Legal Notices
(First pub. June 2, 1955)
Elven Butterfield, Neligh,
Attorney
NOTICE OF REFEREE’S SALE
Notice is hereby given that by
virtue of an order of sale direct
ed to me by the District Court oi
Holt County, Nebraska, in an ac
tion pending in said Court where
in Elva McDermott is plaintiff,
and Hazel Saide, et al., are de
fendants, being Case No. 15002, to
sell at public venue the following
described real estate, to-wil:
—The Northwest Quarter of
Section 32, Township 31, North,
Range 12, West of the 6th P M.,
in Holt County, Nebraska—
I will offer said above described
real estate for sale, and will sell
the same to the highest bidder for
cash on the 7th day of July, A.P.,
1955, at the hour of one o’clock
P.M., at the front door of the
Ceurt House in the City of O’
Neill, Holt County, Nebraska,
when and where due attendance
will be .given by the undersigned,
sole referee. Said sale will remain
open for one hour.
Purchaser will be required to
pay fifteen percent of his bid on
the day of the sale, and the bal
ance at the time of confirmation.
Dated this 1st day of June,
A.D., 1955.
JULIUS D. CRONIN
5-9c Sole Referee
o (First pub. June 9, 1955)
Julius D. Cronin, Attorney
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate No. 4037
In the County Court of Holt
County, Nebraska, June 2, 1955.
In the Matter of the Estate of
Agnes Soukup, Deceased.
CREDITORS of said estate are
hereby notified that the time lim
ited for presenting claims against
said estate is September 30, 1955,
and for the payment of debts is
June 2, 1956, and that on June
30, 1955, and on October 1, 1955,
at 10 o'clock A.M. each day, I
will be at the County Court Room
in said Ceunty to receive, exam
ine, hear,- -allow, or adjust all
claims and objections duly filed.
LOUIS W. REIMER,
County Judge.
(COUNTY COURT SEAL) 6-8
(First pub. June 2, 1955)
Julius D. Cronin, Attorney
NOTICE FOR PETITION FOR
ADMINISTRATION
Estate No. 4042
In the County Court of Holt
County, Nebraska, May 27, 1955.
In the Matter of the Estate of
Einar Peterson, a/k/a Ejnar Pet
erson, Deceased. ,
Notice is hereby given to all
persons interested in said estate
that a petition has been filed in
said Court for the appointment of
Christine Sanders as Adminis
tratrix of said estate, and will be
heard June 23, 1955, at 10 o’clock
A.M., at the County Court Room
in O’Neill, Nebraska.
LOUIS W. REIMER,
County Judge.
(COUNTY COURT SEAL) 5-7c
(First pub. June 9, 1955)
John R. Gallagher, Attorney
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate No. 4034 ’
In the County Court of Holt
County, Nebraska, June 2, 1955.
In the Matter of the Estate of
Hester M. Hansen, Deceased.
CREDITORS of said estate are
hereby notified that the time lim
ited for presenting claims against
said estate is September 30, 1955,
and for the payment of debts is
June 2, 1956, and that on June
30, 1955, and on October 1, 1955,
at 10 o’clock A.M. each day, I
will be at the County Court Room
in said County to receive, exam
ine, hear, allow, or adjust all
claims and objections duly filed.
LOUIS W. REIMER,
County Judge.
(COUNTY COURT SEAL) 6-8
Miss Dorothy Donohoe, R.N., of
Omaha spent the weekend in the
home of her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. John Donohoe.
(First pub. June ?., 1955)
NOTICE OF SUIT
TO: James W. Gibson; Mrs.
James W. Gibson, first real name
unknown; The Heirs, devisees,
legatees, personal representatives
and all other persons interested
in the estate of Bradford F.
Cleavland, deceased, real names
unknown; and all persons having
or claiming any interest in the
West Half of the Northeast Quar
ter of Section Twenty-eight,
Township Twenty-seven North,
Range Ten, West of the 6th P.M.
in Holt County, Nebraska, real
names unknown, defendants.
You and each of you are here
by notified that on the 26th day
of May, 1955, George E. Moor as
plaintiff, filed his petition in the
District Court of Holt County,
Nebraska, against you as defend
ants, the object and prayer of
which is to quiet and confirm the
title in him, the said George E.
Moor, to the real estate herein
above specifically described, as
against you and each of you, aid
to secure a Decree of Court that
you have no interest in, right or
title to or lien upon said real
estate, or any part thereof, and
for general equitable relief.
You are required to answer
said petition on or before the ilih
day of July, 1955.
GEORGE E. MOOR,
Plaintiff,
By: JULIUS D. CRONIN
His Attorney
5-3c
(First, pub. June 2, 1955)
Julius D. Cronin, Attorney
No. 4043
NOTICE OF HEARING ON
PETITION FOR DETERMINA
TION OF HEIRSHIP
In the County Court of Holt
County, Nebraska, May 31st,
1955. In the Matter of the Estate
of Patrick C. Murphy, deceased.
TO: ALL PERSONS INTEREST
ED IN THE ESTATE OF PAT
RICK C. MURPHY, DECEAS
ED, BOTH CREDITORS AND
HEIRS:
Notice is hereby given that
John Patrick Murphy has filed a
petition in this action praying
that the heirs of the deceased,
Patrick C. Murphy, may be found
and determined, notwithstanding
that this estate has not been
closed, pursuant to Section 30
1709 of the Revised Statutes of
Nebraska for 1943.
Said petition will come on for
hearing in the County Court
Room in O’Neill, Holt County,
Nebraska, on the 22nd day of
June, A.D., 1955, at the hour cf
ten o’clock A.M.
LOUIS W. REIMER
County Judge
5-7c
(First pub. June 2, 1955)
Norman Gonderinger, Attorney
NOTICE OF PROBATE OF WILL
No. 4041
COUNTY COURT OF HOLT
COUNTY, NEBRASKA.
ESTATE OF WILLIAM F.
GROTHE, DECEASED.
THE STATE OF NEBRASKA,
TO ALL CONCERNED:
Notice is hereby given that a
petition has been filed for the
probate of the will of said de
ceased, and for the appointment
of W. P. Dailey as Executor
thereof, which will be for hearing
in this court on June 23, 1955, at
10 o’clock A.M.
LOUIS W. REIMER
County Judge.
(COUNTY COURT SEAL) 5-7c
(First publication June 9, 1955)
Julius D. Cronin, Attorney
IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF
ROCK COUNTY, NEBRASKA
IN THE MATTER OF THE AP
PLICATION OF SAM ROG
GOW AND ISABELLE ROG
GOW, TO AUTHORIZE HAR
OLD HARGENS, ADMINIS
TRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF
ORLOW COLWELL, DECEAS
ED, IN HOLT COUNTY, NE
BRASKA, TO EXECUTE A
DEED TO REAL ESTATE.
ORDER
Now, on this 1st day of June,
A.D., 1955, this matter came on
before the Court upon the petit
ion of Sam Roggow and Isabelle
Roggow, under oath, directed to
this Court, alleging that on or
about the 2nd day of January,
1953, petitioners entered into a
written contract with Orlow
Colwell, now deceased, to pur
chase the Northwest Quarter of
Section One (1), Township
Twenty-Nine (29), North, Range
20, West of the 6th P.M., in
Rock County, Nebraska, for the
total sum of $6,000.00, of which
the sum of $1,000.00 was paid
at the time of the execution of
the contract; the balance was tc
be paid $1,000.00 on February !,
1954 and $1,000.00 on the first
day of each February thereafter
up to and including the year
1958, with interest at five per
cent on all unpaid principal
sums, payable February 1, 1959,
that the purchasers have paid a
total on said purchase price of
$1,400.00, leaving an unpaid bal
ance of $4,600.00 and interest,
$1,600.00 of which is in default.
That no deed of conveyance
was ever prepared or executed
by the deceased; that the ad
ministrator of the estate of Or
low Colwell, deceased, and the
purchasers have agreed upon a
uuiiipi uiiiiae ui tiic udidiit’e uuc
on said purchase price, which
compromise has been approved
by the County Court of Holt
County, Nebraska, in which
Court the estate of the deceased
is pending. That said compromise
contemplates a payment of $3,
800.00 by the purchasers, in
cash in full settlement of the
balance due on said contract;
that said funds are in escrow
pending completion of this pro
ceeding.
Petitioners pray that a day
may be fixed for hearing on
said petition; that notice thereof
be given as by law provided and
that upon said hearing, decree
be entered, directing the ad
ministrator of the estate of Or
law Colwell, deceased, for and on
behalf or said estate, to execute
and deliver good and sufficient
deed conveying said premises to
the petitioners upon payment of
$3,800.00 in cash, pursuant to
said approved compromise.
IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDER
ED, that a hearing be had upon
said petition in the District Court
Room in the Court House at
Bassett, Nebraska, at the hour of
ten o’clock A.M., on the 6th day
of July, A.D., 1955, and that
notice of the pendency of this
matter, and of the time and
place fixed for hearing thereon,
be given by publishing a copy of
this Order for three consecutive
weeks prior to such hearing in
the Frontier, a legal newspaper,
printed, published and of general
circulation in Holt County, Ne
braska, in which County said
administrator was appointed.
BY THE COURT
D. R. MOUNTS
6-8c DISTRICT JUDGE
UP Makes Feature of
Indian Experiences
ATKINSON — WiU Spindler,
veteran Indian service teacher at
the Wounded Knee day school,
Wounded Knee, S.D., received a
request from the United Press for
a feature story on their experien
ces in the U S Indian Service.
He promptly wrote and submit
ted it, and it was used for a radio
feature story for distribution over
the nation. The story also ap
peared in the Sunday June 5, edi
tion of the Rapid City, S.D., Daily
Journal.
Mr. and Mrs. Spindler have
now spent 26 years in the Indian
service on the Pine Ridge reser
vation. He is the author of five
western books, his two latest,
“Badlands Trails” and “Tragedy
Strikes At Wounded Knee”, hav
ing their locale in the reservation
and Badlands areas of South Da
kota.
Another of his books, “Rim of
the Sandhills” (now out of print),
has its setting in Holt county. He
is a son of the late George H.
Spindler of Atkinson.
-1
* * •
p
NEW OFFICE HOURS
For
O'NEILL
TELEPHONE BUSINESS OFFICE
9 * *
For the last several years, fewer people have been using
our business office on Saturday for the payment of bills or
other business. Because of this and in line with the increas
ing trend toward closing of offices on Saturday, our O Neill
business office will be closed all day on Saturday beginning
July 2.
Office hours Monday through Friday will be from 8
. a.m. to 5 p.m.
When the business office is closed, telephone calls will
be answered by a representative who will handle business
requiring immediate attention and will arrange for the
handling of other business on the following business day.
o° fe|,»
Persons who wish to pay their bills on Saturday may
(0 mail a check, or (2) pay at the McIntosh Jewelry,
which will receive payments throughout the week during
regular store hours.
9*0
NORTHWESTERN BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY
;
o _ _ _ _
o
Stafford, village now vanished, once boasted busy depot. Left-to-right: Merle Brobst (with
wagon), Ethel Smith, C. C. Singer (who taught in the Stafford school), Jessie Townsend Swain,
Mrs. Alvin Brobst, Mr. Brobst (with freight cart), two section hands, John Dorrity (section foreman).
-f
Brobst ... in reminiscent mood.—World-Herald Photo.
Alvin Brobst Manned
Stafford in Heyday
By MRS. N. D. ICKES, SR.
Special Feature Writer
PAGE—Alva Brobst, 84, a re
cent visitor in the Merwyn
French, sr., home revived mem
ories of the years when he was
depot agent at the now extinct
town of Stafford. Only those who
pioneered in this part of Nebras
ka before the turn of the century
remembered Stafford like Mr.
Brobst does.
He recalls that his father was
an easy mark, being gullible to
the point of availing himself of
the opportunity to gain possesion
of a section of railroad land along
the right-of-way of a new road
which was to stretch across the
state of Kansas.
In 1878, when Alva was a lad
of seven, his parents loaded out
two cars for the new home and
future riches near the town of
Colby, Kans.
With pioneer foresight, the em
igrant cars contained lumber for
the new dwelling. Upon their ar
rival they set up packing crates
and a dug-out for a temporary
shelter while their house war
under construction.
A stable was built for the cows
and the two teams of horses
which they brought with them.
It was a busy season, taking
time from their construction ac
tivities to sow seed they had
brought and to care for the crop
land they were bringing under
cultivation.
Fall found the family quite well
prepared for the first winter. But
they were totally unprepared for
the blow that came.
Alva’s little sister, Stellie, was
the first to leave the table one
morning. The table emptied
quickly when she reported smoke
curling from the stable.
Their worst fears were veri
fied by flames that soon devel
oped into a complete burn-out
of cattle, horses, feed and all of
their farming: possessions.
There seemed to be nothing to
do at that time except go back
East. The new wagon and harness
had been destroyed, so they pur
chased a team and wagon, loaded
their personal effects and choicest
belongings, and drove the long
way back East.
Several of the children were
sent by train back to grandpar
ents. In great discouragement,
the others made the trek the slow
way.
They had come to believe the
fire was the work of a firebug
because little Stella had seen a
man disappear into the gully back
of the stable during the early
stages of the fire. Others were
too busy fighting the blaze and
preventing a prairie fire to worry
about how it all had started.
Mr. Brobst still suspects that
shyster, hired by some lawless
and unscrupulous faction, con
trived to gain control of most of
that free land which so gener
ously had been given by the rail
road to encourage settlement.
Every other section had been
declared railroad land. Who
wouldn’t thrill to the prospect of
ownership of a section of land?
Who could foretell the great pos
sibilities of the West?
The land was doomed to change
hands many times before those
promises came into fulfillment.
The Brobsts next chose Holt
county. The southeast quarter of
Frank Beelaert’s homeplace be
came their new home.
It was from there George
French claimed Miss Stella Brobst
as his bride. The old house that
serves as a garage on the farm
where Merwyn French, jr., now
resides was the house in which
Mr. and Mrs. French were mar
ried. The house was the gift of
Grandfather Brobst and was thq
home of the French family until
1914, when the new house was
erected.
This was the community in
which the Brobst family grew up,
received their education, married
and took their places as citizens.
Alva went away for a time
and learned telegraphy. He be
came the station agent at Staf
ford, which was their home
from 1892 until 1901, when the
station was closed.
There was nothing quite so
thrilling to the French children
as going to Stafford for the day
or to spend a few days there.
Coasting down the incline side of
the freight platform in Cousin
Merle’s little wagon was a favor
ite sport.
Uncle Alva recalls Oscar (Dr.
O. W. French of O’Neill) was just
a “big, gawky kid.” On one occa
sion, while eating a big ripe peach,
Oscar walked off the end of the
freight platform.
“His mother was unhappy and
it required a lot of talk to per
suade her that what came up dur
ing Oscar’s loud .and long protest
against his unexpected fall was
only peach skins and not hemorr
hage.”
One of the great atractions at
the Brobst home was the 25
pound pail of candy-assorted su
gar loaf, chocolate covered pyra
mids, jelly beans, gum drops,
and hard “suckin’ ” candies.
Uncle Alva used to haul the
goodies from under the bed and
generously distributed them.
To Merwyn, whose childish am
bition was to own a pail of candy
like Uncle Alva’s, such extrava
gance remains one of the mys
teries of childhood.
Highways at that time were not
even in the dream stage. Trails
took the traveling public where
they wished to go but the lanes
were not always easy to negoti
ate.
Immediately following the rise
of the river, the Frenches went to
Stafford^ following the section
line past Carrs’ and skirting the
edge of what is now the French
hay meadow.
Mr. French felt obliged to un
hitch the team and ride old Jen
across to test the depth of the
ford. It was a thrilling trip for the
water came in over the wagon
bed.
Only those who understand the
workings of young children’s
minds can appreciate the terror of
that moment when the team and
equippage seemed in danger of
being swept down the river, when
the horses momentarily lost their
footing and there was no reliable
object to which they might cling.
At that time Stafford boasted
at least 50 inhabitants. There was
a grocery store operated by
George Derringer; a general mer
chandise store owned by Edwin
Crandall, and E. H. Thompson
had a small drug store. There
were several big hay barns and
Walt Townsend, who lived above
the store, furnished livery service
for those who wished to travel
the back country.
There were two daily passen
ger trains each day each way
and through freights ran from
Fremont to Long Pine at fre
quent intervals.
Thirteen carloads of cattle con
stituted a trainload and the loco
motive might be hard put to make
the up-grades and require the
service of another engine for the
hard pulls. Now a diesel-drawn
train may number 150 cars—flats,
grain, stock and general.
Occasionally Mr. Brobst would
have a traffic snarl of five trains
at a time, some awaiting clear
ance. It was not unusual to be
able to see three trains in sight at
one time.
Stafford shipped about 35 cars
of hay a month and contributed
its bit to the distinction of being
in the hay center of the world.
Once a dealer orderd a car of
coal on which he was unable to
pay the freight. In desperation
the dealer finally was able to give
a mortgage on his horses in set
tlement of the freight charges and
unloaded and sold the coal.
Lest you might think an adult’s
life might be void of thrills in the
hoss and buggy days, Mr. Brobst
will tell you of the time an old
grudge was settled with fists in
his waiting room.
With a thought for his own
safety, he locked his office door
and waited for the decision which
was in the making. Great como
tion heard from behind the closed
door and the wreckage gave testi
mony to the battle which was
waged there by two healthy, en
raged males in wide disagreement.
In one of those unpredictable
outbursts of epidemic, Don
Grady and Tim Hurley con
tracted diptheria. Tim’s sister
came to see him, and in a
week’s time she was dead and
buried.
It was then that Barrett Scott,
Holt county treasurer was shot .
as he was coming home from a 1
Thanksgiving dinner with rela- I
tives north of O’Neill. Later he J
was unceremoniously removed
from the rig and taken away.
A searching party was organ- }
ized. Although the band worked ]
the night through, it was not un- 1
til morning it was suspected he
might have been hung from the 1
bridge at Niobrara. '
Some of the oldtimers who as- *
sisted in that search and were «
present when the body was
brought to O’Neill with the length ’
of rope still about his neck, know ]
the full story. '
Such thrills the early settlers i
met first-hand are viewed now <
with delight on the television and
movie screens.
One day Mr. Brobst was ap
proached by a couple of strangers
who inquired if he could use
some good whiskey.
Receiving a reply in the nega
tive, they proceeded to tell him a
hard luck story of having been in
a car wreck with an old lady and
man. Their car was pretty well
bashed up and they needed a
hundred dollars to settle the dam
ages. They had only $75.
They had a couple of watches
which they would leave as col
lateral. This was on a Wednesday,
and they would be back through
on a Saturday and bring him
back his dough. They still have
not returned.
No doubt they were in poses
sion of “hot goods” and realized
from it what they could. The
fact that a lake was seined that
day and the stolen fish loaded
and shipped to Philadelphia, Pa,
might account for the strangers’
presence hereabouts.
The watches were new. One,
an Elgin, met the requirements
of the railroad and Mr. Brobst
still carries it proudly while his
son has the other. According to
the catalog he consulted at the
time, they were worth over a
hundred dollars each.
The town of Stafford is only a
whistlepost on the road now and
very few buildings mark the spot
where once a great deal of busi
ness was transacted.
Gone, too, are most of Mr.
Brobst’s old associates. Few peo
ple have the gift of story telling
possessed by Alva Brobst.
Caught in a reminiscent mood,
Mr. Brobst recalls that the boys
waxed poetic over one of their
good-for-nothing hired girls. They
came up with a fitting tribute to
her.
ODE TO THE HIRED GIRL
Bluebell was the hired girl’s name
The fire she tried to light
She put in a quart of kerosene
And a stick of dynamite.
Oh, where is Bluebell
We could never learn
She must be up in heaven tho’
For she was too green to burn.
Norwood Becomes
Police Judge
EWING—Ernest Norwood was
chosen as the police judge for the
village of Ewing Tuesday eve
ning, June 7, when the village
board met in regular session. Eb
ben Grafft is the retiring police
judge; Richard Edwards presided.
Other business consisted of rou
tine affairs. All members were
present.
Rural Youthers
Get Osmond Bid—
The O’Neill rural youth held
its regular meeting Friday eve
ning. The year books for June to
December, 1955, were pasesd out.
The special meeting for this
month will be a picnic to be at
Harold Colburn’s place. Everyone
is to bring a covered dish for the
picnic supper.
The rural youth group at Pierce
has invited the Holt group to an
evening with them at Osmond on
July 1. Several from this group
are planning to go.
Charles Martens, assistant state
rural youth leader, was present at
Friday’s meeting. He showed two
educational films. After the meet
ing adjourned, games were play
ed and a lunch was served.
Eight - Room House
2 bathrooms — screened In
back porch — separate garage
WILL SELL FURNISHED
OR UNFURNISHED
Location—2nd house west of
Texaco Station — nice
residential section
Capa
kJVV •
Mrs. M. J. Wallace
Tele. 27 8-J
Money to Loan
— on —
AUTOMOBILES
TRUCKS
TRACTORS
EQUIPMENT
FURNITURE
Central Finance
Corp.
C. E. Jones. Manager
O'Neill : Nebraska j
.. DANCE ..
AT O’NEILL
American Legion Auditorium
& BALLROOM
Saturday, June 18th
NOSMO KING ORCHESTRA
Adm.: Adults, $1; high school students, 50c
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