Nebraska Newspapers

    Prairieland Talk
An 'Otolope' Birth, Maybe?
Hy KOMAINK SAI NDKKS, 4110 South 51st St., Lincoln 6, Ncbr.
Twin baby girls were bom March 1 to a couple
fving in Auburn down in Nemaha county, one came
to the surface at home and to complete the job of
*hdd bearing, the mother was whisked away to
Nebraska City in Otoe county where twin numt>er
tv was Ixirn in a hospital. Something like that
m '»ccur any time down at Tilden, where if you
tur r in bed. you may tie in another county,
gal • town in Antelope county, the other half
[n n. Just where is the birth of a kid re
c v jiat is born to a mother in flight via air
pi., .rom one end of the country to the other?
• • •
One hundred years ago a few cabins stood in
1m vicinity where now our stately State Capital
building stands. That was the beginning of a town
in prairieland called Lincoln. Our capital city now
rears buildings grand and high, stately mansions,
bumble homes, streets and parks over about half
at I Lancaster county. About the beginning of Lincoln
bistory, a small group of brave men and courageous
Momen and curious kids jumped out of their covered
wagons, unhitched the horses and started life along
fltv hanks of the flowing Elkhom a mile east of
where the city of O'Neill now stands. The Thomp
•on .McEvenoy colony and the Parkers. Only the
Memory of the colony lingers, but at least two de
scendants of that group of pioneers, R. H. and Joel
Parker, survive. And O'Neill is here, the metropolis
at north central Nebraska.
* • •
Open the windows of your soul through which
the glow of God's creation may shine. Not just
one window pane of partizan adherence and creed’s
hide-bound devotion, for through that one narrow
window pane but little light will shine. But the soul
with radiance glows when light shines through the
spirit's open windows.
June 28, 1904, Kinkaiders to the number not just
counted but said to he more than 600, lined up at
the government land office in O’Neill, located on
north 4th street about where the telephone office is
today. Men and women made up that 600 that ac
quired homesteads of 640 acres each. Congressman
Kink a id of O'Neill secured the passage of a mea
sure in congress that increased the homesteads
available in his district from a quarter section to a
bill section. With today just here and there an
(Minted tract of land, that section homestead law
brought the government lands in Nebraska into priv
ate or individual hands and thus became taxable
property.
~ • • *
Down at the Statehouse Governor Brooks an
nounces that he is "master of all he surveys." Be
careful, your honor, you may be up against our
Terrable Terry next state election.
* • *
A short summer. Few days radiant wth sun
shine, snows of winter melted away, birds awing
and singing. Then it came, a Nebraska snow and
blow that Old Bates there at his case of type in
O'Neill in '88 called it a blizzard. The Capital City
blanketed with 8 to 10 inches of snow midweek the
first w’eek in March schools closed, no business,
clerks in stores standing with their hands in their
pockets, city buses not at the usual stops and work
ers getting to their jobs late the best way they
could, mail carriers hours late, and all of us who
could, looking out the windows at the picture such as
only a prairieland blizzard paints. Again the sun
glows bright, snow fades and the late blizzard only
a memory.
TIm* public was shocked to hear ot rus eleven j
killings, IJncoln housewives locked doors, nailed up
windows, the jury found him guilty of murder and
young Starkweather was sentenced to die in the
electric seat at our state prison. Courts, pardon and
parol boards step in after the jury findings. The.
voting killer still lives. Move that death chair out J
of our state pen, set a table of roast turkey, hot |
rolls and pumpkin pie. Come, you bloody killers, |
sit down and eat!
* * *
He owns a section of com and wheat land two
hours drive out from the Capital City, dwells there]
with his life’s companion in a large “farm house"
and no beast or bird in the red bam where once
were horses and cows. Twelve to fourteen thousand
dollars worth of grain off of that section of land
in a season shared by the renters as he sits twiddl- ^
ing his thumbs in an easy chair. Oh, next month he
is eligible for social security checks.
• * *
A friend of Prairieland Talk down In sunny Flor
ida writes me a letter that I feel will be of interest
to many readers of this department of The Frontier.
It appears as follows:
4339 Colt Lane, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Dear Mr. Romaine Saunders:
We sure do enjoy your most interesting articles
in the O'Neill Frontier: I was raised in Lincoln, lived
at 334 North 23rd St., and attended the Old Elliot
School. In 1914 I came to O’Neill, Nebr., with Max
Golden. We really came to Ewing and spent the
summer at the Ranch down at Ewing. Mr. Tom
Golden was runing the ranch, and Max and I came
up to spend the summer and keep out of mischief
in general. I stuck right there at Ewing and never
left until 1957, when I came to West Palm Beach.
I am not one of the filthy rich of this locality. I
work for an asphalt company. I am the nite man
and keep the material hot so as the crew can take
off in the mornings. •
I sure like to hear of all of the old timers you
mention in your articles. I remember a lot of them,
I was kinda disappointed in one a few weeks back
when you mentioned a long string of the oldsters
and you did not mention T. V. Golden’s name. As
I look back at O'Neill, I place him at the top of the
list of the real O’Neill citizens. He really stuck his
neck out when he built that fine hotel building. It
was a long time before there was any pavement on
cither side of it, but there stood that fine building
taking all of the dust and mud.
And of course, I was a little bit prejudiced for
the many fine things the Golden Family did to and
for me. I was much impressed with the article some
time hack where you mentioned Mrs. F. J. Dishner
as taking Frank Nelson’s place in the Unicameral.
I too think she would be a very able representative
for her district.
I also grew up in Lincoln. As a kid I can remem
l>er all of the big fires. Old Number 2 from 23rd
was the best in our mind. I was a small boy the
night of the Walter block fire where the Steuart
building stands now. Across the street west you can
still see the two little round window glasses still
broken from the streams of water, shot up there
by one of the old steam pumpers.
Can you give any dope on Old Dr. Middleton, the
horse thief that ran loose up there? Kid Wade was
his lieutenant.
Yours very truly, R. G. Rockey, 4339 Colt Lane,
West Palm Beach, Florida.
Editorial
O'Neill's Attitude Picture
It has been said by many a successful promoter
of civic enterprise and industry that the responsible
prospective industry is interested, not so much in
itself, hut in the attitude of the city.
The hard hearted businessman is quick to point
(Hit that nothing could be further from the trulh and
that any prospective industry is primarily interested
in how easy it is going to be for the industry to get
a start.
However, if you will ask the men who look your
eity over and you seldom know what they're up to
—you will find out that they are looking for the
picture of a city wrapped up in the casual remark
of a service station attendant or a waitress.
‘‘What do you think of O'Neill and how do you
like living here,” they might ask.
And because the waitress and attendant hold an
important key to the city’s "attitude picture,” the
prospective industrial man with his camera-like
mind records an important event.
Nationally gathered statistics show that there
are. on the average, two such men who travel
through cities like ours each month. These men
are prone to avoid the civic leader, they stay away
from banks, newspapers, and men who are inter
ested in their city because of their own “life-blood.”
It is true that they want to know just what kind
at improvements have been made in the past year
ar so including such things as new schools, paving
mi new church improvements. But they don’t like
the idea of questioning the civic leaders until the
attitude picture is formed.
For this reason, then, we all can play a part in
the promotion of our community.
Guest Editorial
The Burwell Tribune
In our last week’s column, we made mention of
flic “usual” small turnout at the city caucuses.
Well, after last week’s gatherings, we’ll have to
amend the statement; there really was a fine turn
out at both. We were more than pleased to see this
interest manifested in city politics—and we’d say
there was no particular “axe to grind”—just sincere
interest in city government. One thing very notice
able was the large number of ladies present; vve
thought it was just simply grand to have this interest
among the women of the community. They play a big
part in Burwell, and their voice should be heard
and their influence felt.
When we read in the daily papers about some
of our representatives, in Washington, putting their
relatives on the government payroll, at fabulous
salaries, and even let Uncle Sam pay rent on the
front porch of one home, as a private office- it al
most makes one lose faith in mankind. How any
one of the caliber these men should be, could stoop
to such a practice, is hard to understand, and we’d
think the expose of the practice would make for
domed poor campaign fodder in forthcoming elec
tions We will say, that none of our Nebraska rep
resentatives have been so accused, of which we are
proud to say.
Free Spending?
By Dick Howe
(Boone Companion)
Brass hats in the American Legion, who believe
that service in the armed forces somehow makes
them eligible to say how the government should be
inn, are plugging for a $100 monthly bonus for vet
erans of World War I.
The cost of this program would run into the bil
lions of dollars; and of course it eventually would
be extended to veterans of World War II and the
Korean War. If I should live to be 80 and collect it
from the age of 60 on, it would mean $24,000 to me—
but I'm against it.
Just why anyone should think that a few months
of army (or navy or marine) duty entitles them to
special privileges, I’ll never understand. Veterans
shouldn't be allowed to stick their hands in the public
purse any more than ex-Boy Scouts or retired news
papermen. (The government should, and does, take
care of persons suffering service-connected disabil
ities. But there should be periodic examinations to
see just how much they still are disabled).
The country owes little more than a pat on the
back to most veterans, and that is more than amply
paid in the form of low-cost GI insurance and gov
ernment-guaranteed loans to buy homes. Although
the GI bill enabled millions of veterans to attend
college and did immeasurable good, I’m not certain
that even it was entirely justified. I know personally
of scores of cases where the GI bill was abused;
seemingly with the knowledge and tacit consent of
the college and Veterans Administration.
I just can’t understand anyone who has no more
ambition than to be a professional veteran.
Do you feel sorry for the soldier-scientists who
were courtmartialed at the army chemical center
in Maryland last year? They felt that their brains
entitle’d them to different treatment than the ordin
ary dog-face; recently the top army brass said they
have no intention of treating scientists as a class
apart.
I can sympathize with the scientists, but feel
they are on the wrong track. I, too, had sergeants
and officers whom I considered, well, stupid. It’s a
shame that we are forced to have armed services,
but as long as we do they must be operated along the
lines of a dictatorship and absolute discipline must
lie maintained at all times. Otherwise you have a
mob, not an army.
“VOICE OF THE BEEF EMPIRE”
122 South Fourth St. — Box 330 — O’Neill, Nebr.
JAMES CHAMPION, Co-Publisher
JERRY PETSCHE, Editor
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 newspaper is
a member of the Nebraska Press Association, Nation
al Editorial Association and the Audit Bureau of
Circulations.
Terms of Subscription: In Nebraska, $2.50 per
year; elsewhere in the United States, $3 per year;
rates abroad provided upon request. All subscriptions
payable in advance.
•
F rontiers
Auo
The Frontier Was Young
Neil Brennan was one of the
happiest men in O'Neill near St.
Patrick’s Day in the year 1899. In
that morning’s mail he received
from the Sisters of Charity, of
Ballaghadenn County, Mayo. Ire
land, a beautiful spray of sham
rock fastened with a green ribbon
upon which was printed in gilt let
ters ’’God Save Ireland." The
Frontier reported: It is a beauti
ful token from the "old sod" and
Mr. Brennan is justly proud of it
and he has good reason to be,
coming, as the letter accompany
ing it says, as a token of gratitude
for the love you have shown to
Ireland. The shamrock was sent
by Superioress Catherine Norris.
Ballaghaderin w:as in the famine
district in 1898 and assistance was
solicited for them of the exiled
children of Erin in this country and
Patrick Ford, editor of the Irish
World, raised a fund in America
for their assistance. Mr. Brennan
sent them a personal donation the
Christmas of 1898 and it was in ap
preciation of that gift the spray
was sent.
Cole's Jewelry and Music Store
had as their ad in this week's is
sue of The Frontier, Elgin factory
watches, $5.00.....P. C. Kelley has
been doing work on the Indepen
dent the past two weeks in the
absence of editor. P. J. Donoue
traveling freight agent of the
Short Line, w'as looking after the
interests of his line in the city
March 15....Judge Westover, who
came down from Rushville to try
The Frontier case, returned home.
He was accompanied by Court re
porter Maher, who came up from
Lincoln and reported the case.
During these past two weeks
in 1898. the following persons
were granted marriage lieenses
by the county judge: Leonard
Heins and Dollie Reed of Page,
Samuel <i. Ooover and Anna
lleiss of Page, and George Her
lay iuid Lillian May Sehier of
Chambers D. A. Doyle will
turn over the post office to his
successor, D. H. Cronin, March
19 A new post office named
McCaffrey was established at
McCaffrey’s ranch, with Joseph
McCaffrey as postmaster Sub
scription for the Frontier was
$1.50 per year.
The Century Turns
O'Neill telephone service
changed from local battery oper
ation to the new common battery
on March 15, 1930. The actual cut
over operation took less than 20
seconds and was completed with
practically no service interruption
.. Mr. and Mrs. M. F. Evelanqi
celebrated their 60th wedding an
niversary at the home of their
daughter, Mrs. Sherman Ennis,
on west Douglas street ... Irt this
week’s issue of The Frontier in
1930, Jack Graham of San Jose,
Calif., former O’Neillite, remini
sces in a letter to the editor.
He speaks of Doe Matthews,
founder of the Frontier, with its
slogan. “God’s Own Country.”
He also spoke of many other lo
cal people. Many of the oldtimers
remembered him as Sambo Sun
flower “The Royal Theatre to
give benefit for Father Flanni
gan Home” headlined a story tell
ing of Mrs. Georgia O. Raseley’s
success in securing a benefit
show for Father Flannigan’s
Home for Boys. Due to fire
which destroyed much property
and material, it was necessary
to raise an Immediate subscrip
tion so that replacing and rebuil
ding could begin at once.
Drs. Gilligan and Brown install
ed new equipment in 1930. The
new equipment, which was the la
test in X-ray and complete in every
detail Miss Edna Simonson enter
tained the Elddim Club at her
home. Miss Mildred Tomlinson re
ceived high score prize at bridge
.Relatives and friends of Mrs.
Sam Banks gathered at her home
to remind her of her birthday....
The Emmet postmaster, John Con
ard, purchased a new Ford Coupe,
He attended the minstrel show in
Atkinson March 17, in his new car.
Most Of Its Remember
Melvin Steskal, 24, Holt county
farmer, father of two small chil
dren, was fatally burned as a re
sult of an early morning fuel oil
explosion and fire at their home
near Inman this week in 1953. Mr.
and Mrs. Frank G. Schmidt cele
brated their Golden Wedding anni
versary. March 11.Miss Est
her Kaiser was selected O’Neill’s
girls’ state delegate-Ed Thorin
and Bill Bowker established an of
fice in the Hagensick building at
the corned of Fourth and Douglas
streets_The O’Neill high Eagles
coached by Paul Baker, stacked up
a total of 19 wins compared to on
ly four defeats. The Eagles were
champs of the Holt county tourn
ament in 1953....Some 435 4-H
club members, parents and leaders
braved adverse weather conditions
to attend the annual family fun
night party at the O’Neill high
school auditorium... Deaths: John
P. McManus, 62, O’Neill clother
and member of a pioneer family
. Army Cpl. Lyle C. (Red) Mc
Kim, 24, O'Neill’s second Korean
War fatality-; C. J. Davis, 73,
former O’Neill resident._
DR. H. D. GILDERS LJEEVE
OPTOMETRIST
Northeast Corner
of 4th & Douglas
O’NEILL. NEBR.
Ph. 167 — Office hr*. 6 to 6
Ey«* (examined — oiaaeee rule*
Monday Ttiru Saturday
Closed Wednesday
Major State Road Policy Shift
B> in Paul
Ststrbowf Correspondent
The \rbn»U Press Association
LINCOLN There has ix*en a ma
tter shift in policy on road hud
dling in the State Highway Depart
I ment.
This was evident when the de
j t«rtpient, with the approval of
j Gov. Ralph G. BiTxiks. announced
! ihe 1K>9-61 highway construction
and improvement program.
It was apparent that the depart
ment had made an administrative
decisio. ,o dump more funds in
to converting gravel roads to hard
j surfacing.
State Engineer Roy Cochran, a
former Democratic governor, ex
I plained that the department had
not changed or tampered with the
sufficiency rating system for de
termining priority of road con
struction.
This consists of different en
gineering principles that are gi
ven ratings. When a road should
he improved it is determined
from the score resulting from
the application of the system to
a particular stretch of highway.
The sufficiency system com
pares gravel roads with gravel
roads, concrete with concrete, and
blacktop with blacktop.
But it does not rate the roads as
against categories. The admini
strative decision. Cochran said,
was to put a larger share of high
way funds into improving gravel
roads by deferring for two years
improvements on hard-surfaced
routes.
This does not mean, the engineer
explained, that the department has
altered its idea of improving hard
surfaced highways. But, it does
mean, he added, that the admini
strative decision was to defer work
on roads that could hold up for
tu'o years and improve gravel
routes which always have a high
maintenance cost attached to them.
I Cochran said, however, that
'whether this decision was entirely
wise cannot be determined until
two years from now when the con
dition of hard-surfaced roads up
on which improvement was de
ferred, is ascertained.
Mansion Shakes
Gov. Halph G. Brooks says it
will take $5,000 to fix irp a case of
the "shakes'' in Nebraska’s new
governor's mansion.
That amount of cash, the gover
nor's mansion.
That amount of cash, the gover
nor commented, will not correct
the shaking of floors evident in
the mansion, but will reduce the
severity of the quivering.
An independent engineering re
port submitted by an Omaha ar
chitectural firm, the chief execu
tive said, indicated that the archi
tect had complied with specifica
tions and work met the require
ments of the Lincoln building code.
However, the report said that
shaking can he expected from the
“bar joist" type of construction
employed in the mansion,
sion.
Suggested as a partial solution
was laying of sheet lead on the
mansion floor and a half-inch thick
foam rubber cushion, to give more
weight to the floor.
Educational Director
Fur flew over the hoard of Con
trol. which governs state institu
tions, hiring a full-time education
al director.
The board announced it was em
ploying Dr. Vernon Hungate, di
rector of special education for the
State Education Department, to
head up the educational program
at 10 of its 17 institutions. Sen,
George Syas of Omaha branded
the maneuver as a "cheap political
trick."
Syas said the hiring was de
I signed to defeat two hills in the
LcfttUturp to transfer the State
schools for the Blind at Nebras
ka ('tty amt the Deaf at Omaha
to jurisdiction of the State Hoard
| of Education.
Charles Leeman. \ tee-chairman
[of the board said there was no
i thing involved in the hiring that
' had anything to do with any hills
offered in the Legislature by Syas.
Syas has been trying to abolish
the Hoard of Control system ot
governing state institutions and
has a measure in the hop(>er thts
time to do away with the ii-mem
l*er appointive board.
Education
Interest in education lulls tsefon
I the Legislature continues to he
high.
The Education Committee killed
a proposal which would have ta
ken away from the State Educa
tion Commissioner the authority to
decide disputed points of school
law.
Now. the commissioner can re
solve such matters and his deci
sion is final unless overturned by
the courts.
Guard Reorganization
The Nebraska National Quart!
has been re-organized along con
cepts of the Pentomic approach to
warfare.
Key to the change is reorgani
zation of the division from throe
regiments to one made up of five
highly mobile and self-sustaining
battle groups.
Maj. Gen. Guy N. Henninger.
state adjutant general, and head
of the guard, approved the plan,
as did Maj. Gen. Warren C. Wood,
of Goring, division commander.
Target date for completion of
the reorganization is May 1.
Hastings Farm
A farm at the Hastings State
Hospital will not he ope rap'd with
trusties from the State lVniten
tl»r> under U) circumstance*.
That's the report from State
Sen, Richard Marvel of Hastings,
who conferred with the Board of
Control about the matter
Marvel said he would ask Gov.
■ Ralph G Brooks for a fact-finding
study and economic feasibility re
I sort on the farm
Under consideration hy the
| Hoard had N't n turning over the
property to the State Penitentiary
'for an honor farm
The Board, Marvel said, agreed
to operate the location as economi
cally as possible tinder su|>ervision
of the Hospital superintendent,
lH’ar Editor:
Although I no longer live in the
state of Nebraska. I still follow
with much interest it's activities,
especially those concerning Holt
county and O'Neill.
Congratulations on your purchase
of an excellent newspaper.
It was just 30 years ago this
year that 1 was one of the 32 grad
uating students, of the O'Neill
public school.
Sincerely, F. M. Felts tltoseler)
24 East Bowery St. Newport., R I
Apt. 2, _
INCOME TAX
For assistance In filing your self
employment and tax reports,
call on —
Geo. C. Robertson
AGENCY
We work for your Interest and
appreciate your business.
Downey Building, O’Neill, Nebr
Ph.* 534 — Res. Ph. 161W
POSTPONED SALE
Executor’s Sale
Of Real And Personal Property
To settle the estate of the late W. R. Tenborg, the following property will be sold at the Tenborg Res
idence, in Emmet, Nebraska, on
MARCH 25th 1959, at 1 p.m.
REAL ESTATE
The Southeast Quarter of Section 15, Township 29, North, Range 13, West of the 6th P.M., Holt Coun
ty, Nebraska, located 14 mile West of Emmet, on U.S. Highway 20.
A partially improved Quarter Section, containing 65 acres of cultivated land, 10 acres of
alfalfa, 30 acres of hay land, the balance in pasture, lots and corral. Possession will be
given on execution of contract and the making of down payment.
Residence property located in Emmet, legally described as Lots 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 1, Block 8, Original
Town of Emmet. A 7 room, 2 story dwelling house, modern except for bath.
*
PERSONAL PROPERTY
1956 Plymouth 4-door sedan, 18,000 Barn, 24x24
actual miles, good condition. 12 Brood Sows, due to farrow in April
1 Double Granary 16x26. 40 Bushels of Oats
1 Hampshire Boar Bee Hives and Equipment
350 Bushels of Ear Corn Stove Wood; Oil Drums
2—Stacks Alfalfa Hay and some Chicken Wire; Hog Wire
Prairie Hay Bed, Springs & Mattress
Canvas Tarp, 10x14 Dresser; Sideboard; Studio Couch
NUMEROUS OTHER ARTICLES
1 ..—1
The following property belonging to
Ruth Wagnon
WILL BE SOLD AT THIS SALE:
2 Dressers; Commode with Mirror; Comer Cupboard; Round
Dining Table with Chairs; Double Burner Oil Heater; China
Cabinet; Desk and Chair; Metal Bookcase; Plastic Covered
Spring Rocker; Overstuffed Club Chair; 4 Occasional Chairs;
Combination Radio-Phonograph and Records; Extension
Chrome Dinette with 6 Chairs; 2 Metal Supply Cupboards;
Refrigerator; Combination Gas & Coal Range; 3 Mattresses;
Maytag Washing Machine; Coffee Table; 2 Foot Stools;
Dishes, pots, pans, canned fruit & vegetables; Fruit jars,
stone jars; Step Ladder; Floor Lamp; Cream Can;Gladlron
Mangle; J Hive of Bees; Lawn Mower; Garden Tools; Pic- j
tures and Picture Frames; Kitchen Table.
TERMS:
Personal Property—Cash. Real Estate—20% down, Balance upon delivery of deed and abstract show
ing merchantable title. 1958 taxes will be paid.
W. P. Daily, Executor
Norman Gonderinger, Attorney
O'Neill, Nebraska
WALLACE O'CONNELL, Auctioneer ED MURPHY, Clerk