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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 1954)
Prairieland Talk . . . Prairie Disappears in O’Neill By ROMAINE SAUNDERS. Retired. Former Frontier Editor LINCOLN—The vacant spots at O’Neill are fast becoming “residential districts,” the last foot of prairie sod will soon be no more within its limits. In a recent visit I saw about a dozen friends that “grew-up” with the town. Like the shifting sands of desert lands, the population of O’Neill and the community around comes and goes. We have seen the long pro cession moving down the high way of life, “the young heart hot and restless, the old subdued and slow.” The young, too, are march ing step by step toward the in exorbable end, gathering along the way treasures of memory, joy and sorrow, smiles and tears, Romaine moments of bliss and days of ... Saunders heartache. The aged know it will soon be over. The gathering shadows of life’s twilight permit one more step—and then the dark. Life’s closing years for some are crowned with serenity and peaceful plenty, for others the tragedy of being alone and unwanted. And so from without the borne of time and place all strut across the stage and pass out of the picture. And then how many can say with the great St. Paul, “There is laid up for me a crown which the Lord will give me at that day”? • * • Senate rules require opening each session with prayer offered by the chaplain. An ad journed night session recently caught the sena tors without their clergyman, who had turned in for the night. A republican senator from Utah. Wallace F. Bennett, an elder in the Mor mon church, rose to the occasion and supplied the customary prayer. Senator McCarthy still seems to be the “para mount issue” in congress, the stage now being set for “condemnation” proceeding when the senate convenes in special session early in November. The Wisconsin senator will take care of himself. A hundred years ago Sam Houston faced his ac cusers on the floor of the federal legislative halls and in one of the greatest flights of oratory ever known in those historic chambers made his ene mies regret their move. “I stand before this house,” said Houston, “as a man of broken for tune and blasted reputation.” And with bowed head in the presence of lawmakers and galleries crowded with spectators, the great Sam Houston concluded his own defense with these words: "Though the plowshare of ruin has been driven over me, I have only to say I seek no sympathy nor need any. The thorns that I have reaped are of the tree I planted; they have torn me and I bleed.” And then he raised his eyes to the flag and said: ‘“Sirs, so long as that flag shall bear aloft its glittering stars, so long I trust the rights of American citizens will be preserved.” Now soon, a hundred years later, an American citizen and high public official will stand before his ac cusers for having performed his duty as a United States senator as he sees it. * * • Secretary Benson observed during his visit to Nebraska that there is not a tractor rider here seeking a seat in the U.S. senate. This inspired one candidate, James F. Green, to announce so we all may know that he is an Omaha attorney and doesn’t know much about riding tractors. We have had a compentent lady senator for a few months who rides a cow pony. Propably there is now a surplus of lawyers in the congress and maybe there should be a delegation of tractor and cow pony riders making themselves heard on capitol hill. We look back today upon the scene in early autumn of 1903. M. F. Harrington was having a house built on his land in the vicinity of the Mc Clure ranch, and Hank Mills went thither to put down a well. . . Alice Coykendall took off for Chicago, 111., to attend a national gathering of dress makers. . . Martin Cronin went to Stuart to stick type for the Ledger publisher. . . John M. Stewart and Ida B. Morse, both of O’Neill, were issued a marriage license by County Judge Mor gan. . . Father Isadore (Richard Dwyer) arrived in the city from the East for a visit with relatives and friends. . . The J. P. Mann store was offering boys’ knee pants suits for $1.50. . . A son was bom to Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Kellogg. Mrs. Kellogg was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Ziemer. . . Ber nard McGreevy passed cigars around and remark ed with a smile, “It’s a daughter!” . . Arthur Gwin and Emma Stein were married at the home of the bride’s parents on a farm north of O’Neill. * * * A young man back from a week in Dallas, Tex., during the last week in September, says that section is very dry and hot. heat register ing 117 degrees while he was there. Cotton crop is short, one planter telling him his loss this year on his crop will amount to $20,000 because of prolonged drought. * * * Officials charged with the job of dealing with criminals say that crime is at an all time high mark in America. This in the face of what some churchmen claim is the greatest religious surge the country has ever experienced. Maybe the gunmen have everybody frightened, so they take refuge in church membership, which in itself means lit tle or nothing. One of the late apostolic writers mentions a time of a “form of godliness” but the real stuff is “to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction” and keep himself straight. There is form aplenty, show and display. Friends up at O’Neill and out on prairieland have some thing that transcends all that in their religious thinking. Most any of them would hand me the bus fare if I were broke and wanted to get back to Lincoln. Talking with a superannuated old patriot to day, he expressed a esire to visit his home of long ago in another state but he did not have the mon ey necessary for the trip. His life had been spent not in gathering money and property but. in ser vice to others as a Methodist preacher, 50 years or more ago in Holt county. Now before life’s gathering shadows merge into night he would like to visit again the scenes of his childhood and youth. The lack of a few dollars bars the way. But as I watched the patriarch move away with falter ing step I concluded he could not go alone any place though he might have a mint to draw on. * * * Folks at O’Neill have become concert conscious. Now the swelling notes of imported song birds will float out over the calm evening air across prairieland. The O’Neill of the long ago had its native concert singers, its Shakespearean actors and blackface comedians. Has it come to this, that the old town points a beckoning finger toward New York City with the plea, “Come ^nd sing for us or put on a show”? Shades of Denny Cronin and John Smoot! * * • The statehouse custodian says the budget for his department can be materially reduced for the next biennium, the old age assistance budget will be . less by about a million and a group of Ameri can Legion patriots call for a reduction in costs of college education. Editorial . . . Why Not a Holt County Museum? It has been mentioned in these columns be fore and we now take occasion to repeat the fact that a historical society should be formed in Holt county. Many attics, basements and barns are sheltering items that would be of prime in terest in a historical group. One-by-one these items are finding their way to the junk yards whereas some of them could be quite valuable to a collection. We noted by the Wayne Herald a museum recently was opened at the courthouse there. About three hundred persons found time to ex amine relics of early life in that area the first evening the museum was open to the public. The Wayne museum was a project of the Wayne Woman’s club. The members collected, cataloged and displayed more than 275 items. We think a museum of that sort would be a fine thing for Holt county, and it is The Frontier’s hope some individuals or a group will come for ward and set out to preserve the tools, imple ments, household goods and clothes of old. No doubt it is an undertaking for a permanent or ganization, because people with historical inter ests will be constantly searching for additional articles to be displayed. Following publication of an editorial along these same lines appearing in this newspaper about two years ago, Joel Parker was quick to like the idea. Joel has a first-class collection of historical items in his possession right now; items that some less historically-conscious person might quickly relegate to the junk yard. Charles Cole of Star has several items set aside. Elmer Juracek one day brought in for us to examine an 1880 township clerk’s record book—a classic ex ample of painstaking longhand and dedicated public service. In 1949 when The Frontier published its 64 page diamond jubilee issue (the largest single is sue of a weekly newspaper ever published in Ne braska), the jubilee editor, Romaine Saunders, pleaded for someone to bring in a haybumer heating stove. Several weeks elapsed. A delapidat ed one finally was brought in from the south western comer of the county. Recently the Ne braska State Historical society put on an SOS for a similar haybumer. What success the Lincoln appeal met with we do not know. The project clubs which banded together to reconstruct a “grandmother’s kitchen’’ at the 1954 Holt county fair at Chambers had the right idea —an aged cupboard, rocking chair, clock, lamp, etc. The original Holt county courthouse, a log cabin on the Boyle place southeast of town, might be transplanted to O’Neill and be made into a museum. There is no doubt that many Holt county homes contain certain relics of early day life in this area. Some of these could become outstand ing contributions to a museum. Two net results of such a museum we are quite certain: (1) Respect for our ancestors and the hardy settlers in this region would grow after a visit to the museum; (2) Those who long for the “good old days” may change their minds after seeing the primitive tools and the clothing worn by the pioneers. Teach ’Em Young . . . Right (Guest editorial from Pierce County Leader) A bike to a boy or a girl is as important as the automobile is to the parents. Just like the automobile driver, the youngster occasionally be comes careless and when this happens an accident can result. Teach your youngster to stop the bike at stop signs . . . it’s just as important a bike stop as an automobile. The car driver having the right-of-way will look for oncoming cars but knowing he must halt at a stop sign often will breeze right through an intersection. A kid on a bike that “breezes” right through a stop sign could meet instant death below the crushing wheels of an auto that had the right-of way. Teach your youngster to signal turns when riding a bike in the street. A car coming from behind should be warned when a youngster plans a left hand turn. A bike can be a youngster’s greatest joy and thrill ... if handled properly. When youngsters forget the laws of the road that bike could be a “way-of-death.” Dad and mother remember this . . . your youngster will ride his bike cautiously if you drive cautiously . . . what kind of an example are you setting? Man is a wonder to himself; he can neither govern nor know himself.—Benjamin Wichcote. CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor and Publisher Editorial & Business Offices: 122 South Fourth St. Address correspondence: Box 330, O’Neill, Nebr. Established in 1880—Published Each Thursday Entered at the postoffice in O’Neill, Holt county, Nebraska, as second-class mail matter under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. This newspaper is a member of the Nebraska Press Association, National Editorial Association and the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Terms of Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50 per year; elsewhere in the United States, $3 per year; rates abroad provided on request. All sub scriptions are paid-in-advance. Audited (ABC) Circulation—2,335 (Mar. 31, 1954) I When You and I Were Young... Temperature Skids 50 Degrees Overnite Blast of August Turns Arctic SO Years Ago The sandhills over south can produce something besides grass and blowouts. A load of cabbage came in from that section the other day and was unloaded at Leek and Gatz’ meat market. There were some enormous heads. Many of the heads would, when weighed singly, tip the scales at 20 pounds. . . Tempera tures varied 50 degrees this last week — ’twas something like a blast of August and then a bit of the Arctic overnight! . . County Clerk Gilmore has returned from his eastern trip and is on duty again at his office. . . An oyster supper will be sponsored by the lames of the Presbyterian church in the Dayle building. . . O’Neill citizens several hundred strong planned to attend the Chambers fair, but were held at home due to a downpour of rain all day. 20 Years Ago The 50th anniversary of the First Baptist church at Cham bers was celebrated during the week. The anniversary picture was revealed and presented to the church. The presentation speech was made by Leo Adams. . . . The All-Stars of Boyd coun ty defeated the Holt All-Stars with a score of 3-2 in 11 innings. Each team has won a game to date. . . Candidates for state of fices will speak here during the coming week. Richard Johnson, republican candidate for attor ney-general, and Dr. T. W. Bass, republican candidate for state treasurer, are on a speaking tour of this section of the state. . . A reception was held at the Metho dist church honoring the new pastor and his wife, Rev. and Mrs. A. Judson May. 10 Years Ago O’Neill high has lost its first two football games this season... Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Chapman purchased the Hotel Augusta and Green Lantern dining room in Fairmont, Minn. Mrs. Chapman is the former Pauline McPharlin, daughter of Mrs. J. H. McPhar lin. . . The American Legion, second district, will hold its an nual meeting at Wausa. . . Jack Vincent, son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Vincent, received his degree of doctor of medicine at Joslyn Memorial. . . Petty Oficer 3/c William O’Connell arrived in Norfolk, Va., after spending sev eral months overseas. One Year Ago An unsuccessful attempt to crack the safe in the office of Shelhamer Foods was made some time during the early hours of the mornmg after the store closed around midnight Satur day. . . Mother M. Erica, superior at St. Mary’s academy, died of a cerebral hemorrhage at St. An thony’s hospital. . . Pfc. Glen E. Knight was heard over radio sta tion WJAG in a transcribed in terview recently made in Mun san, Korea, the truce talk area. . . . Pre-historic bones of a rhi noceros were unearthed on the Melvin Colson farm northeast of Orchard. Page News Mr. and Mrs. Harold Asher and son were Sunday dinner guests at his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Neil Asher. Mrs. Eva Murten came from Gordon Wednesday evening, Sep tember 29, to visit relatives and friends here. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Hartigan and family were Sunday dinner guests of his mother, Mrs. Marye Harti gan, at Inman. His brother Pvt. Grayden Hartigan, was home from Ft. Bliss, Tex. Mr. and Mrs. Pearl Cary were also guests of their daughter, Mrs. Hartigan. Mrs. Laura Walker visited Wednesday afternoon, September 29, with Mrs. C. A. Townsend. She had been staying with her daugh ter, Mrs. Bright, at Orchard and was going to O’Neill to visit an other daughter, Mrs. L. A. Bur gess. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Fleming and Mrs. Frank Belmar of Ewing, and Mrs. Dora Townsend of Page were Pickstown, S. D., visitors Saturday and also attended the Pancake day celebration at Yank ton, S. D. Mr. and Mrs. Allen Haynes were dinner guests Friday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Wells in O’Neill. They were supper guests and spent the night at the home of their son and daughter in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Haynes and family. The GGG&G club met Friday afternoon with Mrs. Otto Matsch ullat. Mrs. Clarence Dobbins, Mrs. Alta French and Mrs. Elsie Cork were guests. Mrs. Hester Edmisten won the high score prize, Mrs. Clarence Stevens, low, and Mrs. L O. Wood, traveling. Refresh ments were served. 'm* Gets Promotion Fred R. . Mitchell (above), son of Mr. and Mrs. Berlin Mitchell of Stuart, recently was promoted from private first-class to corporal. He is as signed to a field artillery unit in Korea and recently helped erect a school for Korean chil dren. Corporal Mitchell enter ed the army in March, 1953. 1 Killed, 3 Hurt in Horse Mishaps During the past fortnight acci dents involving saddle horses killed one Boyd county man and injured three other persons in the O’Neill area. All were wide ly-separated incidents. The Frontier last issue carried the complete acount of Marvin Piklapp’s fall from his horse, which broke the 36-year-old Monowi farmer’s neck, killing him instantly. Recently William Pratt of Bris tow suffered a severely wrench ed shoulder when the horse he was riding stepped into a badger hole. The horse fell on Mr. Pratt. Last week, W. Anson, a farmer residing four miles east of Bris tow, suffered a severely skinned face. The horse he was riding stepped into a washed-out hole near a deep gully. The horse fell and Mr. Anson suffered a bruised face. Lynch doctors dressed the wounds and Mr. Anson loaded the cattle he had been driving into a truck. He planned to take them to the Verdigre sale barn to be sold at auction. But mis fortune again plagued Mr. An son. The truck upset southeast of Niobrara enroute to the market. Mrs. Mark Gribble fell from a saddle horse Monday morning and fractured two bones in her leg, about six inches above the right ankle. A strap that fastens onto the cinch on the saddle broke and caused the fall. Her husband and Vernon Smith, who was in a field nearby, took her to St. Anthony’s hospital at O’ Neill. The mishap occurred seven miles south of the Gribble home. O’Neill doctors set the fracture and confined Mrs. Gribble to the hospital for several days. Visits Mexico— Mrs. Anna V. Brown returned last week from San Antonio, Tex., where she had attended the con vention of Spanish-American war veterans September 19 through 23. She visited in Mexico while there and on her return trip visit ed relatives in Lawarence, Kans., and St. Joseph, Mo. Those attending the NCCW convention held Tuesday in Omaha were Mrs. L. A. Becker, Mrs. Fred O. Heerman, Mrs. Ira Moss, Mrs. George Head and Mrs. W. H. Bowker. Mr. Becker drove the group to Omaha Monday. They returned Tuesday evening. Legal Notice PROCLAMATION OF GENERAL ELECTION 1954 Notice is hereby given that a General Election will be held in the several voting precincts of the County of Holt, State of Ne braska, on Tuesday, the second day of November, 1954, during the hours designated by law, for the following purposes, to-wit: 1. For the election of one Unit ed States Senator (full term). 2. For the election of one Unit ed States Senator (short term to fill vacancy expiring January, 1955). 3. For the election of one Unit ed States Senator (short term— to fill vacancy expiring Januarv, 1959). 4. For the election of one mem ber of Congress from the Fourth Congressional District of the State. 5. For the election of the fol lowing State Officers, to-wit; One Governor One Lieutenant Governor One Secretary of State One Auditor of Public Ac counts One State Treasurer One Attorney General One Railway Commissioner 6. For the election of one mem ber of the State Board of Educa tion for the Sixth District (four year term). 7. For the election of one member of the Unicameral Leg islature for the twenty-eighth Legislative District of the State. 8. For the election of one mem ber of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebr. for Dis trict Six, (short term to fill va cancy expiring January, 1957). 9. For the election of any Di rectors of Public Power Districts to be elected. 10. To vote upon eight propos als of the 1953 and 1954 sessions of the Legislature amending Article IV, Section 25; Article VII, Section 1; Article IV, Sec tion 1; Article VIII, Section 1; Article IX, section 4; Article VIII, section 2; Article VIII, by adding a new section; and Arti cle IV, section 28, of the Consti tution of the State of Nebraska. 11. For the election of the fol lowing County Officers, to-wit; One County Clerk One County Treasurer One Clerk of the District Court One County Attorney One Sheriff One Assessor One Surveyor One County Superintendent of Public Instruction One Supervisor from each of the First, Third, Fifth and Seventh Supervisor Districts of the County (Full Term) One Supervisor from the Second Supervisor District of the County (short term to fill vacancy) 12. For the election of precinct officers and any other officer needed in the State, County or subdivision, as provided by law. At which General Election the ' polls will open at 8:00 A.M. and remain open until 8:00 P.M. of the same dav. RUTH HOFFMAN BAKER County Clerk (SEAL) 23c ...—.- .—. (First pub. Sept. 30, 1954) William W. Griffin, Attorney NOTICE OF HEARING OF PETITION FOR FINAL SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNT No. 3933 COUNTY COURT OF HOLT COUNTY, NEBRASKA. ESTATE OF DAVID ALFRED JOHNSON, DECEASED. THE STATE OF NEBRASKA, TO ALL CONCERNED: Notice is hereby given that a petition has been filed for final settlement herein, determination of heirship, inheritance taxes, fees and commissions, distribu tion of estate and approval of fi nal account and discharge, which will be for hearing in this court on October 20, 1954, at 10 o’clock, A.M. LOUIS W. REIMER County Judge , (COUNTY COURT SEAL) 22-24c I , ----- Rural & City PHILLIPS “66” PRODUCTS New & Used Tires Greasing & Washing BORG WORTH Prompt Taukwagon SERVICE Phillips "66" Station Phone 362 POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT “Let me fight for the Parity they promised us... and then forgot! my ■«rk«ti»i tard i» H». 494287." ^ SEND KEITH NEVILLE] DEMOCRAT & former Gov. of Nebraska iTImM j ■ 1 ■ ' j KglgP to the wtTsiMfiJ E !hfn thif o4 laid far ky Kiith Nif ill* 1__|~ ===n Finest Beverages ALWAYS COME IN BOTTLES ' g FRI.-SAT.-SUN. OCT. 8-9-10 Sterling Hayden — Coleen Grey “ARROW IN THE DUST” Special Technicolor Historical Western Added Shorts Closed Mid-Week MILLER THEATER — Atkimon — Fri.-Sat. Oct. 8-9 , c. c E t C c > o ^>KEITH LARSEN P PEGGIE CASTLE-DONA DRAKE c Sun.-Mon.-Tues. Oct. 10-11-12 /—I otomn ILU ADAMS Mi MIS MAMEfcDOttX Wed.-Thurs. 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