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RONTIER
"The Voice of the Beef Empire"-North-Central Nebraska's BIGGEST Newspaper
Volume 81—Number 34 O'Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, Thursday, December 14, 1961 Seven Cents
I
Ell (Jl'ISN, S. .1. WEEKS and Claude Hancock are shown here in front of the O’Neill National
Hank Building.
O'Neill National
Bank Passes 60th
Year of Service
By Mr*. N. I). Ickes
The O'Neill National Bank, lo
cated at O’Neill, c<*mty seat of
Holt county, was chartered April
16, 1901 with a capitol of $25,000
The present building has housed
the banking firm since the date
of charter and has served Prai
rieland from the turn of the cen
tury and marked the transition
of farming through a rapid evo
lution from horse-drawn to pow
er machinery that has cataloged
farmers into big-time business
operators.
During that space of time the
credit system and the science
of banking has undergone chan
ge** equal to those in other
fields. With the coming of
spring the O'Neill National
Bank organization anticipate
the building of a modern build
ing at a new and convenient lo
cation.
M. Dowling was the president
of the newly chartered Bank in
1901 and James P O'Donnell was
the first cashier. Messrs M. Dow
ling, I. B. Purcell. T. H. Fowler
C. W Smith and J. F. O’Donnell
constituted the first Board of Di
rectors.
S. J. Weekes was elected cash
ier May 6, 1908 and served as
president from 1920 until his
death in 1941 His widow, Mrs.
Emma D. Weekes took his place
as president from that date until
1946 when F. N. Cronin was
elected and has served since.
Ed Quinn joined the organiza
tion about 1910 and was cashier
until 1947.
Today’s officers are F. N. Cro
nin, .president, J. B. Grady, vice
president, O. D. French, cashier
and W. D. Melena. assistant
cashier.
Together they represent almost
one hundred years of banking ex
perience and are qualified to
help you with your banking prob
lems. Cronin holds seniority with
his 43 years, Grady is second
with 26 years and French and
Melena have fourteen and fif
teen years respectively.
The capital stock has been
raised from the original $25,000
to $100,000 with a $150,000 surplus
and undivided profits to the
amount of $200,546 82 or a grand
total of $450,546
The present board of directors
are: Julius D. Cronin, F. N.
Cronin, J. B. Grady, O. D.
French, Clinton E. Cronin and
Mary I. Cronin.
Chambers Bank
Observes 60th
Year of Service
By Mrs. N. D. Ickes
Congratulations are due the
Chambers State Bank of Cham
bers which is this year celebrat
ing its sixtieth year of service to
the people of Chambers and the
surrounding territory.
The Bank opened for business
November 1, 1901 in the tin-sided
lean-to attached to the Isaac
Baldwin merchantile building.
The Chambers State Bank was
incorporated with fifty shares of
Capital stock to the amount of
$5,000 furnished by J. C. McGo
wan with 35 shares at $100 each
and Isaac Baldwin with the re
maining fifteen shares.
Edward Adams was cashier
with a fifty dollar a month salary.
The assistant cashier, C. L. Mc
Gowan earned half as much.
The first week, Elmer Adams,
Kenneth Adam’s father deposited
$325 and Edward’s mother, Etha
Adams made a $120 deposit.
Business was so slow that a
balance was not taken until Nov.
7 when the eight deposits totaled
$1,529.11. In their sixtieth year
deposits total more than a mil
lion dollars.
By 1904 Edward Adams owned
twenty shares of Capital stock
which he raised to seventy shares
by 1906.
In 1904 the capital stock was
raised to $10,000.00 with the pur
chase of $5,000.00 by J. B. Bar
ney. A few years later capital
stock was listed at $16,000.00
where it remained for some
time.
-1
It'S
choose tne £■- a*our
. Jor anyone ■■ ^qu
Candy Dep«‘ v0u
wiH f."-* l^drehssea up
W*?.:;«iv to please.
we proudly feature PANGBURN’S
at our Candy Department . . .
insirHS^^made
FEATURED BY OUR BETTER CANDY DEPARTMENT
DEVOY REXALL Drug
Bob Devoy, Pharmacist
Open Evenings and Sunday Mornings
O'Neill, Nebr.
In 1916 they built a small
frame structure adjacent to the
Bank and in 1922 the old lean-to
was torn down and a book-keep
er’s room and private office was
added. The masons started lay
ing up brick for the present build
ing the day before the Novem
ber snow storm that triggered
the long remembered 1948-19 win
ter. It was with great difficulty
that the building was finished for
occupancy.
From the beginning the Cham
bers Bank has been an Adams in
stitution with not many outsiders
being employed. Albert Adams,
the eldest son. worked there for
2 years.
W. J. Doherty served as presi
dent from 1918 to 1922. Follow
ing the death of Edward Adams
in 1941, his son, Leo, succeeded
him as president. Ten years lat
er his brother, Glen, became
president. Glen’s son, Ralph, is
cashier. Mrs. Letha Cook is as
sistant cashier.
Leo serves the First National
Bank of Atkinson in the capacity
of vice president. He is still a
stock holder and director of the
Chambers State Bank.
Their mother, Mrs. Sarah
Adams, the family matriarch,
owns the controlling interest in
the Bank. Irwin sold his bank
stock to Jennie and her mother
was heir to her estate. She will
celebrate her 88th birthday an
niversary Christmas eve.
Mr. and Mrs. Adams were the
parents of eleven children, seven
living. They are: Lovena (Mrs.
Jim Grimes), Leona (Mrs. Lloyd
Gleed) and Etha (Mrs. Arthur
Walters), all of Chambers; Wil- -
ma (Mrs. E. J. Salstrand) of
Turlock, Calif.; Leo of Atkinson;
John of Austin, Texas and Glenn
of Chambers. Leo and Leona are
twins.
Deceased members of the fam
ily are: Erwin, Jennie, Albert and
Harold.
The greatest tragidy to be- -
fail the Adams family came with
the news of the execution of their
daughter and sister, Jennie, who .
with sixteen others became cas
ualties of World War II.
Jennie was superintendent of
Emmanuel hospital. Capiz, on the
island of Panay, Phillipine Is
lands from 1923 until the hos
pital personnel were disbanded
by orders of the United States
Army in April, 1942. They were
hiding out in the hills of Hope
vale when they were surprised
by Japanese soldiers and behead- S
ed Dec. 19, 1943.
The present Memorial Baptist
church in Chambers was erected I
as a fitting memorial to her life 1
of sacrifice. Her death was felt j
keenly, not only by her family
and her friends in the Chambers
community but also by those who
valued her ability and respected
her high calling to serve as a
missionary nurse among under
privileged people among whom
she served for twenty years in
the Phillipine Lslarids.
During the sixty years of op
eration the Chambers State Bank
was only closed once and then
by orders from President Roose
velt which declared the historical
important Bank Holiday.
It was a significant fact that
the Chambers State bank was re
opened without restriction. Dur
ing that period of financial cri
ses all small banks in the terri
tory were closed except Cham
bers, Bartlett and Emmet and
many remained closed perman
ently.
Only one foreclosure is re
corded in their sixty years of
business and that was on a team
of horses. It was the policy of
Edward Adams to make a settle
ment with the individual rather
than resort to court action and
that policy has been extended
down through the tenure of his
sons.
On February 1, 1933 an incident
occurred at the Bank that you
hear and read about and hope
it never will happen to you.
Just as the blinds were being
drawn and preparations were be
ing made to close the door for
the day a man stepped into the
room and spoke the warning
sentence "this is a hold-up" and
asked them to line up and pre
cede him into the back room.
He backed his words with a
drawn gun and there seemed
nothing to do but obey.
CAiWdiUb nuauib, until ail OiU
man, had registered reluctance
and was the last to obey orders
and as he went by the fellow he
grabbed the gun barrel and his
wrist and with the help of his
sons, Leo and Jack they dis
armed him and notified the sher
iff to come and get him.
The would-be bank robber
served nine of his fifteen year
sentence and admitted some fill
ing station robberies previous to
this attempt. He was a veteri
narian from Platte Center in
search of funds.
Even a bank can be a family
affair. Many of the Adams fam
ily who have not settled on bank
ing as a career have worked for
varying .periods of time. Leona
took Leo’s place while he went
to college. Both Lovena’s son
and daughter, Edward and Lela
Grimes did an apprenticeship
there.
Try The Frontier Want
Ads — It Pays I
ROYAL THEATRE
Thursday, Dec. 14
Family Night
THIEF OF BAGDAD
Steve Reeves
n Eastman Color & Cinemascope j
’’ri.-Sat. Dec. 15-16
Double Feature
MAGIC BOY
— also —
THE SECRET OF
MONTE CRISTO
Rory Calhoun
•un.-Mon.-Tues. Dec. 17*18-19
CLAUDELLE INGUSH
>iane McBain Arthur Kennedy j
Pill Hutchins Claude Akins
Constance Ford
■ . -- !
Brack's
i
Morningside Chocolate
Covered
CHERRIES
2lb FRUIT CAKE 94' |
A Poem
From Mrs. Eby...
—This changing World—
There’s always been a few men
denying God's existence, but
now many act and live with,
persistence,
Yes the communists deny there’s
a God above, who, though we
make mistakes, is a God of
love.
They believe find teach a law of
their own, will fill the bill once
the old laws overthrown.
Thus finding themselves without
a God or religion. Relegating
the Bible as old wives’ tradition
Without moral law foundations
would fall, science is fine but
our God planned it all.
We must recognise God's place
in creation, if we re to survive
as a Christian nation.
We must bear witness without
hesitation, that all mural law
has a religious foundation.
It's our duty to know through
study and prayer, as American
founders laid the groundwork
there.
When millions came to our
sliores for freedom, and hope
to live their lives free from
tyranny’s yoke
To worship God as they felt right,
to have peace and Joy instead
of fight.
We must still be dauntless, Oh,
yes, and bold, still preaching
Christ like Paul of old.
Only in this way shall we pre
serve our moral tradition, to
show God is real not an old
superstition. Thus our country
was born and still is alive, and
without this truth we can not |
survive.
(Della Stuart Eby) I
- ' n ^ —i ... S Jt 5
Inman Nev/s
lit Mrs Jinitr* McVtahu
Mr and Mrs Caster Pribil left
Tuesday for National City, Calif
where th«>y will visit Mr and
Mrs. Gifford Kivett and other
relatives and friends
Robert Rriiner*. I SMC, ar
rived Sunday to spend a leave
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs
Chris Keimers B«»b has been
stationed at Twenty Vine Palms.
Calif., and will now be station
ed ai Philadelphia. Pa.
Mrs Violet Stewart returned
Tuesday from Atkinson Memor
ial hospital where she was a mod
ical patient.
The following attended a Chris
mas party and dinner for the
help at St. Anthony’s hospital
Monday evening. Mrs W. E
Kelley. Mrs. W J. Gallagher,
Mrs James Coventry. Mrs. James
Sobotka, Kay Kelley, Barbara
Keil, Sharon Michaelis and Ruth
Ann Hansen.
Violet, Rufus and Sjellen
Sholes spent Wednesday evening
with Mrs. Sarah Sholes at Elgin
David Sobotka, Norfolk Junior
college student, spent the week
DANCE
TUESDAY, DEC. 26
American Leffion Ballroom
JESS GAYER
and His Orchestra
ADMISSION: $1.00
Sponsored by
Sf. Mary 's Alumni
__ JPUJT* > t > a
end visiting his parents Mr ami
Mrs Lewis Sobotka
Mr amt Mrs James Ktv4es ami
Snellen visited his mother. Mr*
Sarah Shales Sunday
Kieth Kivett, Wayne Teachers
college student, *>ent the week
end with his parents, Mr. and
Mrs Vaden Kivett.
Harold Sobotka, Valentine »|>ent
the weekend visiting his father
John Sobotka.
Marilyn Siders amt Gene But
terfield. Grand Island business
college students, s|**M the week
end with their parents. Mrs Hay
Siders and Mr and Mrs Bill
Butterfield.
Mrs Attuna Belik returned
Thursday from Antelope Mentor
tal hospital, where she w..s a
medical patient for a lew days.
Joe Peters. Norfolk, atient a
couple of days last week with his
family.
Mm Violet Stewart entered At*
kmaon Memorial tsugatal Satur
day (dr medical treatment.
lOOF Uidge met Tuesday eve
ning at the (tall for their regu
uar aeaaion The following officer*
wrie elected for the canning
year, Tom Eng lri taiga, Nt«hle
Grand, Marvin Rouse, Vice
Grant!. Kart Keyra. Secretary,
Ira Wataon, Treaaurer anti John
BfMnckhurat, Trustee for a 3 year
term Leon Sargent, Paul Shan
ner and llerley Jones of O'Neill
were viaitom
Mr anti Mrs Don Kelley a ml
daughters. Norfolk, spent the
weekend visiting Mr, and Mr*
W F Kelley and family
Phone Your News to
The Frontier
Phone 788
TO SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS
365 DAYS OF THE YEAR GIVE THE
World-Herald
CHRISTMAS
SPECIAL
For Rural Readers
Call Collect
Mary Ellenwood, or Milo Hupp, Atkinson
Or See Francis Matthews, O'Neill
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE
J‘ . X
I Saturday, Dec. 16
j; ]f
c \ THE JOLLY OL' FELLOW, busy as he is, wants to greet all the ,?
Y small fry in the O'Neill area at the O'Neill Public School at 2 p.m. •
j' HE'LL BE LADEN with treats for the kiddies . . . he'll want to ; w
j‘ spend a few moments with all the youngsters-learning their « ,
^ wants. ‘ w
I ATTENTION KIDS: Better be able to report to Santa that you've
been good boys and girls and can qualify for gifts you're going
to ask for.
Santa's Visit Is Under the Auspices of the—
O'Neill Chamber of Commerce