North-Central Nebraska’s BIGGEST Newspaper
Volume 76.—Number 50.O'Neill. Holt County, Nebraska. 1 hursday. April 11, 1957. Seven C ents
Scripter, 53, Dies
of Explosion Burns
Rites Wednesday at
Atkinson
ATKINSON—F'moral services
for Joseph M Scripter, 53. who
suffered fatal burns in a fire at
Grand Island, were held at 9 a.
m., Wednesday, April 10, at St.
Joseph’s Catholic church in At
kinson.
Acting as pallbearers were
Lloyd James, Alfred James, Ar
thur Regal, John Fox, Lee Gil
man and Floyd Gettert.
Burial was in Woodlawn ceme
tery near the grave of an infant
child.
, A rosary service was held
Tuesday evening at the Seger
funeral chapel in Atkinson
The late Mr Scppter died Sun
day, April 7, in University*' hos
pital at Omaha where he had
been a patient six days.
He was burned in a trailer
house explosion March 23.
Mr. Scripter, living alone in the
trailer, was attempting to fill a
hot heating stove with fuel. The
resultant explosion knocked him
to the end of the trailer.
He managed to get to the home
of relatives. They took him to St.
Francis hospital, Grand Island,
and later he was transferred to
Omaha Where skin grafting was
to be undertaken. He suffered
third degree burns on his legs.
He was bom January 23. 1904,
the son of Fay W. and Minnie
Bruder Scripter.
On August 17, 1925, at O’Neill
he was married to Florence
Andrus.
Survivors include: Widow—
Florence; sons—Joseph, jr.,
Charles F., and Kenneth E.;
daughters—Mrs. Ben (Helen)
Braun, Mrs. Albert (Betty) Was
son, Mrs. Nelson (Marjorie) Gib
son and Miss Jo Ann; mother —
Mrs. Minnie Scripter of Atkin
son; brothers—Edward of Valen
tine and Henry of Wichita, Kans.;
sisters—Mrs. Elizabeth Richeson
of Atkinson; Mrs. Ed Wieden
man of Michigan City, Ind.; Mrs.
Michael Marose of Los Angeles,
Calif.; seven grandchildren.
One son, A-2c Charles, who
had been stationed at Osaka, Jap
an, flew home to be near his
father before the death.
Train-Savers Lose
Amendment Request
At Lincoln Tuesday the Ne
braska state railway commission
overruled a motion by supporters
of the Save-the-Trains associa
tion to amend general order No.
11, a change which commission
sources said would have made it
"much more difficult” for a rail
road to drop service.
The order, which has been on
the commission books for nearly
50 years, sets forth the manner in
which railroads must make re
ports of their expenses of opera
tion between points in Nebraska.
The move to amend the order
came in the wake of the Chicago
& North Western railway’s at
tempt to discontinue its Omaha
Chadron run.
Johnson Lands Sells
for $35 Per Acre
Dwayne Anson, who lives north
of O’Neill, Monday was high
bidder on the improved Rudolph
and Della Johnson 640-acre ranch
located 14 miles north of O’Neill
and two miles east.
Purchase price was $35 per ac
re. The Johnsons, who liquidated
their persona 1 property at the
same auction, are retiring and
will move soon to California.
Verdigre's Dr. Leonard F. Lovely . . . congratulatory mes
sages by the bushel.—The Frontier Photo.
Creighton ‘U Cage Immortal—
Dr. Lovely Honored
by Hall of Fame
—————
By a Staff Writer
VERDIGRE—Letters and tele
grams by the bushel have pour
ed into the home of Dr. Leonard
F. ("Jimmy”) Lovely and his
wife since the initial announce
ment went out from the Los An
geles, Calif., that “Jimmy”, the
former Creighton university
basketball star, had been named
to the hall of fame.
Announcement was made by
Paul H. Helms, jr., chairman of
the board of the Helms Athletic
Foundation.
Last month townspeople of
Verdigre arranged a banquet
honoring Doctor Lovely, whose
cage feats still echo in the cor
ridors on the Hilltop at Creigh
ton university, Omaha.
Still angular and flexible, his
long arms gesticulate from a big
easy chair while the gray-haired
dentist reminisces of the days of
1922, 1923 and 1924.
The Omaha World-Herald,
Omaha Bee-News and national
wire service sports writers ran
out of superlatives in telling of
the exploits of the Bluejay
teams coached by A. A. Schabing
er, and, particularly, of the
prowess of the 6 ft. Igdsh kid
from tiny Elkton, S. D.
"Jimmy’s” case of influenza
and a dislocated knee merited
reams of sports news copy in
I those days and a huge scrapbook
! holds the colorful story.
Lovely won Helms all-Ameri
can honors in both 1923 and 1924
and, in receiving the latest honor,
(Continled on page 3.)
3 Hospitalized After
Two-Car Collision
Three persons were hurt about
11:30 p. m., Friday in a two-car
crash 2 Vi miles east of O’Neill
on U. S. highways 20-275.
Cars driven by Mrs. Charles
Boyle, O’Neill farm woman, and
Clifford Hahlbeck of Ewing
crashed when the Boyle machine,
driven by Mrs. Boyle, attempted
to make a lefthand turn from
the highway onto a new county
road leading to her home.
The Boyle machine was east
bound from O’Neill; the Hahlbeck
car was westbound, heading to
ward O’Neill.
Both vehicles were damaged to
the extent of about one thousand
dollars each, according to State
Highway Patrolman Robert Gude,
who investigated.
Riding with Mrs. Boyle were
her husband and their daughters
—Charlene, Theresa. Frances,
Helen and Rita. Halhbeck was al
, one.
Both drivers and Miss Charlene
were hospitalized here. Hahlbeck,
suffering from shock and bruises,
was dismissed Tuesday. Mrs.
Boyle injured her right leg and
is unable to walk. She fractured
a finger and suffered chest in
juries. Miss Charlene suffered a
neck injury, but Wednesday it
had not been determined if tnere
were broken bores.
The Hahlbeck machine skid
ded some riistuice. Hahlbeck,
the town marshal at Ewing, had
been pursuing a speeder, he
said, and was enroute to O'Neill
| to have a warrant issued.
Deed for Armory
Site Forwarded
Deed for the site of the pro
j posed new 200-thousand-dollar
national guard armory Tuesday
I was forwarded to the Nebraska
military district headquarters.
; The land, approximately a square
block in area, recently was con
demned by the city and purchas
ed for six-thousand-dollars. Roy
Spindler formerly owned the
property, located six blocks north
I of the O'Neill center.
Mayor D. C. Schaffer' and City
Clerk O. D. French signed the
' transmittal instrument.
Prominent
Angus Man
Dies at 60
Heart Attack Fatal
to ‘Ray’ C. S i d e r s ;
Services at Inman
INMAN—Raymond C. Siders,
60, a retired rancher and a pio
neer breeder of Aberdeen-Angus
cattle, suffered a heart attack
Friday, April 5, while transport
ing school children to Orchard
for polio immunization shots. He
was taken to St. Anthony’s hos
pital at O’Neill where he died at
6:30 o’clock that evening.
Funeral services were conduct
ed at 2 p.m., Monday, April 8. at
the Inman Methodist church. The
rites were attended by one of the
largest crowds in the history of
the town. Rev. Lisle Mewmaw,
church pastor, officiated and bur
ial was in the Inman cemetery
under the direction of Bighn’s.
Music was furnished by a mix
ed quartette—Mrs. Ira Watson,
Mrs. L. F. Kopecky, Harvey
Tompkins, all of Inman, and A.
Neil Dawes of O’Neill— accom
panied on the piano by Mrs.
Tompkins.
Pallbearers were Blaine Gar
w'ood of Amelia, Harry E. Res
Mr. Siders . . . Bandolier j
breeding is predominate.
sel, Fora Knight, Everett Miner,
and Louis Bartos, all of O’Neill,
and Frank Beelaert of Page.
Born in Missouri
The late Raymond Clarence
Siders was born June 30, 1890
at Bogard, Mo., a son of Charles
and Maggie Gilliand Siders.
He was nlne-years-old when
he came with his mother and
other children in the family to
Holt county, arriving in O’Neill
by train December 23, 1905.
Earlier his father and an uncle,
Joe Gilland, had come to Holt
and rented a farm 17 miles north- [
west of O’Neill. It was the Joe
Coleston place—a quarter-section
—which earlier had been pur
chased for $90.
(Continued on page 6.)
Lyle Wertz, 63,
Dies Suddenly
Burial in Canada;
War Veteran
STAR—Lyle Wertz, 63, who
was born and reared in this lo
cality and saw extensive combat
duty in France during World
War I, died unexpectedly Friday,
March 29, in Assinaboi, Sask.,
Can. He suffered a heart attack,
was taken to a hospital, and died
a few hours later.
None of the Holt county rela
tives were able to attend the
funeral services.
Mr. Wertz was one of nine
children in the family of the late
Alexander R. and Althea Craw
ford Wertz. He attended rural
school in he Hainesville district.
He spent considerable time in
France in the infantry during
World War 1 and participated in
bitter fighting in the Argonne
forest. Later, he served in the
army of occupation in Germany.
Returning to the United States
he went to Canada and began
farming. There he met and mar
ried Anna Patterson. They be
came the parents of four children.
At the time of his death he
owned a farm in Saskatchewan,
but resided with his wife in the
town of Assinaboi.
Two years ago Mr. Wertz vis
ited brothers and sisters in Holt
county.
Survivors include: Widow —
Anna; sons—Donald, Leonard and
Douglas; daughter—Ardith; eight
grandchildren; brothers— Floyd
of Page, Emmett of O’Neill; Le
land of Minneapolis, Minn.; Ar
thur of Boise, Ida.; sisters—Mrs.
Mildred Phillips of Medford,
Ore.; the Misses Morna and Mar
garet, both of O’Neill (Star com
munity). ,
The three sons and one daugh
ter all reside in Canada.
One brother, Leslie, died in i
1940 at Star.
■■1 wm a VM/mm mmwmmm mmmwmmam wmm
O’Neill high band members prepping for district music competition: Darrell Clyde, Harry Bei
lin, Larry Oetter, Kathleen Brady and Beverly Brittell.—The Frontier Photo.
No Saturday Deliveries—
PO Austerity Starts
Postmaster-General Summer
field’s austerity program will be
felt at the O’Neill postoffice
and all other postoffices in the
land, starting Saturday, April
13.
There will be no Saturday
window service, no city or
rural deliveries.
Under the new orders, Post
master Ira Moss said Tuesday
the window service will be cut
30 minutes Monday through
Friday. Instead of 8 a.m., to
5 p.m., window hours, the win
dows will not be opened un
til 8:30 a.m. The 5 p.m., win
dow closing will remain un
changed.
Issuance of money-orders in
first- and second-class offices
(O’Neill has a first-class of
ice) will be stopped after Mon
day, April 29.
Patrons with postoffice boxes
will receive their mail as us
ual because there will be no
change in distribution.
Three substitute clerks and
ual, because there will be no
carriers will be working fewer
hours as a result of the Sum
merfield cutback. They are
Jerome Gallagher and Jerry
Spittler, substitute status
clerks, and Larry Minton, sub
stitute carrier.
"Skelton” crews will be on
duty Saturdays and Sundays
to distribute and dispatch mails.
Summerfield’s fiscal prob
lems have been coming un
der fire in congress since the
cutback threat was made. If
more funds are forthcoming
from congress, the previous ser
vice is expected to be restor
ed.
I ——
Mrs. Frahm . . . born in Illinois.
(Story at right.)
Arden Uhlir Wins Staik Honor—
Youth, 17, Is Star Farmer
Arden Uhlir, 17, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Otto W. Uhlir, who live nine
miles north of Oak View park,
Thursday evening was named
Nebraska’s star farmer at the
1957 conference of Future Farm
ers qf America held in Lincoln.
The honor was bestowed at the
29th annual convention at the
University of Nebraska college of
agriculture.
Young Uhlir won the honor
based on the judging of his farm
and livestock projects.
During his three years in FFA
work (now in his fourth year),
Uhlir developed a well-rounded
farming program, judges said.
The work nettl'd him $6,415.
His program includes: 10 pure
bred Hereford cows, six purebred
Hereford heifers, three purebred
Hereford bulls, one reserve
champion bull (purchased at the
Northeast Nebraska Hereford
sale January 28, 1957), and two
dairy Holstein heifers.
Arden rents two hundred acres
from his father, a longtime Here
ford commercial raiser. Land has
been distributed as follows: 55
acres oats, 40 acres corn, 40 acres
alfalfa, 18 ares sorghum and
20 acres wild hay.
John Sotter is Arden’s voca
tional ag teacher at Verdigre high
school where Arden is a senior.
Young Uhlir’s honors included
a two-hundred-dollar FFA foun
dation award. He also had the
state champion record book.
Foundation Hereford stock has
been purchased from the Henry
Wood herd at Ewing, C. V. Rob
ertson herd at Chambers, H. A.
& R. E. Van Horn herd at Page,
and of neighbors, Joe J. Jelinek
& Sons of Verdigre.
Arden is president of his class
and was class secretary when he
was a junior. He was homecoming
king at Verdigre high in 1955. He
is president of the Verdigre FFA
chapter for the 1956-’57 term.
Mr. Softer has been vocational
ag teacher at Verdigre for 10
years—since he was graduated
from college.
Arden wants to apply for
the American star farmer award
at a later date. He has attended
all state FFA conventions since
starting to high school and twice
has gone to the national conven
tion.
Arden plans to sign up for
army duty as soon as he gradu
ates and get back to the farm. He
wants to rent 640 acres.
FFA groups from O'Neill. Ver
digre, Atkinson, Ewing and other
area towns attended the Lincoln
convention.
6 Inches of Snow
Reported Here
Six inches of snow fell at O’
Neill during the past seven days,
bringing .67 of an inch of mois
ture.
Elsewhere in the area heavier
snowfall was reported.
The moisture assures early
green pastures, which already are
beginning to turn.
Light snow was falling Wed
nesday afternoon at Butte and
temperatures dropped rather
sharply here. Weather summary:
Hi Lo Prec.
April 4 31 24 .40
April 5 35 22 .08
April 6 36 20 .19
April 7 32 27
April 8 45 10
April 9 46 22
April 10 . 54 32
Total .67
O’Neill Firemen
Called Twice
Rubbish in the rear of a pick
up truck at the Herbert Timm
residence required the services
of the firmen Tuesday evening.
The department was summon
ed Wednesday morning at 9:05
o’clock to the George Shoemaker
ranch, five miles south of O’Neill
on U. S. highway 281. A plug
ged water heater, burning oil,
was blamed. The chimney area
was damaged and some siding
will have to be replaced.
Arrives Wednesday—
Lt. Donna Shellhase arrived
home Wednesday afternoon from
Japan, where she had served with
the army nurses’ corps. After a
30-day leave with her parents,
Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Shellhase,
she Will report for duty at Ft.
Knox, Louisville, Ky.
Otto W. Vhlir and son, Arden, and Teacher Setter.—The Frontier Photo.
Chrts McGinn Named
to Police Force
Chris McGinn, well-known in
the O'Neill and Chambers local
ities, has been appointed to the
O’Neill police force. Mayor D. C.
Schaffer said late Wednesday.
The appointment is expected to
bo confirmed by the council.
McGinn wif replace Charles
Johnson, who will lx- moving to
California with his family.
Ill \RING TOD\i
Hearing on the proposed Stuart
rural fire protection district, in
ing land in both Holt and |
RiK'k counties, will be conducted;
at 2 p. m., today (Thursday) at !
the courthouse here by the Holt
board of supervisors. Rock com
missioners are opposing the pro
posed district.
Mrs. Arthur Frahm,
III 7 Months, Dies
Burial at Orchard
for Page Woman
PAGE—Funeral services for
Mrs. Arthur H. Frahm, 68, were
conducted at 2 p.m, Tuesday,
April 9, at St. Peter’s Lutheran
church at Orchard. Rev Walter
Seefeldt officiated.
Mrs. Frahm died at 12:30 am,
Saturday, March 6, in St. An
thony’s hospital at O’Neill. She
had been ill seven months and
had long been hospitalized five
days.
Burial was in the Lutheran
cemetery at Orchard under the i
direction of Biglin’s.
Pallbearers were Milo I^ind
reth, Glenn Stewart. Otto Wise
man, LeRoy Cunningham, Buv
Wanser and Lloyd Fusselman,
The late Mrs. Frahm, whose j
maiden name was Dollie Lavern !
Moisei, was born February 20,
1889, at Princetown, 111., a daugh
ter of Henry and Julia Gigle
Meisel.
She was married June 10.
1-908, to Arthur H. Frahm at
Pierce.
Most of the Frahm’s married
life was spent on a farm although
at one time Mr. Frahm' owned
and operated a hardware store
at Malmo.
The couple farmed in Pierce
and Antelope counties before
j coming to Holt in 1919. They
j lived for a time near Atkinson
and then moved back to Ante
lope county.
In 1941 they returned to Holt
and resided on a farm six miles
northwest of Page until 1952
when they retired to their home
located beside the Farmers store
at Page.
She was preceded in death by
two sisters, Mrs. Andrew Spjut
of Brunswick and Mrs. Winifred
Zolfer of Omaha.
Survivors include: Widower—
Arthur of Page; sons—Floyd of
Page and Roy of Royal; daugh
ters—Mrs. Alvin (Emma) Rab
bass of Neligh; 11 grandchildren;
one great-grandchild; sistero—
Mrs. Julius Lyle Diers of Peters
burg, Mrs. Georgia Keller of
Omaha, and Mrs. Maxine Kee of
Brunswick; brother—John Meisel
of Omaha.
State Claims Suit
is in Wrong Court
An answer has been filed in
Holt county district court to
Charley W. Peterson’s petition
asking the court to declare the
Holt brucellosis area “null and
void”.
Homer L. Kyle, assistant Ne
braska attorney-general in
answer, declared the Holt dist
rict court has no jurisdiction in
the matter. Inasmuch as the state
veterinarian, Dr. J. L. George of
Lincoln, and the Nebraska de
partment of agriculture are nam
ed as defendants, the state claims
the only court having jurisliction
would be Lancaster district court.
Holt County Agent A. Neil
Dawes and Assistant Agent War
ren Peden, both of O’Neill, also
are named as defendants. On
March 29 they filed a demurrer,
alleging “the facts are not suf
ficient to constitute a cause of
action”.
The Kyle answer was filed
Wednesday.
Peterson is an extensive Holt
county landowner and cattle rais
er. He filed his suit March 15.
Teacher to Get
Eye Surgery —
PAGE—George Austin, com
mercial teacher at the Page high
school, will take a two-week
leave of absence and will submit
to corrective surgery for an eye
condition at Kearney.
The pupils of the high school
honored him with a surprise
leave party Monday evening at
home.
Alfred Sanders Is
Seriously 111—
Earl Sanders of Irrigon, Ore.,
was called to O’Neill because of
the serious illness of his father,
Alfred Sanders.
William McIntosh of the Mc
Intosh Jewelry here was elected
second vice-president of the He- i
braska Retail Jewelers associa- :
tion at Omaha. ,
26 Schools
Entered in
Music Fete
1,500 Young Musicians
Compete in Annual
District Contest
Strains of music from multiple
'ianos filled the spring air Wed
nesday as the annual district
nusic contest got underway here.
More than 1.5(H) hundred young
nusicians, plus parents, chauf
Vrs and well-wishers from 26
lorth-central Nebraska high
schools w ill have converged here
x'fore the three-day contest clog
's Friday night.
Piano competition Wednesday
ook place at both O’Neill public
school and St Mary’s academy.
Class C and D schools will have
3iitries in action today (Thurs
iay) and band competition will
lx> heard tonight at the public
school auditorium.
Class B schools will compete
Friday with band competition in
the evening climaxing the pro
gram.
Baack Is Director
Vocal, instrumental and small
group performances will be dis
tributed between the auditoriums
and audition rooms in the two
schools here, according to M. J.
Baack, who is contest director.
Judges will be:
Carlton Chaffee of Vermillion,
University of South Dakota, voc
al and instrumental.
George Whitfield of Kearney,
Nebraska State Teachers college,
piano.
Martin Bush of Vermillion,
University of South Dakota, vo
cjd.
Richard H. Simpson o( Red
Oak, la., public schools, istru
mental.
Nels Leonard of Vermillion,
University of South Dakota.
Elmer Pundman of Harlan, la*
and Simpson will judge class C
bands and participate in otfaet
judging: Chaffee, Leonard, Buslh
and Simpson will judge class P
bands and also participate in
judging of other events.
Early Results
(Judging is based on 1, 2, 3.)
Wednesday1!?- piano winners
were:
CLASS ft (SOLO)
1—Bill Parsons, Neligh, Mardy
Johnson of O’Neill high; 2— Nan
cy Kennell of O’Neill high, La
none Sisson of Ainsworth, Brenda
Pallcsen of Ainsworth, Ann Han
na of Valentine, Vicki Richards
of Valentine; 3—Bonnie Burival
of St. Mary’s, Myra Magstadt of
Ainsworth.
CLASS C (SOLO)
1—Ruth Kuhl of St. Frances
(Randolph), Rae Anne Taake of
Tilden; 2—Sharon Huwaldt of St.
Frances (Randolph); 3—Ann
Marie Pabanz of Meadow Grove,
Gretchen Clark of Niobrara,
Chery Lee Wagner of Niobrara.
CLASS I) (SOLO)
1—Marcia Widman of Amelia,
Margaret Armstrong of Elgin; 2
—Judith Hunter of Elgin, Linda
Fisher of Page; 3—Dor in Gleed
of Chambers, James Gilg of St.
Joseph’s (Atkinson), Lawrence
Hayes of St. Joseph’s (Atkinson),
Alma Best of Verdigre.
CLASS C (MISCELLANEOUS)
1—St. Frances (Randolph), pi
ano duo.
CLASS I) (MISCELLANEOUS)
3—Chambers, piano duo; St,
Joseph’s (Atkinson), piano duo;
Verdigre, piano duo.
Attend Jaycee
District Roundup
Attending a district Junior
Chamber of Commerce roundup
Sunday evening at Hotel Madi
son, at Norfolk were the follow
ing from the O’Neill chapter, ac
companied by their wives:
Duane McKay, Frank McKen
ney. Elroy Lieb, Ed Tharnish and
Arthur J. Noecker.
McKay is president of the O’
Neill chapter; Noecker is state
youth welfare chairman.
In addition to regular business,
the group discussed plans for the
state convention at Scottsbluff
May 3, 4 and 5 at which time
new state officers will be elected
A film on the National conven
tion at Kansas City was shown.
Hopkins, Witte
Are Reelected
CHAMBERS— The following
teachers at the Chambers public
school have been contracted for
the next term:
High school—D. A. Hopkins,
superintendent; W. F,. Witte,
principal; Kenneth Weller of Ot
oe, la., and Mrs. Samuel Burt
whistle of Ewing.
Grade school—Mrs. Emil Klab
■nes, Miss Kay Eisenhauer, Mrs.
Vernon Harley and Mrs. Seth
Bertel.
Mamed Delegates—
Lyle F. Benda and Francis
jilg were voted to represent
ouncil 701 of the Knights of
Ik>lumbus at the 53d annual ses
iion of the Nebraska state coun
:il at Hastings April 28 and 29.