XX til I n fL^r— SECTION ONE
RONTIER 'n'"2
MON. • WED. • SAT. i i 1 1 1 K ^ Fourteen Pages
9:30 to 9:56 A.M. I llis Issue
North-Central Nebraska’s BIGGEST Newspaper
Volume 77. Number 47. O’Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, T hursday, March 27, 1958. Seven Cents
STATE HIST SOC
LINCOLN. NEBR.
Warner ... no longer to be seen In auction rings.
I
Deadline for
Filing Week Away
Oliver Shane After
Board Post
Oliver Shane, Atkinson repub- |
lican. is the latest candidate to I
file for a major Holt county of- I
fice He will seek the nomina-1
turn for supervisor in the Seventh \
district.
Other candidates for the same
post who filed earlier are Eli Mr- 1
Connell of Atkinson, republican,
and Willard S. Linville of Atkin
son, democrat.
Other filings this week concern
ed minor offices: Frank J. Brady
of Atkinson, republican, for coun
ty and state conventions; Joe G. '
Brewster of Stuart, re publican, ;
for county and state conventions, j
Deadline for filing for county
and state offices is Thursday,
April 3.
Filings todate (besides those
mentioned above) include:
For supervisors, First district:
Edward N, Flood of O'Neill, dem
ocrat; Irene Booth of O’Neil], re
publican. Flood is the incumbent.
First supervisor, Third district:
Clarence Ernst of O’Neill, repub
lican : Robert Hanley of O’Neill,
democrat. Ernst is the incum
bent.
For supervisor, Fifth district:
Harlan Dicrking of Amelia, re
publican; Lloyd L . Durre of
Chambers, republican. Dierking
is the incumbent by appointment.
For county attorney: William
W. Griffin of O’Neill, republican;
John R. Gallagher of O’Neill,
democrat. Griffin is the incum
bent.
For county clerk: Kenneth
Waring of O’Neill, republican in
cumwm.
IlannH-k Unopposed
For county treasurer: J. Ed
Hancock of O'Neil], republican
incumbent.
For county assessor: William
F. Wefso of Atkinson, republi
can incumbent
For county sheriff: Leo S. Tom
jack of O'Neill, democratic in-'
cumbent.
For clerk of district court :
Howard Manson of O'Neill, re
publican; Kieth A. Abart of O’
Neill, republican. Manson is the i
incumbent.
For county superintendent:
Alice L. French of O’Neill, non- j
political incumbent.
Frank Nelson of O’Neill, pres
ent state legislator from the 28th |
district, earlier filed for renom
ination here. His is the only fil
ing todate for that office.
Meanwhile, a big race is de
veloping in Knox county for the
office of sheriff. The roster in
cludes eight men - four repub
licans and four democrats. Can
didates :
Democrats Kenneth Haach of
Center, Larry Erbst of Bloom
field. Norris Brandi of Creighton.
John A. Jessen of Bloomfield.
Republicans A. J. (Pat) Ryan
of Niobrara tat present the
deputy), C. F. Knudson of Bloom
field. John McElhose of Creigh
ton. Lowell Fleming of Creigh
ton.
EYE BANK PLANNING
The O'Neill Lions club in ses
sion Wednesday evening furthered
plans for participation in the
University of Iowa eye bank J
(come* transplant) program.
Going to Norfolk
V. J. Towle (above), station
agent for the Chicago & North
Western railroad here since
July. 1947, will be transferred
to Norfolk to become C&NW
agent there, effective April 1.
No successor wall lx? named
here for 10 days or two weeks.
The Towles have been residing
at 820 East Clay st. Mr. Towle
was agent at Albion before com
ing to O'Neill. The Towles
have two sons Gerald, a Nor
folk accountant, and Dean, a
University of South Dakota med
ical student at Vermillion.—The
Frontier Photo.
•
Honored on 80th
Mrs. Delia Harrison (above)
Sunday was honored at open
house at the homo of her daugh
ter, Mrs. Elmer Devall, north
of O’Neill. She was observ
ing her 80th birthday anniver
sary. Her maiden name was
Delia Goodsell. She was born
in Minnesota, came with her
parents, two brothers and one
sister to Niobrara by train when
she was five-years-old. The fam
ily made the trip from Niobrara
to the Phoenix community by
covered wagon. Mrs. Harrison
has four living daughters, 29
grandchildren and 11 great
grandchildren. — The Frontier.
T o Elect I wo tor
School Board
EWTNG—A school district 29
caucus was held Tuesday eve
ning, March 18, to select candid
ates for the two board of educa- j
tion positions. Lionel Gunter was
chairman of the session and |
Loyd West was secretary. The j
following persons were nomina
ted and selected: Ray Magwire,
Archie Tuttle, Lionel Gunter, and
Willis Rockey.
The three-year terms of Lionel!
Gunter and L. A. Hobbs expire, j
Tli roo momliarc nf tVio hnfird
of trustees will be elected: Elmer
Bergstrom v s. Lewis Carter ;
Willis Rockey vs. Jerry Rother
ham; Julian Sokja vs. Gene Zim
merman. All are caucus candid
ates.
Quiet City, School
Election Seen—
Municipal votesrs will be con
fronted with races for the city
council in two wards next Tues
day, April 1. But interest appears
to be slight.
Leigh Reynoldson, incumbent,
will be opposed by Oscar Spitzen
berger for the Second ward coun
cil seat.
R. E. Moore, incumbent, will
be opposed by D. A. McKamy in
the Third.
A. W. Carroll is the lone can
didate for the council in the First.
The incumbent, J. J. Berigan, is
not a candidate for reelection.
D. C. Schaffer is a candidate
for reelection as mayor, having
served one term. Ralph Walker
is a candidate for reelection as
police magistrate.
H. L. Lindberg is a candidate
to succeed himself on the city
school district 7 board of educa
tion. George Hammond is the
lone ballot candidate for the
other vacancy.
All printed names on the ballot
are petition candidates.
New Pastor Signed
by Two Churches
STUART Rev. Herbert Young
of Ash Grove will be the new pas
tor of the Stuart Community
church and the nearby rural
Cleveland Presbyterian church.
His wife and their 212-year-old
son will lx* moving to Stuart in
April.
The parishes have been without
a pastor since the departure of
Rev. D. D. Su.
Prominent
Auctioneer
Dies at 67
‘Buv’ Wanser Spends
43 Years in Field ;
Funeral Set Friday
(Photo at left-)
PAGE Buv E. Wanser, 67, well
known in northeast and northcen
tral Nebraska livestock, auction
eering and race horse breeding
circles, died about 11:30 a. m.,
Wednesday, March 26, in St. An
thony's hospital.
He became ill late Saturday af
ter ‘‘working’’ the Glenn Harris
sale near Page. After being ili
| Sunday and Monday, he was in
i duced to enter the hospital.
By Tuesday his condition had
worsened and members of his
i immediate wamily was notified.
He suffered a heart ailment.
Funeral services will be con
ducted at 2 p.m., Friday, March i
28, at the Congregational church
in Plainview’ with Rev. Clarence
Hanscom, church pastor, officiat-!
ing. Burial will be in the Plain-;
view’ cemetery.
The remains will lie in state at i
Biglin’s funeral chapel today
(Thursday) from 4 until 5:30 p.
m., and from 7 until 9 p.m., and
at Plainview Friday from 11 a. j
m., until the funeral hour at the [
church.
Born at Plainview’
The late Winfield Edson Wan
ser was bom February 4, 1891, at
Plainview, a son of Fred E. and
Mary Lucas Wanser.
He came to Holt county in 1910
from Plainview’.
On January 10, 1911 he married |
Qrpha Lulu Dutcher of Plainview.
Mr. Wanser "cried’’ his first I
sale in 1915 for William Nelson
on the William Riege farm north
west of Page. In later years he
u;ao fn hppnmo nno of fho host- i
I known figures in the auction 1
rings in this sector.
In the twenties Mr. Wanser and
Clyde Wade purchased a general
merchandise store in Page from 1
the late John Melvin and operat
ed the store for a time.
Also in the twenties Mr. Wan
ser farmed 1,100 acres northwest
of Page- requiring a herd of
mules to do the work.
He is rememliered for having
mules working 12-abreast in
breaking land on what is now
known as the Edmisten place; j
also the farms now known as
the Lyndly Crumly and Otto Ter
rill places.
Operated Pavilion
Between 1929 and 1935 he oper
ated a livestock market at Page
and in later years was associa
ted with his son. Max, in the
operation of the Ewing Livestock
Market.
He was a fancier of good dogs
! and horses and owned ranking
horses in state race circles.
Last season Andrew Johnson,
O'Neill trainer, entered a Wanser
mare, “Precious Dawn” — the
last of the Pete Duffy string of
race horses in Nebraska compe
tition.
“His generosity was unmatch
ed” wrote The Frontier’s corres
[*>ndent. Mi’s. N. D. Ickes, sr.
“Tales are many and varied of
the many people he has boosted
along the way.”
Survivors include; Widow
Lulu; sons—Max of Ewing and
Beverley (Bid) of Hartington;
brother L. L. of Denver, Colo.;
sister- Mrs. Leonard Horst of j
Derby, Colo.
He was preceded in death by j
an inf;uit daughter who died in
1923; his parents; brother—S. P..
who died in 1931; sisters—Mrs. j
William (Lorinda) Johnson of
Plainview and Miss Virginia of
j Denver.
EASY FOR FIREMEN
A Thompson Tobacco company
truck driven by Dick McLain
came to town Wednesday after
noon with the right rear wheel
ablaze. An observer called fire
men from the Golden hotel while
McLain drove the rig to the fire
station for the convenience of
firemen.
The elrcle marks the point where Mike Smith was working before he fell into 18 feet of water.
—Consumers Public Power Photo,
X murks the approximate place where Smith emerged after being forced through an underwater
floodgate and flushed down the spillway. The water is intensely turbulent and there is strong under
tow at this |>oint, but Smith swam to safety and reached shore 300 feet downstream.—Consumers
Public Power Photo.
<*
Henry D. Taylor
Expires at Elgin
ELGIN Henry D. Taylor, 74,
a resident of Elgin, died Monday
at his homo following a lingering
illness.
Funeral services will be held
at 9:30 am., today (Thursday)
at St. Boniface Catholic church
in Elgin.
Survivors include: Widow —
Catherine; daughter- Mrs. Char-1
les Sullivan of Elgin: sons —Har- j
old and Sam, both of Albion;
Francis of St. Edward: 17 grand
children four great-grandchild
ren: brother- Edward of Moor
head, la.
Micanek Named
Co Op Director
LYNCH — Emil Micanek of
Lynch has been named a direc
tor of the Wisconsin Electric
cooperative at the annual meet
ing held Monday in Madison,
Wise. The cooperative operates
i n Wisconsin and nine other j
states, including Nebraska.
WEATHER Sl’MMARY
March 20 . 38 13
March 21 . 34 22
March 22 36 30
March 23 45 32
March 24 47 28
March 25 48 29
March 26 49 31
Smith and his wife ... he
narrowly escaped drowning in
icy Niobrara river.
FIRMS TO CLOSE
O’Neill stores will close at 3
p. m. on Good Friday and will
remain closed the remainder of
the day, according to an an
nouncement made by the retail
trade committee of the Chamber
of Commerce.
Frontier for printing!
Farm Home Burns
with Family Away
Virtually All Lost
in Davis Fire
CHAMBERS The Wade Davis
farm home, located three miles
south of the junction of U. S.
highway 281 and state highway
95, and three-quarters of a mile
west, was completely destroyed
by fire Thursday while Mr. and
Mrs. Davis were away.
Mr. Davis had been to Creigh
ton for medical attention and
stopped off at the O’Neill Live
stock Market enroute home. It
was there he learned his home
was burning.
When Chambers rural firemen
reached the scene the building
was a mass of flames. They
managed to save a freezer, wash
ing machine and some clothing,
and prevented the flames from
spreading to other buildings.
Faulty electric wiring might
have been the cause, it was theor
ied.
Mrs. Davis had papered one of
the bedrooms the day before.
Sunday, Marcvh 23, was the
couple’s 17th wedding anniver
sary. Mrs. Davis is the daughter,
of Mrs. Laura Wright of O'Neill. |
Advisory Board Goes to Work— ,
Hospital Shows $10,805 Deficit
After allowing for depreciation
but not including assets purchas
ed or debt retirement. St. An
thony's hospital during 1957
showed a loss of $10,805.35.
This figure was revealed to a
recently-appointed advisory board
at a meeting held Friday even
ing.
The hoard, appointed by the
Sisters of St. Francis, is compos
id of representative citizens from
the territory the hospital serves
and is intended to advise the Sis
ters in the operation and conduct
of the hospital in order that the
institution might fully meet the
needs of the territory.
Advisory board includes: John
Conan! of Emmet. Ira Watson of
Inman, Lyle P. Dierks of Ewing,
Louis Harley of Chandlers, Ray
mond Heiss of Page, represent
ing their respective localities.
Dther advisory board members
ire from O'Neill.
At Friday’s board meeting. L. .
D. Putnam of O'Neill was elect
id president; Harley, vice-presi
Jent; Dierks. secretary. and
Leigh Reynoldson of O’Neil], .
:reasurer.
Making up some of the items
if expense were wages, salaries,
fees paid to specialists such as
radiologists and pathologists and
totaled $101,332.82. Food and
supplies of different kinds exceed
'd $29,000. Insurance, plant oper
ltion and interest came to an ad
iitional $8,841.96.
Last year 1957 — the charity
.vork done by the hospital fo
aled $2,240.28. Total charity
Aork since the hospital opened
otals $14,978.60. This does not in
dude services rendered for which
i charge was made but not paid,
mt is pure "charity” work for |
vhich no charge was made be
•ause those for whom the sendee
vas provided could not pay.
Rodeo Meeting
Set for Saturday
A special meeting of the O’
deill Rodeo association will be
teld Saturday evening, March 29,
it 8 o’clock at the youth center. |
Plans for the coming rodeo 1
■vdll be discussed. Rodeo dates
ire set for June 21 and 22. Some
•odeo films will be shown follow
ng the meeting.
All rodeo members, prospective j
nembers and any others inter
ested are invited to attend.
Try Frontier want ads!
Escapes Death
in Icy Plunge
Godel Makes It to
Business District
in 70 Minutes
Loyd Godel, whose left leg
was broken in 11 places in a
September 15, 1957, two-car ac
cident south of here, grew tired
of staring at the walls at his
home for six months.
With tx'nefit of braces and
crutches he inched his way
downtown Friday for a visit
and to greet friends. The trip
required one hour anti 10 min
utes. His doctors advise him to
walk some each day.
The return trip was made by
car.
Wednesday he was in Omaha
for a medical checkup.
Brilliant Meteor
Sighted Near Here
Motorists Star tied
by Spectacle
Motorists Monday evening re
ported seeing a brilliant white or
blue-white meteor in the skies
near here.
Fred Moore, who lives south of
Inman, was northbound and said
he was startled by the brilliance, j
From near Inman he said the
meteor appeared to be falling
east of O'Neill.
“The path made a gigantic
arc,” he said. "It lighted the sky
so brightly I thought I was un
der the lights in a ball park.”
Miss Donna Payne of The Fron
tier staff was driving on U. S.
highway 20 in the vicinity of the
Elkhom river bridge east of here.
“It was 7:55,” she said, "and
the light up was so bright I
thought a motorist was in front
with an extraordinary1 headlight.
I then realized it was a meteor.”
Lloyd Brittell and Orie Robin
son, working at the municipal
dump, reported to The Frontier
they saw an oblong object in the
sky. The object had no wings j
and was silent as far as they
were concerned.
Tuesday skywatchers noted a
halo around the sun sometimes j
known as "sundogs”.
Some persons were ready to
blame the meteor and solar halo
for poor television reception.
Bode, Formerly of
O’Neill, Stricken
R. L. (“Ping”) Bode, Ogallala
district manager for Consumers
Public Power and former operat
ing superintendent for the O'Neill
district, diet! Thursday, March
20, of a heart attack. He had
held the post Jpr 10 years.
He moved from O'Neill to Ogal
lala 10 years ago. Previously he
had held the post 10 years.
He moved from O’Neill to
Ogallala 10 years ago. Previously
he had boon district manager at
Albion and superintendent at
Humboldt.
Survivors include: Widow
Suella; son John, who was grad
uated from the United States
Military academy and is now in
the air force; daughter Susan.
CHANNEL 2 ON Tilt
Channel 2 of O’Neill’s twin
booster television installation
went on the air Monday about
six weeks after channel 13 was
put into operation. Channel 2
carries the rebroadcast of KOLN
TV, Lincoln (channel 10). Chan
nel 13 rebroadcasts KTIV, Sioux
City ichannel 4).
Miss Ixirna Marcellus of IJn
coln was a weekend guest of her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Mar
cellus.
Smith Thru
Floodgate
At Hydro
Never Unconscious
Although Skull Is
Cut, Leg Broken
Mike Smith, 51, chief operator
of tiie Spencer hydro-electric
plant, escaped drowning Tuesday
evening in u harrowing exper
ience at the Niobrara river dam.
He fell from a concrete ledge
into the reservoir water immed
iately behind the dam, was
swept through a floodgate, was
flushed through the spillway into
turbulent deep wuter, and had to
swim to safety in the ice-choked
water.
He emerged from Uie wafer
33U feet below the dam, near the
abandoned highway bridge.
The accident happened at 7:15
p m. There had been ice trouble
at the darn and Mr. Smith went
out onto a narrow ledge with an
ice "pike" an instrument used
to dislodge ice. He was on the
ledge above the floodgate work
ing to budge a large chunk of
ice. The ice, under water pres
sure, reared up, causing Smith
to lose his balance and plunge
feet first into 18 feet of cold
water.
The gate is the only one at the
Consumers Public Power dam
that operates vertically. The gate
was open and he was forced
below the surface through the
gate.
ne never lost consciousness but
suffered a severe skull concus
sion (back of the head) and a
broken right leg. ‘Hie leg was
crushed below the knee. He also
received a severe scalp lacera
tion.
“It seemed like I was in the
water an hour.” he said later,
unable to recount exactly what
all hud happened.
William (“Bill’) Hambek, who
had been working with Smith,
had gone inside the power plant
to check instillments and re
appeared outside the plant in
time to see Smith disappear.
Pullt‘d to Safety
Hambek hurriedly closed the
floodgates, grabbed a lifejacket
and a rope, drove his car across
the condemned and barricaded
old bridge to the south side of
the river. He threw the rope to
Smith who managed to hold on
and Hambek pulled the exhausted
man to safety.
It was 8:15 when help came
and Smith was removed by am
bulance to St. Anthony’s hospital,
arriving here at 8:45. Help was
called by phone from the nearby
Smith home.
Smith's condition late Wednes
day was "fair”, suffering from
severe shock, exposure and in
jury. He was seeing only •mem
bers of his immediate family.
Doctors, however, said he was
expected to recover.
Surgery was planned later in
the day but is being delayed un
til today (Thursday).
uotjert Whetham came to the
scene in time to assist Smith onto
the shore.
H. G. Kruse of O'Neill, CPPD
operating superintendenat, inves
tigated the accident and said
there had been considerable ice
in the reservoir and one large
chunk of ice had lodge in the
gate.
Turbines were operating and
created “intense turbulence and
undertow’’ below the dam. Kruse
ixtinted out that Smith went
through the floodgate, not through
the turbine flumes.
To Speoecr in May
Smith, who with his family for
merly lived at O’Neill, spent
eight years at Tekamah, going to
Spencer in May, 1957.
He makes his home near the
dam with his wife. One daughter,
Mrs. Duane C. (Doris) Smith,
lives south of Emmet
One sister, Mrs. Louis Wray,
lives in O’Neill.
Smith has been with Consum
ers 22 years and never before
had been involved in an accident
'Mummy and Mumps’
Title of OHS Play
The senior class of the O’Neill
public school will present its class
play, “The Mummy and the
Mumps”, Tuesday evening, April
8, athe high school auditorium.
The play is under the direction
of Mrs. Lois Tompkins with Betty
Fetrow as student director.
Members of the cast are: Jane
Peterson, Faye Murray, Judy
Johnson, Sharon Nelson, I.ynda
Haynes, Wayne Reynoldson,
Michael Liddy, Edward Pierson,
, Gale Holcomb and Melvin Luben.
BHR., ■ ■■, .
This view of the southeast corner of the Wade Davis farm home shows flames levelling the
dwelling.—The Frontier Photo.
