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Sat. JEVVAL* X ll y t\ ONE SECTION
780 k. c. 9:45 a.m. - PAGES 1 TO 10
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North-Central Nebraska’s BIG Newspaper
Volume 72.—Number 13. O'Neill, Nebraska, Thursday, July 3 I, I 952. Seven Cents
UNPACKING BEGINS . . . Mother Bertrand (right) and Sister
Mj Fara look on while Herley Jones (left) and D. F. Murphy un
crate the potato peeler in the kitchen of the new St. Anthony’s
hospital. Volunteers this week are helping to uncrate the equip
ment and furniture. Mother Bertrand, the former Alice Fleming
of O’Neill, will head the hospital. (Another picture on page 10.—
The Frontier Photo.
Sunday Shower '
Snaps Dry Spell
.45 of An Inch Falls
at O’Neill
A Sunday afternoon thunder
storm which succeeded in break
ing a prolonged dry period in
much of Holt county was accom
panied toy isolated instances of
violence. Officially .45 of an inch
Of rain fell here.
Four miles south of O’Neill on
highway 281, near the John Vitt
place, a small twister touched
down. It knocked over several
hay stacks on the west side of the
road, and uprooted more than a
dozen giant trees in a grove along
the east side of the highway.
Power lines paralleling the
highway in the same locality
were blown down as three
poles snapped off a few feet
above the ground. Traffic was
tied up for more than an hour.
Tons of hay swirling through
the air and striking the power
lines was blamed for shearing
the poles and some tree damage.
As a result of the power break,
Chambers was without electricity
for 12 hours. The power went off
at 5 o’clock Sunday evening and
was restored by five o’clock Mon
day morning. Three new poles
had to be put in to replace the
storm damage.
There was no rain at Spencer.
Newport reported no rain and
at Stuart there was only a sprin
kle, hardly enough to settle the
dust, and not enough to inter
rupt the Stuart-Bassett baseball
game.
About 15 miles south of Stuart
one-half inch of rain fell and
there was some wind, which dam
aged a good many hay stacks.
At the Gust Johnson place
north of Newport, a small twister
struck, demolishing a number of
outbuildings, leveling a windmill
and breaking many window
' panes.
The Dora lake locality received
more than a quarter of an inch of
rain. Atkinson received .40 offi
cially.
The wind took off the tops of
both old and new haystacks in
the vicinity 2 miles south of At
* kinson.
. Ewing, Clearwater and In
man reported good showers be
tween 5 and 6 o'clock Sunday.
There were isolated power
breaks elsewhere in the region,
including a snap at the John
Natchman farm, about six miles
southwest of Chambers.
'■ Chambers received only a light
shower.
Southeast of Stuart, about five
miles, the wind blew a haystack
against an REA pole, breaking the
power line.
Although the rainfall Sunday
was not general, and northeast
Holt county and adjoining coun
ties are &till dry, Sunday’s exhibi
tion by mother nature aptly dem
onstrates it can still rain in this
country, although the growing
season has been very dry.
Joe Hendricks of the Celia com
munity, 16% miles north of At
kinson, lost 30 out of 40 hay
stacks. Up to 50 percent of of the
stacks were blown away during
the Sunday afternoon gale. Leon
ard Chafin reported the loss of
16 stacks.
Tommy Welch, 35,
Takes Own Life
Tommy Welch, about 35, a
farmer residing 16 miles west of
Verdigre, took his own life Tues
day by hanging himself in his
farmyard, Knox county author
ities reported.
After breakfast Tuesday, Welch
told his wife he was going into a
field with his tractor. When she
didn’t hear the tractor, she called
her brothers, Walter and Ben
Vonasek, and they found Welch
dead.
Funeral rites are tentatively set
for Friday.
Surviving are: the widow; one
son, about 14; parents—Mr. and
Mrs. Jim Welch of Verdigre and
one sister, Mrs. Ed Vejvoda of
Grand Island.
His parents resided in O’Neill
several years ago after their re
tirement.
9 •
O O
O
John Thomas .. . recently or
dained.
Church of Christ
Gets New Pastor
First Resident Pastor
WWII Veteran
Rev. John Thomas will arrive
in O’Neill Friday, August 1, to
become the first resident pastor
of the Church of Christ. Mr.
Thomas and his family will come
from Winchester, Va.
The new O’Neill pastor was
born at Peachland, N.C., and
graduated from high school there.
Following graduation he served
in World War II and was assist
ant manager of a chain store.
His wife is the former Miss Enola
Smith and they have two daugh
ters, Sandra Wray, 7, and Judy
Gwen, 1.
Mr. Thomas graduated this
spring with a bachelor of arts
degree from Nebraska Christian
college, Norfolk. He was student
pastor at Modale, la., for four
years and was called this spring
by the O’Neill church upon the
resignation of A. C. Utterback of
Clearwater, effective August 1.
The Modale church released Mr.
Thomas to O’Neill as a promotion.
A new parsonage is now under
construction on the church
grounds. Until the parsonage is
completed the pastor and his
family will reside in the Rouse
apartments.
Rev. J. L. Walstad
New Dorsey Pastor
DORSEY—This week the Dor
sey Presbyterian church together
with Verdel and Niobrara will
start services under the new pas
tor, Rev. Joseph L. Walstad.
Reverend Walstad will begin
his work in the parish on Friday,
August 1. Installation plans
have been set for Sunday evening,
September 28.
Reverend Walstad graduated
from McCormick theological sem
inary in Chicago, 111., and did un
dergraduate work at the Univer
sity of Minnesota.
He was married to Mrs. Elwin
Clark on July 5 in Hastings. Mrs.
Walstad had been the wife of a
missionary to the West Africa
French Cameroons. Her husband
died in 1948.
The family which includes two
children, Gretchen and David, is
now getting settled in the par
sonage at Niobrara.
19 Europeans
Coming Next Week
Nineteen men from seven
Western European countries will
be guests in O’Neill next Wed
nesday evening, August 6. They
are members of a four weeks
seed improvement course at the
University of Nebraska college
of agriculture.
The students come from Aus
tria. Belgium, France, Greece,
Ttalv, T^e Netherlands and the
United Kingdom.
They will be feted at an open
house at the courthouse annex.
A film. “Beef Pioduction in the
Sandhills,” will be shown. The
European visitors will spend the
night in O’Neill and continue on
to Bassett and Merriman the
following day.
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Van Ev
ery, who had spent several days
vacationing at Lake Okoboji, la.,
returned home Sunday.
Two Hurt
When Tire
Blows-Out
Man Loses Arm in
Accident After
Car Leaves Road
A man and woman were critic
ally injured about noon Thurs
day, July 24, on U.S. highway 281
in Wheeler county, about one
mile south of the Hoerle station.
The injured are: Mrs. Charles
Scott and Richard Phelps, both
of Grand Island. The 1942
Chrysler in which they were
riding with Mrs. Scott's hus
band, Charles, as driver, left
the road when a rear tire blew
out.
The machine careened off the
road, through a ditch and through
a fence. It then paralleled the
fenceline for about 100 yards,
went through the same fence
near the intersection, sheered off
a fence post and came to a stop
against a culvert at the intersec
tion. This route of the car, leav
ing a trail of chrome, pillows and
seat cushions, suggested terrific
speed, according to State High
way Patrolman Robert Gude, who
investigated.
The driver of the car was un
hurt.
The injured people were
treated in O'Neill, after being
picked up by ambulance. Mr.
Phelps was taken to the Vet
erans hospital. Grand Island,
where he immediately sub
mitted to surgery.
Mrs. Scott, the former Wanda
Green of O’Neill, is in St. Francis
hospital, Grand Island. Her ribs
were tom loose on one side, her
vertabrae twisted and possibly
otherwise injured internally.
Mrs. Scott’s mother, Mrs.
George Green, was summoned
to Grand Island later because of
the critical condition of her
daughter. Her father, Mr. Green,
visited her Monday at the hos
pital and reported she would re
cover although she is presently
paralyzed below her hips.
Mr. Phelps was expected to
lose his arm.
Nancy Hoerle, 3,
Struck by Car
CHAMBERS—Nancy Hoerle, 3,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. La
Verne Hoerle of Chambers, was
struck by a car Friday morning,
July 25.
The driver of the car, Lyle Da
vid, who lives three miles south
of Chambers, had slowed down as
he came into town. The child
dashed out in front of the car on
her way to join her mother who
was across the road in the fam
ily garden.
The impact of the little girl’s
head broke the headlight on the
David car, and she was rendered
unconscious. Fortunately, she
was not run over by the automo
bile.
Mr. David took Nancy to O’
Neill immediately for medical at
tention. A doctor’s examination
disclosed that no bones were
broken, and that the child suf
fered only shock and bruises.
Mrs. Hoerle said Tuesday that
she was “doing fine.”
POLIO FATALITY
ORCHARD—Herbert Shuester,
35, of Orchard died in an ambu
lance last Thursday which was
taking him from Orchard to a
hospital in Norfolk. Mr. Schues
ter, a tavern operator, was a vic
tim of polio. He died immediate
ly after he arrived on the hospital
grounds. Funeral services were
conducted Monday morning from
the Catholic church at Clear
water.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Knoell
and family spent last Thursday
in Norfolk on business. They
spent the rest of the day with
Mr. Knoell’s mother and sister.
Miss Bernadette Hynes is presented as "Miss WJAG" by An
nouncer Duke Derry during WJAG's 30th birthday anniversary *
party Sunday.—The Frontier Photo.
.. -i- " — — . a a s
Burglary Nets $175
at Liquor Store
Green Arrow Entered
Via Small Window
A burglar entered the Green
Arrow liquor store, owned by
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Tomlin
son, sometime after 1 a.m. Wed
nesday and fled with $175 in
cash.
Entrance was gained through
a small window in the rear of
the building. The window mea
sured about one foot high and
two feet wide. The pane was
broken and the burglar climbed
onto a fuel oil tank outside the
building to get his body through
the window.
Mr. Tomlinson, who had
locked the store after midnight,
left a memo for Mrs. Arthur
Tibbetts, who was to open the
store Wednesday morning. The
memo plainly stated where the
cash—about $175—was beinr
left.
The billfold was gone when
Mrs. Tibbetts arrived.
Mr. Tomlinson and his wife
were enroute to Scottsbluff ear
ly Wednesday, arriving there
about noon. The amount of cash
stolen was stated as “around one
hundred dollars” on the Wednes
day morning “Voice of The Fron
tier” program (WJAG, 9:45 a.m.)
When Mr. Tomlinson was con
tacted by telephone at Scotts
bluff he told authorities the
amount was the higher figure.
Holt County Sheriff Leo Tom
jack said there would be some
questioning in connection witn
the burglary.
Police Chief Walt Calkins re
ported that he had been at the
rear of the store about 1 a.m.
It is theorized that the entrance
was made sometime after that
hour.
Want Some Rain?
Here’s an Address
If you’re one of those persons
sufficiently interested in rain
that you want to contact a rain
maker, here’s an address:
Water Resources Develop.
Corp.
Dr. Erving R. Creek
Meterological Consulate
60 South Broadway
Denver, Colo.
You see, Doctor Creek has
been indulging in rain-making
activities in South Dakota, New
Mexico, Texas and Colorado for
several years. He’s of the dry-ice
variety and has a stack of testi
monials supporting rain-making
success.
Adds ‘Miss WJAG’
to Titles Won
Miss Bernadette Hynes, 18,
daughter of Mrs. Leona Hynes of
O’Neill, was named Miss WJAG
during festivities at the Norfolk
city auditorium Sunday, July 27.
t>he won the honors from a field
of 31 contestants. Miss Hynes,
who graduated from St. Mary’s
academy, O’Neill, in 1951, and
I has been attending college at St.
Mary college, Xavier, Kans., not
only won the beauty laurels but
sang a song, too, for the large
audience. With Harold Kline at
the organ, she sang “Smilin’
Through.”
Just a few weeks ago Miss
Hynes was chosen Miss Task
Force by the army men at Ft.
Leavenworth, Kans., which is
near St. Mary college.
Miss Hynes received a “Lady
Elgin” wrist watch from the
Ziegenbein Jewelry of Norfolk.
Miss Hynes appeared in a lav
ender linen afternoon dress with
bolero. She wore a pearl choker,
earrings and black opera pumps.
79,000 Fish
Seined from Lakes
Transplanted to Lake,
River at Norfolk
Members of the Izaak Walton
league of Norfolk rescued 20,000
bullheads and sunfish from dry
areas south of O’Neill Sunday,
July 27. The fish were from 8
to 10 inches long.
They were dumped into the
Northfork river and into the lake
at Ta-ha-zouka park.
The fish were gathered in sein
ing operations between 8 a.m. and
9 p.m. Three trucks and several
tanks were used to transport the
fish.
On the preceding Sunday 50,
000 fish were seined by the same
group from dry areas between At
kinson and Stuart. The fish were
mostly this year’s spawn. They
were used to stock Madison coun
ty streams.
MEETING SLATED
President William McIntosh of
the Chamber of Commerce an
nounced Wednesday that a meet
ing of the U.S. Highway 281 as
sociation will be held in O’Neill
Monday, August 4. The session
will start at 8 p.m. at the M&M.
Nebraska cities and towns along
the northern end of the route
will be represented, Mr. McIn
tosh said, as well as Plainview
and other nearby towns.
Pvt. Harlan Kloepper arrived
in O’Neill Thursday from Ft. Ri
ley, Kans., to spend a 10-day fur
lough, then report to Ft. Law
ton, Wash., for overseas duty.
A rear tire blowout caused this O'Neill
bound machine to leave road, go over ditch,
through fence (twice) and come to a stop against
a culvert (path shown by doited line). Two pas
sengers were seriously injured, driver was un
hurt (Story in column 3.)—The Frontier Photo.
/
Multiple Grass
Fires Do Damage
Youth, 16,
Run Over
by Truck
Russell Miner Hurled
from Front Fender
While Fire-Fighting
Russell Miner, 16, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Everett Miner who live
southeast of O’Neill, was serious
ly injured Sunday in a mishap
while helping to fight grass fires
in northeast Holt county.
Russell was working with his
father and several carloads of
men on the L. D. Putnam ranch.
They headed for the Albert
Marsh place where a fire caused
by lightning had broken out
They were traveling over a rough
blackened field from which the
grass already had been burned
Young Miner was riding on the
front fender of a 1%-ton truck
which his father was driving.
The truck traveling over the
rough terrain struck a deep hole.
Russell was hurled from the fen
der and both the front and rear
truck wheels are believed to have
run over him.
Witnesses variously estimated
that the jolt hurled the youth
from two to four feet into thd
air. landing on the turf in the
path of the truck.
He was rushed to O’Neill for
medical attention. Later in the
evening he was rushed to Clark
son hospital, Omaha, arriving
there at 10:30 p.m.
The doctors at the hospital
found it not necessary to oper
ate immediately. He suffered
chest injuries, a fractured pelvis
and possible other internal in
juries.
His mother accompanied him
to the hospital and remained with
him during the three day crucial
period.
Russell played football at O’
Neill high school where he will be
in his junior year this fall. He
was a leading line prospect for
the approaching football season.
He has been active^n agricultural
work and various youth activities.
Former Pastors Take
Part in Observance
ATKINSON—Immanuel Luth
eran congregation at .Atkinson,
Rev. R. W. Olson, pastor, Sunday,
July 22, observed its 25th anni
versary of dedication. Three serv
ices were conducted in which the
Triune God was praised and
glorified for His constant guid
ance during the past quarter of a
century.
Rev. R. W. Koepp was the guest
speaker in the morning service
and based his sermon on John 8:
31-32:
“If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed;
and ye shall know the truth and
the truth shall make you free.”
The afternoon service was con
ducted by Rev. F. J. Schleef, who
based his sermon on Psalm 84:10:
“For a day in Thy courts is bet
ter than a thousand. I had rather
be a doorkeeper in the house of
God, than tq dwell in the tents of
wickedness.”
A son of the congregation and a
former missionary to South
America, Rev. Vernon Harley, was
the speaker in the vesper service.
Reverend Harley chose as his text
Psalm 26:8: “Lord, I love the
habitation of Thy house and the
place where thine honour dwel
leth.”
Special music for the three
services was provided by Mrs.
Blaine Garwood, Miss Karen Gar
wood, Miss Linda Serck, Miss
Leah Serck, Miss Leona Serck,
Victor Snyder, the children of the
Sunday-school and Immanuel’s
pastor.
After the evening service three
sound films were shown. The
films were entitled “Fire on
Earth,” “No Other Gods” and “Bi
ble on the Table.”
The observance also served as
a homecoming—many former par
ishioners and distant friends of
the church being present for the
rites.
DP's to New York —
STUART—Mr. and Mrs. Nick
olaus Burger and daughter left
Monday, July 28, for New York
City, where he has employment.
The Burgers came here from Saal
felden, Germany under the dis
placed persons act in November,
1951. Mr. Burger has been em
ployed at the Stanley Cobb Sup
ply Co.
550 DANCE TO DORSEY
Five hundred and fifty per
sons danced Tuesday night to the
music of Jimmy Dorsey and his
orchestra' at the American Legion
ballroom. The Dorsey band is on
tour, going from O’Neill to Pipe
stone, Minn. The band will win
ter in New York City.
Russell Miner... will recover.
Hog Shows Are
Banned in State
Strive to Prevent
Disease Spread
The Nebraska state agriculture
department, striving to curb the
hog disease outbreak in the state,
Tuesday ruled out swine shows
until further notice.
Agriculture Director Clay
Wright said the order applies to
all the customary fall hog shows
at the state fair, county fairs and
4-H exhibitions.
Mr. Wright's order places a
shipment quarantine on the
grounds of the slate fair board,
county agricultural societies,
county fair boards and Ak*
sar-Ben in Omaha.
The ruling declares the state’s
swine industry is threatened by
vesicular exanthema, which pro
duces symptoms like foot and
mouth disease.
Ed Wink of Chambers, secre
tary of the Holt County Agricul
tural society, sponsor of the fair,
said Wednesday he had received
no official orders from the state,
banning a hog show in connec
tion with the 1952 fair. He add
ed, however, that such instruc
tions “probably will be forth
coming within a day or two.”
Commented State Fair Board
Secretary Ed Schultz:
“We’re sorry to lose the hog
show, but naturally we feel the
economy of the state is more
important.”
The state fair swine show, one
of the nation’s largest, has been
drawing 2,000 to 2,200 head, Mr.
Schultz said.
Its loss won’t seriously affect
the fair, he added.
Meanwhile, the ban on feeder
pigs is still in effect at all mar
keting agencies in the state, in
cluding the O’Neill Livestock
Market. Fat hogs ready for the
slaughtering houses are still
marketable.
It is possible, some observers
say, that all hogs in the state
will be quarantined before the
threat is past.
Brother Witnesses
Helsinki Olympics
David Vequist of St. Joseph,
Mo., brother of Charles and
Henry Vequist and Mrs. Anna
Brown, all of O’Neill, this
week is in Helsinki, Finland,
as a spectator at the 1952
Olympic games.
He and his wife left July 7
by air for Europe and will re
turn August 5.
Mrs. David Vequist is visit
ing her brothers at Hamburg,
Germany—kin she hasn’t seen
in 45 years.
In a postcard received Tues
day, written from Amsterdam,
Netherlands, the Vequists
stated:
“Amsterdam is a fine city
with a historic background.
Weather is mild.”
KILLED ON LEAVE . . .
A3/c Norman D. Hoffman
(above) was killed Sunday,
July 20, in an Oklahoma auto
mobile accident while on a
weekend pass. He was a mem
ber of the air force. Funeral
services were held last Thurs
day at Bristow. (Story on page
6.)
[
Volunteers
Wage Fight
in NE Holt
rnmmmimmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Lightning Cause of
Numerous Blazes;
Half-Section Burns
The O’Neill firemen and sev
eral hundred volunteers spent
Sunday afternoon fighting prai
rie fires northeast of O’Neill.
Fire burned off 200 acres on
the L. D. Putnam ranch, 10 miles
northeast of O’Neill, before ii
could be brought under control
and put out.
Eighty acres of pasture were
burned on Walter Young's place*
and 20 acres on the Albert Marsh
ranch. Both of these places are
in the vicinity of Putnam's ranch.
A small fire which burned only
one-half an acre on Otto Knoell’a
ranch two miles south and one
mile east of Opportunity was
quickly put out.
Lightning struck a telephone
connection box on the outside of
the Leo Hines home Sunday after
noon during the electrical storm.
The box was shattered. The same
bolt also severed two wires at the
nearby home of Mr. and
Harry Ressel.
A fire caused by lightning Sun
day burned hay stacks at the
Vem Wilkinson place, four miles
south of Chambers, and the Er
nest Young place, north of Cham
bers.
All of the fires were started by
lightning which was seen strik
ing the ground in several places.
A grass fire Friday, July 25.
swept over 40 acres of the
Brockman ranch south of Em
met before the blaze was
brought under control by 150
fire-fighters.
The fire started in a field of
hay about to be baled. In order
to check the blaze, Eli McCon
nell, who was using a maintainer
on a road nearby, was called up
on to upturn a wide path of fresh
earth. The O’Neill fire depart
ment then showered the bound
ary with a water sprinkler. At
kinson firemen were at the scene
of the fire and helped to bring it
under control.
No hay stacks were lost.
As a car passed by the Glen
Stewart home northeast of Page
Friday evening it ran into and
broke a telephone wire. The end
of the wire was thrown onto the
light wire causing a short. The
house caught on fire and grass
was burned in the yard. The
Stewarts Were home and soon
put the fire out. A number from
Page went to the home in answer
to the fire call.
O’Neill firemen were sum
moned about 2 o'clock Wednes
day afternoon to a residential
grass fire south of the Chariest
Beilin place, between the Bur
lington and North Western tracks.
Threshing Rig
Starts Blaze—
REDBIRD—A fire which ocig
inated in a threshing machine
owned by Albert Carson last
Thursday started a prairie fire
which did considerable damage
in the Redbird region.
The fire, of an unknown origin,
started while threshing was be
ing done on the Ray Wilson
farm. The strong wind blew
sparks into a large straw stack
and from there the fire spread
rapidly through a hay meadow,
burning four more stacks.
The fire alarm brought many
fire fighters, but the blase was
not subdued until it reachedl
the top of the hills above the
Redbird valley.
Frank Wyant hauled water
most of the night for the men to
put out tree stump and fence
post fires.
One stack was saved by plow
ing around it and later it was
moved away from the burning
stacks by four tractors.
Several ladies helped Mrs. Wil
son serve lunches to the men
during the night.
Teacher Shortage
Still Exists in Holt
Holt county schools still face a
teacher shortage. Vacancies in
the high schools of O’Neill, Page
and Inman have yet to be filled.
A few of the reported 40 to 50
vacancies in the rural school*
have been filled.
Miss Alice French, county su
perintendent of public instruc
tion, said that when the report
from Wayne State TeacheFs col
lege is given next week it will
be possible to tell how many of
the vacancies will be filled.
The report will show the pro
gress of students taking the sum
mer teacher training course.