Nebraska Newspapers

    TWELVE
PAGES
*
I his Issue
Vol. 77_Number 35. O’Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, Thursday, December 26, 1957. Seven Cent*
The Gene Terrill family . . . the mother, Mary Arlene, SH, and
daughter, Diane, fi, died in Sunday rraeh. The father and the son,
Da\ id, 4, are ho*|titali7.ed, The father’s condition is ’‘critical”.
TV Tower, Booster
Equipment Enroute
Business Brisk
During Past Week
Postal Receipts are
Like 1956
Christman shopping, off to a
slow' start chiefly because of
mild, Indian-summer-like w’cath
er, gained momentum during the
past week and will windup with
a flourish.
Most O'Neill stores reported
whopping crowds the past few
days.
Because of mild weather, far
mers and ranchers kept busy in
late Noveml>er and early Decem
l>er with seasonal work which
hod l>een deferred earlier because
of wetness and cold.
Shopping sales won't establish
many records except in a few
instances.
Postmaster Ira H. Moss said
the postal receipts, usually a ba
rometer of retail spending, will
run about the same as 1956. By
week's end the postal volume had
diminish'd considerably, suggest
ing the mail rush was over.
Week's weather summary:
hi lo
December 19 44 24
December 20 51 17
December 21 53 25
December 22 53 33
December 23 47 26
Infant Twin Dies
Result of Pneumonia
DELOIT Jerry Clarence Funk,
five-months-old twin son of Mr.
and Mrs Clarence Funk died at
4 am., Saturday, December 21,
after being hospitalized several
days because of pneumonia.
Survivors include: Parents;
three sisters and his twin broth
er; maternal grandfather Jo
seph Thramer; paternal grand
parents Mr. and Mrs. I^eo Funk.
8 Stitches Needed
to Close Wound
PAGE Mrs. Emmet Tbom{>
son of Page had the misfortune
to be attacked by a boar Sun
day evening as she was watering
their hogs
She received a gash in the leg
that required eight stitches to
close and she is under the doc
tor’s care.
BENEFIT HFJJJ
ATKINSON Advance ticket
sales were “wonderful” for the
swimming pool benefit dance
held Monday night, a siwkesman
here declared. The Mullen fam
ily orchestra furnished the mu
sic. Funds are being raised in
various ways for tin' proposed
pool. which twice during 1957 was
was rejected by voters in bond
issue elections.
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Shoe
maker received word that the in
fant daughter of their son and
daughter-in-law, A/lc and Mrs.
Raymond Gail Shoemaker, had
died The baby was horn Tues
day, December 17 The Shoe
makers are located at Bryan,
Tex.
Auction Calendar
Friday, January 3: Quarter
section of Holt county land, ape
half mile east of Emmet and six
miles north, known as A. V. Fors
berg estate land; Col. Ed Thorin
of O’Neill, auctioneer-broker.
Tuesday, January 28: Mr, and
Mrs. Gerald Hansen will hold a
farm closeout; Col Wallace
O’Connell, auctioneer.
O'Neill's community television
fund Monday larked $23 of at
taining its five-thousand-dollar
quota.
John C. Watson, secretary
treasurer of the Chamber of
Commerce television committee,
said the fund has reached $4,977
Meanwhile, a part-shipment of
equipment, including amplifiers,
arrived Friday, according to Ken
Werner of Chambers, who holds
the contract for installation of
the community antennae-twin
Iiooster equipment fianced by vol
untary contributions.
Werner said as far as he knew
the antennae towers, manufact
ured in Indiana, and the heavy
duty receiver-transmission equip
ment. manufactured in Canada,
are minute by freight Towers
; and equipment will tie installed
in the Fora Knight meadow at
the northeast edge of the city.
Television viewers will be" enab
led to see KTIV (Sioux City, chan
nel 4( on channel 13, and KOLN
; TV (Lincoln, channel 10) on
channel 2. Signals from Ixith
stations will be amplified, and
filtered
Donors whose names were not
previously announced:
Charles Fox, Earl Dalton. Con-!
sumers Power. J. B. Ryan Hay
Co., Ray E. Clifton. Harold Hum
rich, Harrison Bridge, M. L.
Sucha, Stella Wallen, Herbert
Gydesen, John E. Donohoe, Lulu
M Quig, Gertrude Coni', C. E.
Lundgren.
Francis Holz, Rev, Francis
Price, Robert V Kurtz, William
G. Kraft, Mrs. Lillian Simonson.
Rev. A. S. Gedwillo, Loretta
Hynes, Mrs. Emma Lawrence,
W. S. Kirkland, Otto W Sprague,
DhjLs Znstrow, A. J. O’Donnell.
Luther E. Schulz, Don J. Cleve
land, George D. Hansen, George
M McCarthy, J. J. Harrington,
sr . Ideal Cleaners, William D.
Claussen, Marvin P. Clouse, R. F.
Strube, Marie A Strulnx O'Neill
Motor Parts. O’Neill Grain Co.
It ASTI I,E is EMPTY
The Holt county jail apparently
will be empty Christmas morn
ing, it was predicted late Mon- |
day by Sheriff Leo Tomjack. “No
boarders were on hand during the j
weekend and right now there are
no prospects,’’ the sheriff said.
Car Hits Train;
Woman Is Killed
OAKDALE Mrs. Kllen Pricket,
57, of Oakdale was killed when
her car was struck by a North |
Western railway freight train at
a crossing here, Friday night.
Charles Rouse, Oakdale town
marshal, said Mrs. Pricket was
; alone in the car when it was in I
! in collision with the freight train.
| tx)un»l from Norfolk to Long Pine.
| She was enroute to Npligh at the
1 time of the crash.
Mrs. Pricket's husband died
j about a year ago. Survivors in
| elude six children, two of whom
are at home.
• 4
Mother and
Daughter
Are Killed
Tragedy Ends Yule
Trip for Members
of Terrill Family
PAGE The wife of a former
Page resident and the couple's
six-year-old daughter were killed
Sunday afternoon in a three-ve
hicle accident on U. S. highway
30, about 1 Vz miles south of
Woodbine, la.
Dead aitt:
MARY ARLENE TERRILL, 28,
of Laurens, la., wife of Gene Ter
rill and daughter-in-law of Mr.
and Mrs. Otto Terrill of Page.
DIANE TERRILL, 6, daughter
of the Gene Terrills.
DUANE McHUGH, 24, of Dun
lap, la., driver of one of the ve
hicles.
The Otto Terrills left Page im
mediately upon receipt of the
news and went to GKinc.il Bluffs,
la., where their son, Gene 29, and
Gene’s son, David, 4, were hos
pitalized.
Gene suffered head and inter
nal injuries and his condition late
Monday was listed as “critical”,
The little boy, hospital attendants
said, would recover.
Investigating officers said the
northbound McHugh car started
to pass a pickup truck and col
lided with the southbound Terrill
machine.
The Terrills were enroute to
Prairie Home, near Lincoln, to
spent the holidays with relatives
Three other young i>eople in the
McHugh car were injured, all
taken to Council Bluffs hospitals.
The pickup went off the road
Its occupants. Mr. and Mrs. Ray
Edmonds of Little Sioux, la., were J
only shaken.
Mrs. Terrill’s parents live at
Prairie Home. Her maiden name
was Mary Arlene Hall.
Mr. Terrill, who was bom and
reared at Page, met his wife
while both attended the Univer
sity of Nebraska. The Terrills
regularly visited Page and in
tended to spend Christmas near
Lincoln, arriving at Page Thurs
day to spend the day with his
people. Gene’s grandmother is
Mrs. Anna Tegeler.He is state
agent for a hybrid seed com
company.
Authorities said an inquest
would be held.
Jury Again Called
for Held-Cooke
A new jury will be impanelled
at 9 a.m. Monday, December 30,
to hear the William Held vs.
Herman Cooke 50-thousand-dollar
damage suit.
Held charges Cooke with false
arrest.
Ijast month the plaintiff’s at
torneys, Elmer Rakow of Neligh
and Arthur Auserod of Bartlett,
asked the court’s permission to
amend the petition after admis
sion of certain evidence W'as pro
tested by the defendant's counsel,
Julius D. Cronin of O’Neill. Per
mission was granted by District
Judge Lyle Jackson of Neligh
and the action was continued un
til the new date.
Pricket car . . . after hit by train.
*
View of rail crossing at Oakdale where woman was killed.—The Frontier Photos.
The Pierces . . . Christmas their golden wedding day.—The Frontier Photo.
mmmmr- wiiijjpiiii ?m?mm\..w 1 '.111 ■.hi.nit m*mmmm mmwmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Homemade Nativity Scene at Chambers
Members of the senior youth fellowship and young adult classes of the Methodist church at
Chambers prepared this homemade nativity scene, which is illuminated nightly. Individuals worked
nearly two months on the project, Rev. Harold Bonath. church pastor said. Gleason Grimes was
in charge of erection, waring and installation of musical background. The scene has been lighted
since Sunday, December 15.—The Frontier Photo.
i'ormer Secret Service Agent—
Burney to Parleys with FDR
Meet Mike Burney.
He's not yet a full-fledged O’
Neill citizen yet he's frequently
seen on the streets.
Mike has settled down to the
relatively dull chores of selling
stocks, bonds and securities and
his territory is big for Investor’s
Diversified Services, Inc.
Behind the two hundred pounds
of native Nebraskan, who appears
to have been a gem of a fullback
on somebody's football team a
few years ago, there’s material
for a good book.
Mike Burney, who orginated at
McCook, is now a resident of Nel
igh (pending the find of suitable
housing facilities in O'Neill).
He was a charter member of!
the Nebraska safety patrol (1937).
In March, 1939, he joined up with
the U.S. secret service and was
appointed to the white house de- j
tail keeping vigil on President
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Six-footer Mike was on duty the
night Ambassador William C. Bul
lit called FDR from Paris with
the news Hitler had marched into
Poland, signaling the start of
World War n.
"The evening Bullitt called,’’
Burney remembers, “FDR tried
to locate the globe-trotting Elea
nor to relay the news from Eur
ope. Next day I found a memo to
the switchboard operator on the
floor near the president’s desk
with this notation: ‘Call Eleanor—
Los Angeles? Denver? Seattle?’ ”
When Burney was stationed at
the executive mansion the secret
service detail consisted of 28 men,
working approximate eight-hour
shifts around the clock. Even
more are maintained now’.
Burney did some globe-trotting
of his own, accompanying the
FDR to several summit confer
ences with Churchill and Stai n
and went to Potsdam with Pres:- !
dent Harry S. Truman.
"Our detail was badly outnum
bered by the Russian counter
parts,” Mike recalls. The Russ
usually had a full military com
pany about 150 men. They wore
civilian clothes and full military
dress alternately. Very confusing.
Sometimes I thonght Uncle Joe
had brought along the whole red
army!
"The way Joe ended up I’ve
sometimes thought he needed re
inforcements.”
At the various conferences thi
Russ counterparts were always
in the market for clothes, watch
es, suitcases and jewery—provid
ed the label was American.
"I had an opportunity to make
Ivan pay through the nose in e
couple of transactions.
Dark-haired Mike, father ol
two young teenage daughters
realized later the source of Amer
ican money available to Uncle
Joe’s crew explained the libera
use of greenbacks.
"They made their own from
plates made in America and with
the same type of paper used b>
our own treasury department.
"Source of the plates and paper
never has been disclosed to the
American public, as far as ]
know, although some of. our owr
secert service agents, got to the
bottom of it.”
Luminaries met during the sev
en-year stretch at the white house
varied in eating and drinking
habits, recalls Mr. Burney.
Mike Burney . . . vestibule
view of important white house
conferences. — The Frontier
Photo.
"Churchill loved—and still does
his Scotch and water. Seldom
did I see Winnie without a glass in
one hand and a buck-sized Corona
Corona, a he-man cigar, in the
other.
‘‘H a r r y Hopkins introduced
Winnie to the hot dog. I saw many
lunches carried to Churchill consis
ting of bottles of Scotch and a
couple of hot dogs.
"Stalin loved his vodka, of
course, and caviar. But he was
no different than the other Rus
sians.
"The reds couldn’t handle
American bourbon and soon the
word of declination got around:
‘Nyet"
Burney is quite convinced the
Russians love a good party and
contends that the latest series of
top dogs at the Kremlin support
the theory.
Mr. Burney saw a lot of social
life at the white house, particulary
at diplomatic parties.
Among the observations:
“The top-drawer French are
great wine-drinkers and prefer
grapejuice to water in most
instances.
"Faye Emerson, then married
to one of the Roosevelt sons, put
on a couple of good shows in the
white house corridors,
i "Lovely daughters of South
American diplomats, normally
chaperoned, could shed the trail
ing matron at a first-class diplo
matic party and could have a
whee of a time.
“Winnie Churchill once tumbled
backwards intx> a hedge and a
navy medic and I spent a couple
of hours pulling needles out of his
rear end. The chap is short and
round and we had some difficulty
keeping him on the ‘operating
table’."
Mr. Burney’s vestibule view of
white house life understandably
does not reflect all that went on
in the official business, Usual
ly he did not have access to the
conferences. His job was to man
the door at the president’s office
or bedroom and insure his safety.
Leaving the white house detail,
Mr. Burney was assigned to the
Detriot. Mich., area. On one oc
casion he and another operative
were ordered to participate in a
Continued on page 7.)
Contractors Near
Finish on Safeway
Safeway Stores. Inc., has re
leased the list of contractors par
ticipating In the remodeling of
the Lohaus building for the new
Safeway store here. The project
, is now in the final stages.
Opening is planned in late Jan
uary.
General contractor: Beckenbau
er Bros , Norfolk,
Subcontractors: Northwest Eletv
trie Motor Service of O'Neill,
electrical; James Davidson &
Sons of O'Neill, mechanical; IJn
coln Steel Oorp., of Lincoln,
structural steel and reinforcing
steel; Philbrieo Sale's & Service
Omaha, incinerator; Home-Craft
ers Window & Glass Co., of Wis
ner, glass, glazing and aluminum
dtxvrs; Johnson Hardware of
Omaha, finish hardware; Bostt
I decorators of Norfolk, painting
;ind asphalt tile; IXinohoe C5ons
struction Co., of O'Neill, excava
tion; R. L. White Co., t>f Lincoln,
fire door anti hollow metal door
and frame; Staudenmaier Sheet
Metal of Norfolk, sheet metal,
exhausts and stainless steel.
Jacob B. Lone
at 90th lestone
Jacob B. Long, who has made
his home the past seven years
with his nephew, Walter Young,
in the Opportunity locality, Mon
day celebrated his 90th birthday
anniversary.
He was born in Earlvillo, 111.,
December 23, 1867. In 1884 he
came to Holt county from Hast
ings, la,, bringing his parents
here in a covered wagon. His
father had claimed a homestead
the year previous.
The Long homestead was locat
ed one mile south of Opportun
ity ;md one mile west. Mr. Ixtng
lived on the homestead until 12
years ago.
Allhough Mr. Ixvng’s health has
not been good the past 18 months,
he is able to be "up and around"
most of the time.
This Week’s Issue
48 Hours Early
This week’s issue of The
Frontier went to press Monday
night 48 hours ahead of sched
ule to insure that all subscri
bers in the O’Neill area would
have their paper ahead of the
yule holiday.
Next week’s issue—the Janu
ary 2 issue- will go to press ap
proximately 30 hours ahead of
the normal schedule.
Kliment Home Scene
of Gathering—
Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Kaiser
and son, Pfc. Ivan Kaiser, who
arrived Friday from Ft. Riley,
Kans., and Mr, and Mrs. Warren
Seger were dinner guests Sun
day of Mrs. Kaiser’s parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Kliment, sr.
Others present were Mr. and
Mrs. Ray Soucek and family of
Verdigre; Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Kliment and family of Wausa;
Mr. and Mrs. L. F. Kliment, and
family, Mr. and Mrs. James Do
bias and family, Ivan Kliment,
Mr. and Mrs. Norbert Dobias and
son, all of Atkinson, and Mr. and
Mrs. Ray Dobias, and daughters
of Stuart.
LEAVES AIR FORCE
James Ryan, son of Neil Ryan,
was separated from the air force
Friday, December 20, after serv
ing an enlistment. He was sep
arated at Parks air force base in
California and arrived to spend
the holidays here. He has not
made future plans.
TOYS OOIJ.EOTED
Toys for needy families and
cash contributions are being ac
cepted by the Junior Chamber of
Commerce in order to cheer un
derprivileged homes Christmas
morn. President Duane McKay
is in charge.
The Pieree* ... on their
wedding day—Oh ristman, 1907.
Couple On
Same Place
45 Years
Frank Pierce, Wife
Note 50th Wedding
on December 2 5th
AMELIA Mi' anil Mrs Franfc
Pierce, who have s|>ent the past
15 years on their ranch, two
small lakes anil a hay meadow
noath of Amelia, Christmas day
will be observing their 5©t*
wedding anniversary.
No formal observance is i>un»
ned, hut their daughter, Mrs.
Charles Hligh of Omaha, her hue
hand and daughter, Miss Rnodre
Wickham, will be present far
gift opening ami a family dinner.
The Pierce ranch, exactly a
mile north of town, has liecn in
the Pierce family 65 years The
Pierces are retired tend a few
chickens, a couple of milk cows,
and "contract out” their pasture
and hay. Both enjoy good
health.
Mr. Pierce, 79, was bom near
Cherokee, la., a son of William
and Laura Pierce. The famib
. . ■ V ' ' • » l«f I IUH
in the spring of 1883 when Mr
Pierce was a lad of five Three
younger brothers also made thi
trip. highlighh'd by the crossir*
of tin- Missouri river at Covii*
ton (now South Sioux City).
“It was nightfall when we
reached the river,” Mr Pirre*
recalled. "Mother insisted we
wait until the following day to
cross by ferry. We woundup to
Inman. Mv father and h*
brother, Carroll Pierce, went <m
to Amelia to pick up their claims.
Sleep tender Wagon*
First few nights were spent
sleeping under the wagons whic*
were nestled in the hills.
Forlorn calls of coyotes inure
rupted the sleep for the family
fresh out of civilized Iowa.
Fiank was the oldest in tie
family.
Kight more children <-ame
along later. The original Pierre
| homestead was located three
miles wesf of Amelin now hoe
I dered by state highway LL
The homesteading family «*•
dured the pioneer hardships EM
lingering in Mr. Pierce’s mind is
the hardships of the mnilearrier.
Mr. Bliss, who would trek afoot
to O’Neill to pickup and dclivei
mail.
“In busy spring and summer
seasons, when horses were at «
premium. Mr. Bliss would be
seen walking the diagonal line
umbrella In hand. The roun*
trip would take him three days '
The Amelia postoffice was
named for the footslogger’s wife.
Speaking of naming of postal
fioes, the towns of Pierce, Cm
roll and Hoskins were aeqnm*
through the Pierce family. Mr.
Hoskins, Frank’s uncle, was ir<
charge of the landoffice at Nor
folk. The government received
permission from the family be
fore naming the towns.
Mrs. Pierce’s maiden name wa
Hattie Nissen, daughter of Lor
ens and Catherine Nissen, who
had immigrated from Schleswig
Holstein province (her father
hunting an out from Bismark’i
military demands of young men).
IT 4I f.. li C. ■ — A
leaving her mother behind in
Chicago, 111.
Hattie, second child in the
family, was born in a sodhouae
four miles north of Amelia.
The Nissen-Pierce nuptials took
place by candlelight on windy
Christmas night, 1907, in Holt
Creek Lutheran church Lines
destroyed by fire).
Top Buggy Upsets
Rev. William Sprandle, pioneer
Chambers pastor, officiated. Some
thing unusual took place after the
wedding. The bestman and
maid-of-honor, Laurence Nissr*
and Lillian Pierce, picked them
selves off the ground after ft*
wind had blown over their top
buggy. The newlyweds barely
escaped a similar fate.
Frank and Hattie set out far
lender, Wyo., where distance*
were too vast, altitude too great
and, to be frank about it, Mr*
Pierce became homesick ffta
months later they were hack to
Holt, where they have resided
continuously and intend to spend
the remainder of their days.
They lived northwest of Ame
lia one year in a brother’s jllace,
then spent several years south
west of the town on the place now
known as the Bertha Sammons
ranch.
Forty-five years ago they mew
ed onto the present ranch.
They became the parent* d1
one daughter, Lewine. Mrs
Pierce is 69.
Their 400-acre ranch has six
flowing wells, a sea of haystacks,
and they live comfortably within
a stone’s throw of their home
community. They are members
of St. Paul’s Lutheran church at
Chambers.
(A tape-recorded interview
with Mr .and Mrs. Pierce will
be heard Christmas morning on
the "Voice of TTie Frontier" pro
gram, WJAG, 780 kc)
Home for Holidays—
Tames Schneider of Ft. Leonard
Wood Mo., and Tom Schneider of
Ft. Eustis, Va., arrived to spend
the holidays with relatives.