Prairieland Talk ... *
Helps Calm Troubled Waters
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS, Retired, Former Editor Tbe Frontier
LINCOLN—I grasped the warm and capable
hand of Will McNichols something over a week
ago. Mr. McNichols was in Lincoln when he con
tacted me by telephone, extending a gracious in
vitation to dine with him. So we occupied a table
in the Comhusker dining room.
Back in Nebraska from his Hollywood, Calif.,
home, I think Will’s memory brought 10 him the
enticing odors of his mother’s
mulligan stew. Anyway, some
thing of that nature was what we
both ordered and while stowing
it away as only two husky guys
can, we visited. He had been to
O’Neill and also over in Iowa to
close up some business interests
and he was now renewing former
experiences in Lincoln by contact
with friends of other days when
he was part of Gov. Charley
Bryan’s statehouse administra
tive group.
He had also been-in Lexing
ton, down in Dawson county, ‘where he had prac
ticed law before giong to Southern California.
At Lexington, if I understood correctly, he
met and married his wife, a cultured and charm
ing lady who at this juncture came to our table,
having but recently arrived from a short sojourn
with friends in that town. It was my first meet
in with Mrs. McNichols.
Will is one of several thousand lawyers en
deavoring to calm the troubled domestic waters
in Los Angeles county and uphold the peace and
dignity of the great state of California. I judged
that Mr. McNichols is kept busy in his professional
life, but above all finds home and the companion
ship of a worthy life’s companion his richest re
He still thinks of O’Neill as home and he and
Mrs. McNichols now plan to slow up activities and
spend more time with Nebraska friends.
± * *
The vacation of Jupiter Pluvius ended as re
lated to the midcontinent region when autumn
bowed in on prairieland. The good earth is now suf
ficiently wet for Jack Frost to seal up for winter.
Clouds without a peephole hide the sun another
day and the weather man talked again this morn
ing of “scattered showers.” Somewhat depressed, as
I was garbed in raincoat and hightop boots, a lady
met with on the street greeted me with, “Isn’t that
a great rain? And we need it so much.” I felt bet
ter. On a rock near the top of Mt. Washington is a
marker where a woman climber lay down and died.
One hundred steps more would have taken her to
a hut where she would have received the help she
needed. We are too easily overcome by the imme
diate environment. The lady in the rain on the,
street visioned renewed growth from the ground
and the sun still shining above the clouds.
* * •
With apologies to the memory of Kipling: I
have six busy serving me who taught me all I
know—What and Why and When, and How and
Where and Who.
In the beginning this department was waited
in as "Southwest Breezes.” Some notes from the
Breezes float in again from the ’30’s: Howard Ber
ry was piloting his Ford over hill and down dale,
hounds along sniffing the ground for the scent of
coyote tracks. . . The John Widman family with
housetrailer hooked to their car were heading for
Texas. . H. L. James and one of the ranch hands
spent a day in the Clearwater neighborhood. . .
Tom Baker’s Sunday morning rest was brought to
an end when he caught the bawling of cows and
calves, rolled out of bed at daybreak and hustled
out to see if a calf was in the jaws of a wolf, but
found the cattle were just having a morning con
cert of their own. . . W. H. Crumley was over
from near Page to attend the Widman sale. . . Mr.
and Mrs. J. Roblyer were moving from Swan pre
cinct to a farm near Atkinson. . . Raymond Bly was
not finding enough at home to keep him out of
mischief, so he took on a job of husking com over
in the Chambers community. . . Mrs. Baker wield
ed the paint brush and brightened up the Riley
ranch house. . . Elmer Coolidge and Berle Waldo
each improved their premises by building new
barns, and Blake Ott put an addition to his filling
station. . . Mrs. Bernie Kennedy went to Red Cloud
for a week’s visit. . . Mrs. Ned Saunders and Mrs.
H. Eno of Lincoln and Miss Mildred Saunders of
Glendale, Calif., spent a week at the "Breezes”
household. . . Tom Salem closed his store in Am
elia for a few days which he spent in South Da
kota looking after his real estate interests.
* * *
If this reaches the printers the danger will
have passed. An Indian woman down on the Ca
nadian river bottoms in Oklahoma tells of a visit
from a majestic being from another W'orld who
told her the United States would be destroyed
by bombs and an earthquake October 13—com
pletely and entirely like ancient Sodom, and no
funeral expenses.
* * *
Autumn gold has turned to mud. Yellow fallen
foliage lies at your feet a sorry mess. Tinted velvet
petals of autumn’s floral tribute droop as though
sorrow-laden. The prairie’s silken gown is wet.
Stately trees weep and from the rooftop comes a
rhythmic drip as if beating time to a sort of runic
rhyme. Be still, gloomy guy, and cease repining—
behind the clouds the sun is still shining. And ere
this sheet comes from the typewriter the clouds
have shed their last tear, the sun looks down upon
the sodden earth and within the hour the prairie
land gown will have been wrung dry, drip from
roof and tree silenced, flowers retain their fra
grance and color—the rain is over, tonight the
stars shine and tomorrow the autumn mud will be
come gold.
* * *
A gentleman who Is a native of a state border
ing our neighboring country on the north and whose
occupation during life’s active years took him
many times into every state in the Union, has come
to rest in retirement in a suburb of Lincoln, his
considerate judgment after seeing it all being that
Nebraska is the place to live.
Editorial ... *
Patronage Would Help
The news the Chicago & North Western rail
road contemplates taking appropriate steps to dis
continue the two Omaha-Chadron passenger-mail
express trains, operating through O’Neill, is dis
couraging to say the least. The C&NW declares
that careful studies of the trains’ operations have
been made, covering a period of several years, and
the two trains are sustaining a net loss of well
over 60-thousand-dollars annually.
This should not come as too much of a sur
prise, as most of us have been aware the railroads
have been hurting financially for many years and
that the three-pronged pincers applied to the rail
companies has resulted in crippling blows.
These pincers might be described this way:
1. Competition. Truck, bus and air competi
tion, all government subsidized, have made deep
inroads on rail revenue throughout the country, un
til only a handful of railroads with socalled “long
hauls” are making any money. If trucks and busses
had to build, pay for and maintain their own right
ofways, the railroads could easily meet that com
petition and could be solvent. The rails could be
expanding services instead of contracting them.
2. Unions. The popular “feather-bedding” has
worked economical hardships on rail management.
Rail unions have become so strong the result is the
unions, rather than management, are running the
railroads. The stronger the unions, the less empha
sis on good public relations. Unfortunately, rail
public relations have been deteriorating steadily.
3. Government control. Railroads, despite the
increased government subsidized competition (ap
pearing in a half-dozen different forms), are under
rigid government control. Our guess is if railroads
were permitted to operate in a free economic at
mosphere they’d be healthier.
But right now the Chicago & North Western
people are at the end of their rope. They say the
future is bleak, they foresee no letup in the losses
being sustained on the 447-mile Omaha-to-Chadron
run for these two trains, and they’re considering
taking the necessary steps to have these two trains
discontinued.
Actually these two trains do a terrific amount of
work. They haul tons of mail each day which in
sures reasonably dependable service to thousands
of people in northeast, north-central and northwest
Nebraska and south-central and southwestern
South Dakoa. We’ll venture to guess that people in
40 counties are dependent upon these trains for in
coming and outgoing mail, for railway express and,
to an ironically small extent, passenger service.
The mail service is exceptionally good and reg
ular—although unappreciative people are prone to
refer to the train as “a galloping goose,” “Toon
erville trolley,” or what have you? There are a
number of mail clerks on those trains who perform
a great deal of important work and service in the
night while other people sleep.
If rail transportation for U.S. mail is supplant
ed by highway motor carrier, you can kiss goodbye
to the relatively fine mail service that has been
enjoyed. Mail clerks on the Omaha-bound train
perform more work between 5 p.m., and 7 a.m
aboard number 13 than all the postoffice employees
along the line on duty between these hours. A loss
of these clerks would be keenly felt in the normal
course of business affairs along the route.
Feeder star mail routes make connections with
these trains at Fremont, Scribner, West Point, Wis
ner, Stanton, Norfolk, Neligh, O’Neill, Atkinson,
Bassett Ainsworth, etc. They fan out in each direc
tion for miles.
Our highways already are overburdened with
trucks and the postoffice department is mighty
shortsighted, on one hand, in denying the rails a
few cents margin per sack and, on the other hand,
imposing vast fleets of motor trucks on the high
ways to carry the mail. Substituting 50 or 60 trucks
(a guess) on the Omaha-Chadron run for the
trains would merely compound the hazards of the
highways.
Winters can be fierce on these windswept
plains and we look back on some nightmarish win
ters in which the C&NW mail trains were running
when all other forms of transportation were stop
ped in their tracks.
We look back on the war years and realize the
railroads hauled about 95 percent of the internal
load in these United States to carry the war to the
enemy. When drouths come the railroads are called
upon to haul feed and supplies at greatly reduced
rates.
Sure, railroads have committeed their sins and
have fallen short in some of their responsibilities.
The railroads have hit the bottom and if the high
way massacre and congestion continue (there’s no
indication the condition will do anything but wors
en), the railroads might be on the verge of bounc
ing back.
The Frontier feels any right-thinking person
will analyze this situation and help save these two
trains—which, after all, are merely illustrations
of a chronic rail illness that persists everywhere
in the country. This Omaha-Chadron line, however,
is not an ordinary branch. It’s a vital artery in the
economy of this region and, while ponderous
freight trains continue to roll, presumably on a
profitable basis, the contemplated cutback in
mail-express-passenger service is disturbing and
discouraging. We should like to see the service ex
panded rather than contracted.
A realistic adjustment in the matter of subsi
dizing other forms of carriers, loosening of the “fea
ther-bedding” grip and a relaxation of interstate
commerce controls would make the railroads
healthy again and permit the rail companies to im
prove their services. A little patronage from all of
us would help.
The nation’s railroads have made great strides
since the end of World War II to modernize their
equipment and to speed deliveries and service.
Right now folks along the Omaha-Chadron line
of the C&NW are faced with the prospects of a
backwoods predicament and The Frontier feels
righteously concerned about it.
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 coun
ty, Nebraska, as second-class mail matter under
the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. This news
paper is a member of the Nebraska Press Associa
tion, 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 subscriptions
are paid-in-advance.
Audited (ABC) Circulation—2,335 (Mar. 31, 1954)
News, Views
and Gossip
BY THE EDITOR
^ ... ^
Tragedy — No Less
In the editorial columns of this
issue we’ve presented some back
ground information and made
some comment on the very real
possibility of losing two trains per
day on the Omaha-Chadron line
of the Chicago & North Western
railroad. The company officials
say the combination mail-ex
press—passenger trains, number
13 and 14, operating through O’
Neill during the early morning
hours, are sustaining losses of
60-thousand-dollars per year.
Most people accept these two
trains fur granted and many peo
ple dismiss rather lightly their
importance.
Inasmuch as our interpretation
of the situation is conveyed in the
adjoining editorial columns, we’ll
not add anything here, except to
say that the loss of these two
trains would be a real tragedy
and their services are irreplac
able.
. * * *
McCarthy, Sales, Oats
Ralph Leidy, the retired pro
pane gas dealer and hatchery op
erator, now residing at Benton
ville, Ark., stopped in the office
recently. He wanted us to know
he’s anti-McCarthy and has been
following our pro-McCarthy ob-v
servations with a grain of salt. . .
Comes now, the story about an
O’Neill businessman who was
mowing his lawn one fine eve
ning this past summer. A peddler
came up and interrupted the
mowing operation. The door-to
door salesman wanted the busi
nessman to peruse some of his lit
erature. Joe McCarville, jr., the
mower-pusher, said: “Okay, mis
ter. You run the mower and I’ll
read the literature!” In the best
tradition of salesmanship, the
stranger began shoving the ma
chine, chewing up grass by the
yard. Joe gave the hardworking
peddler an “E” for effort but did
n’t buy. . . Until these lines were
written, it appeared Earl Eppen
bach, farmer living three miles
northeast of town, could harvest
a second crop of oats. He combin
ed a 15-acre patch in early July,
plowed the field and a tempting
volunteer crop has come along—
thanks to a belated killing frost.
Vern Gorgen, who combined the
original crop, may have been
called in again before these lines
are printed. . . Something for the
record, eh?
—CAL STEW.ART
Teachers to Entertain
Board Members—
The Holt County Rural Teach
ers’ association met in the band
room of the O’Neill public school
Wednesday evening, October 13,
for a get-acquainted session. The
evening was spent playing games
which were led by Dotty Moore
and Twila Sobotka and a skit was
presented by them and others in
their group.
The next meeting will be No
vember 10 in the band room. The
film, “Skippy and the Fourth R,”
is scheduled. The school boaid
members are to be guests of the
teachers.
About 40 teachers and guests
were present at last week’s meet
ing. It is hoped that more will be
able to come next time, officials
said.
A lunch was served in the home
economics room at the close of
the evening.—By Lucille Mitchell,
news reporter.
Mr. and Mrs. Leo Brill attend
ed the 37th wedding anniversary
festivities honoring her parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Kirkland, on
Sunday in Atkinson. Others pres
ent were Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Kirkland and Mr. and Mrs. Louis
Vinzenz.
Royal Theater
— O'NEILL. NEBR. —
Thurs.-Fri.-Sat. Oct. 21-22-23
This is Not Family Night!
ceanne Crain, Dana Andrews,
David Farrar
DUEL IN THE JUNGLE
Color by technicolor. Through
the screeching jungle haunts,
across the veldt of violence, past
lion fang and boa coil . . . they
shadowed the “Dead Man of the
Transvaal”. They had to bring
him back alive!
Adults 50c; children 12c; matinee
Sat. 2:30. All children under 12
free when accompanied by parent
Sun.-JVIon.-Tues. Oct. 24-25-26
RING OF FEAR
Warner Bros, present it in Cine
mascope and Wamercolor with 4
track Stereophonic sound. Clyde
Beatty and his gigantic 3-ring cir
cus, Micky Spillane, Pat O’Brien,
the George Hanneford bareback
riding family, Flying Zacchinis,
Wallenda Wonders and other
world-famous circus acts.
Adults 50c; children 12c; matinee
Sun. 2:30. All children unless in
arms must have tickets
INSURANCE
Insurance of All
Kinds
Bonds — Notary Public
20% SAVINGS ON
YOUR PREMIUMS
RELIABLE COMPANIES
PROMPT SETTLEMENTS
Office in Gillespie
Radio Bldg.
PHONE 1U or 218
— O'NEILL —
L. G. GILLESPIE
AGENCY
Established in 1893
— ii ■ ■
When You and I Were Young...
Strangers Grabbing
Gcd Land Cheaply
Influx of People
Every Day
50 Years Ago
J. P. Mann bought the first
page of this week’s Frontier to
announce his great discount sale
—the greatest ever conducted in
this county. . . W. H. Hodgkin and
Merritt Martin left for Lincoln to
attend the annual session of the
Nebraska grand lodge, Independ
ent Order of Odd Fellows, as del
egates from the local lodge. . .
Strange faces are seen on our
streets every day and generally
speaking the strangers are com
ing here with a view of locating
permanently. Land can be had
cheaper in Holt county than any
place in Nebraska, taking into
consideration the quality of the
land on the market. . . George E.
Bowen, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. F.
Bowen, and Miss Laura A. Myers
were united in marriage at the
residence of the bride’s parents,
Mr. and Mrs. William Myers.
20 Years Ago
Mr. and Mrs. John McCaffrey
of Pittsburgh, Pa., former O’Neill
residents, celebrated their golden
wedding anniversary at their
home in Pittsburgh. Mrs. McCaf
frey is the former Miss Mary
Donlin, daughter of the late Mr.
and Mrs. John Donlin. . . Andresen
& Beckman of Bloomfield have
rented the building formerly oc
cupied by Margaret’s Beauty shop
and the Idle Hour cafe. They will
open a drug store therein as soon
as the building has been remod
eled. . . Parts of northern Nebras
ka have a little corn and a fair
corn fodder crop. However, the
state’s corn crop yield is only one
r.inth of the yield a year ago. . .
The 32d Eucharistic congress is to
be held in Buenos Aires. . . May
or Kerser.brock and Supervisors
Sullivan, Carson and Steinhauser
spent a day in Lincoln inquiring
into the withdrawal of bids on the
Fourth street paving project.
1# Years Ago
Harold Lindberg nearly lost an
eye while hunting in Boyd coun
ty. Some stray shot hit him in
three different places with one
shot striking his glasses. The shot
lodged behind his eyeball. . . Jerry
Summers was struck in the neck
by a .22 calibre long rifle bullet
while cutting wood in his back
yard. The bullet narrowly missed
his jugular vein. As yet there is no
knowledge as to who fired the
shot. . . The O’Neill high Eagles
won their second consecutive
game when they defeated Creigh
ton, 25-0. St. Mary’s Cardinals
continued to roll in high gear and
won their fourth consecutive vic
tory against no defeats when they
trounced Verdigre, 34-10. . . .
Floyd M. Jareske was awarded
the bronze star medal for heroic
achievement against the enemy
over a period of six days which
aided materially in the advance of
1-is company in France.
One Year Ago
Five thousand persons were
served during O’Neill’s second an
nual Pillsbury pancake day. An
estimated 1,500 more servings
were provided than a year ago,
according to General Chairman
Henry Lofflin. . . Mrs. Alice A.
Axtell, aged Stuart woman, is
looking forward to her 102d birth
dty anniversary on November 22.
. . . Picking of this year’s corn
crop may be completed in some
Nebraska counties by the end of
the week. . . An age-old rivalry
will be renewed in Carney park
when the O’Neill high Eagles go
against the Neligh Warriors. To
the winner will go the Frontier
Neligh News trophy, which an
nually goes into the possession of
the winner.
Arrive from Omaha—
Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Godek of
Omaha arrived Friday and will
visit for a week at the home of
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Bazelman.
Mr. and Mrs. John Roper of
Milwaukee, Wise., were house
guests this week of Mr. and Mrs.
L. F. Beckenhauer.
Card, Hankie Shower
for Mrs. Adams—
The Kellar Ladies’ club met on
October 7 with Mrs. Ray Hoff
man, assisted by Mrs. Donald
Hoffman. There were 11 members
and four children present. Roll
call was answered by each one
giving their birth date and place,
which proved quite interesting.
Cards and handkerchiefs were
brought to be sent to Mrs. Lois
Adams for her birthday aniversa
ry.
Mrs. Clyde Kiltz received the
door prize. The next club meet
ing was to be with Mrs. Clyde
Kiltz October 20, Mrs. Guais Win
termote assisting.
After a short program conduct
ed by Mrs. Donald Hoffman and
Mrs. Guais Wintermote, a period
of records and visiting was en
joyed.
A lunch was served by the
hostess assisted by the co-hostess,
Mrs. Hoffman.
Return from Texas—
Mr. and Mrs. Harden Anspach
ieturned Tuesday, October 12,
from San Antonio, Tex., where
they had been visiting their son
end daughter-in-law, A/1 and
Mrs. Keith Anspach, for three
weeks. Airman Anspach is sta
tioned at Lackland air force base.
_
*
REX W. WILSON,
M.D.
ROBT. M. LANGDON,
M.D.
PHYSICIANS &
SURGEONS
128 W. Douglas St, O'Neill
Phone 13b
===^==---^—————^
*
Ninth Annual Production Sale
65 - Head of -65
Registered Herefords
AT AUCTION
Creighton Livestock Pavilion
CREIGHTON, NEBRASKA
Friday, October 29th — 1 P.M.
... 38 BULLS . . .
Ranging in age from 14 months to coming 2 years. These are
sired by seven different bulls, giving a good opportunity for
buyers who have purchased in any of our previous sales. Sires
represented in this sale are: BACA PIONEER 2d, LH EMBLEM
22d, RPH HELMSMAN 32d, JO BACA IMPROVER 14th, PCR
BACA PATRON 10th, ZATO HEIR P. 81st, REAL SILVER
DOMINO 118th.
... 27 FEMALES . . .
Those of breeding age will have been bred, others to sell open.
Those that have ben bred will carry the service of our reference
herd sires. Sired by seven different sires. Calfhood vaccinated.
For Catalog Write:
JOE J. JELINEK & SONS
Verdi gre, Nebr.
CHARLES CORKLE, Norfolk, Auct.; Laurence Buller, Nebraska
Farmer, Fieldman; H. L. Mackey, Omaha Journal- Stockman,
Fieldman.
POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT
POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT
| Vote For
ALBERT (Al) SIPES
Republican Candidate
FOR
SHERIFF OF HOLT
COUNTY
★ Experienced
★ Capable
I Your Vote Appreciated
At the General Election November 2nd
The Basic Idea
%
Behind the All-New
1955 Pontiac
On Display October 29 and 30
About 30 years ago General Motors Cor
i \ poration presented to America a new
car called Pontiac. This new car was the
direct result of a very specific idea.
The idea was this: to create a car which took
its style, its engineering principles and its
features from the very best and most expen
sive in America—and to build these into a
car priced just above the very lowest!
Naturally, such an idea produced a wonder
ful and highly popular car—a car which mil
lions of satisfied owners have driven with
outstanding pride and pleasure.
Now, nearly three decades later, an entirely
new Pontiac has been created for 1955—a car
completely new from the ground up!
One thing, however, about the 1955 Pontiac
remains unchanged—its basic idea—to offer
the American public the very finest car that
can possibly be built to sell at a price within
easy reach of any new-car buyer.
When you see the new Pontiac on Friday
or Saturday—Oct. 29 or 30-you will be im
mediately impressed by its remarkable new
styling. No other car in the world looks like
this new Pontiac!
When you drive it you will be astonished at
its performance. For the 1955 Pontiac in
troduces the powerful new Strato-Streak
V-8, an all-new engine that has already been
proved in more than 3 million test miles!
When you price the new Pontiac you will
come face to face with the basic Pontiac
idea-you will be agreeably surprised that
so much car, so much sparkling newness,
so much luxury, so much downright good
ness can be priced so near the very lowest.
We cordially invite you to come in on Fri
day or Saturday and see for yourself what a
superb all-new General Motors masterpiece
has been created to carry the wonderful
name “Pontiac” for 1955.
m. KROTTER CO.
PHONE 531_ O’NEILL, NEBR.
* . © . °