Prairieland Talk . . .
Chagrin in Cowboy Classification
By ROMAINE SAUNDERS, Retired, Former Editor Hie Frontier
LINCOLN—It need not spoil a good newspa
per story. But an expert such as “Hay” McClure
would feel somewhat chagrined to be classed with
an outlaw like Roscoe Moore and a bar room bum
* like “Nigger Jim.”
McClure was to the manner bom with a brand
ing #on. He should have been written down as a
compatriot of such knights of the saddle as Sam
Elwood, Tim Bunnel, Mike Callahan and Billy O’
Connors, not to mention John Longhair, Bob Inger
soll and Joe McEvony.
o
Whether it was the name he answered to or
his way in taming wild broncs, the Hon. M. P.
Kinkaid would have no other
than “Longhair” as his horse
wrangler. His last came as he
had an unusually bad acting
brown bronc on the end of a lar
iat. The pony stepped into a hole
with a hind hoof. In getting out,
the pony dislocated the joint
above the hoof, began to kick
and kept it up until he kicked
the hoof off, necessitating
the horse. This was a heart
breaking experience for “Long
hair” and he ieft the country soon. Romaine
Tim Bunnel saved a girl Saunders
from being gored at Third and Everett streets by
roping a critter that had broken away from the
herd.
Ingersoll, dressed in the latest, boots polished,
buckskin gauntlets and flashy red silk scarf about
his neck, was a lure for romantic maids and dis
appeared from the community with a dark-eyed
. beauty.
I don’t know what coula offer a more inter
esting life than the open range with always the
newspaper game to return to. Prairieland Talker
has had some of both.
* * •
Jupiter Pluvious opened the windows of
heaven l?st night to let out a downpour that wet
the thirsty earth and brought cheer to all save
those in a cyclone and hail-swept district in Kan
sas and southern Nebraska. Some days earlier a
story came out of Albion, in Boone county, that a
fund had been raised there to -try out the rain
making schemes of today. If Albion was included
in last night’s wetting, they may save their cloud
seeds for future use. It was in the nineties that O’
Neill fellows tried both the itinerant rain-makers
and dynamite with no results.
• • *
The passage of Senator Nelson’s bill relating
to passenger train crews adds another hopeful
outlook for north Nebraska citizens thrugh sup
port of the railroad on the part of the citizens
should not be diminished. The opposition to the
measure passed by the legislature by the rail
road brotherhood indicates that the union pre
ferred no passenger train service to a reduction
hr one ol the train crew.
< * *. «
* *
Don’t try to get ahead of everyone on the high
way or you might be leading the procession, hori
zontally.
• * * *
There are still many people around who are
always trying to borrow money from somebody.
It was midwinter 52 years ago. O. F. Biglin,
the pioneer who buried the dead and dealt in ma
chinery, a gent of rare good sense, was chairman
of the county board of supervisors that day in
session when among the day’s official duties bonds
of the following who had been elected to serve as
justice of the peace in their precincts were ap
proved: George M. Davies of Deloit, Hugh O’Neill
of Saratoga, Frank Graves of Wyoming, R. T. Bal
lantyne of Fairview. The bond of S. M. Aldrich,
township clerk for Sand Creek, was also approved.
... A man at Kennesaw, who had come to America
on the ship that brought Andrew Carnegie, was
given that year a yearly allotment of $500 from
Mr. Carnegie. Both came from Scotland. . . The
Knights of Columbus was organized in O’Neill. . .
The report of the committee of supervisors that
had made a check of the records of Sheriff C. E.
Hall showed that the sheriff had received $1,073.43
in fees the previous year. . . Mrs. A. B. Newell,
with the children, left O’Neill to join her husband
in Seattle, Wash., where the family was to make
its home. . . Miss Constance Harrington gave a
house party for a number of her friends. . . Mrs.
G. C. Hazelet, a former citizen of the community,
came from Omaha for a visit with her sister, Mrs.
W. T. Evans, and friends. . . T. J. Griffin came
out from cultured Boston, Mass., and opened a
tailor shop to properly tog up the young bloods. . .
Mrs. Cress was “serving hot meals at all times,”
had groceries, candy and holiday gifts at bargain
prices. . . George Bowen of Hampton and Miss
Myrtle Michael of Page were married by Judge
Morgan.
* * •
Three and one-half billion of federal funds
for foreign aid. Loans for veterans made avail
able, larger social security benefits for the old
fogies. How about the fathers and mothers who
have maintained the home and kept industry
alive and paid the taxes?
* M. *
The month of June is the one time of year
that holds a lure to travel the highways and prai
rie trails of Nebraska. Wheat fields and com row
upon-row across the rich black earth mile after
mile to the right and to the left, seen along the
highways traversing the hills and vales of Lan
caster and Seward counties, up-an-down the rug
ged ridges of Howard county through which the
two Loup rivers wend their way to the Platte, over
the picturesque hills of Greeley county.
The grasslands to the north extend to the crys
tal waters of the Elkhorn and beyond where herds
of cattle graze; where is heard the song of meadow
larks and the prariie rooster struts at dawn before
his harem; where the jackrabbit has its home and
the sly coyote trots here and there; where the land
scape robed in velvet green greets the beholder
and where contented people dwell.
There, too, is seen the charm of quiet village
life in small towns where the days come and go
unhurriedly and neighborly spirit prevails. At
O’Neill, Atkinson, Bassett, Ainsworth, the larger
activities do not congeal tha milk of human kind
nes nor spell an end to friendly ties; the spirit of
prairieland, its hospitality and warm-hearted fel
lowship encounter no barriers because of diversi
ty of views or family traditions.
And to know conditions, to get a glimpse of
what the summer harvest may be, don’t take the
weather reports too seriously, take rather to the
open road. To get the true picture leave the federal
or state highway and roll down the prairie trails.
Editorial . . .
Mentally - Retar ded Children
xue nouse or representatives appropriations
committee has urged a federal program which
would attack the problem of mentally - retarded
children. Although many citizens do not realize it,
the committe reported that there were from three
to five million children in the “mentally-retarded”
category.
The committee further stated that this prob
lem—which is one of the most serious health prob
lems in the country—has gone almost unnoticed by
educational and medical leaders. The committee
found further that there were only vague ideas on
the causes of mental lagging among children.
A report authored by Rep. John Fogarty,
Rhode Island democrat, recommended a $750,000
appropriation as a starter to launch a research pro
gram in this field. Furthermore, the report called
for the office of education to present a broad pro
gram to combat this situation in 1956.
We would much prefer to see the task under
taken by the states, rather than federal.
We feel that the expenditure of a consider
able sum of money on this effort would be not only
a humane but a shrewd financial investment. The
nation’s youth constitute its main wealth and when
one realizes that from three to five million children
are in the mentally-retarded state, the extent of
the loss in the productive capacity of the country
becomes obvious.
In addition, the cost of caring for these men
tally-retarded children is added to the loss to the
nation of normal productive capacity, and the total
loss to the nation is a considerable one.
Lesson in Pickups
(Guest editorial from Blair Pilot-Tribune)
Out at Gordon, Editor Reva R. Evans, who
writes one of the most forceful editorial columns
In the Nebraska newspaper field, last week ran a
c picture in her editorial section.
It was a photo of two nice - looking young
men. They look like they could be your sons or
your neighbor’s boys. Under the picture, Editor
o Evans ran the following editorial, which speaks for
itself:
Harmless appearing lads, aren’t they? Seeing
them hitch-hitking along the highway, the average
motorist would probably think, “College kids”_
or “Kids on their first leave after basic trying to
get home,” and pick them up.
But looks are deceiving. These two innocent
looking sharpies are James Blood (left) and Wil
liam R. Warren (right), who were sentenced re
cently to three to 10 years for the robbery of an O’
Neill filling station and the brutal beating of the
attendant, whom they left for dead.
This was near the end of their trail, however
—let’s see where and how it started . . .
It began back in Waverly, la., where the boys
went AWOL from an air force radar station. By
some means they made their way to Waterloo, la.,
where they hitched a ride with a farmer, Edward
■) B. Heatherton.
About five miles out of Waterloo, they knock
ed out their benefactor, tied him with cloth from a
sack and left him beside the road.
Taking his car, they drove back to Waverly,
got their clothes and traveled all night, arriving
in O’Neill early the next morning. They lay around
oc all day, sleeping near the park in their car. (Their?
Possession is nine points of the law, it is said.)
At 6:30 p.m., they drove to a filling station
in the west part of town and while Blood went
into the station, Warren filled the car with gas.
lood, it seems, felt some compunction to live up
to his name. He slugged the station attendant twice
with the butt of a gun and then struck the inert
man with a sledge handle. After scooping the
money from the till and shaking down their un
conscious victim for cash these cum laude crime
school graduates proceeded west on highway 20.
They were stopped at Valentine but their baby
faces and fast line got them through the police
block but not before a gimlet-eyed service station
attendant had seen one kick a gun under the car
seat.
The word was radioed to Rushville ... the
net closed in and the crime spree of the youthful
thugs was halted—temporarily, at least.
MORAL: You can’t judge a book by its cover
or NEVER PICK UP A HITCH HIKER.
Water Hassle
The Loup River Public Power district seeking
to charge farmers for water taken from the river
and its tributaries opens avenues of considerable
discussion. Who ever granted the hydros free pow
er rights in the first place was shortsighted. The
objecting farmers and municipalities can run the
power people dizzy. For example: How much water
do the cows drink? How much water taken from
the river by the city of Ord, for example, goes
back into the river via the sewer system? Which is
more important to the state—a silt-filling hydro
plant or the economy of a given area?
Invincible
The Lincoln Star says a probing reporter found
that it takes 106 pages of fine print just to compile
an index for all the blank forms the army uses. It
suggests to one that the army ought to abandon its
forts and sell its guns. There isn’t any force in the
world, armed or otherwise, that could seriously
penetrate a defense made up of so much red tape.
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, 52.50 per
year; elsewhere in the United States, $3 per year;
rates abroad provided on request. All subscriptions
are paid-in-advance.
Audited (ABC) Circulation—2,463 (Mar. 31, 1955)
When You and I Were Young . . , ]
Handball Flayers
Swelter and Sweat
Home Talent Concert
‘Best Ever*
50 Years Ago
The handball players have
had a new and improved court
constructed on the site of the old
one and will continue to swealter
and sweat pounding the boards
with the ball. . . Those who at
tended the home talent concert
pronounced it the best entertain
ment of the kind ever given in
the city. The concert was liber
ally patronized. . . Dr. Donohue,
the Omaha osteopath who is
spending a couple months in O’
Neill, says the outlook for a good
practice in O’Neill is “very flat
tering’’. . . L. G. Gilllespie re
turned from a trip to Alliance.
• . O. F. Biglin, F. J. Dishner,
J. A. Donohoe and A. F. Mullen
were at Columbus assisting to
initiate a council of Knights of
Columbus. . . Hank Tomlinson
has bought the quarter section
east of his home place from Mr.
Bennett.
20 Years Ago
F. N. Shaner of Ainsworth
arrived in the city to start on
the new well the city is having
dug on the Beha lot on the cor
ner of Fourth and Fremont
streets. . . The Catholic Daugh
ters gave a farewell party at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Mul
len in honor of Mrs. Joe Mc
Namara, who leaves soon for
their new home at Valentino. . .
Fred H. Swingley, Atkinson’s
hustling and energetic banker,
was in the city visiting friends
and looking after business mat
ters. . . Students of St. Mary’s
academy held their annual pic
nic at Oak View park. . . Judge
and Mrs. C. J. Malone and Mr.
and Mrs. J. Edmond Hancock
and daughter, Barbara Ann,
were guests of Mrs. Mary
Hancock in Inman.
10 Years Ago
Miss Chickie Iler, niece of
Mrs. S. Downey of O’Neill, who
is majoring in clothing construct
ion at the Traphagen school of
fashion, had the honor of winning
an honorable mention in the
group in which she appeared in
‘the school’s annual spring fash
ion show. . . M/Sgt. William A.
Miller recently was awarded
the bronze star for meritorious
services in support of combat
operations in North Africa and
Italy. . . Governor Griswold was
in the city a few hours while en
route to his old home at Gordon.
. . Miss Dorothy Bosn left for
Camp Carson, Colo., where she
will receive her training as a
nurse in the army of the United
States. . . Miss Loretta Enright
had her purse taken from under
her arm while in front of the P. B.
Harty residence. She went into
the Harty residence and they
went out and looked around for
the thief, but he was not found.
One Year Ago
The Herman Janzing auto
mobile, stolen from O’Neill May
7, has been located in a used car
lot at Fremont. . . A bluegrass
festival will be held in Ewing.
This event is sponsored each
year by the Commercial club. . .
Lloyd Dale Van Vleck, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Van Vleck
of Clearwater, received his
bachelor of science degree in
agriculture at the University of
Nebraska with high distinction.
... A huge crowd attended the
Sunday performance of O’Neill’s
RCA - approved rodeo, which
was sponsored by the O’Neill
Saddle club. . . The city coun
cil, in session informally, re
ceived verbal and written petit
ions for additional paving in
the city.
Kindergarten Test
Dates Are Tentative
The Nebraska school laws pro
vide for entrance into kindergar
ten as follows: Section 79-444,
part (2)—The board in all classes
of school districts shall not admit
any child into the kindergarten or
beginner grade of any school of
such school district unless (a)
such child has reached the age of
five years or will reach such age
on or before October 15 of tne
current year, or (b) such child
has demonstrated through recog
nized testing procedures approved
by the state board of education
that he is capable of carrying the
work of these grades.
Reference to the statutes was
made this week by Miss Alice
French, Holt county superintend
ent of public instruction.
This law provides for a pro
gram of examinations by means
of which children whose fifth
birthday anniversaries fall after
October 15 and before January 1,
may qualify for entrance into
kindergarten.
Miss French stated that anyone
who planned to have their child
tested should contact the office
of the county superintendent
soon. The testing will probably
be done sometime during the
first two weeks of August, but
the application cards may be ob
tained from the county superin
tendent now and reservations
made for the test.
No tests are given to 5-year-old
children to determine eligibility
for entrance into the first grade,
the county superintendent ex
plained.
Nursing Diploma
to Mrs. Chisholm
Mrs. Phyllis June Chisholm,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold
Seger of O’Neill, will receive her
nursing certificate and diploma at
the University of Nebraska col
lege of medicine and school of
nursing commencement exercises
at 3 p.m., Saturday, June 18, at
Omaha’s Municipal auditorium
music hall.
Mrs. Chisholm is a graduate of
O’Neill high school and she at
tended Nebraska Wesleyan uni
versity in Lincoln prior to her
matriculation at the school of
nursing.
Out of Old Nebraska ...
Ferry F Helps
to d Omaha
Emigrants Push on
in 1855
By JAMES C. OLSON
Supt., State Hist. Society
The only comtemporary news
paper record of life in Nebraska
in June 1855 is a microfilm copy
of the Council Bluffs, la., Bugle.
From that, though, we are able to
glean a good deal about the ac
tivties of those restless pioneers
who were seeking to build new
towns on the western side of the
Missouri river.
Various town companies, par
ticularly Wyoming in Otoe county,
advertised regularly in the paper,
seeking to urge emigrants to in
vest their futures in the new
town. A number of ferry com
panies advertised regular service
between Iowa and Nebraska. The
“General Marion”, owned and ]
“General Marion”, owned and
and Nebraska Ferry Company,
was lauded to the sky in each iss
ue of the paper. The ferry com
pany, however, was more con
cerned with building up its new
town of Omaha than it was in
the ferry business.
Indicative of the value of
farm land was an ad in the iss
ue of June 5, 1855, offering 40
acres improved, iy2 miles from
Omaha at a reasonable price.
The seller indicated that he
would take a “good breaking
plow and team with heavy wa
gon” in part payment.
Emigration across the plains
continued during the summer of
1855 as those not wanting to stop
in Nebraska continued to push
farther west. Most of the emigra
tion was destined for Utah, and
consisted of Mormons making
their way thither to help develop
a new Zion in the Salt Lake Val
ley. The issue of July 3rd, under
the heading, “Late News From
the Plains,” carried an extended
story of the emigration and af
fairs in Utah.
“By the arrival of the Salt
Lake mail on Sunday evening and
of a small company of returning
emigrants, with attorney General
Holman, on the same day, we
have correct news from Utah and
the Plains.”
“They reported hostility of
the Indians appears a false
alarm, as none of the companies
just come in have been molest
ed or met with any difficulty
with Indians on the route.”
“At Uta^and Laramie all was
right and quiet. Met first train of
emigrants 20 miles this side of
Laramie in good health—getting
along well, and although many
were traveling, two, three and
four wagons in comppany, no
difficulty had occured with the
Indians. Feed was fine, roads ex
cellent, but water rather scarce.
But little snow in the mountains.
“Wheat in the vallies had suf
fered somwhat from the rapacity
_>— va
*
AMERICA'S j tfiyvtr" REFRESHING BEER
of grass-hoppers, and little or no
rain had fallen.”
“General good health prevailed
in the vallies. Quite a number of
missionaries for Europe and other
parts also came through and
passed on to their destination.
Judge Drummond and lady were
met in Kearney. Judge Drum
mond goes out to take the place
of Judge Shafer, removed.
“Attorney General Holman
gives the Utahians rather a hard
name, and speaks dispariugly of
the future prospect there, but up
on comparing with our several
correspondence, and reports of
others who have come in, find a
wide difference in views and op
inions.”
Curtis Endorses
Hoover Cutbacks
Senator Carl Curtis said Tues
day one of the most important ac
tivities of the Hoover commission,
in studying government reorgan
ization, is the commission’s strong
desire to remove the federal g >v
ernment from competition with
private business.
Much of this competition ei.ists
in activities of the defense de
partment. Recently the defeme
department announced it is cur
tailing such activities as two
aluminum sweating operations;
seven scrap metal boiling opera
tions; logging and sawmill facili
ties; seven bakeries; nine laun
dries; one chlorine manufacturing
plant; 10 automotive repair plants
and four cement mixing plants.
Curtis said that the defense de
partment appropriation bill for
next year, however, contains a
provision that would let the de
partment of defense carry on
“work traditionally performed by
civilian personnel,” unless con
gress permits transfer of such
work to private concerns. Curtis
is asking Sen. Carl Hayden (D.
Ariz.), chairman of the senate
appropriations committee, to de
fine “work traditionally perform
ed” by the defense department.
To Massachusetts—
Capt. and Mrs. Lloyd F. Haug
of Ft. Worth, Tex., departed last
Thursday for Omaha to visit with
friends before leaving for their
new home in Springfield, Mass.,
where Captain Haug will be sta
tioned. The Haugs visited her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Hal
va.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Loflin and
Jo Lee returned Friday from
their vacation. They visited re
latives in St. Joseph and Kansas
City, Mo., and Glenwood, Colo.
—s
15 Grades of Eggs
Under New Law
Glenn Thacker and Bruce
Lauth, poultry extension repre
sentatives from the college of ag
riculture and Wyatt Cannaday,
state department of agriculture,
will explain the egg law here. All
interested egg producers, process-*
ors and retailers should attend
this meeting. This meeting will be
held in the assembly room of the
courthouse on Tuesday, June 21
at 8 p.m.
“Nebraska’s reputation as a
source of questionable egg qual
ity may be altered considerably
if egg producers, marketers, and
retailers work together to make
the new egg law effective,” ac
cording to Harry Stokley, assis
tant Holt county extension agent.
The provisions calling for pro
per holding conditions for eggs at
the marketing places and for re
tailing only eggs of grade B or
better should meet with the ap
proval of everyone interested in
improving egg quality in the
state, Stokley added.
As many as 15 different retail
grades of eggs will be possible
under the new egg law.
iH
A POPular Guy
Deserves the Best
•••soys BOB HOPE* Penney*! Father of Hie Year!
(Sw B*b at ftp F»y In "Th* S«v*b LM« F*y»")
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