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North-Nebraska’s Fastest-Growing Newspaper
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VOLUME 71.—NUMBER 5. ’ O'NEILL. NEBRASKA. THURSDAY. JUNE 7. 1951. PRICE: 7 CENTS
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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.