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2 SECTIONS — 12 PAGES
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North-Nebraskas Fastest-Growing Newspaper
VOLUME 72.—NUMBER 2. O'NEILL. NEBRASKA, THURSDAY. MAY 15. 1952.___PRICE: 7 CENTS.
state HIST soc m
Holt county’s 1952 eighth grade graduates with Miss Alice French, county superintendent of public instruction, posing Monday on the courthouse steps, inree in uie class ox absent.
(See story on page 10.)—O’Neill Photo Co.
P. B. HARTY, 62,
DIES SUDDENLY
Long - Time Businessman
Stricken Early Monday
at His Desk
P. B. (“Pat”) Harty, 62, veteran
O’Neill businessman, died sud
denly about 9:35 a.m. Monday,
May 12, while seated at his desk
in his place of business. He died
within a few moments after be
ing stricken.
Relatives said Mr. Harty had
been in good health and had not
had occasion to consult a doctor
in many years. He had complain
ed, however, of an ailment ear
lier in the morning but had gone
to his firm about nine o’clock as
usual.
Funeral rites were conducted
at nine o’clock Wednesday morn
ing, May 14, at St. Patrick’s
Catholic church. Very Rev. Tim
othy O’Sullivan, church pastor,
officiated. Burial was in Calvary
cemetery under the direction of
Biglin Brothers. Pallbearers were
Norbert Uhl, John Conard, L. M.
Merriman, M. J. Golden, Jack
Arbuthnot, Joseph Gallagher,
Ira H. Moss and Glea Wade. Bur
ial was made in the Harty fam
ily plot.
A large crowd attended the
funeral rites and the rosary
service held at 8:30 o'clock the
preceding evening at the Har
ty residence, where the body
lay in state.
The late Patrick Bernard Har
ty was born October 7, 1889, at
Shullsburg, Wise, a son of an
Irish immigrant couple, the late
Mr. and Mrs. James Harty. There
were 12 children in the family.
P. B. and his late brother, W.
H. (“Ben”), came to O’Neill in
1909 ahead of other members of
the Harty family. He and his
brother established a cleaning
and tailoring business.
During World Wai I he served
in England and France with the
air branch of the signal corps,
the forerunner of the air force.
Returning to O’Neill' he mar
ried Miss Beatrice Cronin, daugh
ter of the late Mr. and Mrs. D.
H. Cronin, on September 5, 1921.
They became the parents of one
daughter and one son.
For a long period of years the
late Mr. Harty was in the res
taurant business, later the bev
erage business.
In May. 1944. the Harty*'
daughter, Ann, was fatally in
jured when she was hurled
from the rear of a small truck.
She was 16-years-old at the
time of her death.
He was also preceded in deatn
by his parents; his brother, Ben;
sister, Mame, and a brother who
died in infancy.
Survivors include: Widow —
Beatrice; son, Thomas, who grad
uates in June from Creighton
university, Omaha, and who
within a few days will enter the
air force as an enlistee; brothers
—John, of Skokie, 111.; Thomas,
of Milwaukee, Wise.; August, of
Dubuque, la.; Michael, of Co
lome, S.D.; George, of Iowa; sis
ters— Mrs. Dollie Moon, of Ga
lena, 111.; Mrs Elizabeth Roberts,
of Evanston, 111.; Mrs. Margaret
London, of Colome, S.D.
The late Mr. Harty was a mem
ber of St. Patrick’s church,
Knights of Columbus and the
American Legion. He was noted
as a sports enthusiast and sel
dom missed a major athletic
event in the city. A special tri
bute was paid to the memory of
Mr. Harty at the combined St.
Mary’s academy - O’Neill high
school athletic banquet Monday
evening by Coach Paul Baker, of
O’Neill high. Likewise, Mr. Harty
was noted as a follower of the
University of Nebraska football
team, having seldom missed a
home game at Lincoln.
Among out-of-town relatives
here for the funeral were: Mr.
and Mrs. Thomas Harty and son,
Thomas, and daughter, Kathleen,
of Milwaukee, Wise.; Mrs. Dollie
Moon, of Galena, 111.; Mrs. F. O.
Robertson, of Evanston, 111.; John
(Continued on page 8.)
Freak Radio Waves
Enable Chit - Chat
One of the inexplicable freaks
in radio gave Ed Wilson a thrill
of a sort one evening last week.
The manager of the Niobrara
Valley Electric Membership cor
poration, an REA unit, sat down
at the shortwave receiver in the
office here to monitor a near
by work crew. The REA head
quarterers is in direct two-way
contact with its service trucks.
He was dumbfounded to hear
the clear voice of a petroleum
truck dispatcher busily at work
in Rochester, N.Y.
Wilson flipped on his transmit
ter and found he could talk to
Rochester with ease.
Both shortwave units are as
signed the same broadcast fre
quency but are designed not to
conflict. However, when atmos
pheric conditions are right the
waves glance off the Hertzian
layer producing freakish results.
The crystal - clear reception in
such instances is usually short
lived, however, because the layer
rises or lowers and changes the
angles, causing a “fade-out.”
Mr. Wilson said on a previous
occasion he heard a Georgia sta
tion using the same frequency.
In these instances the transmit
ters are relatively low-powered
and radio men scratch their heads
to explain how great distances
can be spanned even for a few
moments at a time.
Calkins Reward
Fund Now Closed
The Chet Calkins murder
mystery reward fund is now
considered closed. The fund
stands at $1,550.
Holt county authorities and
the Nebraska safety patrol have
been advised. Reward posters
will be printed and circulated.
Fund breakdown follows:
City of O’Neill-$ 500
Holt county - 500
Contributions to
Chamber of Comm- 350
Proceeds from Legion
benefit dance - 200
Total_$1,550
Clarence E. Potter worked
with the Chamber of Commerce
in creating the reward fund.
Calkins, O’Neill’s veteran police
chief, was murdered in his cruis
er car in the early hours March
7. Search for the slayer still is
unavailing.
Spencer Youth Earns
Slate 4-H Award—
SPENCER — Richard Loock,
son of Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Loock,
of Spencer, was among a group
of 4-H club and FFA boys hon
ored by Ak-Sar-Ben in the 1951
Nebrasak small grain improve
ment contest. Richard was the
northeast Nebraska winner in
the 4-H group. He was one of
four 4-H members honored at
Omaha in an all-expense paid
trip. Richard’s grain project
was 30 acres of Nemaha certified
oats. This young Boyd countyan
has been in 4-H work for 10
years.
3 Nuns Will Mark
Silver Jubilees—
The silver jubilees of Sisters M.
Flores, M. Serafica and M. Em
elia will be celebrated on Sun
day, May 25, at St. Patrick’s
Catholic church.
There will be a special mass at
10:30 a.m. to commemorate the
event for this trio of Sisters of
St. Francis. Reverend Riley, of
Canada, will preach the sermon.
MISS M'CULLOUGH COMING
Miss Elja McCullough, dean of
women at Dana college, Blair,
will be present tonight (Thurs
day) when Miss Donna Mae Fuh
rer, 19, well-known O’Neill polio
victim, receives her high school
diploma together with 43 other
O’Neill high school seniors. The
commencement rites will be held
at 8 o’clock. Ira George, of Om
aha, will deliver the address.
3 SCHOOL LAND
LEASES RE-SOLD
Moore’s Certified Check
Re-opens Sale on
Land Section
Another round of re-selling
Holt county school land was
staged here Tuesday with these
results:
Fiank Bartos posted a high
| bid of $7,000 on all of section
[ 36, tow* '"' i r?ype 9. He pre
viously' he/d the lease but in an
auction in January, Emil and
Joe Forman posted a high bid
of $5,900. When the sale was re
opened Tuesday, Bartos was a
gain high bidder.
William Rieek, who previously
held the lease on all 36-25-13, bid
$5,000—the high figure — when
the sale was reopened during
Tuesday’s session.
Harry T. Moore posted a $4,000
bid on all 16-27-10 formerly held
by Max Wanser. In January lease
selling, John Steskal offered $2,
900. Moore later forwarded a
certified check to the board of
educational lands and funds at
Lincoln, causing the sale on this
parcel to be reopened during
Tuesday’s session.
Will Compete for
Speech Laurels—
Joellyn Backhaus and Gary
Holcomb will represent the
north-central district 4-H clubs,
comprised of 11 counties, in the
public speaking contest to be
held at the 4-H camp in Lincoln.
The camp will be held May 25
to 30. Joellyn and Gary are both
from the 212 South Fork 4-H
club.
Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Holcomb
are the leaders of the group.
School Visiting Deer Identified
POLAND NATIVE
EXPIRES AT 92
Joseph Zaborowski Forced
to Serve 6 Years in
Russian Cavalry
Joseph Zaborowski, 92, died
at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, May 11, at
the honm of his daughter, Mrs.
Stanley C'nmiel, located 25 miles
south of O’Neill. He had been
1 seriously ill about tlyee weeks
but had been in failing
about a year.
Funeral services were held
Wednesday morning. May 14, at
St. Peter’s Catholic church in
Ewing, Rev. Peter Burke officiat
ing. Biglin Brothers were in
| charge of the funeral.
The late Mr. Zaborowski was
born December 14, 1859, at Met
low, Poland. He married Frances
/taniewska in 1890 at Turek, Po
land.
He was compelled to spend six
years in the Russian cavalry. AX
erward he came to the U.S. and
settled in Chicago, 111. In 1907
he moved with his family to Holt
county.
Mrs. Zaborowski died July 25,
1949. A daughter, Lena, preceded
her father in death.
He settled on a homestead in
Holt county.
Survivors include: Sons—Mit
chell, of Wichiita Falls, Tex., and
Ted, of O’Neill; daughters—Mrs.
Eugenia Clausen, of Chicago, 111 •
Miss Irene Zaborowski, of Los
Angeles, Calif., and Mrs. Stanley
Chmiel, of Ewing.
Mrs. Wiliams. Iowan
Known Here. Dies —
Mrs. J. L. Williams died at her
home in Tipton, la., on Thina
day, May 1. She was the sister
of the late Mrs. J. M. Hunter, of
O’Neill.
Survivors include: brother—
Rus McCormick, of Mechanics
ville, la.; sister—Josephine Mof
fitt„ of Bay City, Mich.; eight
neices and nephews.
Funeral services were held in
the Presbyterian church, Tip
ton, on Saturday, May 3.
Contractors Moving
in on Line Work —
The Niobrara Valley Electric
Membership corporation recently
let a contract for 240 miles of line
construction in Holt and Boyd
counties to the Thompson, Haight
& Keister firm.
The company has now moved in
on the job. Poles for the new
line are arriving daily.
Bases of operation have been
set up in Spencer and Atkinson.
Public School
Closes Friday—
Only term-end events remain
on the calendar at O’Neill pub
lic school as follows:
May 16—Last day of school;
half day only.
May 17—Keport cards to be
given out, 1 p.m.
MARRIAGE LICENSE
Alfred Martin Hamik and Miss
Elizabeth Jean Gallagher, both of
O’Neill, on May 9.
Sunday dinner guests at the
farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Ed
ward Burival were Mr. and Mrs,
George Hartford and Mr. and
Mrs. Hugo Holz
Mrs A. L. Pierson and chil
dren, James and Jane, of Neligh,
were mother's day guests at the
home of Mr and Mrs. J. C. Har
nish.
On Wednesday, May 7, a full
grown doe deer paid a memor
able visit to Miss Norma And
erson and her eight pupils in
the Inez school, 20 miles south
of Atkinson.
The story of the bold, play
ful deer frolicking in the rural
school room, appearing in last
week’s issue of The Frontier,
brought forth a tender story
of the deer’s background.
She was born in southwest
Holt county, presumably a
twin. Her larger twin appar
ently got the big share of the
food from the mother and this
deer was left behind with a
crippled leg.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cav
anaugh, who reside five miles
southeast of Amelia, rescued
the foundling, fed her from a
four-ounce bottle on a rigid
schedule, nursed the broken
leg. Their little grandchildren,
Gale and Maria Elena Ste
vens, children of Mr. and
Mrs. Laverne Stevens, of O’
Neill, promptly claimed the ti
ny deer—about the size of a
rabbit—as their pet and chris
tened her Bambi.
Months passed.
Bambi drank milk from a
pail with the dogs at morning
and night. She grew and pros
pered—and acquired a bit of
the wanderlust.
Recently Bambi has been
drifting farther away from
home, possibly hunting a mate.
Jhe Cavanaughs have been
fearful some one with a gun
might put the bead on her.
When the Cavanaughs read
about the deer’s visit to the
Inez school, seven or eight
miles away, there was no mis
take, they said. It was Bambi,
Bambi, pet deer, gets wanderlust . . . pictured with Gale and
Maria Elena Stevens and Miss Evelyn Cavanaugh.
now a full-grown doe. She
loves children, they said, and
it’s natural she’d spend a few
hours with them.
The school term is over at
the Inez school. But there are
several quick - beating little
hearts that hope Bambi will
come again next year and eat
apples, nose about the coal pail,
eat the teacher’s flowers on
her desk and play with them
at recess time. And they now
share with the Stevens chil
dren the hope that no trigger
happy gunman will fire broad
side at Bambi.
She’s too sweet.
Return from Wisconsin—
Rev. and Mrs. Robert Olson
returned Friday, May 9, from a
three weeks vacation trip in
which they visited relatives and
friends in Madison and Eau
Clair, Wise.
Heart Attack Fatal
to Ralph Cobb, 59
STUART — Ralph Cobb, 59,
prominent south of Stuart ranch
er, was found dead in the bath
room of his home early Wednes
day, May 14.
Dr. James E. Ramsay, of Stu
art, who was summoned, said
death had been caused from a
heart attack.
The late Mr. Cobb was a son
of Charles Cobb and Effie Wor
ley Cobb.
Survivors include: Widow;
daughter—Mrs. Bill Paxton; one
grandchild.
Funeral arrangements were not
completed Wednesday evening.
61 AT LUNCHEON
Sixty-one persons attended a
noon luncheon Wednesday in
which the Chamber of Commerce
entertained the Nebraska Fire
Prevention association. Over 200
O’Neill business firms were in
spected by visiting two - man
teams coming from various points
in the state. Special fire drills
were conducted at the schools.
WEATHER SUMMARY
Hi Lo Prec.
Mav 8 67 46
Mav 9 58 45 .40
May 10 57 35
Mav 11 61 32
May 12 68 35
May 13 74 40
May 14 79 57
TAKE CANOE TRIP
Five men recently completed a
canoe trip from Valentine to the
Naper bridge on that picturesque,
turbulent Niobrara river. This
delegation was headed by Bill
Yost, editor of the Stuart Advo
cate.
‘Candlelight’ Author Visitor Here
By C. D. ANKNEY <
Staff Writer
“Candlelights of History” is
the title of a book written by
Thomas A. Graham, 76, a former
Holt county resident.
Mr. Graham came to O’Neill
with his parents by stagecoach
in 1889 and settled on homestead
land \xk miles southeast of Em
met.
In his book, Mr. Graham re
calls pioneer incidents of the
period from 1881 to 1897, which
will be of interest to young and
old residents of Holt county.
Those were the days of the
open range and trails, times when
homes were made of sod and
there were no trees except for
the clumps of willows that grew
along the Elkhorn river. Breeder
cattle were unheard of. “We had
mostly scrubs,” says Mr. Gra
ham, a man of small stature and
with a thatch of gray hair.
He recalls a large herd of cat
tle driven by riders from the
west. They stopped overnight at
the Graham place and proceeded
eastward the next day. That was
a herd much like what is a com
on sight hereabouts now, but sel
dom seen then — two hundred
head.
“Could they have been rust
lers?”
“Most likely,” says the author.
The Kid Wade hanging Is
referred to in Mr. Graham's
book. Wade was captured by a
posse and hung near Basselt
for horse stealing. "Horse steal
ing was worse than killing in
those days," comments Mr.
Graham.
The blizzard of 1888 is cover
ed extensively in the book. Also
prairie fires, floods, storms and
droughts are recounted in vivid
detail.
Indians?
“Yes, they came down the
river in those days to trap
nuskrat and mink.”
When asked how he had hap
pened to write the history, Mr.
Graham said that he had writ
ten so many stories to relatives
about his years in Holt sounty
that he decided these adven
tures would readily compile
into a book - length narrative
that would be worthwhile read
ing.
Besides the historical events,
the author has included many
illustrations from his own col
lection of pen and ink draw
ings and poems that he has
composed
The names of many well-known
residents of Holt county are re
called. Among those from pio
neer days who are still living
are Fred Tenborg, Jim O’Con
nor, W. F. Grothe, G. D. Jan
zing, Billie Dailey and others.
Thomas A. Graham was born
in Swanton, Vt., in 1875. He
lived in Holt county from 1881
to 1897. He attended Fremont
normal school for three years,
and summer school at the Uni
versity of Nebraska for two
years. He taught school six
miles south of Stuart for two
seasons, ’95-’96. From Stuart
he journeyed to eastern Ne
braska and taught in different
county schools until 1908. From
then until 1917 he taught in
Idaho.
From 1917 to 1940 he worked
as a cleik in the war depart
ment at Washington, D.C. In
1946 he acquired land and
settled in Virginia. Then the
government bought the land
for marine corps use.
He now lives in Omaha.
1717 Chicago street, which is
a temporary address since the
city will soon be using that
section of the city to build a
new auditorium. He is think
ing of moving to O'Neill.
Mr. Graham’s book “Candle
lights of History” is on sale at
the Gilligan drug store, O’Neill,
and Conard’s store, Emmet. It
sells for $2.25. The book has
been reproduced with the off
set method. It is paper bound
and The Frontier commends it
as a valuable contribution to
the history of Holt county.
Mr. Graham tosses in some
philosophical thoughts that are
his own and with which you
may not agree but the work will
stand as an authoritative col
lection of stories and anecdotes
concerning pioneer Holt coun
ty.