I I Biggest News Story in ’52 Easily the biggest news story of the year just ended—1952— was the Chet Calkins murder mystery. The 51-year-old O’Neill chief 0f police was slain early on the morning of March 7 while in his cruiser car on Everett street, midway between Third and Fourth. The unknown assassin escaped with the aid of three lucky Sneaks. (1) No one residing in the vicinity heard or saw the shoot xg; (2) snowfall covered auto tread and footprint marks; (3) an hour or more elapsed between the moment the chiefs body was found dead and when it was discovered his body had been riddled with ibullets. The Calkins mystery and the unsuccessful search for the nawiilnnl held the attention of midwestemers for weeks on end. Developments were watched very closely by thousands of interest ed persons—many of whom had recounted friendly relationships with O'Neill's chief. Kearns of newspaper and radio copy were published on the "Calkins story. But the murderer is still at large, and authorities still pressing the search have a grim determination to find the slayer. All other violent deaths made big news during the year. Marine tM. Donald D. Miner of O’Neill became Holt’s first fatality in the ‘"Snrean. war. There was the auto-truck tragedy near Central City tn which Mr. and Mrs. Lyndon McKamy and Mrs. McKamy’s moth «er, Mrs. Christine Muff, died from injuries. Charles Edward Barnes, 31 navy youth home on leave to attend his father’s funeral, died in an. auto accident on a country road near Atkinson. Mrs. H. H. Miles 0f Dorsey was fatally injured in a highway accident near Wisner. Mrs. Emmet Slaight was accidentally killed by gunshot. Little Bar .bara Ann Bauer of Deloit was fatally injured when a cabling rack ran over her body. And there were others. St. Anthony’s hospital completion, its dedication and formal • opening — September 25 — created big news on the brighter side throughout the year. Other ranking stories were: The outbreak of vesicular exan thema, which restricted hog selling for more than a month; the Mis souri river flood, while some 40 miles distant at its nearest point, exerted an effect on the area; the dispute pertaining to the future routing of U.S. highway 261 from the Niobrara river north to the South Dakota line; the Niobrara river basin development plans, nnd. of course, the passing from the scene of the pioneers, whose numbers now have dwindled to a handful. The editor presents a thumbnail chronology of the just-ended year in the paragraphs that follow: January 3—The stork was buzzing snow-blanketed Holt county but /ailed to alight with 1952’s first Laby. . . The numerical prefix “36' was restored to auto license plates. . . Ramon Bright and son, Ardell, became owners of the •Schulz store. . . Four sons of Mr. and. Mrs. Frank Hammon of Lynch are in the armed forces. . . Nineteen registrants got draft or ders. . . Deaths: Mrs. Agatha Heeb of Emmet; Earl Makemson « je-cted and leases on parcels were again offered. . . A statewide Ca tholic Daughters of America par ley was held here. A national director was a guest. . . The new St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran church at Orchard has been dedi cated. . . Deaths: G. A. Fox of Columbus, formerly of O’Neill; Dr. Milton E. Pettibone of Sid ney, formerly of O’Neill; Mrs. Luther Buxton of Ewing; Mrs. Ella Karr of O’Neill; Russell C. Everett of Atkinson. 8.—Miss Donna Fuhrer, wide ly-known O’Neill crippled girl, received an O’Neill high school diploma. She had never been in side , a classroom. The city’s schools graduated 77 seniors. . . Vic Halva recounted the Titanic disaster. He was a survivor of the famous April, 1912, sinking of *he luxury liner. . . Illness has forced Rev. V. R. Bell, Methodist pastor, to retire. . . A friendly doe deer visited the Inez rural school . . . Fish have been caught in ruts of roads near Chambers where water stands everywhere. . . George M. McCarthy has been elected state deputy grand knight of the Knights of Columbus. . . Deaths: Thomas Leroy Slattery, :r., of O’Neill; Phillip Keating of Atkinson; Arlen Haney of Atkin son; Walter Horiskey of O’Neill; Chris Sorensen of Page; Mrs. T. W. Olney of Greybull, Wyo., for merly of Chambers. 15.—The Calkins reward fund — $1,550 — is now considered closed. . . Holt county eighth grade promotion exercises were held in the O’Neill high school auditorium. . . Mrs. Charlotte Honeywell celebrated her 85th birthday anniversary. . . An oil heater in the Mode O’Day store caused extensive damage to mer chandise when a minor explo sion filled the store with soot and smoke. . . Deaths: P. B. Harty of O’Neill; Ralph Cobb of Stuart; Joseph Zaborowski of O’Neil; P. J. Keating of Atkinson. 22.—The annual St. Mary’s academy alumni banquet was at tended by over 250. . . The an nual Holt extension club picnic will be held in Ford’s park. . . Thirty students enrolled in the summer band school which be gan May 19. . . Patrolman Rob ert Gude of Nebraska City has been assigned to the O’Neill re gion for the Nebraska safety pa trol. . . Officers started from scratch again in their investiga tion of the murder March 7 of O’Neill Police Chief Calkins. . . Deaths: Mrs. Albert Frost of At kinson; Edwin L. Jardee of O’ Neill. 29.—Miss Mary Lou Wilson was chosen as queen of the Lions club. ... Judge Lyle E. Jackson of Neligh was to give the me morial address in the Legion au ditorium. . . Harry Jolly has been appointed to the O’Neill police force. . . Miss Bernadette Hynes was chosen ‘IMiss Task Force” at Ft. Leavenworth, Kans. . Deaths: P. T. Welsh of Hyde Park, Mass., formerly of O’Neill; Dell John son of Atkinson; Mrs. Edward E. Angel of Spencer; Joseph G. r1" Boyle of Omaha; Mrs. William Snider of Ewing; Charles Homol ka of Amelia. June 5.—Holt county authorities are searching for a 24-year-old es capee from a Minnesota mental hospital who abandoned a stolen airplane three miles northeast of Ewing. . . The construction of the new rural Bethany Presbyterian church began six miles northeast of Chambers. The estimated cost is $20,000. . . Mr. and Mrs. M. L Harkins of Inman celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary . . . The new basement of the Christ Lutheran church of O’Neill was opened for use for the first time since the building operations began last fall. . . Deaths: James Harding of Whiting, la., formerly of O’Neill; Lyle G. Moss of Am elia; John Stauffer, jr., of Page. 12. — Within 10 minutes af ter the outbreak of fire at an Emmet Hay Co. barn, the structure was reduced to ruins. The barn contained 157 tons of hay. Loss was fixed at $7,000. . . William W. McIntosh was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce. . . The dam and 28 acre lake at Atkinson has been restored by the state game com mission and will be opened as a recreation spot on July 1. . . The blanket 4-mill school tax levy law was ruiea invalid oy tne state supreme court. . . The escapee from the mental hospital in Min nesota is still at large. . . Deaths: Charles Edward Morsbach, Inman. 19.—D. C. Schaffer was elected president of the Nebraska Stock growers association. . . The city council voted against the move of a tavern building on the cor ner of Madison and Douglas streets. . . The Legion revealed a plan for a 70- to 90-thousand-dol lar swimming pool. . .A twister demolished the drive-in theater screen. . . Seven men left for the selective service. . . M. J. Golden won the 31st annual open golf tourney held at the Country club . . . Robert Shoemaker was elected head of the Knights of Columbus . . . Deaths: Mrs. Frank Kramer of Atkinson; Mrs Zack France of Camas, Wash., formerly of O’ Neill; Mrs. Bailey Miller of At kinson; Jennie Holloway of Page; Mrs. Charles Prussa, jr., of At kinson; William F. Eisele of St. Edward, formerly of O’Neill; Lyle Andrew Gilbert of Bristow. 26.—The Frontier enlarged its newspaper pages to eight-col umn (formerly seven columns) by 22 inches (formerly 22 inches) . . . The John Conard combina tion store and postoffice in Em met was burglarized for the sec ond time in 18 months. . . Buick dealers from a wide area con vened in O’Neill. . . Four Lyndon McKamy children were orphaned when their parents and Mrs. Christine Muff were killed in a car-tractor collision near Central City. . . Joseph George has con tracted to teach social science and literature courses at St. Mary’s academy. . . Mr. and Mrs. Nels Nelson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. . . Deaths: Gerald Scott Stamp of Inman; Mrs. Clara Ala Ohri of Spencer; Roy Kimes of Ewing; Fred Barnes Df Atkinson; Mrs. Jennie Madi son of Omaha, formerly of O’Neill. July 3. — O’Neill’s municipal water shortage entered the . critical stage. . . Rev. Wallace B. Smith of Hemingford has been appoint ed to fill the Methodist vacancy here. . . Two youths admit bur glarizing the John Conard store at Emmet. . . Bert Bertolini has joined the staff of the Gilligan’s Rexall drug store. . . The Mc Kamy - Muff funeral rites were J. T. Fletcher of Orchard; Mrs. Fred Prange of Atkinson; John F. Kazda of Atkinson. 10.—Rev. and Mrs. Ward Smith and family returned to Cham bers for a furlough from their mission station at Tocomacho, Honduras, Central America. . . Mr. and Mrs. George Colman of Inman celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. . . The Bethany Presbyterian church near Chambers held a service for the dedication of the cornerstone. . . . A 1936 model fire truck was placed in retirement. . . Mr. ajid Mrs. Elmer Smith of Page cele brated their 5Cth wedding anni versary. . . Mrs. n. n. Miles of Dorsey was killed July 8 when the car in which she was riding struck a bridge near Wisner. . . There are 4,900 car licenses in Holt. . . Death: Harry A. Sny der of Atkinson. 17.—Charles Edward Barnes .of Atkinson was killed July 15 while home on leave when his car overturned. . . Alfred Carroll was elected new Legion com mander. . . An Elgin plane crash ed after striking an REA line near Chambers. . . Clifford Hard ing gets Winner, S.D., star route mail contract. . . Two Plainview men were injured in a car-truck crash while on their way to Nor folk to donate blood to the vic tims of the Miles-Jenkinson ac cident. One was Fred Ristow, formerly of O’Neill. . . The water department has drilled test wells to find a new well to relieve the water shortage. . . Deaths: Mrs. James Humpal of Atkinson; Mrs. Joseph Krska of Atkinson. 24.—The Dorsey Presbyterian church marks its 70th year since its organization. . . Mother Bert rand arrived to take the respon sibilities as the head of St. An thony’s hospital. . . O’Neill was the site of the annual meeting of the North - Central Nebraska Press association. . . Five Cizek brothers and their sister held their first reunion in 49 years at Spencer. . . A cave-in spoiled the well urgently needed to ease the water shortage. . . On an in formal poll on parking meters, business and professional men cast a 34-14 vote against them. . . Deaths: Dave F. Murphy of Te cumseh, formerly of O’Neill; Lyle S. Smith of Ewing; Ralph Pinkerman of Lynch; Ella Lydia Renner of Inman. 31.—Rev. John Thomas is new pastor at the Cnurch of Christ. (Continued on page 5) Police Chief Chet Calkins . . . his assassin is still at large. vim®;-:'*- '■ * . • •. • r - .:•? • •v January Clearance Sale! 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