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North-Central Nebraska’s BIGGEST Newspaper
Volume 75.—Number 12. O’Neill, Nebraska, Thursday, July 21, 1955. Seven Center
0
Assessed Valuations
for *55 Down in Holt
^ i
Holt county’s assessed valuation for 1955 is lower than a year
ago, according to an abstract of valuations filed last week with the
state tax commissioner. Total assessed valuation for 1955 is $34,381,
133, excluding rail and franchise valuations, according to County As
sessor William F. Wcfso.
■v All real estate values £his year were arrived at by a “scientific
manner* through recommendations of a professional appraisal firm.
Business propery this year is valued at $1,297,462 compared to
$2,641,325 in 1954 and $2,964,275 in 1953. Meanwhile, the 1955 as
sessed valuation of real estate is $22,203,805 compared to $37,927,620
a year ago and $52,542,710 in 1953.
Condensed 1955 abstract follows:
Tangible
Total assessed value of real estate. 22,203,805
Total assessed value of individual schedules .$ 8,673,283
Total assessed value of business schedules . 1,297,462
Total assessed value of special*schedules. 2,206,583
Total assessed value* .$34,381,133
(•This does not include R.R. franchises)
Intangiole “A” .$2,827,006
Intangible “B” .$ 823,502
Banks, Loan and Trust Co. $1,139,130
' ' ‘ ' <s> -
Harvesting
Progresses
Rapidly
Oats Crop ‘Good’ in
Page Area While
Holt Hay Only 50%
Holt county’s 1955 small grain
harvest is progressing rapidly.
Conditions have been good for
harvest, although most farmers
and ranchers would welcome
moisture at the expense of delay
ing the finish in the harvest field.
Oats in the Page vicinity are
good and represent one of the
better crops.
Oats harvested on the Ray
mond Beed place, northwest of
Chambers, yielded 60 bushels
per acre. This yield is consid
ered “very good” because the
season has been dry. The Cham
bers locality received virtually
no moisture during most of Ap
ril and May.
*
Frank Nelson of O’Neill said the
best oats in his neighborhood,
north of O’Neill, are running
about 20 bushels, while the poor
p est were averaging out about 15
(bushels.
Wheat is better than usual in
the northern part of the county—
15 to 20 bushels.
Many farmers already have
o finished their harvest of small
grain.
The hay crop is very spotted,
County Agent A. Neil Dawes re
ports. Dawes said the crop can be
rated “at a slight 50 percent of
normal.”
Lowland meadows are doing
quite well in places, up to 75
percent of normal. But in other
quarters the later upland hay
benefited more from May and
June moisture.
“Generally speaking,” Dawes
declared, “hay in northern Holt
county is better than in the south
ern part of the county where
drouth conditions cut deeply into
the crop.”
c Dawes commented that those
who have been doing fertilizing
c of native hay and alfalfa are see
ing some good results.
The com crop is holding up
quite well under the dry condi
tions. Rainfall in the county is be
o low normal although a consider
abel amount of the season’s total
fell within the span of two weeks
in June. Some corn was damaged
by hail and corn borers. Notable
examples of hail damage near O’
Neill are at the Lloyd Ritts and
Paul Schwisow places west of
town.
There also is hail damage to
be noted northwest of O’Neill.
o Atkinson reported about an inch
of rainfall Tuesday evening. In
the early hours Wednesday mom
o ing O’Neill recorded .07 of an
inch; the Midway locality receiv
ed a light shower about 1:30 o’
® clock Wednesday afternoon.
) O _.
Dr. F. J. Fisher
Taken by Death
Funeral services will be con
ducted today (Thursday) in Sa
cred Heart Catholic church in
Norfolk for Dr. F. J. Fisher, 69, a
Norfolk dentist who formerly re
sided in O’Neill. Burial will be at
Wahoo.
Doctor Fisher died about noon
Monday in a Norfolk hospital
following a six-months’ illness.
The late Doctor Fisher was bom
December 25, 1885, at Wahoo, the
son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Fish
er, who were pioneers in Saun
ders county.
He was graduated from
Creighton university (Omaha)
college of dentistry and practic
ed at Wilber until about 20
years ago, when he moved to
O’Neill.
In 1952 he moved from O’Neill
and opened a dental office in
Norfolk.
Doctor Fisher and his wife,
Emma, had been married 44 years,
o Survivors include: Widow;
daughters— Mrs. William Sheri
dan of Aurora, Colo., and Mrs.
William Dahms of Palo Alto,
Calif.; six grandchildren; sisters—
Mrs. Erma Potter and Mrs. Mary
Kroutil, both of Los Angeles,
Calif.; brothers—Joseph of Nor
folk, Henry of Topeka, Kans., and
Dr. Louis of Hartington.
Board Named in
Equalization Suit
The Holt county board of equal
ization has been named defendant
in a petition filed Saturday, July
16, in district court here. The pe
titioners, Frank J. Brady, Earl
Coxbill and Charley W. Peterson,
all of Atkinson, are appealing to
the district court from the recent
actions and decisions of the board
on real estate valuations.
The equity action includes
farm real estate, except for Cox
bill, who is protesting town real
estate valuations placed on his
property.
One county officer, who said
he did not wish to be identified,
said several more taxpayers have
similar petitions in the mill but
r.ot on file.
Meanwhile, tax valuation com
plaints from Holt county was a
mong matters which the state
board of equlaization agreed to
look into in session Tuesday at
Lincoln.
A letter from Holt County
Clerk Kenneth Waring was for
warded to the state board, de
claring Holt land was assessed
higher than that in neighboring
Garfield and Wheeler counties
immediately to the south. The
state board said it would summon
officials from all three counties
for a conference.
Mrs. Michael Hull
Funeral Today
Redbird Woman, 81,
Long 111
REDBIRD —< Funeral services
will be conducted at 2 p.m., today
(Thursday) in Lynch for Mrs.
Michael Hull, 81, lohgtime resi
dent of northern Holt county.
Mrs. Hull died at 3 a.m., Tuesday,
July 19, at her home at Redbird.
She had been in failing health
for several years, suffering a
heart ailment and heart compli
cations of old age.
Her death was not unexpect
ed because her condition was
described as “very low” during
the past two weeks.
Grace Hoops of Neligh will of
ficiate at the funeral rites and
burial will be in Scottville ceme
tery. Pallbearers will be Alvin
Miller, Cecil Witherwax, Ray
Wilson, Arthur Bessert, Clifford
Wells and'Warren Prescott.
The late Mrs. Hull was born in
Union county, S.D., April 4, 1874,
a daughter of the late Mr. and
Mrs. Henry Hartman. She came
to Holt with her parents when
she was three-years-old. Her
people were early settlers in the
Niobrara river locality.
On December 19, 1894, she
married Michael Hull at O’
Neill. They spent several years
farming near Boone, la., but
lived in Holt county, in the
Scottville and Redbird vicini
ties, about 58 years. Last De
cember they observed their 60th
wedding anniversary.
Survivors include: Widower—
Michael sons—Charles of Ithica
and Henry of Verdel; daughters—
Mrs. Floyd Crawford of Lynch
and Mrs. Fred Truax of Lynch;
14 grandchildren; 10 great-grand
children; sister — Mrs. Augusta
Vielmette of Gregory, SJD.;
brothers— Harry and Lewis, both
of Sidney, Mont.
One child died in infancy and
one daughter, Zella, died in 1946.
Postal Receipts Up;
New Carrier Named
Receipts for the fiscal year end
ing June 30, showed a substantial
increase for the first-class O’Neill
postoffice—an increase of about
five thousand dollars.
In the previous year the receipts
were 46-thousand-dollars: last
year, 51 - thousand - dollars, ac
cording to Postmaster Ira H. Moss.
Effective July 1, Max Grenier
began carrying the 64-mile round
trip star route designated as O’
Neill-to-Ancar. The route pre
viously was carried by A1 Fritton,
who is now employed by Fred’s
Green Arrow bar.
WILSON RETURNS
Clark Wilson, former manager
of the Tri-State produce, hat
chery and turkey farm, has re
turned to O’Neill and is now at
the turkey farm, which he is
managing. Mr. Wilson has been
located in the Southwest.
Murder, Suicide Causes of Deaths
_ ___J, \ '_
The search for Moran Pettijohn was centered in this area
shown (above), known as the Lemon ranch, 19 miles north of At
kinson. Mrs. Michaelsen’s blood-stained car was located in the
abandoned barn (1) Saturday evening; the body of Pettijohn was
located by a sheriffs posse Sunday afternoon abut three hundred
yards away (2) The deserted Hillside chapel is obscured by trees
in the left foreground.—The Frontier Photo.
Among the members of the posse locating Pettijohn’s decom
posed body, thus ending a difficult and widespread manhunt, were
(left-to-right): Francis Kollman of Stuart, Lawrence Rudolph of
Suart (the town’s marshal), John A. Hoffman of Bassett and H. S.
Duvall of Atkinson. Pettijohn’s body is shown in tall weeds in fore
ground; blankets are at left.—The Frontier Photo.
Doctor Bennett’s
Condition ‘Grave’
A Sioux City heart specialist
called Wednesday to attend Dr. H.
L. Bennett, longtime O’Neill vet
erinarian, has described the O’
Neill man’s condition as “very
grave.”
Doctor Bennett has been under
the care of a special nurse at St.
Anthony’s hospital.
EXTRA COPIES AVAILABLE
Extra copies of this issue of
The Frontier, which conveys
a complete picture and text
story of the Michaelsen-Petti
john case are available at the
regular newsstands and at The
Frontier counter. The Wilson
drug store in Atkinson and the
Mueller drug store in Stuart,
both in the center of interest
area, have The Frontier on sale
at seven cents per copy.
FRACTURES BACK
NEWPORT — James Seger,
rancher near Newport, fell from
the top of a haystack Friday af
ternoon and suffered a fractured
1 back. He was taken to Atkinson
; Memorial hospital and his condi
j tion is “good.” Seger will be con
fined to his bed for some time.
Michaelsen-Pettijohn Sidelights
North-Holt People
Cautious, Jittery—
During the period Mr. Pettijohn
was believed to be at large, north
Holt countyans were cautious and
jittery.
Elmer Allyn, who lives north
of Stuart, said Sunday morning:
“We haven’t been getting much
sleep.”
The Frontier’s Celia correspond
ent wrote: “Doors were kept lock
ed and most everyone slept Sat
urday night with one eye open.”
On Monday the same corre
spondent added: “Now that the
Pettijohn body has been found,
people have settled back to nor
mal living.”
The posse included men from
O’Neill, Atkinson, Stuart, Celia,
Phoenix and even Bassett.
Saturday morning’s search be
gan on the west part of the Lem
on ranch and the group worked
eastward under the direction of
Sheriff Tomjack.
Early Sunday afternoon it was
reported a car was speeding at
about 80-miles-per-hour across
the sandhills. Road blocks were
established by radio. The motor
ist turned out to be a rancher
closing gates and checking wind
mills and he was driving much
less than 80 per.
Another false alarm was re
ported Saturday morning when a
Norfolkan reported to police a
Holt county car was seen early
that morning on the streets of
Norfolk answering to the descrip
tion of the Michaelsen car. Sat
urday’s “Voice of The Frontier”
program was interrupted by that
report.
♦ * #
Pettijohn 'Clean,
Industrious’—
Fred Horn, Atkinson rancher,
said Moran Pettijohn had worked
for him until about two years
ago. He described Pettijohn as
“clean, industrious and smart.”
Horn added, however, that when
Pettijohn began drinking heavi
ly he was an altogether different
type of a man.
Pettijohn was born and reared
in northern Holt county, had
ridden the trails for many years,
and was intimate with every
square mile.
Pettijohn attended school in
Stuart. He started high school
tut quit before graduation. He
served a hitch in the peacetime
army, got out and reentered dur
ing World War II. His army ca
reer acquired for him the title of
“Sarge.”
* * *
Patient in Mental
Hospitals—
Mr. Pettijohn thrice had been
committed to the state hospital
as an acholoic. The third time
the complaint was filed by Mrs.
Michaelsen, who told the Holt in
sanity board Pettijohn had beat
en her. She closed up the cafe in
Stuart, which she had been op
erating, and went to the state hos
pital to work as an employee in
the general kitchen. The two were
considered close companions by
Stuart townspeople.
At one time he was a patient
in the Veterans mental hospital
at Ft. Knox, Ky.
Sheriff Tomjack said he had
never been officially advised of
Pettijohn’s release from the hos
pital.
* * *
Noted Barn’s
Door Was Ajar—
Mrs. Gladys Boucher, who re
(Caontinued on page 6)
(Other photos on pages 6 and 9)
The bizarre story of a murder and suicide unfolded in northern
Holt county during the weekend. Badly decomposed bodies of two
persons were found 15 miles apart.
The body of the woman accidently was found about 3 p.m., Fri
day at a point 13 miles north of Stuart and one mile west; the body
of the man was located about 4:15 p.m., Sunday at a point 19 miles
north of Atkinson.
Dead are:
MRS. BETTY MICHAELSEN of Stuart, 45, who died of strangu
lation, apparently the victim of a deranged man who had been known
to be her companion.
MORAN (“SARGE”) PETTIJOHN of Stuart, 41, a former Nor
folk state hospital patient, who took his own life.
A warrant was issued for Pettijohn’s arrest shortly after the Mi
chaelsen body was located and after an autopsy showed she had died
from violence. Pefctijohn was the object of a widespread search that,
was conducted over a vast area of rough terrain in northern Holt,
county.
Ex-Serviceman Is
Drowning Victim
Rites Saturday for
Eugene Simpson
LYNCH— Military funeral ser
vices were held for Eugene Simp
son, 23, in the Assumption Blessed
Virgin Mary Catholic church at
Lynch Saturday, July 16, at 10
a.m., with Rev. John Wieczorek
reading requiem high mass.
The Verdel and Lynch Amer
ican Legion posts had charge of
the services.
Eugene Simpson, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Ralph Simpson, who live six
miles northwest of Verdel, was
drowned in a pond on his father’s
farm at 4 p.m., Wednesday, July
13. The body was recovered from
about 12 feet of water above the
dam about 2 a.m., on Thursday.
People from Lynch, Monowi,
Verdel and Niobrara came to as
sist in locating the body. Charles
Person, jr., of Niobrara dived
and brought the body to the sur
face.
Robert Simpson saw his broth
er’s horses wandering aimlessly
and investigated. He found his
brother’s clothes in a boat beside
the dam.
He repeatedly called his broth
er and upon receiving no response,
went to the house for help. Eu
gene had been discharged from
the navy about a year ago.
Survivors include: Parents; sis
ter—Virginia of Verdel; brothers
—Robert and Kenneth, both of
Verdel, Donald of Lynch and
Harold, who is serving in the
navy at Hutchinson, Kans.
Jaycees to Present
Sousa Music Award
The first annual John Philip
Sousa awards to the leading band
member from each of the city’s
schools—O’Neill public and St.
Mary’s academy—will be present
ed during an outdoor concert
Sunday afternoon, July 24, in
Ford’s park. The free concert will
start at 2 p.m., under the direc
tion of Charles B. Houser.
The Junior Chamber of Com
merce is making available the
awards, which will be given an
nually. Colorful, large plaques
will become permanent property
of each school with a nameplate
to be added each year. Each
nameplate will bear the name of
the individual and note the year
of presentation. Small individual
awards will go to the winning
students. The awards bear the
Sousa bust.
The laurels to the individuals
will be based on a vote of the
band members with approval of
the band directors and the admin
istrator of the respective schools.
The 1955 winners will not be
made public until Sunday’s con
cert.
Program:
Glory of the Trumpets, by
Brockenshire; Irish folk tune, I
Know Where I’m Going; The
Happy Wanderer; theme from
Piano Concerto, by Tschaikowsky;
Waltz Medley, by Yoder; Morning,
Noon and Night in Vienna, by
Suppe.
"wara presentation.
The Tunderer, march, by Sousa;
American Patrol, by Meacham;
Star Dust, by Carmeichel; The
Whistler and His Dog, by Pryor;
Bugle Call Boogie, by Dilley;
Stars and Stripes Forever, by
Sousa.
Galyen Seeks
$1)900 Damages
Wayne Galyen, Atkinson auto- j
mobile dealer, has filed a damage
suit in Holt county district court.
He names Howard Oberle and
DeLayne Oberle as defendants in
the suit in which he seeks $1,900
damages.
DeLayne Oberle is a minor son
of Howard Oberle of O’Neill.
In his petition, Galeyn alleges
that DeLayne Oberle trespassed
on and damaged his property in
Atkinson. Francis D. Lee of At
kinson is Galyen’s attorney; Jul
ius D. Cronin of O’Neill repre
sents the defendants.
A posse led by Holt County
Sheriff Leo Tomjack of O’Neill lo
cated the partially decomposed
Pettijohn body after a weekend
search of the rugged Big Sandy
creek area.
First man to spot the Pettijohn:
body was George Tomlinson, It,,
of O’Neill. N®ar him were Ber
nard Allen, Robert Asher and
Robert Stevens, all of O’Neill.
The sheriff said a .22-calibre
rifle lay across the body. Petti
Mrs. Mlchaelsen. _.... murdered.
john was wearing overalls, but
no shirt when he died.
He usually wore bibless over
alls or jeans. Several heavy blaifc
kets lay near the body.
Also nearby were whiskey bot
tles, cigarettes and some aspirin
tablets. These had been purchas
ed a day or two before at Naper..
Pettijohn’s body was located'
about 15 miles north and east
from the point
where Mrs. Mi
chaelsen’s body
was found Friday.
It was estimated
that both had died
between July 7
and 11, possibly
about the same
time because both
bodies were in
about the same
state of decompo
sition. PettAirtln
The bullet entered through the
roof of Pettijohn’s mouth. The
butt of the rifle was fixed in hie
sock.
©
The search for Pettljohn began
before the Michaeisen autopsy.
A virtually abandoned shack
known to have been frequented
by Pettijohn was checked b*
Tom jack and volunteer search
ers Friday night.
The hunt continued alii day Sat
urday and until about 1 a:mj, Sun
day when the searchers took not
time for some sleep.
A 30-man posse, with many rid
ing horseback, was organized Sun
day after Mrs. Michaelson’s nr
v/as found in an abandbrnsd
red bam 19 miles north of Atkin
son late Saturday night.
The car had been driven
the bam and apparently aban
doned because of a flat tire. Tom
jack found a hammer with kar
on it in the car and said the
steering wheel was stained with
blood. One of the car seats war.
■broken.
Charles Shald of near Atkfn
son. while out driving Saturday
night, had spotted the ear in the
barn and had telephoned (be
sheriff.
The autopsy Friday night at CT
Neill disclosed Mrs. Michaebra
died of strangulation. A white
towel was found knotted nrnmail
her neck. Tomjack said she
had suffered a forehead injury
Drs. J. P. Brown and Ot
French performed the examina
tion. A blow which Mrs. Michael
sen had suffered on the head did
not, however, fracture her
the doctors said.
Her body was discovered! try
Ed Meusch about 3 p.m., FWdaj
as he was showing relatives froira
Cincinnati, O., the layout of a
ranch. The location was about 13
miles north and 1 % miles west of
Stuart on pastureland owned by
Charley W. Peterson.
Tomjack had placed Mrs. Mi
chaelsen’s death as July 11 on the
basis of a report from Mahlorr
Shearer, Stuart farmer. He said
had seen Pettijohn and Mrs. Mi
(Caontinued on page 6)
