Prairieland Talk—
What Was Left Undone?
By BO MAINE SAl'NDEBS, 4110 South Slot St, Lincoln 8, Ncbr.
LINCOLN A 14-year-old Lincoln girl, brought
up in a city of churches, colleges, universities and
other cultural centers, with her 19-year-oid "boy
friend" on a three-day killing spree left a trail of
their dead outnumbering life killings of either Ne
braska's Wild Bill Hickok, Missouri's Jesse James
or New Mexico's Billy the Kid.
What have the parents of
these two youthful murders
done or left undone? What has
the community held out to
them? What has our human
society contributed to inspire
youth to a life of lawlessness
leading to the worst of all—
murder?
Maybe it began at the
cradle.
Had those two youthful
murders been taught right in
the home, taken to church Rainaine
and centers of culture their H*uiHicr*
young lives would not today lx* stained with sin.
Lincoln’s Wild Man of Borneo, a 19-year-old
youth by the name of Charley Starkweather, shot
to death nine people in Lancaster county while of
ficers elected to maintain the peace and dignity
of our fair state sat it out in safety in •‘consulta
tion.” The young killer made his get away but ran
into guys up in Wyoming who handled shooting
irons as well as he.
Safely jailed at Douglas, our brave officers
went out to bring him here for trial. Why a trial?
T(xss a rope over his head and have a hanging
Had there been one or two deputies in I .a nc as tor
county like the late Eli Hershiser of O’Neill the
young outlaw would not have escaped to Wyoming.
• • •
The 1950 census-takers reeorded sizeable
groups of church goers in Yankeeland. They tell
us that there were something over 30 million go
ing to Roman and Greek Catholic churches with 86
million in the various Protestant groups. How
many really paid weely visits and tossed n their
two-bits might be a different story. Since the last
census was taken, Evangelist Billy Graham has
been heard from and the 1960 roundup should dis
close another million or two weekly worshippers.
Here in the Capital City a clergyman reports run
ning onto a smoking party in his church; so may
be that’s it—go into a church to sit down and have
a smoke, not kneel down to worship .
• • •
I can not reach a hand to yon distant star
nor travel the endless reaches of the vast un
known out of the depths of which the distant star
glows. But I can walk the paths of earth, extend
a hand to a fellow traveler and greet all with a
smile, a cheering word and take him to dinner
If he needs It.
• • •
Preparations are now under way for the an
nual spring meeting of the Nebraska State Histor
ical Society. They meet this year in Fairbury on
May 4.
It was in February. 1904- E. H. Whalen re
ported the arrival of a baby boy at their home . . .
| E. P. Hicks was back from a trip to Waterloo, la.
. . . P. J. McManus was in Chicago, HI., on his
annual visit to the marts of trade. . . D. A Doyle
was in the flour and feed business, a 50-pound
sack of flour SI . . Doctor Gilligan was called to
Ewing to attend a sick man. . . Mrs. Wes Evans
was visting in Omaha . . Maylon Price spent a
day with relatives in Atkinson. . . R. R Dickson
arrived home from a business trip to San Fran
cisco, Calif. . . Mrs. Fitzsimmons was in Chicago
selecting her spring stock of ladies head gear. . .
Mrs. J. H. Meredith entertained a group of lady
friends at her home. . . Judge B. S. Gillespie had
business in Omaha for a day or two.
• • •
Out there above earth’s western rim, far be
yond the reach of human hand, this calm morn
ing hour before the dawn of another day the full
moon looks down upon early prairieland risers.
For 12 hours the full orb of night has moved with
celestial step across the sky soon to sink from our
view, and we turn our gaze to the east to greet
rising sun, another night gone, another day usher
ed in. And so the march of time writes another
wrinkle across the record of human history. And
now the ambition of man would write upon the
record of human history the story of trips to the
I moon. The Hand that hung the sun, the moon, the
stars out there in the heavens will stay the hand
; of man from reaching other planets.
• • •
An interesting letter comes from Claude Han
cock, son of pioneer Holt county parents and now
holed up with his wife in Los Angeles, Calif. Claude
is the father of our longtime county treasurer, J.
I Ed Hancock, and belongs in O’Neill rather than in
distant L. A. He cherishes memories of life as a
boy on- the prairies of Holt county and writes, too,
of experiences as a banker here, but says they
were “broke” upon landing on the West coast
many years ago. Now retired, I take it Claude gath
ered up some of California’s gold that escaped the
clutches of the 49'ers as he and Mrs. Hancock are
now taking life easy near where the waters of the
vast Pacific wash the shores of our continent. The
Hancocks keep informed on prairieland affairs by
reading The Frontier and promise to see me the
next trip this way.
• • •
March 16 to 22 is being promoted as library
week to encourage Americans to read. Books, mag
azines, newspapers and religious publications flood
the country, and now a week set apart with the
slogan, “Wake Up and Read.” Why not a slogan,
Stop and Think!” Libraries are needed, newspa
pers are indispensible and friends tell me "Prairie
land Talk" is most important. (Har-u-m-p-f!)
• • •
Nebraska has no such creature as “ground
hog”, but if a prairie dog came out of winter hid
ing to shake a leg the morning of February 2 he
not only made a shadow on the snow but got
nipped by a bitter blast fresh from the North
Pole.
Editorial—
Commission Rules for C&NW
The Nebraska state railway commission Tues
day lowered a boom on the Save-the-Trains asso
ciation in regard to the last two remaining passen
ger-mail-express trains serving most of North-Ne
braska After 3V4 years of conferences and a
week-long hearing at Valentine last summer, the
commission has granted Chicago & North Western
Railway company permission to take off trains 13
and 14 that ply each way daily between Omaha and
Chadron.
Officials of the Save-the-Trains group had no
immediate comment on Tuesday’s announcement.
And no comment will be forthcoming until after
the commission’s opinion has been studied. But it
is generally conceded in S-T-A circles the running
semi-legal and legal battle will go to the Nebraska
supreme court.
S-T-A has held all along that the Omaha
Chadron line is profitable on the overall by virtue
of 150-c.nr freight trains and that passenger-mail
express service should be kept because there is no
other adequate substitute service.
The Frontier believes the railroad is entitled
to substantial tax relief in the state and permission
to discontinue certain services on branch lines
where patronage has dropped off below the in
come.
But Omaha-Chadron is a mainline situation and
trains 13 and 14 are the last two remaining pas
senger-mail-express trains serving a tremendous
area.
Tlie commission, apparently, is chiefly inter
ested in the welfare of the railroads and is no long
er functioning in the interests of the people.
Soil Scheme Flops
Two-hundred fifty-eight Holt county farmers
who had entered "bids" for participation in the de
partment of agriculture’s soil retirement proposal
met with a degree of disappointment with Friday’s
announcement the scheme would be abandoned in
htree of four "pilot” states.
Ag officials in Washington gave as the reason
the bidding was generally too high.
> The plan to turn tilled soil in Nebraska, Ten
nessee and North Dakota back to grass was scut
tled. The “pilot” plan, along similar lines, is still
under consideration in Maine.
The Frontier feels the plan fizzled by its own
inherent weaknesses. It is economically absurb to
pay bonuses for idled acres while science and spe
cialists are working at break-neck speed to in
crease agricultural production The land “bid in”
first, of course, was the poorer land.
The adverse economic effect on small cities and
towns in pure agricultural areas would have been
I> I •, II jack and Mr. j
Deloit News >
Mr. and Mrs.
- : visited at t h i
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bohn visit- home on Thursd
ted the Jim Bartak home in Oma- Robert Miller,
ha over the weekend. mess school in C
Mr. and Mrs. Lambert Bartak £|£k“deiwRh^
and Mrs Alice Ladge made a trip , ,, Frank
to California. Mrs Lodge will visit c^me horn
her sons and other relatives in °Cm £rt
California for a tune. Work has be!
Mr. snd Mrs. R.ox Cn&pm&n telephone systcr
celebrated their 11th wedding an- piunity. It will t
niversary on Thursday. more to eomplei
Guests for supper Thursday the report. It wi
evening at the Ewald Spahn stem,
home were .Mr and Mrs. Frank Mr. and Mrs.
Miller. Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Tom- and Mr and Mi
serious. Holt county, for example, is sparsely pop
ulated to begin with, and any additional factors
contributing to the depopulation would be bad.
We do not condemn those farmers who at
tempted to "hid n” or ‘rent” idle land to Uncle
Sam. Any number of those who entered bids vol
unteered to us they were against the idea in prin
ciple, but couldn’t resist.
The plan was another form of subsidy and died
prematurely of its own weakness. Now the ag
experts will lie turning to some better and more
sound form of subsidy that will square with the
five million who are at present unemployed.
Hruska Will Stay Put
U. S Sen. Roman Hruska (R-Nebr.) has an
nounced his candidacy for reelection and has
adopted a position of being against federal aid to
education.
The junior senator from Nebraska quite fre
quently calls a spade a spade and generally is in
the conservative corner on most issues. This stripe
squares very well with his constituency. Also on
the conservative side is the senior senator from
Iluskerland, Carl T. Curtis.
Mr. Hruska will be the target for professional
educators from thither and yon who are hepped
up for federal aid to one degree or another. Fed
eral aid, of course, would be attended by federal
i controls.
We admire Mr. Hruska for his stand and we
have observed him closely enough to believe he’ll
stay put.
Too often politicians talk one route and vote
the opposite.
CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor and Publisher
Entered at the postoffice in O'Neill, Holt coun
ty. Nebraska, as second-class mail matter under
the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. This news
paper is a member of the Nebraska Press Associa
tion, National Editorial Association and the Audit
Bureau of Circulations.
Terms ot Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50
per year; elsewhere in the United States, $3 per
year; rates abroad provided upon request. All sub
scriptions payable in advance.
md Mrs Hemy i and family of O'Neill were Sun
1 day dinner geusts at the Johnny
Glenn Harpster Bauer home. The dinner honored
> Wilbur Napier 'be birthday anniversaries of Mrs.
ay. Tom jack and Mrs. Morrow,
who attends bus- Mrs. Ilenry Reimer taught the
hnaha, and Mary. Bud Bartak school last week. The
1 there, spent the teacher was ill with the flu.
lis parents, Mr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bartak
Miller and James, and family were Sunday dinner
e with some stu- guests at the Keith Bowen home,
•eft- Farm Bureau met Tuesday
tun on the new evening at the Earl Schrunk
I in this com- home. The next meeting will be
ike six months or April 10 at Bud Bartaks.
e the work was | _-—
II be a dial sy- j Go to Spencer
Mrs Rosa Bowers and Mr. and
Ralph Tomjack Mrs. Marion Woidneck of Midway
■s. Rudy Morrow spent Tuesday in Spencer.
When You <& I Were Young . . .
Snyder Endorsed
for Convention
Will Entrain Soon
for Chicago
50 Years Ago
The infant daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Thomas Griffin, living one
mile north of town, died Sunday.
. . . Miss Clara Shoemaker return
ed from Omaha where she had j
been for three weeks in a hospital |
after an appendectomy. . . The
candidacy of O. O. Snyder was en
dorsed unanimously by the coun
ty committee as a delegate from j
the Sixth district to the national |
convention in Chicago. . . Marr
iages: Anton J. Kramer of Stuart
and Gertrude Conrad of Newport:
Fred W Rose of Tamora and Jes
sie Ellen Hart of Stuart, Benjam
in H. Weston of Pierce and Leota
Durham of Venus. . . We heard a
man complain that his household
has been without bread ever since
he roller skating rink opened. It
happens that baking days are skat
ing rink days. . . Mrs. J. Q How
ard entertained 20 friends at
a dinner. . . Mrs. John Hunt, ac-1
companied by her son, Frank, j
went to an Omaha hospital antici
pating surgery. She was informed
that this was not necessary, hut
will remain there a week or two.
20 Years Ago
Mr. ana Mrs. uaniei j u™n
observed their golden wedding an
niversary. They were married
February 13. 1888, at St Patrick’s
church by Rev. Cassidy. . .
Deaths: William Conklin, 82, a
county treasurer for 12 years;
Mrs. Ellen Gallagher. 83, died at
her home southeast of Inman. . . J
Mrs. Maggie Gray was down from |
Atkinson to visit friends She broke
her hip fourteen months ago and
is just about ready to discard her
crutches. She is 84 years old. . .
Mr. and Mrs. John Babl and sons. '
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Pongratz and |
son, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Beck
with and family and Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Ries were visitors at the j
Ed Heeb home. Miss Edna Heeb
is "very ill”. . • Vem, the oldest
son of the Clarence Wredes, re-!
ceived a broken nose at school!
while playiny shinny. At first it
was thought his eyesight was af
fected.
10 Years Ago
Edward Panowicz was named
manager of the Midwest Furni
ture company. A navy veteran of
four years, he served two years
in the southwest Pacific. . . The
remains of Pfc. Bernard E. Bolin
of Page were interred in the Page
cemetery. Pfc. Bolin's body was
the second Holt countyan to be re
turned to the United Staes for bur
ial under the government’s plan.
Only 19 years of age, he was
wounded a week after the initial
landing at Normandy. He died two
days later The first of the coun
ty's dead in World War H to be
returned to the states was me
bodv of T-Sgt. Laddie Cary of In
man. . . Atkinson’s incubator baby,
the three month premature baby
of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Damero of
Phoenix, has reached the two
pound mark. The tiny infant weigh
ed 1 pound and 12 ounces at birth
Joseph Mlinar and his wife
celebrated their 50th wedding an
niversary in Atkinson.
■
Law, Insurance
Topics of Meeting
LYNCH — The Boyd county
home extension club leaders’
training meeting was held at the
Lutheran church basement Fri
day, January 31, for an all day
session, the training lesson on
“The Lady and The Law” and
“Property & Casualty Insurance”
was presented by state extension
specialist, Miss Clara Leopold.
Leaders present were Mrs. Fred
King and Mrs. James Price for
the Excello club; Mrs. Frank
Weeder and Mrs. Robert Conklin
for Highland club; Mrs. Clarence
Kolund and Mrs. Elmo Barnes for
Rural Progessive club; Mrs.
Myron Hodges and Mrs. Harlan
Holtz for Sunshine club and for
the YWGO club Mrs. Earl Prit
chett and Mrs. Ronald Stewart.
A pot luck lunch was served at
noon.
Pre-Lenten
DANCE
Butte Legion
Ballroom
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Music By:
Eddie Stan and the
Style Band
Admission—$1.00
.. .■
FREE
WEDDING DANCE
Butte Legion
Ballroom
Saturday, Feb. 15
MI’SIC BY:
Mullen Family and
Their Orchestra
Ann Abbenhaus & William
Ledemann, Jr.
Completes Administration Course
Army Pvt. Marvin L. Young, 18, (above*, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Walter C. Young of O'Neill, is scheduled to complete the basic army
administration course February 14 at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. the
course includes training in typing, record keeping and Army cler
ical procedures. Young is a 1957 graduate of O’Neill high school.
U. S. Army Photo.
O’Neill News
Mr. and Mrs. Rob R. Prouty
and son were Sunday guests at
the home of Mrs. Harry S. Prouty
of Spencer. Other guests were Mr.
and Mrs. Clyde Prouty of Yank
ton, S.D , and Mr. and Mrs. Ed
Prouty and family of Spencer.
Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Philbrtck
■
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id family Sunday visited her
irents, Mr and Mrs. Ebby Stout
Rose.
Sunday guests of Mr and Mrs.
jhn Laska were her parents,
t. and Mrs Louis Nowak and
js- Bob Hill and family, all of
Fullerton.
Sunday dinner guests of Mr. and
Mrs. Russell Yusten were Mr. and
Mrs Albert Henning of Atklnaon
and Mr and Mrs Ivan Cone.
Robert Me Nichols of Omaha
visited his wife over the weekend
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