Prairieland Talk—
July Morn on Prairieland!
By ROMAINE SAUNDEB8, 4110 South Slst St., Lincoln 8, Nebr.
LINCOLN A July morning.
It is inspiring to stop out into the open as l
that bright orh of day first appears above the
eastern hon/nti. turn your
eyes to the west and behold
the beauty of the blue canopy
of heaven spread alxive green
robed prairieland.
At early morning the sky
is bathed in rich blue and the
rising sun touches the green
. of earth with silken glow. The
blue and the green, nature’s
colorful adornment The flor
al bloom of spring now faded,
the morning glories at dawn Komaine
of a summer's day tinted with Saunders
the bright blue that also spreads across the morn
ing sky, and the leaf of lordly cottonwoods lift
their silken green to the blue above.
A July morning on prairieland!
* * *
Speaking of tloing a landoffice business, The
Frontier of July 12, 1900, said that Register
Weekes and Receiver Jenness of the U.S. land
office reported receipts for the year to be $87,750.
. . . The Holt OOP's met at Dickson’s office an
evening in July that year and stirred up the
political pot and got it to lioiling by organizing a
McKinley & Roosevelt club . . . Bat Sullivan,
while shelling com at Jerry' Kelley’s place north
east of town, had one hand badly injured when
caught in the sheller. Brought into town and upon
examination. Dr. J. P Gilligan deemed it nec- .
essary to amputate three fingers. . . . Judge E.
J. Doyle and wife of Grand Rapids, Mich , were
in O'Neill visiting at the homo of his brother, D.
A Doyle. . . . Mrs. D. H. Cronin and children
were visiting Mrs. Cronin's relatives in Randolph.
* * *
That little gal Involved In the Stark
weather crimes must stand a district court
trial on murder charges. Poor kid—missed
It so early In life. Train up a child in the
way It should go and when old he will not
depart from It.
* * *
Among the files of several state newspapers 1
that the Nebraska State Historical society has j
microfilmed, The Frontier is listed, including all
from 1901 to 1956. A stack of The Frontiers- five
feet high—will lie given to anyone desiring them,
or they will be disposed of in some w'ay. There
may Is? citizens of O’Neill or in the county who
would like to have that stack of papers telling
of the affairs of the community for more than
50 years. If so, they should so notify the State
Historical Society, 15th and R sts., Lincoln; then
come to Lincoln prepared to take away a five
ft. stack of papers bearing the brand of The
Frontier.
* * *
Ah I think of the many thousands of care
Inc u m be red men, of the cities and nations
that have risen and fallen, why grunt around
with a toothache? On see doc and have it
pulled.
One a native of New York who had spent much
of his life in Colorado; another a native of Den
mark, now bowed under the cares of life for more
than 90 years, wrinkled, hair snow white; another
Ixirn in Alabama, a charming lady now serving as
editor of a group publication; another a native
of Kansas whose life span of 70 years traveled
the Dakotas; still another I saw today, a native
of England, walked the streets of London, visited
Wales, Ireland, Canada and told us the history of
these lands from the time Caesar's Roman legions
ran into a stone wall and met defeat at the hands
of nick - throwing, club - swinging Welchmen, on
down to date. Now here they are, Nebraskans all,
and the foreign-born looking with pride and rev
erence on the stars and stripes as the flag of
their adopted country.
• • •
Mis name is Shoemaker. Not one of the fam
ily at O'Neill by that name. Bom south of Lincoln
in Gage county, now at the home of his parents on
a 200-acre farm in Lancaster county north of Lin
coln and manages the plantation of corn and wheat,
corn “laid by” and wheat harvested the first week
in July, a "bumper” crop. And they have 100 head
of cattle, a sizeable herd for any part of prairie
lands corn belt. Just another of our state’s indus
trious, intelligent law-abiding and church-going
young citizens whose formal education ended he told
me with the eighth grade. Such as he all across
our great state that fills the bread baskets of towm
and city dwellers, lives a contented life out in the
open and pays tax on all his holdings.
* * *
I have just read a column of “O’Neill News”.
The name of only one native of the old town ap
pears in that column. Where are the others —
t h e Brennans, Manns, Dicksons, McCaffertys,
Bentleys, Merediths. Martins? All are gone or
just don't make “news”. And from whence spring
the newcomers? Why anchor where Gen. John
O'Neill came to a halt when traveling prairie
land in search of a homesite for his colony? The
strangers to such as Prairieland Talker are here
for the same reason the pioneers were, to estab
lish homes. And where would you find a more
cordial community in which to hang up your hat?
* * *
The Hand that paints the gold of sunset is
the Hand that ]M>ints out the way from which 1
hope never more to stray.
• • •
The Pinkermans, the Hulls, the Mellors, out
there in the Redbird community, names and
people surviving the days of Doc Middleton, Kid
Wade, the Dutchers and the vigelanters—the days
when it took courage to face what might come up
out of the gulches any day. The pioneers met it in
the spirit of those of the frontier times and their
sons and daughters now carry on in one of the most
delightful communities of prairieland, the God
fearing, industrious citizens of the Redbird.
* * *
John locked his door, drove from Lincoln to
Minneapolis to spend the Fourth with his mother.
Give us more Johns!
Editorial—
Iowan Offers Words of Wisdom
A Spencer, la., department store owner, in
addressing a Minnesota city's Chamber of Com
merce, made this observation which bears re
peating:
Merchants within a town or city are not
competing with each other but with shopping
centers in other nearby cities. And thus it is of
utmost importance that all businessmen, com
petitors and others, work in harmony for the pur
est* of enticing the maximum amount of business
from their own trade area.
“When that can l>e achieved 100 percent, then
your town will be 'on the map’ not through any
promotion of gimmick but through a spirit of
cooperation that will help to make that town the
best in which to buy ”
The Frontier editor wishes to add a remark or
two of his own to the, above words of wisdom
uttered by the Iowan.
A closely-knit community of !)usinessmen is
bound together by an active Chamber of Com
merce. One cannot function without the other.
What’s the situation in O'Neill?
Too often the Chamber of Commerce receives
only token support from many of the business
men The number of card-carrying members is
al,out half what is should be. A few of the officers
are burdened with work and after completing
their term of office vow "never again" to serve
the organization. Others, trying to do a conscien
tious job as officers, find their business imperiled
as a result of their servi.ce in the field of com
munity endeavor.
This, generally, is the picture in anybody s
town. In part it is a sign of the times when high
taxes and intense competition are sufficient rea
son to hew to the line.
If a Chamber of Commerce is to function to
its utmost efficiency and the business fraternity
of our city (or any city) is going to move ahead
in respect to other shopping centers and other
centers of professional, wholesale and trade ser
vices. there will have to be harmony and cooper
ation. And more than 15 or 20 should attend the
meetings of the civic body where policy is form
ulated.
Great Era of Goof-Offs
What is wrong with modern America, especial
ly as concerns the current business recession, was
sun'med up in rather dramatic terms the other
dav by the head of a large advertising agency, who
finds that mediocrity of salesmanship (his chief
concern' is only part of the national inclination to
seek the easy way and lie willing to settle for some
thing less than the best, according to the Omaha
Daily Journal-Stockman.
“For this in America,” he said, "is the high
tide of mediocrity, the great era of the goof-off
The land has been enjoying a stampede away from
responsibility.
4'It (America! is populated \%ith laundry men
who won't iron shirts, with waiters who won t serve,
with carpenters who will come around some day
maybe with executives whose minds are on the
golf course with spiritual delinquents of all kinds
who have been triumphantly determined to enjoy
what was known until the present crisis at ‘the
new leisure’.
“We may lack a few of the refinements of
■ Rome’s decadence, but we do have the two-hour
lunch, the three-day weekend and the all-day cof
fee break. And, if you want to, you can buy for
$275 a jeweled pillbox with a buit-in musical
alarm that reminds you—but not too harshly—
that it’s time to take your transquilizer.”
What this generation of Americans needs to
learn, then, is that work itself is honorable and
fun, and that the only real reward life offers is
the thrill of achievement—using one’s God-given
talents, standing on one’s own two feet, doing
something useful and enjoying it. Individually, the
"goof-off" is nothing new to this country, hut
when an entire people lean toward the goof-off’s
habits and outlook, deterioration and decay are al
ready well advanced.
Parallel for the Books
There is an interesting parallel in the re
actions of two different agencies following the
Nebraska supreme court's July 3 rulings.
, Following a decision favoring Chicago &
North Western railroad in an appeal from the
state railway commission, the railroad officials
! summarily discontinued the last two passenger
trains serving north Nebraska. The road did
not wait for the 20-day lapse for a mandate from
the high court to the commission. The rail barons
thumbed their nose at a state railway commission
j directive which insisted the trains be kept on
pending the final order from the commission.
Also on July 3 the high court held that Caril
Fugate of the famed Starkweather murder spree
is to be tried in Lancaster district court, the man
date to Lancaster county officials would follow,
and the high court ordered Fugate to be tried in
October.
If Lancaster County Attorney. Elmer Scheele,
the prosecuting attorney, behaved as did the North
Western legal chiefs and thumbed his nose at rules
of the high court, he would have during last week
trundled young Fugate into any court handy and
proceeded to try the kid.
Never brag about something you expect to
do. Wait until it is accomplished and then let
others pass judgment on it.
CARROLL W. STEWART, Editor and Publisher
Entered at the postofflce 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 of Subscription: In Nebraska, 52.50
per year; elsewhere in the United States, 53 per
year; rates abroad provided upon request. All sub
1 scriptions payable in advance.
When You A I Were Young . . .
Judge Harrington’s
‘Diamond’ Is Winner
Outperforms Spokane
and Wise On
50 Years Ago
A crowd of 1.500 persons attend
ed the Fourth of July races and
other sports at fair grounds Dia
mond. owned and driven by Judge
Harrington: Spokane, owned and
driven by William Froelich; and
Wise On. owned and driven by
J. B. Mellor, were entered in the
driving race. Diamond won the
first heat. Spokane, the second,
and Diamond, the third and the
race. Spokane camr in second
and Wise On. third. The free-for-all
was won by Pat K., owned and
driven by Dave Star.nard: Spok
' ane was second Tom Nolan took
i first money in the 100-yard foot
[race with Herb Hammond, sec
ond. Jim Harding was first in
the boys’ race and Donald Gal
lagher was second. Charles Pet
erson carried off first money in
the fat men’s race. In the dog
race. Will Gatz owner! and drove
the dog that won, Jim Weeks was
second and Jim Harding, third,
'['he tug-of-war was won by Grat
tan township under Tom Coyne
over Rock Falls captained by
Thomas Gallagher. The ball
game between the O'Neill Pick
ups and the Peelers was a com
edy of errors. The Peelers won
16-4. Coyne and Murphy formed
the battery for the Peelers and
Ryan and Messner performed for
the Pickups. . . J. P. Gallagher
purchased a half-page ad on Ihe
front page to tell of his “big
murder" on summer fabrics and
other items. Children's oxfords
are selling for 50 cents per pair;
all callicoes, 5 cents per yard;
hack combs are reduced 50 per
cent. . . Pat Connolly and Miss
Sal lie Slattery were married in
20 Years Ago
Water rates were reduced tie
cause of the abundance of water.
For the months of July, August
and September for lawn and gar
den purposes the rates will he:
First 10,000 gallons at 30 cents
$3.00; all over that a 10 cents per
1,000 gallons. . . Romaine Saun
ders write in "Southwest Breezed’
Black Beetles have been ruinous
to potato patches, in some instan
ces making a complete cleaning
of the vines. The only way found
thus far to get rid of them is to
“smash the infernal juice out of
them”. . . Death: Mrs. Seth M.
Adridge, 79, of Anoka, a resident
of Holt from 1883 until recent
years. She and her husband came
to Nebraska in a covered wagon.
10 Years Ago
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Thor
son celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary. . . Joseph Brinker,
61, of Butte suffered a heart at
tack while working in the har
vest fields. . . The boiW of Rich
ard C. Young, one of the two
brothers killed in World War H,
was shipped to the United States
for burial. His parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Guy E. Young, have request
ed that the body of their other
son, E. Lester Young, who was
killed on Okinawa, lie sent home
for hurial. Richard was killed
on Anzio beachhead. . . Vernie
VanConnett, 68, of Page miracu
lously escaped drowning in a
one-car accident. His car hit a
windrow of oil mat on U. S.
highway 275 west of Norfolk and
dived into a water hole. His only
injury was a thumb scratch. He
crawled from a window of the
water-filled car.
One Year Ago
Deaths: J. Victor Johnson, 83, a
longtime Holt resident and a na
tive of Sweden; Mrs Fay. Doty,
17. who died at a Yankton, S. D.,
hospital Mr and Mrs Clarence
J Dobbins of Page quietly cele
brated their 50th wedding anni
versary. . . A fund for Alva Parks,
of Deloit. a one-armed farpier
and rancher, and father of eight
children, was launched by friends
for rehabilitation purposes.
Returns from Speech
Session in Pittsburg
LYNCH Miss Grace Mannen of
Lynch returned last week from
Pittsburg, Pa,, where she pre
sented a paper at the tWth meet
ing of the Alexander Graham Bell
Speech association for the deaf.
Delegates were in attendance
from Australia. Canada, India,
I Brazil and the Netherlands, as
well as the United States.
Miss Mannen * who has been
supervisor of speech and auditory
; training at the Nebraska School
for the Deaf in Omaha will teach
at the Lutheran School for the Deaf
in Detroit this coming year.
liquor Commission
Dismisses Charges—
The state liquor control com
mission has dismissed charges
filed against three wholesale Ix-er
distributors who allegedly sold
beer to retail licensees who had de
linquent licenses.
The charges were dismissed
1 against Jessie Marie Gatz of O'
Neill, and Alfred and Wilma Mc
Collister, doing business as Val
entine Beverage Co., of Valentine,
for lack of sufficient evidence to
sustain the charges.
Christine Herley celebrated her
12th birthday anniversary, July 4.
Dinner guests were Mr. and Mrs.
Bennett Gillespie and family.
Veteran Lawyer
H. E. Donohoe (above), a
native of O’Neill, was one of
seven Lewis county, Washing
ton, lawyers honored last week
for having completed 50 years
or more in the practice of
law. The banquet, sponsored
by the Lewis County Bar as
sociation, was held at the St.
Helens hotel at Chehalis where
Mr. Donohoe practices law.
Five of the state's nine su
preme court justices were pre
sent and three retired judges
of the Washington high court.
Mr. Donohoe was born and
reared northeast of O’Neil. He
is a brother of T. J. and P.
C. Donohoe, both of O’Neill; Mrs.
Mary MacLeod of O'Neill; and
Mrs. George Agnes and Mrs
Ben Grady, both of Norfolk, and
Eugene of Detriot, Mich. The
Frontier Photo.
Boelter C lan in
Annual Reunion
STAR The descendants of the
late Ernest and Mary Boelter held
their annual reunion Sunday at
the park in Verdigre. A picnic
dinner was held at noon The af
ternoon was spent visiting, taking
and viewing pictures. pitching
horseshoe and playing cards.
Those present for the occasion
were:
Mr, and Mrs Roy Boelter and
family; Ijeonard Boelter and chil
dren; Mr. and Mrs. John Leiding;
Mr. and Mrs. Boyd Boelter and
family; Mr. and Sirs Reno Boel
ter and family. Mr. and Mrs. Al
N'rt Boelter and Merle; Mr. and
Mrs. Ernest Boelter and Jim; Mr.
and Mrs Wayne Boelter and
family; Mr. and Mrs. Gerald
Waring and Artec; Mr. and Mrs.
Ewalt Miller and Barbara; Jt*1
Boelter; Mrs. Hattie Boelter;
Miss Irma Juracek, Mrs. Roy
Sivesind.
The 1959 reunion will be held
the second Sunday in July at the
Verdigre park.
Other Star News
Mr. and Mrs. Wilbert Wilhalm
and family and Mr. and Mrs. Vin
ce Cunningham and famil> had
supper Saturday evening with Mr
and Mrs. Lyle Johnson and fam
ily.
Mr. and Mrs. Vince Cunning
ham and family spent Sunday
with Mr. and Mrs. Herb Price and
family at Lynch. Mr. Cunning
ham and Mrs. Price are cousins.
Mrs. Hattie Boelter was honor
ed on her 72 birthday anniver
sary at the home of her daughter
Mrs. Gerald Waring, and family
Monday evening, July 14.
Bill llibbs, accompanied by his
mother, Mrs. Arthur Hibbs. at
tended the funeral services of a
relative in Lincoln Wednesday,
June 9. They were accompanied
by Mrs Ray Siders who v isited
her son-in-law and daughter, Mr.
and Mrs. Charles Russel, and
family in Lincoln. They returned
home Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Vince Cunning
ham and Kay and Barbara Miller
returned home Friday night after
spending three days in the Black
Hills.
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Miller
were also guests at the Ewalt
Miller home for the birthday anni
v ersary supper for Sharon Cun
ningham Tuesday. June 30.
Mr. and Mrs. Boh Sholes were
in Omaha last week where Mr.
Sholes received medical atten
tion.
The Star Get-together club was
(Kistponed last week and will be
held this week with Mrs. Roland
Miller as hostess.
Miss Strope Is
Leaving for Haiti
EwiNG Miss Leora Strope,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. W
Strope of Orchard and niece of
Mrs. Andrew Olson of Ewing, left
Sioux City by plane Tuesday,
July 8. for Haiti where she goes
as a medical missionary.
She has spent several years in
preparation for this work. For
the past year she has done nur
sing at the Antelope Memorial
hospital at Neligh and is known
by several in Ewing who have
been patients.
Miss Strope plans to be gone
for three years.
Ewing News
Mr and Mrs. Ben Larsen en
I tertained the following guests
'Friday: Mrs. Aletha Haspenpflugg
of Pierce, a niece, who was ac
companied by her daughter and
husband, Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Bongo and son of Massachusetts,
Mrs. Mae Pruden and her
daughter ami husband. Mr. and
Mrs. Edward Kirkpatrick, and
three sons of O'Neill.
Mr. and Mrs. IVwitt Gunter
accompanied their daughter and
husband, Mr. and Mrs David
Barton to visit Wednesday, Jul\
9, at the home of Mr. and Mrs
Russell Graver, who live 10 miles
south of Long Pino.
Guests at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Irwin Cloyd on Sunday
were her parents. Mr. and Min
George Timmerman of Plain
view and Mr, and Mrs Leslie
Brokavv and family of Norfolk
Mr. and Mrs. Claus Sievcrs of
i Gillette, Wyo„ are guests at the
home of Mr, and Mrs. Everett
Ruby, Hazel Ruby and Klsi<
j Chase,
Misses Mary Catherine Carr
and Judy Wanser of Omaha ac
companied Mr. and Mrs. John
! Dierks of Nebraska City to
Ewing Sunday to spend the day
j with relatives.
_
Accounting
AND BOOKKEEPING
SERVICES
Morgan Ward
ACCOUNTANT
Golden Bldg. — Phone 414
O’Neill, Nobr.
Here are your three favorite
flavors—Lemon, Orange and
Lime—deliciously blended into
one refreshingly new summer
time treat! Try a family-size
half-gallon today.
See the only first run Western on TV—“Buckskin”, Tliurs., 8:341 p.m., ( ST, Clmn. 4
In *n Air-Conditioned FORD .ft costs less than many medium-priced cars without air conditioning! 1411(1 l)l( k loYYClIs Zillie (*rey Theatre, Friday, 7:30 p.lll., C^ST, (hail. 9
wpfe-, * z* # ~ ^:w-" j
fcwiy font hu SAfITT SLASS io mi) »iwkM «»(itnd f mtImm M» Torn Vttlwli
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Fort saws you money while you drive, too. In fact, a Ford
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Ford's exclusive Automatic Ride Control is standard equip
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