Prairieland Talk
"Rancher Turned Merchant"
Fly ROM AIN E SAUNDERS. 4110 South 51st St., Lincoln 6. Nebr.
Across the street from Motel Evans (now the
Western) there was in the early 1890's the M. W
McClure store, dry good*, clothing and foot we ar.
The McClure family husband, wife, two daughters
and three sons, took up their
living quarters in rooms atiove
the store. McClure was a cattle
rancher turned first banker
then merchant but still had his
ranch southwest of Ewing. One
of the three sons. May, was
more of a cowboy than a store
clerk, would do anything he
could do on horseback, so when
McClure closed out his store
business and moved the family
to Sioux City May went hack to
the ranch to do the cowboy Himmler*
stuff. While the family still lived in the rooms above
the store a party was held there one evening, and
I, then a young fellow with some elocuitionary train
ing, was one of the entertainers. As I stood there
orating I looked down to see Judge Roberts looking
up at me, and that stiff finger on his right hand
that he could not fold up with the others pointing
right at me. I forgot my talk and sneaked back to
have a laugh. May remained on the ranch for some
time, then married and moved to Wayne where
he died some years ago.
• * •
In business is your ambition just to make money
or is your chief concern to be of service to your
customers? Working for another with an eye on pay
day, or a thought <‘f bow best to serve your em
ployer.
* * *
And God said. "Let there be light, and there
was light," The golden glow of sunlight shines up
there in the sky this morning. And light from out
»f Heaven’s open door shines in my soul another
morning.
• * •
Does work and business problems keep your
nose to the grinding stone? Step out a bright autumn
afternoon and behold that bright blue sky and your
soul will rejoyce in the joy of life and love.
• * *
And now another of an O'Neill pioneer family
is layod to rest in the grave, a daughter of the Dave
Stannard family who with her sister had carried on
a food store business on south Fourth street. The
two sisters made their home there in rooms above
their store, their mother being with them until a
few years ago when she died. Their father had a
stone monument business in the building in the
1880’s and later put in a stock of groceries and fruit.
One Stannard daughter remains to carry on the
business and the family name there on south Fourth
street while others of her parental family are among
the lifeless up on the hill.
As I typewrite today two pioneers of the O’Neill
community stand before me in memory who came
to a regretable end among us. Pat Hagerty was
about the first to open a store or trading post in
the little town that General John O’Neill planted
just north of the Elkhom river. Ilagerty's place of
business was on that comer where now stands the
city’s modem Hotel Golden. The Hagerty store and
building later became the property of the late Joe
Horiskey and was moved just across the street
where it stands today. Hagerty had a quarter sec
tion of land south of town on the southwest limits
of which was a body of water we called Ilagerty’s
Lake, where we youthful squirts fished in the sum
mer and skated in the winter. Hagerty’s first dwell
ing was in the center of town between what are
now Fourth and Fifth streets. He went from his
trading post into the banking business with an as
sociate who brought about a bank failure, and Pat
left the community never to be seen here again.
And some of us shed a tear. Ed Hershiser was
another who left O’Neill to be seen here no more,
a pioneer and served as sheriff in the days of Kid
Wade and Doc Middleton, was considered the best
ever in handling outlaws and the lawless. I saw Ed
at one time take a six shooter from a bronco buster
who had pulled out his gun to shoot the wild little
horse. Hershiser saw it and rushed up and disarmed
that guy and ordered him to turn the bucking bronco
loose. Hershiser eventually came to want with no
means to support his family and they left for parts
unknown. And lie fore me stand today in memory
five pioneer patriots who ended their days in O’
Neill: Frank Campbell, Fred Gatz, Neil Brennan,
John McCafferty and Odie Biglin. And their remains
rest today in the abode of the dead here where they
had lived useful lives.
♦ * •
The airplane depot a few miles out from the
Capital City now has the travelers that once crowded
the railroads depots. And as we drive back to the
city from the airport we stop at a railroad crossing
as a great long freight train rolls by. Freight trains
bxlay as yesterday but few passenger trains. And
if the public wants those passenger trains to con
tinue to come rolling into town they must travel on
them.
* • *
The sunlight falls from the bright blue sky on
buildings lu re in the city grand and high. Out in
the open country on the farms corn fields will soon
give us what it takes to make corn meal mush and
"johnie cake.” Another fruitful season on Prairie
land and now another time of rich brown robing
the far flung landscape. And tonight you may hear
out there the prairie wolves barking in a coming
winter wind.
* * *
Ducks and geese flying south, so winter is just
about due on grass robed Prairieland. Turn on the
heat.
Editorial
The Case of Inherited Relief
From New Jersey there now comes the latest
chapter in the saga of a family tradition as we never
knew it.
A Union County (N. J.t grand jury investigating
the handling of welfare allotment says that one
family has been on relief for four generations.
The jurors quoted one witness—a County Wel
fare Department member as saying he couldn't
estimate the number of families receiving aid for
three of two generations.
Of the four-generation welfare case, the Welfare
Board director, Mrs. Florence Slocum, said “such
a case may exist.”
But, she added, it began as a poor family sup
ported by state aid, which was then inherited by
the county. She said that some of the children, like
their parents, had become welfare charges, and
that some of their offspring also may have been
perpetuated on the welfare rolls.
The jury recommended that the board "use its
authority to demand and secure a more realistic
approach to the program on the part of the staff
... so as to protect the public's rights and inter
ests, as well as those of the welfare applicants and
recipients.”
Remember when we used to be critical of in
herited wealth?
How To Live Without A Budget
We’d like to remind you that our lawmakers
have just set a new peacetime spending record
appropriating $95.8 billion, well over $11 billion
more than the previous peak.
The massive total staggers our imagination.
We were never one for figuring out astronomical
figures. But there is something we’ve discovered,
to our dismay and distress. Of the $95.8 billion,
more than $48 billion has been appropriated for non
military spending as against $47 billion plus for
defense.
So we're going to spend more money running
things at the same old government stand than wTe
spend for our global defense!
The government has lived within its income just
six times in the last 30 years. It’s more than $290
billion in debt—and that debt is an obligation against
every man, woman and child in the country.
Isn't it high time to abandon the ruinous wel
fare state philosophy of the government, and cut
non-essential Federal spending to the bone?
Try The Frontier Want Ads — It Pays !
~ r ,
WHERE OUR
FRIENDLY
SERVICE
MAKES...
BUILDING & LOAN ASSN. _
HOME OFFICE: OMAHA
KIETH ABART Box 642, O'Neill, Nebr.
Frontiers
Ago
.V) YEARS AGO
Jack Thomas, M H. Mc
Carthy, Tom Enright and Arthur
Ryan started out on their annual
duck shoot last Sunday morning
. . . Miss Rose Fallon, daughter;
of Mr. and Mrs. William Fallon I
of this city, who has been taking |
voice culture in Chicago the past j
year and a half, has accepted a j
position with the Chicago Grand
Opera company ami is now with
the company in Philadelphia . . .
The Ewing comet hand will give
public dances at the Fraternal
hall in Ewing . . . 'Hie ladies aid
went out to Mrs. W. A. Gannon’s
last Thursday to spend the day
where they quilted and knotted
comforters . . . The Inman
basketball boys went over to
Page fast Friday afternoon
where they played and lost 23
to 7.
25 YEARS AGO
While out hunting ducks on the
Niobrara river north of Stuart
Monday afternoon, John Montgo
mery, 40. was accidentally shot
and killed . . . Edward Grimes,
Chambers and Vernon L. Holm,
Stuart, have entered two calves
in the Ak-Sar-Ben Livestock and
Horse show . . . Progress on
courthouse makes Holt county
eligible for another PW’A grant
payment . . . Harold Weir has
been appointed clerk of the O’
Neill jx>st office to fill the posi- j
tion vacated by George Me
uariny wno was appuuueu iumi
carrier . . . Melvin Geister has
been elected president of the
newly-organized Spirited Six club
. . . This section of the state was
visited with .31 inch of snow |
Tuesday afternoon . . . Pre
liminary arrangements were
made this week to ship first car
load of 4-H turkeys.
10 YEARS AGO
Stuart Postmaster W. J. Holli
day, died October 20 in the
Veterans hospital at Grand
Island after year’s illness . . .
Nancy Lee Yantzie weds Sam
Derickson October 22 at St.
Patrick’s Catholic church . . .
Eagles cop 21-18 thriller from Ne
ligh . . . Patricia Vandersnick is
installed as president of Ewing
Future Homemakers . . . Phyllis
Carlson, Orchard weds Kenneth
Pollock, Ewing in double ring
ceremony October 21 at the
Christ Lutheran church in O’
Neill . . . Mrs. Vem Sagescr,
Amelia, retiring chairman, hands
over reins to new president, Mrs.
Albert Carson, Redbird, at Holt
County Home Extension club
meeting.
5 YEARS AGO
Neligh defeats OHS Eagles 27-6
. . . The Rev. Ernest G. Smith,
who was ordained at the Luthe
ran church in 1954, to leave for
Ft. Slocum, N. Y., where he is to
enter chaplain’s school as a re
servist . . . Mary Ryan, daugh
ter of Neil B. Ryan, Wednesday
night was crowned homecoming
queen at the St. Mary’s academy!
homecoming ceremonies . . .
Mrs. Julana Kamphaus has pur
chased the Richard Hovey home;
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Johnson
buy residence of Mrs. M. J. Wal
lace . . . High winds made dif
ficult the fighting of spectacular
prairie fires in the Emmet area
Tuesday night and Wednesday
. . . Mrs. Charles Beilin is
elected president of the What
Not Extension club.
I--;
The Long Ago
At Chambers
50 YEARS AGO
The Band Boys have just re
ceived 52 more of those folding
chairs this makes them 100 of
each kind . . . Totten the My
sterious will present an evening
of magic and illusions at the
band hall for 50 cents a ticket;
Mr. Totten has no superior and
few equals in entertainment . . .
Mr. Feyerherm of Amelia is very
ill with typhoid fever . . . Eckley
Brothers are having a close-out
sale of their entire stock of goods
this week . . . The Epworth
League will give a Holloween
Festival October 31 and there
will be a program of real
seasonable mysteries.
&%ure6tord
arm si Fi ed services. d»c.
DEANE ANDERSON
Box Ml O’Neill, Nebr.
25 YEARS AGO
Monday afternoon a fire
started at the Charley Peterson
ranch northwest of Amelia, com
pletely burning the cattle bam
. . . The son of H. M Arnold
whose leg was crushed between
two automobiles was rushed to
Chambers when* he was taken
care of . . . l>r. Oxford was called
to Ewing to officiate at the birth
of a boy October 16 who was bum
to Mr and Mrs James Bennett
. . Holt county will lx* repre
sented by two boys. Edward
Grimes of Chambers and Ver
non llandholm of Stuart, who
have each entered a calf in the
Ak-Sar-lien Livestock and Horse
Show . Miss Rosalie Alderson
yestertiay return'd to Grand
Island to resume her studies in
business college after several
weeks absence from a broken
ankle
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