind. She expects to be home about July 1. Seaman 2/c Tomjack I* on Leave— Reed Tbmjack, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo S. Tomjack, arrived early Saturday to spend a leave with his parents. A second-class seaman, Tarn jack has been gone a year, spending considerable time in the Far East. Aildnson Lad to Industrial School— A 12-year-old Atkinson 5th grader, Elmer Schaffer, jr., Mon day was taken to the Kearney industrial school as an out growth of juvenile delinquency matters. Entertain 125 at Open-House - <1 PAGE — Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Lamason observed their golden; wedding anniversary at their home in Page by holding open house Sunday afternoon and* evening for their relatives and friends. Leslie Lamason and Mary Skelton were married June 4, 1901, on a farm near Page. The observance of the anniversary was held June 3. Miss Frances Lamason had charge of the guest book which was signed by 125 relatives and friends. Mr. Lamason was born in Mackinaw, 111., and came to Holt county with his people at the age of 10. His wife was born in Princeton, UL, and she came to the Page vicinity when i a child. They were married on the place 3 miles northwest of Page now occupied by Ben Stevens, a cousin of Mrs. Lamason. Mr. and Mrs. Lamason, who have spent their entire married life in the Page community, are the parents of 4 children— Roy Lamason, of Lincoln; Melvin Lamason. of Page; Mildred Jef fers and Frances Lamason, both of Lincoln, who were {ill present for the event. They have 6 grand children. One grandson was un able to be present. There were 2 present Sunday who had attend ed the wedding 50 years ago. They were Ben and Earl Stevens, of Page. They were presented with a Colorful 50 Years for Dorsey Pair - <s> + + -4r DORSEY — For 33 years the combination home - postoffice telephone exchange here has been the focal point in the Dor sey community. And for 33 years Mr. and Mrs. James E. Wiley have faithfully served their neighbors and done a heap o’ livin’. On Tuesday. June 12, the Wileys will celebrate their gold en wedding anniversary. A few remnants of the gen eration in which they grew up will be on hand to help them, but mostly the crowd will be composed of the children and grandchildren of the men and women who helped develop northeast Holt county. There will be a basket din ner at 12:30 p.m. at the Dor sey church. Older folks will visit with the Wileys and youngsters will frolic in the church yard. Mrs. Wiley’s maiden name was Elizabeth Binkerd and to her goes the honor of being the longest continuous resident in | Steel Creek township. She came to Holt with her parents on May 6, 1880, at the age of 2. “And there’s no place like Holt county,” she earnestly pro claims. The Wileys were married at the original Binkerd home, 3*/i miles from where they now live. They farmed for awhile before taking over the switchboard and postoffice in 1917. “Traveling with horse-drawn buggies, the carriers used to set out from O’Neill before daylight and get back late at night,” Mr. Wiley explains Mrs. Wiley has spent uncount ed hours on the small switch board, performing a glamorless and tiring service to a grateful community. She has answered the night bell in the middle of the night to switch messages bearing good news and bad news. The highlight in their public service careers came during Op eration Snowbound in 1949. Mrs. Wiley, a frail little lady of 73 years, never will forget the night a mechanised snow army pulled up in front with 'cats and weasels. “They were here off-ana-on all night for lunch and I.had 10 for breakfast the next morning. We baked pancakes, fried bacon and fried eggs for them. "The captain said to me: ‘I’ll take my eggs turned over.’ So I tried to turn them over but I got them scrambled! “I practically lost my voice— and my hearing, too—handling Woods Visii Son's Grave el Keokuk— PAGE — Mr. and Mrs. Fred Wood visited on memorial day at the grave of their son, Warren, who lost his life while serving with the army air force in China during World War II. Warren is buried at the national cemetery at Keokuk, la. On their way to Keokuk, the Woods stopped in Lincoln where they were joined by Mrs. Earl Bolen and Dianne, of Cort land, and Mrs. Vernon Wiseman and Jo Ann. of Lincoln. While in Keokuk, all were guest sat a dinner given by the American war dads of Keo kuk for the visiting relatives of the war dead. purse by their many friends and neighbors. They also received many other gifts and cards. The dining room table was decorated with candles and gar den flowers. It was centered by a 3-tier wedding cake decorated in yellow and white. The cake was baked by Mrs. George Clasey, Mrs. Alton Braddock and Mrs. Melvin Lamason. Assisting in the decoration was Mrs. John Lamason. The Lamasons retired from the farm in October, 1950, and now reside in a small yellow house a ★ * Mr. and Mra. Leslie Lamason . . . grew up in same neighbor hood. got married.—The Frontier Photo. Mr. and Mrs. James E. Wiley . . . their home has been a com munity focal point for years.—The Frontier Photo. I The Wiley* ■ < ■ on their wedding day. all those calls during Snow bound. Those long distance calls were very difficult because lines were sometimes down and grounded.” Mr. Wiley is tall, erect and sil very grey. He is 78-years-old, drives his own car and has thie} bearing of a professional man many years younger. His residence in Nebraska (Continued on page 4.) Tractor Spills; Farmer Dies Rev. Parr Goes to St. Joseph’s ATKINSON—Rev. Richard J. Parr, of Battle Creek, has been appointed pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic church in Atkinson, succeeding the late Rev. A. A. Lehmen, who died May 25. Reverend Parr served before World War II as assistant pas tor at St. Patrick’s church in O’Neill. He was a chaplain dur ing the war. Lutheran Church edicated at Bassett— « BASSETT—St. Peter’s Luth eran church in Bassett was ded icated Sunday, June 3. For many years the Luther ans in Bassett have held their religious services in homes, in the Episcopal chuch and in the Legion hall. _ 1 block south of Page’s main street (near the telephone office). Both are enjoying “good health.” Out-of-town guests were: Mr. and Mrs. Roy Lamason and son, Robert, Mrs. Mildred Jeffers and daughter and Miss Frances Lam ason, all of Lincoln; Mrs. Susan Hathaway and Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Anderson and daughter, Fran ces, of Hartington; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Buhk and Ada Afflack, of Beemer; Mr. and Mrs. Alvan Saxton, of Spalding: Miss Mary Smith, of O’Neill; Budford Bow yer, of Omaha. ★ Joe Tomasek, 63, bachelor farmer living 8 miles west of Verdigre, was killed late Mon day afternoon when the tractor he was driving overturned in a ( 7-foot rain - washed gully and pinned Mr. Tomasek beneath it. The accident was discovered at 7 p.m. by Don Jinkerson, of Plainview, who was visiting at nearby Dorsey. He saw the trac tor with its wheels in the air and investigated. Mr. Jinkerson discovered that Mr. Tomasek was pinned under the tractor, which was testing on the victim’s head. He drove to Verdigre for help. It is believed that death was instantaneous. Observers theorised that Mr. Tomasek may have been looking back to adjust the plow when the tractor went over the bank of a washout. Mr. Tomasek is survived by his stepmother, Mrs Anna Tomasek, who was not at home Monday but who was visiting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Soucek, 4 miles south west of the Tomasek place. Some years ago Mr. Toma sek’s father was killed when he was crushed under a load of lumber. Mr. Tomasek had lived on his farm 40 or 45 years. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. This is the second fatal trac tor accident in the same vicin ity this spring. Another farmer, living west of Jelen, was killed by an overturned tractor only 3 V2 miles from the Tomases farm. Illness Forces Trussell to Sell Bcause of illness in his family *rd advanced age, Walter Trus sell living 5 miles east, 3 miles south and 3V4 miles east from Chambers, will offer a 480-acre improved livestock and hay unit and personal property at public auction on Tuesday, June 12. Cols. Ed Thorin, of Chambers, and Verne Reynoldson, of O’ Neill, will be auctioneers. Keith J.' Sexton, of the Chambers State bank, will clerk. (For details see big advertisement on page 6 of this issue or big blue handbill. Mrs Trussell was taken to a Norfolk hospital a week ago. Her condition is “serious.” The well-improved land is in the Martha community. In addi tion to the real estate, 34 head of cattle, a complete lineup of farm and haying machinery and some household goods will be of fered. CABINET R TO SPEAK HERE Chapman, Secretary o f Interior, Coming for Basin Meet A member of President Tru man’s cabinet, Oscar L. Chap nan, secretary of the interior, vill be in O’Neill on Tuesday, July 17, to speak at the 6th an nual meeting of the Niobrara Basin Development association. Chapman tentatively plans to fly from Washington. D.C„ to O'Neill in an interior de partment plane. He will be accompanied by several staff members and will proceed later to Colorado for a cere mony in behalf of the Big Thompson project. Ernest A. House, president, and Vena Lindholm, secretaiy, both of Ainsworth, and officers in the Niobrara organization, talked with Chapman in Den ver a fortnight ago. He expressed sincere hopes he would be able to attend the O’Neill meeting. The association was formed in 1946 for the express purpose of promoting development of the natural resources within the basin. Officers this year are: Ernest A. House, of Ainsworth, presi dent; Lyle P. Dierks, of Ewing, vice-president, and Paul Schnei der, of Ainsworth, treasurer. O’Neill Mayor J. E. Davis and Secretary James W. Rooney, of the O’Neill Chamber of Com merce, directed letters to Chap- - man, inviting him to attend. It will be the first visit to O'Neill of i cabinet officer.' during his term of office. O’Neill, however, has enter- • tained high-ranking U. S. offi cers in other years. President Theodore Roosevelt and Presi dent Howard Taft made visits here during presidential cam paigns. Vice-President Charles G. Dawes stopped briefly en route to the Black Hills on a vacation during his term of of fice. William Jennings Bryan and Francis P. Matthews visited O’Neill on numerous occasions prior to their appointments as secretary of state and secretary of navy, respectively. Final plans for the July 17 meetings are not yet completed. Meanwhile, C. Petrus Peterson, of Lincoln,, a recognized authori ty on irrigation, will speak oh Friday, June 8, at 8 p.m. in the O’Neill public school band room. His talk will concern reclama tion in the Niobrara basin. The prehminary survey work in the basin is about completed. The Peterson talk is under the auspices of the Chamber of Com merce. Rooney says: “The irrigation of the proposed area in Holt county will increase the wealth and stabilize the economy of the area. It will mean prosperity and security for the fanners and bus - inessmen.” Becomes M.D., and Father Same Week Stephen Wallace, of Omaha, son fo Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Wal lace, of O’Neill, received his de gree from the medical school of Creighton university in Oro aha on Thursday, May 31. Two days later, on Saturday, June 2, Dr. and Mrs. Wallace became the parents of a son, Patrick James. Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Wallace and Mr. and M. Dale Kersen broek were in Omaha for the graduation exercises They re turned to O’Neill Friday. An other son, Robert, who is also a student at Creighton, arrived in O’Neill Saturday. Doctor Wallace was nominat ed to the Upsilon Pi national honor fraternity because of his high scholastic standing. He is also a member of the Phi Beta Pi medical fraternity. Wallace will intern at St. Catherine’s hospital, Omaha. He served in the air force dur ing the late war. Mrs. Ralph Merriman, South Sioux, Expires Funeral services were held Monday morning at St. Michael’s Catholic church in South Sioux City for Mrs. Ralph (Anna M.) Merriman, who died Friday. Rev. M A. Quinn officiated. Mrs. Merriman was a former resident of O’NeiU and a grad uate of St. Mary’s academy. Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Merriman and Mrs. R. R. Morrison, a sis ter of the late Mrs. Merriman. attended the funeral services from O’Neill. Mrs. Merriman is survived hv 4 daughters and >8 grandchildSfn. Her husband died a few months ago.