TWELVE
PAGES
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This Issue
North-Central Nebraska s diuulj i
Volume 76.—Number 16._O’Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, Thursday, August lb, P>56. Seven Cents.
« %
STATE HIST 90C m
Armless Farmer Says ‘Thanks’
Armless Leonard Lorenz, 35 (left), was extended a leave
Saturday from the Veterans hospital at Minneapolis, Minn., and
is visiting his son, Larry, 9 (center), and his father, Fred Lorenz
(right) at Inman. The young Holt farmer, a navy veteran of
World War II, spent Monday and Tuesday making rounds thanking
folks for neighborly deeds and for the $7,600 benefit fund raised
by the O’Neill newspapers. He lost his arms in a baler accident
June 8 near Middlebranch. Mr. Lorenz expects to spend much of
the winter at Minneapolis being fitted with one or two artificial
arms and being rehabilitated. His doctors have not yet blessed his
plans to go to college to learn to become a teacher. Mr. Lorenz
has scheduled a farm sale Friday, August 31.—The Frontier Photo.
Mrs. Perry Mentzer !
Burial at Atkinson
Hospitalized Only 10
Days
ATKINSON—Mrs. Percy Ment
zer, 54, died Sunday, August 12,
in Atkinson Memorial hospital.
She had been confined there JO
days but had been hospitalized
earlier in Omaha.
Funeral services were conduct
ed at 2 p.m., Wednesday, August
15, at the Seger funeral chapel.
Burial was in Woodlawn ceme
tery with Rev. Charles Phipps
officiating. Pallbearers were six
nephews.
The late Mrs. Mentzer, whose
maiden name was Anna Kay
Hermsen, was born April 22,
1902, at Naper, a daughter of
George and Caroline Hermsen.
On August 9. 1950. she mar
ried Mr. Mentzer at Ainsworth.
She had been a resident of
Atkinson six years.
Survivors include: Widower—
Percy; daughters—Mrs. Theodore
(Geraldine) Strong of O’Neill
and Mrs. R. M. (Myrna) Halver
son of Dallas, S.D.; son — J. J.
(“Dick”) Ford of Hawthorne.
Calif.; 16 grandchildren; step
daughter — Mrs. Doris Waltz of
Omaha; stepsons — Robert of
Shreveport. Ia., and Donald of
Omaha; brothers—John Hermsen
of St. Charles, S.D., William
Hermsen o£ Klamath F alls, Ore.,
Albert Hermsen of Colomc, S.D.,
Theodore Hermsen of White Riv
er, ST., and Edward Hermsen
of Armour, S.D.; sister — Alice
Ford of Hawthorne, Calif.
TWO VEHICLES COLLIDE
ATKINSON—A car driven by
George Brichacek of Howells h»t
the middle of a semitruck driven
by James Lee of Fullerton last
Thursday night near the roller
rink in Atkinson. No one was in
jured, according to Patrolman
Ralph Carlson of O’Neill, wno in
vestigated. _
DRAGGED BY HORSE
BUTTE—Jerry Dix, 11, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Vem Dix, was in
jured Friday when he was drag
ged by a horse. He regained con
sciousness Monday night but his
condition at Sacred Heart hospi
tal, Lynch, is serious.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Devoy
and family left late Tuesday for
Minneapolis, Minn., where they
will visit until Sunday with Mr.
Devoy’s mother.
POOL OPENS
BASSETT— The new Mumci
pal swimming pool opened Sat
urday at Bassett.
Sale Calendar
Wednesday. August 29: Lau
rence and Rose Chipps, 2lmile
south of O'Neill and one-fourt)
mile east; complete closing-^u
sale- 312-acre improved farm, oi
head of Ayrshire milk cows
feed; machinery and equipment
Weller, Fleming & Grossmcklaus
auctioneers; Chambers S . a t.
bank, clerk. (Complete details 11
next issue.) . __
Friday. August 31: Leona re
Lorenz closeout sale near Mid
dlebranch; livestock and machin
ery; Col. Wally O’Connell of O
Neill, auctioneer; Carl Lorenz
clerk. (Details in next issue.)
Wednesday, September 5: Rud;
Laible farm sale. 11 miles nortl
of O’Neill drive-in theater,
mile east, one-half mile north
one-half mile east; livestock
farm and ranch machinery
housshold goods; Col. Ed Thorn
of O’Neill, auctioneer; ONeil
National bank, clerk. (Details ii
subsequent issue.)
Wants Tips for
City Improvement
The Chamber of Commerce
will award a $25 savings bond
to the person submitting the best
suggestion for improving the city
of O’Neill, according to Secretarj
John Harrington.
Tips must be submitted in
writing and be signed to be eli
gible and the contest closes Sep
tember 15.
Meanwhile, latest firms and in
dividuals to join for the new year
are:
Kansas-Nebraska Natural Gas
company, Consumers Public Pow
er district, New Outlaw store,
O’Neill National bank. Wilson’s
Texaco service, Outlaw Imple
ment company, Wm, Krotter
company, Halva’s Electric, Sen.
Frank Nelson, Mayor D. C.
Schaffer.
A total of $1,695 in member
ship fees already has been col
lected. The goal is $6,180.
F. W. Barnes of Chadron, ex
cutive secretary of the U.S,
Highway 20 association, arrived
Wednesday to solicit member
ships in O’Neill under C of C
auspices. He pointed out that
transcontinental travel this year
has been down, and the associ
ation is taking steps to publicize
and advertise highway 20 as the
most direct and most scenic route
from Chicago, 111., to Yellowstone
Aged Man
Is Fatally
Injured
Runaway Blamed for
Geo. Koch’s Death;
Wife Walks for Aid
George Koch, 77, who lived
with his wife on a farm in an
isolated area near Ewing, died at
2:30 p.m., Wednesday, August 15.
in St. Anthony’s hospital.
Mr. Koch was injured Monday
night when he and his aged wife
were driving homeward in a
spring buggy. The horses were
frightened and broke away.
Mrs. Koch, who was injured,
the nearest telephone to caII for
had to walk six miles to reach
help.
Mr. Koch was taken to the O’
Neill hospital by Mr. and Mrs.
Frank Sands of Ewing.
He entered the hospital at 1:20
a m , Tuesday.
Dr. L. A. Carter said the man
suffered from concussion and
shock.
UtaUllS UI II If duciucrub WCIC
lacking because Mrs. Koch also
is under a doctor’s care.
His wife was entered at the O’
Neill hospital Wednesday eve
ning. She suffered a hip and knee
injury.
The late Mr. Koch was born
at Creston October 8, 1878.
Mr. Koch’s survivors include:
Widow; son — Arthur Koch of
Wood River.
The Koch home for many years
has been 10 miles south of Ew
ing and Henry Lange is the neai -
est neighbor.
The body is at Biglin’s at O’
Neill.
Tankers Return
from Ft. Knox Trip
Seventy enlisted men and two
ofticers comprising O’Neill's com
pany D, 195th tank regiment, Ne
braska national guards, returned
Sunday noon on schedule—hav
ing completed a two-weeks’ en
I cainprnent at the army’s armor
ed tank center at Ft. Knox, Ky.
The guardsmen complained of
Kentucky heat and were tired
and weary upon their return.
Intensive training and instruc
tion was carried out in connection
i with the M-47 tank and the O’
Neill unit impressed the state’s
! guard commander, Maj. - Gen
! Warren Wood, and regular army
observers with firing accuracy
It was the first actual firing ol
the 90-mm. for some of the new
members of tre guard unit.
Others had fired the 90-mm
cannon a year ago at Camp Rip
lev, Minn. The O’Neill unit very
likely will return to Ripley for
the 1957 encampment.
Farrier, O’Malley
Cars in Sideswipe
CHAMBERS — A westbound
car driven by John Lee Farrier
of Chambers and a late-model
O'Malley Bros, car, driven by
Jerry O’Malley, figured in a
sideswipe mishap Wednesda> af
ternoon 3*i miles west of Cham-j
bers.
The O’Malley machine was fol
lowing an eastbound truck. Far
rier had met the truck when the
sideswipe occurred. No one was
injured.
The Farrier machine overturn
ed and traveled about 250 feet
before coming to a stop. The side
of the O’Malley machine was
ripped off.
James Tangeman was a passen
ger in the Farrier car. Mr. O’
Malley was accompanied by his
mother, Mrs. Blanche O’Malley.
Building About
to Be Razed Burned
Fleener Loss Set at
Over $2,000
A comcrib, two adjoining ma
chine sheds, a chicken house, one
hundred laying hens and some
small machinery were destroyed
Saturday afternoon at the Mrs.
Martha Fleener home, 2'j miles
east of Midway.
Mrs. Fleener and her brother,)
Henry Stojohann, and their hired
man, Stanley Stadlman, had gone
to Ft. Randall, S.D., for dam i
dedication ceremonies and did [
not return until nightfall.
Charles Fox, a neighbor re
siding one mile west. saw
smoke and sent children to in
vestigate. Mr. Fox summoned
neighbors and the O'Neill fire
men.
The fire-lighters succeeded in
preventing further spread.
Mrs. Fleener said loss would
exceed two-thousand-dollars. Re
cently, she had cancelled insur
ance on the buildings. Ladders
and tools to be used in wrecking
the crib and adjoining buildings
were lost. Work on the razing
was to have started Monday by
Mr. Storjohann.
The men had been grinding
grain during the forenoon. Mrs.
Fleener is at a loss to ekplain
Ihe origin of the fire unless it
was a spark from the tractor.
Equipment lost included a new
wagon with flare box, manure
spreader, corn sheller, brooder
stove; also two loads of grain.
The farm woman is undecided
as to whether she will rebuild or
retire from the farm. She had
planned to leave the farm next
j spring.
BASEBALL TONIGHT
ATKINSON—There will be a
baseball game in Atkinson’s ball
game in Atkinson’s ball park to
night (Thursday) at 8:30. The
All-Stars from this region will
be playing the Winner (S.D.)
Pheasants.
—
RECEPTION SUNDAY FOR GRADYS ...
Couple Lifelong Holt Residents
By a Staff Writer
Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Grady, who
were married in Atkinson on
August 18, 1906, will receive
their friends at a reception to be
held Sunday, August 19, at the
Town House. Reception houis
will be from 3 until 5 p.m. No
formal invitations have been is
sued.
Out-of-town members of the
family began arriving Monday.
They have two daughters and
three sons: Mrs. Paul F. (I>o
retha) Montgomery of Baker,
Ore.; Mrs. Art (Helen Geneva)
King of San Clemente, Calif.;
John E. of Washington, D.C., who
is in the defense department’s
office of mobilization; J. B.
(‘‘Ben"), who is cashier of the
O’Neill National bank, and Wil
liam J. (‘‘Bill"), who is a buyer
n nr ■na—i wii ii—m- i n in iii—m
for the J. C. Penney company
stores at Los Angeles, Calif.
One son, Harry, died in 1940
at the age of 19.
Mr. Grady is 78; Mrs. Grady,
70. Both enjoy “fairly good"
health. For the past five years
they have been spending their
winters with their daughters on
the West coast.
Mr. Grady was born May 2.
1878, on a 320-acre homestead
timber claim on the present
site of the Municipal airport.
His parents were John and
Mary Boyle Grady, who had
come to Nebraska from Ga
lena, III.
He was reared on Dry creek, 17
miles southwest of O’Neill, and
attended school in a “soddy” Io
---—
cated in the middle of what is
now a Schaffer pasture. John
Harmon, also a homesteader, was
his first teacher. Later, the “sod
rdy” gave way to a frame build
ing, but Mr. Grady’s school days
were limited. Mrs. Potter Haze
lett was a later teacher “and a
good one.”
Mr. Grady was plowing a field
of corn when he hard the prop
osition of joining up with Ne
braska’s Spanish-American war
regiment. Next day he went to
Omaha and enlisted. He spent five
months in Cuba. Today, he is
one of three Spanish-American
survivors in Holt county.
“The Spaniards were a rag
tag looking bunch.” That’s how
(Continued on page 3)
’ \ ' -r ■ **
Mr. and Mrs. H. D. Grady . . . will receive their friends Sunday afternoon between 3 and 5
o’clock.—The Frontier Photo.
I rod t runk lit. son <>l Mr .mil Mis iriuk .. "i I'm. pi.nnlK slums his Ancus which
were judged ffrand champion cow and calf of the 1956 Holt county fair. The cow Is Nonpareil 18tli;
the calf. Nonpareil Cedar Chest 2d.—The Frontier Fhoto.
Dairy champions at the Holt county fair: Denny Iekes of Page with top Holstein calf; Ken
Stauffer of Page exhibits the grand champion dairy entry, a milking Shorthorn owned by Rodney
Kennedy of Page; and Jerilyn Luebeke of Page is pictured with the top Brown Swiss entry, owned
by Randall Stauffer, also of Page. All calves received purple ribbons.—The Frontier Photo.
• __
Holt Resident Since
’84 Dies in Hospital
63d Holt Fair
to Close Tonight
Good Weather Is
Forecast
CHAMBERS—1The weatherman
pdedicts generally fair weather
today (Thursday) — the fourth
and final day of the 64th annual
Holt county fair.
The fair opened Monday with
record 4-H livestock, home eco
nomics and school exhibits.
Tuesday was judging day and
Wednesday was devoted to en
tertainment with a rodeo climax
inrt loaf nirtVit'o Q/*fitrifiaC
Threatening skies and showers
over much of the county cut into
attendance.
On today’s program will be a
grand livestock parade at 1:30
o’clock; midget baseball; a ball
game between the Chambers and
Stuart towners.
The RCA-five event rodeo will
be staged under the lights to
night, climaxed by an open-air
dance featuring Jesse Geyer and
his band.
Detailed results of the awards
will be published in next week's
issue. Results had not been tab
ulated late Wednesday.
GAS ‘WAR’
CREIGHTON — Last week’s
gas ‘‘war” at Creighton reduced
petrol to 6.4 cents below the nor
mal. Regular “pre-war” priw
was 31.4.
LIGHT SHOWER
1 A light shower, totaling .49 o]
an inch and accompanied by con
siderable electrical disturbance
| was received at O’Neill Wednes
day evening.
AMELIA—Funeral services for
Edward Hammond White, 83,
who came to Holt county 72 years
ago, will be conducted at the
Methodist church here at 2 p.m.,
j Friday, August 17.
Mr. White died Tuesday, Aug
ust 14, in Atkinson Memorial
hospital where he had been a
patient nine days. He had suffer
ed a gallstone attack. For years
he had suffered from asthma.
Rev. Harry Meyers of Cham
bers will officiate. The remains
will lie in state at the church
between 10 a.m., and the funeral
hour. Burial will be at Chambers.
Pallbearers chosen are Ernest
Johnston, Bernard Blackmore,
Blake Ott, Vern Sageser, Ray
mond Kenny and Paul Fisher.
me late Mr. wmte was oom
December 21, 1867, In Kanki
kee county, Illinois, a son of
John A. and Mary Ann White.
He came to Holt county in
1884 with his parents and two
brothers, Harry and the late
Ernest White.
They settled on a homestead
immediately north of the pres
ent site of the Free Methodist
church, a quarter of a mile from
highway 95.
The late Mr. White was reared
there, later farmed southwest ol
Inman, and for a number of years
operated a livery barn in Bur
well.
He also spent a short time in
Colorado.
When he returned to Amelia ht
purchased his brothers’ interesl
in the old family ranch and con
tinued to reside there in retire
ment until his fatal illness.
He married Pearl Coolidge ai
O’Neill on June 13, 1917.
The late Mr. White was alway:
regarded as a community booster
Survivors include: Widow —
Mary Ann; brother — Harry o
! Amelia; numerous nieces am
nephews.
Dissolution Plan
Being Put to Vote
ATKINSON— Monday evening,
August 20, the stockholders of
the Atkinson Cooperative Cream
ery association will vote on the
proposition of dissolving the
corporation.
The board of directors, in a
meeting on August 9, decided to
put the question to the stock
holders.
The creamery is in sound fi
nancial condition with assets con
siderably more than the liabili
ties, but the creamery has been
losing money on its operations
for more than a year.
Sister M. George in
Silver Anniversary
Sr. M. George Shoemaker of
Alliance, formerly of St. Mary’s
academy and a native O’Neillite,
is celebrating her silver jubilee in
the Franciscan sisterhood today
(Thursday).
Among those attending were
her father, George Shoemaker;
her brother and sister-in-law, Mr.
and Mrs. Leonard Shoemaker,
and Mr. and Mrs. John Shoe
maker, who left Wednesday, and
Mr. and Mrs. Casper Pribil, who
left Tuesday.
Wesleyan Methodists
Holding Conference
ATKINSON— The 13th annual
conference of the Wesleyan
Methodist church got underway
here Tuesday. The convention
will continue through Sunday,
August 19.
Rev. Charles Phipps of Atkin
son is conference president. Dr.
F. R. Birch of Syracuse, N.Y,
secretary of Wesleyan Methodist
foreign missions delivered Wed
nesday evening’s denominational
address.
The Municipal swimming pool
will be closed Wednesday eve
ning, August 22, for a church
■! youth gathering. A year ago 150
I, pool admissions were sold to the
group.
CN W Asks
to Curtail
TwoTrains
North-Nebraska May
Be Without Mail
Passenger Service
Top Chicago & North Western
railroad officials in Chicago, 111.,
have advised officers of the
Save-the-Trains association the
railroad company would file with
the Nebraska railroad commis
sion on Wednesday, August 15,
for permission to discontinue
Omaha-Chadron trains 13 and 14
—the last two remaining passen
ger-mail-cxpress trains serving
much of north-Nebraska and por
tions of southern South Dakota.
C. J. Fitzpatrick, who became
president of the North Western
April 1, said in a letter to Car
roll (“Cal”) Stewart, The Fron
tier publisher and president of
tlie train-saving group:
“Our current studies reveal an
actual out-of-pocket loss of $204,
717 for a year’s period ending
June 30. Expenses were $779,497
for the year and revenues $574,
780.”
Mr. Fitzpatrick said Uie av
erage number of revenue pas
sengers had dropped from an
estimated 70.5 per day to 61.3.
If the commission approves, it
will mark the unsuccessful end
to a two-year battle by residents
along the line to maintain ser
vice.
In October, 1954, C&NW an
nounced it would take steps to
discontinue the two trains. The
train-saving group was formed
and negotiated an experimental
period with modern coaches.
Passenger revenues immediate
ly jumped at key points along the
line and a traditional decline in
express revenues was arrested,
Stewart said.
“lint loss of revenue for handl
ing mail exceeded gains that
could be made in passengers and
express. Mail losses have been
to truckers and, to some extent,
to the Burlington railroad on the
Chadron end of the line.”
The train-savers met at a puo
lic meeting in Bassett with the
assistant postmaster - general in
charge of postal transportation.
The official promised more mail,
change orders were issued and
within a few days annulled.
Within a few weeks the trans
portation officer who instituted
the change quit the postal de
partment.
M. II. Snider of ( learwater,
special representative for the
S-T-A. has scheduled a meet
ing of officers, directors and
representatives of civic groups
-to be held at Ainsworth on
Monday, August 20, at 6:30 p.m.
Stewart said a canvass of of
ficers and directors of the asso
ciation unanimously endorsed a
policy of opposing before the
commission the C&NW plans to
discontinue.
Daily loss on operating the
trains is $560 at present, Mr.
Fitzpatrick staid.
i ne railway company has
done everything possible to pre
serve this service between Oma
ha and Chadron,” Mr. Fitzpat
rick declared.
Mr. Fitzpatrick succeeded ex
president P. E. Feucht. Fitzpat
rick, formerly vice-president of
the Illinois Central, was placeJ
in the executive position by an
investment syndicate that pur
chased large blocks of C&N'V
stock at a high level. TTie C4NW
overall system in nine states has
been losing in excess of four
million-dollars annually and is
doing no better under the new
management, if not worse, ac
cording to published financial
reports.
The experimental plan for
trains 13 and 14 was negoti
ated with Feucht and J. E.
Goodwin, who was executive
vice-president until Fttapat
rick’s group took over.
Feucht and Goodwin are no
longer connected with the C4NW.
The train-savers helped reduce
operating costs by supporting
Sen. Frank Nelson’s bill in the
1955 legislature to eliminate the
flagman from the crew. Estimated
savings was 27- to 30-thousand
dollars annually.
"As far as we arc concerned,
the North Western is penny
wise and pound-foolish if it
takes its planned action. An
other point is that the sleekest
trains on major railways can
be shown by bookkeeping to be
operating at a loss,” Stewart
said.
At present there is no bus
route from Valentine to Gordon,
a distance of 92 miles, and the
Norfolk - O’Neill bus patronage
has fallen off. The O’Neill-Nor
folk bus line a few years ago op
erated three buses per day each
1 way and now there is only one
each way daily.
1 FIRE IN MEADOW
’ A hay meadow was afire at the
, Ed Boyle place Wednesday afteT
? noon. The fire got into trees and
was confined.
