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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 1962)
Section Two Four Pages "The Voice of the Beef Empire"-North-Central Nebraska's BIGGEST Newspaper _Volume 82—Number 15 O'Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, Thursday, August 2, 1962 Seven Cents " ——^- _ — - .. ... - .. . -- .. -- First Home a Dugout For Della Stuart Eby In this article, Mrs. Della Stuart Eby, O’Neill, tells of her childhood years in the Spring view area of Nebraska. My parents decided to take the admonition given by Horace Gree ley seriojsly — “Go West Young Man and Grow up with the Coun try.” So in 1884, they moved when I was just two years old, and it almost seems incredible that I should remember some of the things I do. This proves to me that the impressions made on the baby mind can linger through Methodist WSCS Rummage Sale August 16-17-18 Old Murray Bldg. so many years—seventy some years, as in the case of this wri ter. My father shipped west with some other Illinois people. This was the spring of 1884. My mo ther, sister, Olive Mae, four years old and myself, two years old, waited at the home of my maternal grandfather, Dr. E. R. Boardman at Elmira, 111., until my father provided us living quarters. David M. Stuart, my father, rode in an immigrant car along with all his possessions, as did the others going west. He, with several other men in the group, dug a big hole in the side hill. Then they drove to the Niobrara river and got pine logs for a roof, and over these they placed deep layers of sod closely packed. I have no memory of the trip out by train with my mother and sister, but I do remember getting off the train at Bassett, t he homestead daddy had taken was in Key a Paha County, seven miles east of Springview. My father met us with mules and a covered wagon. I remem ber when we reached our des tination and the funny little home. Daddy had dug a well in a low place near the dugout, just the depth of a spade, handle and all. We got water by dropping a pail and pulling it up by a rope. My father had included in the conglomerated mess of things in the immigrant car, a breaking plow and several sacks of good Illinois seed corn, which he learned to his sorrow, was not adapted to high dry Nebraska prairie land. But like all new settlers, he lived to learn. My mother, a girl raised in a home of culture, had never had to take the hard knocks of life, but she had the kind of stuff it took for early settlers, and as my father broke the sod, she followed with a spade, making a hole and drop ping the seed by hand. All her life she carried scars on the soles of her feet from that spade. My folks found that the old stork would soon be coming up the trail and some sort of a more adequate house had to be built. Daddy began hauling logs from the Niobrara, going one day, cut ting trees for the log cabin, spending another day digging lit tle trees for oar tree claim and the third day coming home. I knew what those long lonely days meant to my mother. But if there was fear or regret in her heart those dear old brown eyes never revealed it to her children. I well remember hearing her tell of sitting all night at a little window with her trusted little revolver in her hand. A pack of hungry prairie wolves had gotten on the roof of the dugout, and she did not know when they would work through the sod roof, bat she felt quite safe as she watched her babies. To her ut ter dismay the next morning she discovered her gun was not load ed. After many trips to the tim ber or logs and to the railroad for three windows, the little two room cabin wa* completed. The season was very dry and that precious one-hundred acres of sod corn barely fed the mules through the winter. My father then was compelled to seek em ployment away from home to keep ihe wolf away from the door, lie worked for Bill Pow ell in a livery barn in Spring view. On March 8, 1885, the stork left us a 12-poand boy, who was named Merrell M. Stuart. I re member daddy getting us two girls up in the middle of the night and taking us to another settler by the name of Jake Rugar, sev eral miles away, and leaving us with the husband, taking the wife home with him to help with the delivery. The stork did not bring along a doctor to deliver the baby. Since the nearest doc tor was at Niobrara, my father and the part Negro woman did the task. The little newcomer was so large and was slow in deciding he wanted to live in a log cabin in Nebraska. I have heard that brave little mother of mine say that the baby was nearly still born. She got up and put her mouth to his, forcing him to ex pand and contract his lungs, and spanking him, as she -had seen I COMPARE... IF YOU DARE! FOR PLENTY OF DEPENDABLE HOT WATER ... *°£krtAk. “ELECTRIC” WATER HEATING IS ECONOMICAL! WE ASK YOU-COMPARE ... IF YOU DARE! Here's two good reasons why we ask that you compare the operating costs of an ELECTRIC water heater to that of flame type heaters. [Q Nebraskans new enjoy the 5th lowest (5] Plus ... Consumers offers a special LOW ELECTRIC RATES in the nation. rate for electric water So • • • GO ELECTRIC ... you save all ways! SS <C CONSUMERS!!!, ELECTRIC DEALER _ _ her doctor father do, until the baby finally cried. Mother’* health was never good after that. Well, since we are on the sub ject of the stork, the contanker ous old bird remembered the trail and just twenty-two months later, he buzzed over and left us another boy. This one was nam ed Orlo, who later in life became known to all as “Stub”. The stork again arrived without sufficient help and my father again filled in. My mother’s health was so impaired that it was decided she should go home for a few months to be with her doctor father and the big old home on Medical Hill at Elmira, 111 There, we remained for six months. As soon as grandfather decided mother was able to re turn to Nebraska, nothing could hold her. In our absence my father had been working in Springview. When we got home, the mules were gone, but he had gotten a cow, tor grandfather had insisted we children must have milk to drink Une year while an the home stead, the folks planted a lot of watermelons. They did so well, mother cut up the melons ami boiled the juice down until it was syrup, and I can remem ber how good it tasted on corn meaJ pancakes. In the fall alter our return from Illinois, daddy built a sod kitchen on the side of our log cabin. It just had a dirt floor and though mother swept very carefully, that tloor wore down until the stove , and table were so high, we could hardly reach them That year mother held the claim while my father worked in Springview for M. T. Roland in his general store. Mother would take him in on Sunday evening and go for him the following Sat urday night. This was the time of the vigilantes. I remember one evening a man rode into our place and told mother to get him something to eat, and to hurry. Mother told him she would give him some food, .but that he could not stay since she was alone with four little children. He ate and rode on. He was later killed in the Springview jail by a mob. Motner never went to the door without her revolver when she was alone. I remember distinctly one bright moonlight night, a man rode up to our bedroom win dow and pounded on the window with his riding crop. We awaken ed and he told us he wanted to stay the night. Mother told him she was alone with four children and could not keep him, but that there was a place about two miles 'up the road where he might stay. He began to unsaddle his horse, and said he was dead tired and so was his horse, and he was staying. j Mother walked up to the win dow and flashed her revolver in the moonlight and said, “Mister just put that saddle back on your horse, you’re not staying here. This gun is loaded and I know how to use it.’’ He stood for a minute, saddled up and went on. About an hour later our door, which of course had no lock, flew open. Mother thought the traveler had returned, but the prairie wind was the intruder. When we returned from Illi nois, the problem of school for us girls had to be faced. The Pine Camp school, three miles away, had been organized. Mo ther walked about a mile with us, carried the baby and led my older brother. Then she sat down and watched until we reached the school house. In the evening, she would walk to the same point and watch for us. One day I was sick in school, just a stomach ache. Our teacher, Mr. Worley, just over from Eng land, made a bed on a bench un til school was out, then he car ried me all the way home. A few nights later mother was taken very sick — heart attack. She awakened my sister and me, and told us we would have to go to the neighbors for help. I was to go to the nearest neighbor, Just a mile away, and my sister, the other way—south to Perry Wil kins, about two miles. We knew nothing of fear so we started out. Mother told us if we met anyone, just to say that our mother was very sick and alone, and that we were going for help. Mr. Cum mings came to the door and soon had a team ready, then he and Mrs. Cummings put me in the big wagon and we were soon home. Mr. Cummings then went to Springview for daddy and a doctor. My sister had also reach ed another neighbor’s house and they soon came. In ttfter /ears, I asked my mother why she sent us separately for help. She said if ever a soul prayed she did as she saw her two little girls trudge out into the dark alone. After the illness, mother con sented to move to Springview for the school year and just spend three months out on the the claim, which she did until the proof was made. Then the irony of it was, the land was sold for taxes. The folks did not consider it worth paying taxes on. The winter after we moved to Springview was the year of the long remembered blizzard of 1888, which story I well remember distinctly, with its thrills and chills and frozen hands, but that is another story. Try The Frontier Want Ads — It Pays I r* Inman News By Mr*. Jitinr* McMahan Mr. and Mrs. Earl White, Fort Collins, Colo., came Thursday to visit Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Abney. They left Saturday for Muinesuta where they will visit other re latives. Mr White is a brother of Mrs. Abney. Mr. and Mrs. William Moulds, Yetter, la., spent the weekend visiting Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Ab ney. Sunday dinner guests of Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Abney were Mr. and Mrs. William Moulds, Yetter, la., and Mr. and Mrs. Tom Kelly and family, Page. Douglas Matschullat, Page, spent Saturday night with his un cle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Al bert Anthony and family. Mr. and Mrs. Don Kelley and family, Norfolk, visited Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. W. E. K> I • and family. Ronald Coventry, Norfolk, spent Wednesday and Thursday visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ken neth Coventry and Bob. Charles Young, who has been employed near Culbertson return ed home Saturday. Mrs. R. iB. South is a medical patient at St. Anthony’s hospital, O’Neill. Ned Kelley, Lincoln, spent the weekend visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Kelley and fam Uy and other friends and rela tives. Mrs. Larry William** and daughter. Orchard, visited Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Couch, Friday af ter noon. Mr. and Mrs. John Mattson and Mrs. James McMahan spent Thursday m Sioux CKy. ia., ami Lyons, Nebr., where they visited Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Gates. Mr and Mrs. Vena* Green and son, Sioux City, are spending a few days visiting Mrs. Green’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. D. Hut ton. Mr. and Mrs. Bob Burival and son and Mr and Mrs. Art Hols and daughter, O'Neill, visited Fri day evening with Mr. and Mrs. Howard Jackson and Billy. Mr. and Mrs Ivan Couch spent tlie weekend at their home here. They were enroute from Sterling to Lexington where they will be employed. Norbert Clurk returned home Saturday from St. Anthony's hos pital where he had been a med ical patient for a few days Mr. and Mrs. Albert Reynolds and daughters were Sunday eve ning dinner guests of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Hull, Lynch. The occa sion was the birthday anniver sary of Mr. Hull. Mr and Mrs. Jimmie George, High Point, W. Va. and Mr. and Mrs. Bert Reynolds, Neligh, vis ited Mr. and Mrs. Albert Rey nolds and family Saturday eve ning. A group of friends honored Mr. and Mrs. Howard Jackson at a housewarming Saturday evening. The group presented a gift to Mr, and Mrs. Jackson bunch was served at the close of the evening Mrs. Bonnie Buhl man and son returned to their home in Lin coln Friday alter spending a few days visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Banks and Ro ger. CWO Lor in Keyes left Sunday evening for Hawaii, where he is stationed with the Army, after via' iting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Keyes, for several days Neil and Ann Kelley, Colum bus, spent the weekend visiting Mr and Mrs W. K Kelley and family. Tina Sanders, O'Neill, is spend ing a few days with her grand mother, Mrs. J. B. Peters and Larry. Bill DeLong, Rock Rapids, la., spent the weekend visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Merle De Long. Mr. and Mrs. DeLong re turned to Rock Rapids with BUI Sum!ay evening and will visit Mr. and Mrs. Floyd DeLong for a few days. DR. D. E. DAVID OPTOMETRIST Complete Visual Cure Contact lease! By Appointment Phone tlSl SliMMr, Nebraska Good Reading for the Whole Family •News •Facts •Family Features GALLAGHER GALLAGHER CLOSING OUT Because of the death of my husband I am unable to continue our farming operation and will offer for sale to the highest bidder at public auction the following described personal property at the farm LOCATED ... 3 miles west of the O'Neill Drive-In theatre, 8 north and % west . . . OR . . . from Spencer dam 13 miles south, 3 west, 2 south and % west . . . OR . . . from Atkinson 13 east of NE corner, 4 north and % west (watch for Farm Sale Arrows) on . . . Tuesday, Aug* 7 Sale starts at 1 p.m. Lunch at Sale MACHINERY & MISCELLANEOUS F-20 Tractor with 3-rake hitch attached, on rubber 1952 AC WD tractor in good shape on good rubber 1945 JD "A" tractor with pow er troll, fluid in tires and anti freeze. All in excellent con dition Case VAC tractor Old Case tractor 2-row corn planter for "C" 2-row lister Cable rack with duals on rear 9- ft. J. D. No. 8 tractor mower with 3-point hitch 3 — 12-ft. hay rakes Hay cage on rubber Do-All loader with sweep head, pushoff, manure scoop and grapple fork 12-ft. AC disc 10- ft. disc Tractor chains 2 — Hydraulic cylinders New heavy duty hydraulic jack Truck chains Some 9-ft. J. D. sickles Oil and cream cans, some con taining new oil Feed Bunk Some steel posts Lots of woven wire in good shape High wheel wagon gear Good Stock Saddle Road drag Wagon gear and box 2 — Repeating shotguns 15-ft. chest type home freezer, nearly new 1961 International Pickup l-H 100 l/z - ton with deluxe cab, rear bumpers, radio, new combination grain and stock rack, locked rear end, trailer hitch, only 11,000 actual miles and like new About 500 bu. Com 12 Muscovy ducks 7 Geese Forney electric welder, cable and lots of welding rods EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE AS SORTMENT OF GOOD SHOP TOOLS, PARTS AND REPAIRS LOTS OF OLD IRON AND OLD MACHINERY Electric air compressor with paint spray attachment Power hack saw Bench grinder l/2-in. electric drill Power jig saw Portable electric saw — Good Power table saw Battery electric fencer Vise Buzz Saw Blade — Good 2 — Dehorners Good tap and die set Some barrels Post drill Forge New gas tank heater Good tractor winch Electric breast drill Propane weed burner and tank Many other articles too numer ous to mention TERMS: CASH. No property to be removed until settled for Mrs. Robert Gallagh r Roy Kirwan, Ed Thorin, Chuck Mahony auction service, Butte and O'Neill
