2 SECTIONS - 12 PAGES
•' i „ . .
North-Nebraska’s Fastest-Growing Newspaper
VOLUME 7i.—NUMBER 51.__O'NEILL, NEBRASKA. THURSDAY. APRIL 24. 1952. PRICE: 7 CENTS.
—The Frontier Photo & Engraving
DRIVE IN THEATER GOES UP . . . Workmen are making rapid
progress on O’Neill’s new drive in theater being erected, on the
former Danceland site, at the junction of U.S. highways 20 and
281 a mile northwest of the city. The 60-foot verticals will support
the screen. Workmen are dwafed by the structure. R. V. Fletcher,
of Hartington, is making the installation here. He said he plans to
open “sometime in May.”
Reelected Teachers
Accept New Contracts
All O’Neill public school teach
ers reelected at the March meet
ing of the board of education
have signed and returned their
contracts.
Two of the present staff, Jo
seph George, high school social
science instructor, and Mrs. Al
ice Fritton, fourth grade teacher,
earlier had asked the board not to
consider them for relection.
Five percent pay increases
were authorized.
City’s New Fire
Truck Arrives
O’Neill’s new fire truck, which
voters approved in a $15,000 spe
cial bond issue election last fall,
reached O’Neill at 6:30 p.m. Wed
nesday. It had been delayed en
route at Clinton, la., because of
Missouri river valley flood con
ditions.
Fire Chief G .E. Miles said a
gruelling three-hour undervrrit
ers’ test, under supervision of
the Nebarska testing bureau, will
be given the machine on Friday.
Bill Hale, of Kansas City, Mo.,
engineering representative for
the manufacturer, will be here.
Brother Dies in
Korea Fighting—
PAGE— Cpl. George A. Max,
22, of Omaha, was killed in Ko
rean fighting Easter Sunday.
His wife, Mary Lou, received
a telegram from the defense de
partment early Monday.
Corporal Max, a graduate of
the Fremont public schools, en
tered the army last September.
In January he was sent to Korea.
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Carl Max, 221 South Nineteenth
street, Omaha.
Other survivors: Brother, Carl,
jr., of Page; sister, Mrs. Robert
Smith, of Long Beach, Calif., and
two step - brothers in Ogden,
Utah.
Scouts Plan
Court of Honor—
Troop 210, of the Boy Scouts
of America, will hold a court of
honor on Monday, April 28, at
7:3Q p.m., at the American Le- ,
gion auditorium. A motion pic
ture film will be followed by re
freshments served by Scout
mothers.
Dr. H. D. Gildersleeve is scout
master.
Evacuates Mother—
Bill Moriarity, assistant man
ager of the J. M. McDonald com
pany store, spent last week in
Missouri Valley, la., helping
evacuate his mother from threat
ening flood waters. Later she was
able to return to her home which
was not touched by flood water.
To Elect Officers—
The Friends of St. Mary’s will
hold a business meeting Monday,
April 28, at 7:30 o’clock in St.
Mary’s gymnasium. After the
election of officers a program of
special interest will be given. All
are urged to attend, a spokes
man said.
MRS. BUXTON DIES
EWING—Mrs. Luther Buxton
died at her home in Ewing on
Saturday, April 19, at 6:30 p.m.,
as the result of a stroke. Funeral
services were held Wednesday,
April 23, at the United Brethren
church in Orchard.
GRASS FIRE
Firemen were called to the El
mer Strong residence, North Sev
enth street, at 2:20 p.m. Wednes
day. A grass fire was threaten
ing a small outbuilding. Damage
was slight.
SCHOOL TERM ENDS
ROCK FALLS—Another sure
sign that summer is just around
the corner: The current school
term has ended in district 33. A
weiner roast was held last Thurs
1 **
AMELIA WOMAN
DIES AT BURWELL
Mrs. Thomas Thompson, 74,
Suffers Lingering
Illness
AMELIA — Mrs. Thomas
Thompson, 74, of Amelia, died at
the Burwell hospital on Wednes
day, April 16, following a linger
ing illness.
# Funeral services were con
ducted at the Amelia Methodist
church at 2 p.m. on Monday, Ap
ril 21. Burial was in the Cham
bers cemetery.
Mrs. Thompson, the former
Lillie May Sexton, was born in
Ithaca, N.Y., on July 6, 1877. She
came to the Inman community
at the age of nine. She was mar
ried on October 4, 1898. Three
years ago Mr. and Mrs. Thomp
son celebrated their golden wed
ding anniversary. Her husband
homesteaded in southwest Holt
county.
Survivors include: Widower,
Thomas Thompson; sons — Ivel
and Laurence, both of Sedro
Woolley, Wash., and Leon, of
Amelia; daughters — Mrs. Ray
Kenny, of Amelia, and Mrs. M.
H. Jetta Madsen, of Amelia; 10
grandchildren and two great
grandchildren.
The pallbearers at the funeral
were Gene Thompson, Thomp
son Whitcomb, Ira Lierman, Carl
Schade, Asa Watson and Art
Kaiser.
Illness Changes
50th Wedding Plans
REDBIRD—Mr. and Mrs. Wm.
Wells planned to celebrate their
golden wedding anniversary on
Wednesday, April 23. But illness
forced a change in arrangements.
Mrs. Wells, a patient at Sacred
Heart hospital, Lynch, could not
be released, attendants said.
A celebration may be held at
a later date. Meanwhile, friends
and relatives are showering the
couple with cards and letters.
Mrs. Albert Wabs, of Salem,
Ore.; Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Wells
and Gloria, of Cherry Grove,
Ore., and Mrs. Alice Buttolph, of
Oregon City, Ore., were with
their mother and father at the
hospital and helped cut the 50th
anniversary wedding cake.
GOP, Demos Pick
State Delegates
Holt county republicans and
democrats last Thursday in post
primary conventions here select
ed delegates to the post-primary
state conventions to be held this
summer. Dates for the statewide
meetings have not yet been fix
ed.
The republicans chose:
Julius D. Cronin, Ira H. Moss
and William W. Griffin, all of
O’Neill; Frank J. Brady, of At
kinson, and Vern Sageser, of
Amelia.
GOP alternates are Mrs. Ethel
Cole, of Emmet; Mrs. Opal Keat
ing, of Atkinson; Norris Coats
and Art Runnels, both of Stuart,
and Clarence Ernst, of O’Neill.
The democrats, meanwhile, will
send the same delegation which
attended the pre-primary state
parley, including: John Sullivan
and John R. Gallagher, both of
O’Neill; Francis D. Lee and Fred
Mack, both of Atkinson, and Jo
seph Wagman, of Emmet.
ESCAPES INJURY
Ray Fernholtz escaped injury
about 4:30 o’clock Sunday after
non when his west bound car ov
erturned on U.S. highway 20,
three-quarters of a mile west of
the Danceland corner. The car
was badly damaged. Bob Wink
ler, a passenger, also was unhurt.
Frontier for printing!
PLAN DEDICATION
OF NEW CHURCH
Orchard Lutherans Plan
Sunday Rite in
New Edifice
ORCHARD—The new St. Pet
er’s English Lutheran church
here will be dedicated on Sun
day, April 27, with the dedicatory
service beginning at 10 a.m.
Rev. Albert T. Bostleman, of
Norfolk, vice - president of the
north - Nebraska district, will
preach the first sermon. Rever
end Bostleman is a former mili
tary chaplain.
Rev. Lee W. Steffen, vacancy
pastor, will be the liturgist in the
morning service. The afternoon
speaker will be Reverend Steffen,
in a 2 o’clock rite, and the vesper
service, 8 o’clock, will be con
ducted by brothers, who are
“sons” of the congregation—Rev.
E. J. Stelling, of Coon Rapids,
la., and his brother, Carl Stel
ling, a teacher at the Zion
Lutheran school near Bancroft,
at the organ. The men’s quar
tette and the youth choir will
sing at these services.
A dinner will be served to all
guests in the basement audito
rium at noon.
I
The church, which has been
under construction for some
time, is of modern Gothic style,
designed by William Butler,
Sioux City architect. Cost is in
excess of $100,000.
He also designed the Ewing
school building. The main floor
with cross-nave and the tran
septs will seat approximately
250 persons and the balcony pro
vides space for 50 people.
The spacious chancel has the
sacristy to the right and council
room at the opposite side. A
room for mothers of small chil
dren is conveniently placed at
the back, nave with access to the
main entry as well.
The full basement has rest
Tooms, furnace room, coat room,
kitchen and serving room as well
as a large auditorium for social
use and Sunday-school.
I The bell, which has been in
stalled in the tower, is the. same
one that has called worshippers
to the old church since 1916.
The congregation was organiz
ed in May, 1909, and records kept
since that time show there sta
tistics: 404 baptisms, 313 con
firmations, 83 marriages and 87
burials. __
Father Burke to
Address SMA Grads
The St. Mary’s academy calen
dar of events between now and
the end of the current school
term follows:
April 24 — Junior and senior
prom.
May 4—First communion.
May 9—Operetta, “The Wish
ing Well.”
May 18—Alumni banquet.
May 20—Crowning of the May
queen.
May 27—Grade school closes.
May 28—Senior class night.
May 29 — Baccalaureate and
commencement exercises. The
speaker for the graduation ser
vice will be Rev. Peter Burke, of
Ewing.
"
100 Men Battle
Prairie Fire
LYNCH—About 100 men from
Lynch and Bristow were called
to' the Beryl Moody community
north of here Saturday afternoon,
April 19, to assist in putting out
a prairie fire.
Several days previously a
straw pile was set afire on the
old Jess Hiatt farm. The fire was
believed dead. However, it had
been smoldering in the bed of
ashes and a strong wind started
the fire anew. Many acres of
prairie were burned and also
several stacks of hay.
Help saved several other stacks
of hay, trees and much prairie.
Wet sacks and fire extinguish
ers were used to put out the
fire.
_I
BENEFIT DANCE
Simonson post 93, of the Am
erican Legion, is sponsoring a
benefit dance Saturday, April 26,
at the auditorium. Proceeds will
go to the Chet Calkins reward
fund. Authorities still are search
ing for the slayer of O’Neill’s po
lice chief. The reward fund is
expected to reach the neighbor
hood of two thousand dollars
when dance receipts are added.
,
STARTS OFFICE BUILDING
Excavation has begun on a j
single-story office building on a
South Fourth street vacant lot
immediately north of Stannard’s
store. The lot is owned by Mrs.
Georgia Rasley.
Fred Wells, who generally gets j
bis petroleum at a refinery at
Sioux City, has been obliged to
go to Casper, Wyo., because of I
the floods. He made two trips to ]
Wyoming last week.
•—The Frontier Photo & Engraving
Volunteer Omaha dike workers . . . (left-to- cock, Joe Hoffman. Axel Borg, Lester Homback
right): Kenneth Small, Harry Coolidge, Robert and Ed Hood. (Photo was taken in front of The
Rees, Lawrence Barnett, C. F. Small, J. Ed Han- Frontier building.)
★ ★ ★
Volunteer for Missouri Dike Duty
MRS. CORA PEASE
DIES SUDDENLY
Stricken While Visiting
Son’s New Home
North of Atkinson
Mrs. Cora Pease, 65, wife of
Rooert Kease, cuect suddenly
about 4 p.m. Sunday, Aprn 20, as
tne resuxt of a heart attack. She
was stricken at tne home of her
son, Kay Pease, north of Atkin
son.
Mrs. Pease and her husband
were visiting at the new home
belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Kay
r'ease. other visitors included
Ur. and Mrs. N. P. McKee, of At
kinson. Doctor McKee attended
the stricken woman but the at
tack proved fatal.
Funeral rites were conducted at
2 p m., Wednesday, April 23, from
the Methodist churcn in O’Neill.
Burial was in Prospect Hill ceme
tery. Rev. J. Laverne Jay, Meth
odist district superintendent, of
iiciated and Biglin Brothers were
in charge.
The late (Mrs. Pease, the former
Cora Estella Spint, was born De
cember 25, 1886, at Omaha a
daughter of William F. and Paul
ine Drum Spint.
On August 16, 1903, she mar
ried Mr. Pease at Council Bluffs,
la. They became the parents of I
two sons.
The couple lived for a time at j
Shelby, Polk county, coming to j
Holt in 1915.
As a young woman she was
baptized in the Methodist church
Survivors include: Widower;
sons—Walter, of Emmet, and Ray
L., of Atkinson; sisters ■— Mrs.
Grace Taylor, of Grand Island;
Mrs. Edna Wagner, of Grand Is
land, Mrs. Addie Waldvogel, of
New Rochelle, N.Y.; four grand
children.
Miss Widtfeldt
to Stage Exhibit
Miss Gayl Widtfeldt, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. D. R. Widt
feldt, of O’Neill, will present a
graduate art exhibit in partial
iulfillment of requirements for
her bachelor of arts degree at
Briar Cliff college, Sioux City,
April 27, from 2 to 4 p.m.
The exhibit includes art work
in a variety of media- Included
are watercolor and oil paintings,
sculpture in relief and in the
round, handwoven and printed
textiles and metalwork.
Mis Widtfeldt is an art educa
tion major and will receive a
bachelor of arts degree May 29,
The public is cordially invited
to attend the exhibit.
Miss Gayl Widtfeldt
— The Frontier Enrravlng
Holt Countyans to Omaha
to Join in Battling
Mad River
(See photo above)
An appeal on Saturday morn
ing's "Voice of The Frontier” pro
gram (WJAG 780 kc) for volun
teer dike duty at Omaha, in the
titanic battle against the wild
Missouri river, brought a quick
response.
Nine volunteers with four auto
mobiles were on hand at 4 p.m.
when the Holt delegation shoved
otf to the river battlefront. The
delegation was headed by Axel
Borg, of O’Neill, recently resigned
Holt county supervisor, who con
ceived the idea.
Others were:
Robert Rees, C. F. Small,
Lawrence Barnett and Kenneth
Small, all of Amelia; Holt
Treasurer J. Ed Hancock, E. L.
Hood. Lester Hornback and Joe
Hoffman, of O'NeilL and Har
ry Coolidge.
When these volunteers reported
at Omaha city hall Saturday
night, the crest had passed Oma
ha but the threat was by no means
over.
The army engineer in charge
of manpower, Col. A. L. Tuttle,
assigned the Holt crew to the mo
bile reserve, a group of 50 being
held in readiness for quick dis
patch to a trouble spot. But
their physical energies were not
required and the next day the
non - paid volunteers returned
home.
They were armed, however, to
i go to the mat with the Big Mud- |
dy. They carried waders and
five-buckie overshoes, suitable ,
clothing and shovels.
Omahans and residents of their
I sister-city, Council Bluffs, won |
their struggle against the river, I
which had risen to 30.23 feet—
four feet higher than all previous
records.
Borg brought home these facts
from his all-night stay at city
hall:
Building of the dikes and avoid
ing a terrible catastrophe in both
cities was not only an amazing
engineering feat but was a
superb demonstration of Amer
ican ingenuity and cooperative
ness.
Three million sandbags and
over a half-million board feet of [
lumber were thrown into the 13
mile dike.
Existing dikes were Taised
from four to 10 feet to thwart the
rushing water at its narrowest
point in the valley.
At the peak of the battle a truck
load of dirt was being unloaded
every six seconds.
The American Red Cross bil
leted flood evacuees and dike
workers and served lunches.
The Salvation army served
3,000 meals.
Ten thousand sandbags were
filled in an hour during the maxi
mum effort.
The Missouri was narrowed to
1,200 feet and the crest at times
was 10 feet above street level.
A sewer explosion and dike
break required 900 Ions of rock,
several tons of steel beam and
armor plate to plug the hole.
Crushed rock was shoved into
the river by a 'dozer.
On one six-mile stretch in the
improvised Omaha dike system
there were 4-inch by 4-inch tim
bers erected vertically as braces
every four feet, supporting flash
boards. This dike could support
200 pounds pressure per square
inch compared to the estimated
river’s pressure of 98 pounds.
Driving the Holt volunteers
were Axel Borg, C. F. Small, L.
M. Merriman.
“Voice of The Frontier” . . .
WJAG, 780 k.c. . . . Mon., Wed.,
I Sat., 9:45 a.m.
O’NEILL SCHOOLS
GET 22 ‘SUPERIORS’
Bands Get Top Ratings
in Annual District
Music Festival
The annual O’Neill district
high school music contest was
held last week.
O'Neill high students cap
tured nine "superiors" out of
10 entries in the instrumental
division and four vocal "super
iors." St. Mary's academy earn
ed one instrumental, one piano
and seven vocal "superiors."
The results listed below record
ratings for entries from only the
O’Neul area and only those en
tries receiving I (“superior”) or
II (“excellent”) ratings from the
judges:
Piano solo: I—Sharon Flowers,
Clearwater — D- Bernard Mohr,
St. Mary’s—C; II—Carolyn Wat
son, Inman—D; Mary Ann Al
lyn, Stuart—C; Henrietta Coats*,
Stuart—C; Joan Smith, St. Ma
ry’s—C; Doris Ward, Atkinson—
B; Sally Buckendorf, Rock
county — B; St. Mary’s piano
quartette — C; St. Mary’s piano
duo—C.
Girls’: 1 — Mary E. Steele, St.
Mary’s — C; Kay Eisenhauer,
Chambers—C; Margaret Hemen
way, Orchard — C; St. Mary’s
girls’ trio — C; St Mary’s girls’
glee club—C; St. Mary’s mixed
chorus — C; Marilyn Beha, St.
Mary’s—C; Barbara Bennett, O’
Neill— B; O’Neill girls’ trio—B;
Atkinson girls’ sextette—B; O’
Neill mixed chorus—B. II—June
Schuman, Spencer—C; Vivian
Harley, Chambers — C; Radean
Kramer, Stuart—C; Delores Jilg,
St. Mary’s — C; Sarah Moss, St.
*—w. wciLKiu r&usei, r-wmg
—C; Carolyn Lee, St. Mary’s —
C; Esta Mae Nelson, Spencer—C.
Miscellaneous, Clearwater—D;
Clearwater girls’ triple trio—D;
Cathleen Weichman, St. Joseph’s
—D; Chambers girls’ trio—C; St.
Mary’s girls’ sextette—C; St. Ma
ry’s miscellaneous—C; Clearwa
ter mixed chorus — D; O’Neill
girls’ triple trio—B; Helen Hal
bur, Butte—B; Frances Reimer,
O’Neill — B; Rock county girls’
glee club — B; Atkinson girls’
glee club—B; O’Neill girls’ glee
club—B; Atkinson mixed chorus
—B.
Boys’: I — Robert Hynes, St.
Mary’s—C; Clearwater boys’ glee
club — D; St. Mary’s boys’ glee
B; Atkinson madrigal group—B.
II—Marcus Peisson, Ewing—C;
Eugene Neal, Clearwater — D;
Ronnie Lau, Clearwater — C;
Philip Nore, Clearwater — C; i
Atkinson boys’ quartette—B.
Alto saxophone: I — Richard
Stelling, Orchard—C. II—Mari
lyn McClurg, Rock county—B;
Karen Stelling, Orchard—C.
Trombone solo: I — Elizabeth
Schaffer. O’Neill—B. Ft — Kay
Myres, Stuart—C.
Bass horn: I — Don Ernesti,
Ewing—C; John Bowen, O’Neill
—B. II—Keith Pavlik, Verdigre
Snare drum: II—Faye Moses,
Stuart—C.
(Continued on page 8)
STEPS INTO HOLE
EWING—Joe Neckolite, of O’
Neill, stepped into a hole in the
Elkhom river Sunday while fish
ing near here and broke his leg
in two places above the ankle.
He had come from O’Neill to vis
it his sister, Mrs. Eva Kaczor.
At Knight Home—
Mr. and Mrs. Allen Knight and
Mike, of Ewing, were Monday
evening supper guests of Mr. and
Mrs. Fora L. Knight.
CANCER FILM,
TALK FEATURED
I —
Home Demonstration Clubs
Will Meet in O’Neill
Next Tuesday
| Members of Holt county's
rhome extension clubs will ob
serve national home demonstra
tion week with a covered dish
luncheon and cancer education
] program next Tuesday, April 29.
| The combination luncheon meet
i ing will take place at the court
| house annex, starting at noon.
“An Educational Program on
Cancer,” one of the goals of the
Holt clubs during the new year,
fittingly will dominate the dis
Icussion at the O’Neill meeting,
according to Mrs. Albert Carson,
of Redbird, chairman of the
county organization, and Mrs.
Helen Kreymborg, Holt home a
! gent.
National theme for home dem
onstration week, April 27 to May
3, is: “Today’s home builds to
morrow’s world.”
Following the neon luncheon
and fellowship more than a
hundred extension club mem
bers will hear Or. W. F. Finley,
Holt county physician, conduct
a question- and answer period
concerning cancer.
At least two films will be
shown. One of these will be en
titled “Breast Cancer and Self
Examination.”
Two hundred fifteen thousand
persons died last year from can
cer and 70,000 of these deaths
were considered needless. The
American Cancer society points
out that the disease must be
found in its early stages for
treatment to be effective.
Seven danger signs are:
1. Any sore that does not heal.
2. A lump or thickening in
the breast or elsewhere.
3. Unusual bleeding or dis
charge.
4. Any change in a wart ot
mole.
5. Persistent indigestion or
difficulty in swallowing.
9. Persistent hoarseness or
cough.
7. Any change in normal
bowel habits.
Holt county has received na
tional publicity in its last year's
blood typing project. Valley
county has adopted the blood
typing program for this year.
Voters Okay $12,000
Water Bond Issue
t
The $12,000 bond issue elec
tion, held here Tuesday, easily
carried. Three-fifths of the total
vote was needed by the city
council in order to proceed with
a new city well to relieve a crit
ical water supply situation. The
vote was very light.
Here’s the way the voting
went:
For Against
First ward_40 9
Second ward _40 7
Third ward _„ 34, 7
Totals- 114 16
A test well is being attempted
a few hundred feet west of the
present city wells, which are sit
uated two miles south of the
city in the Elkhom river valley.
Brewster Gets
Group III Post
J. W. Brewster, president and
cashier of the Tri-County bank,
Stuart, was elected vice - presi
dent of group III, Nebraska
Bankers association, at its 53d
annual Arbor day convention.
The convention was held in Nor
folk Tuesday.
G. H. Adams, president of the
Chambers State bank, served on
the nominating committee.
The association endorsed the
bankers’ soil conservation pro
gram and usged its continuance
and extension “as urgently ne
cessary for the welfare of our
state and its people.”
The bankers also urged contin
ued support for 4-H and Future
Farmers of America groups and
encouragement of their programs
and activities.
Dr. J. M. Pucelik, of Spencer,
chairman, gave the resolutions
committee report. Others on the
committee are G. P. Bauman, of
rilden, and A. P. Anderson, of
Butte.
Barley Fox Plans
Farm Sale—
Harley Fox, who resides 10
miles east of O’Neill on highway
103, will sell 74 head of cattle,
110 head of sheen and a complete
line of household goods at public
auction on Tuesday, April 29
Col. Ed Thorin, of O’Neill, will
be auctioneer: O’Neill National
bank, clerk. (See advertisement
on page 6.)