Nebr. State Historical Society
i
VOL. NO. LI
PLATTSMOUTH, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1935.
NO. 4
Mrs. G. K. Staats
is Called to Last
Rest Monday
Resident Here for Past Fifty Years
and a Lady Loved and Honored
by All ho Knew Her.
Mrs. Geo. K. Staats. for many years
a resident of Plattsmouth, passed
away at her home Monday evening,
February 11th at 8:15.
Anna Gertrude Porter was born at
Spring Lake Township near Pekin,
Illinois, December 12th, 1855. She
was educated in the local schools un
til her mother passed away, when she
kept house for her father and cared
for her younger Bister for several
years.
On August 26, 1885 she was united
in marriage to George King Staats,
and came to this city, where she and
her husband have made their home
ever since. The children cf this union
are Clarence V. of Seattle, Washing
ton and Pearle of this city. They
with the husband mourn the loss of
a loving mother and wife. She Is
also survived by one brother, A. W.
Porter of Washington. 111., one sister,
Mrs. Etta Heck, of Pekin, 111., many
nieces, nephews, and cousins, most
of whom live in Illinois. There are
also two granddaughters, Jane and
Ruth Virginia Staats of Seatle.
Mrs. Staats, early in life, united
with the Reformed Church of her
community, and .transferred her
membership to the First Presbyterian
church here shortly after she became
a resident of Plattsmouth, so that
until her passing she was one of the
oldest members in length of mem
bership. Hit interests centered in her
church and her home, but broadened
to include the progress of her coun
try and the world at large. Her aim
was to serve and she served well
whenever and wherever she had an
opportunity. A radio pastor said re
cently that the crime and troubles of
our world are due largely to the
fact that parents are failing to hold
aloft the torch of Christian truth
and faith. But Mrs. Staats kept her
torch of truth and faith ever flam
ing and passed it on to her children
' as a heritage which she desired them
to keep burning.
Thus in the evening of her life at
the close of a beautiful day she went
to rest after a life of sweet service
to those who knew her best.
The funeral of Mrs. Staats will be
held on Wednesday afternoon at 2
o'clock from the Sattler funeral home
at Fourth and Vine streets.
RAISES JURISDICTION QUESTION
The matter of Jurisdiction over
the transient camp north of thia city
was brought up today at the court
house as the result of a complaint
made yesterday against two young
men there who were charged with
tailing the property of other mem
bers of the camp.
The complaint was made to the
offic3 of Sheriff Homer Sylvester as
to the theft of the articles and he
requested to take up the matter. The
men were sought to be arraigned
here before the local courts. The
question had arisen by the court as
to whether camp was under the Juris
diction of the county or under that
of the federal government and
whether or not the defendants be
turned over to the federal author
ities in the federal court at Omaha.
The question of Jurisdiction was
also raised in the matter of the quar
antining of the camp when the Juris
diction of the city or county was
questioned and In which case would
point to the fact that the handling
of the case was a matter for the fed
eral authorities to take up.
HOLD FAMILY DINNER
A very enjoyable dinner was giv
en at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John
Gochenour Sr., Sunday, February 10,
in honor of Mrs. W. M. Sheldon of
Oshkosh, Nebr. Those present were
Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Warner and
daughter of Lincoln; Mr. and Mrs.
Wm. Gochenour and family, Mr. and
Mrs. John Gochenour, Jr., and fam
ily, Ruby Sheldon, Henry Ro-er, and
Elmer and Agnes Gochenour.
Later In the afternoon Mr. and
Mrs. John Royer and family and Mr.
and Mrs. Ed Rice and daughter drop
ped In to visit. A very delightful
time was had by all.
WILL BE OPERATED ON
The members of the Gradoville
family here have received word that
Catherine, eldest child of Dr. and
Mrs. Charles M. Gradoville cf Knox
ville, Iowa, had been taken to the
hospital at Des Moines, where she
will be operated on at once. The
young lady is suffering from appen
dicitis and which requires an Im
mediate operation. Three of the
younger children of the family are
now suffering from an attack of
measies at their home.
Negative Result
in Tests for Men
ingitis Carriers
Tests Made of Parties Fail to Reveal
Any Germs or Traces of Their
Being Carriers.
Saturday afternoon a test was
madi cf one of the residents of this
city who has had contact with all
but one of the cases that have de
veloped in this city of meningitis.
This man had been making his home
at the residence where two of the
cases developed, he had been spend
ing some time at the garage where
another of the parties had been and
another of those taken with the mal
ady had been riding with him on a
truck a great deal of the time Just
before taking the malady.
The cultures were taken of the
man's throat and nasal passages
and the tests at the University hos
pital at Omaha failed to reveal any
trace of the meningitis germs that
might mark the man as a carrier.
The task of isolating the carriers is
a difficult one as the parties who may
be carriers are wholly unaware of
this fact and only tests can reveal
the possible fact that they are car
riers. Several others who have been near
the parties taking the malady were
also subject to examinations but no
carrier was revealed in the tests
made.
W. R. C. INSTALLS OFFICERS
The Woman's Relief Corps Satur
day afternoon held their installation
of officers for the ensuing year at
their rooms in the court house, the
installation being conducted by Mrs.
Val Burkle, past president, in a very
impressive manner.
The officers installed were as fol
lows: President Mrs. J. H. McMaken.
Senior Vice-President Mrs. C. C.
Cotner.
Junior Vice-President Mrs. Kate
Morgan.
Chaplain Mrs. C. F. Glaze.
Secretary Mrs. L. B. Egenberger.
Treasurer Mrs. Val Burkle.
Conductress Mrs. Martha Peter
sou. Patriotic Instructor Mrs. Frank
Mullen.
Guard Mrs. Mary Spenser.
Color Bearers Miss Ella Kennedy,
Mrs. George Fornoff, Mrs. Justus
Lillie, Sr., Mrs. Lois Troop.
Delegates to state convention
Mrs. J. H. McMaken and Mrs. Lois
Troop.
MRS. GEORGE BALLANCE
Mrs. George Ballance, 81, died
Monday evening, Jan. 2S, at her
home, 532 No. 24th street, Lincoln,
of heart disease. She had lived in
Lincoln twenty-five years. Born in
Ohio, 6he came to Plattsmouth at the
age of 5, and was married there Sept.
9, 1S75. Plattsmouth was her home
until 1910, when the family removed
to Lincoln.
Surviving Mrs. Ballance are her
husband; a son, Ed F. Ballance ot
Kansas City; two daughters, Mrs.
Ray O. Wagner of Lincoln, and Mrs.
H. L. Zetterman of Topele, U.; and a
sister, Mrs. Robert Ballance of Bax
ter Springs, U. Funeral services were
held Thursday morning at Troyers,
Rev. Ira W. Kingsley officiating, and
burial was at Plattsmouth.
DOES A FINE JOB
John C. Brittaln and sons. Earl
and Clyde, have Just completed a
fine Job of renovating at the stores
of the Fetzer Shoe Co., and the
Black & White grocery. They have
cleaned the steel celling and walls of
the rooms and left them In very fine
shape and making them most attrac
tive to the eye and bright and at
tractive In every way.
-V.
' r
Richard Brunb Hauptmann, Bronx carpeitei;' vto was found guilty of kidnaping
and murdering the Lindbergh baby by a j iry of eight men and four women, last
night, after a sensational trial lasting mor: than a month. The jury did not recom
mend clemency and Judge Trenchard sen enced Haupmann to death by electrocu
tion during the week of March 1 8. Bruno received the verdict in silence.
Local School
to Participate in
Omaha Tourney
High School Basketball Team to Take
Part in Omaha Tourney This
Year Instead of Falls City
The Plattsmouth high school bas
ketball quintet this season will par
ticipate in the tournament held at
Omaha instead of making the long
trip to Falls City where the south
eastern tourney will be held.
The decision of the Omaha schools
to participate in the state meet this
year will mean the holding cf one of
the legional tournaments there and
in which the Platters have decided
to enter. The distance to Falls City
is such that it requires a great deal
of time and wear on a team to make
the journey and then enter into the
play or else rsniain over to play their
games. The location of the tourney
at Nebraska City made it possible
for the teams from this part of the
district to attend with ease, but the
change makes it much more conven
ient for the locals to go into the Om
aha struggle.
The locals have had an in and out
season and the matter of their show
ing at the regional tournament will
depend largely on the teams that they
may be pitted against. Several out
side teams will participate in the
Omaha meet as well as the North,
South, Central, Benson. Nebraska
Deaf schools. Creighton Prep will be
one of the teams selected from the
state at large.
POSTPONE PLAY
The play to have been presented
by the Mynard Community club on
Wednesday an Thursday of this week
has been indefinitely postponed. This
is made owing to the sickness in this
community which has caused the
committee to feel that it might be
best to take this action.
The play will be presented later
and the public will receive due no
tice through the Journal of the dates
on which "The Mirage" will be given.
- r xi ' rl . v.'-i -----1
Notice, Ticket Holders
Mynard Community Show
The lynard Community club show,
scheduled for presentation February
13-14 and 1S-19, is being postponed,
due to request of large number of the
ticket holders, until thai prevailing
meningitis tituation is fully under
control. The club is taking this action
as a health safeguard, and trusts all
purchasers of tickets will accept its
action as taken for the best interests
of the community at large.
Due notice will bo given of the
later rates when the show will be pre
sented. COMMITTEE.
PREPARE FOR WOLF HUNT
The wolf hunt that will be held on
Sunday is being planned by the com
mittee in charge who will endeavor
to rid the territory south of the scene
of last week's hunt, of any of the
coyotes or wolves.
The north side of the square will
be at Mynard, the east at the Hi
Way garage just south of this city,
the west at the farm of Jake Hild
west of Mynard and the south sie
at the farm of John Hobscheidt south
of Murray. This will take in practi
cally the same amount of territory
as the hunt of last week and it is ex
pected that from 700 to 1,000 of the
residents of this part of the county
will take part.
ENJOY FAMILY PARTY
The home of Mr. and Mrs. V. T.
Am was the scene of a very pleasant
family gathering on Sunday when a
number of the relatives were enter
tained at dinner honoring Mr. and
Mrs. Amos Anderson of Brule, Ne
braska, who stopped here on their
v.-ay to New York for a short visit.
They visited here with the Am fam
ily and Mrs. Minnie Anderson, moth
er of Mr. Anderson and who makes
her home with the daughter, Mrs.
Arn. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Anderson
and Benjamin Anderson of Union
were here to enjoy the family party
as was Miss Marjorie Arn, who Is en
gaged in teaching in the Alvo schools.
Journal ads bring you news of
timely bargains. Read them I
1
Funeral of Thos.
Pittman Held at
Avoca Sunday
Resident of Nebraska Since 1876 Is
Laid to Rest at Mt. Pleasant
Cemetery Near Nehawka.
The fUDeral service of the late
Thomas Pittman, 79, was held on
Sunday at Avoca from the First
Christian church of which he hadi
been a long time member. Rev. Wil
liam A. Taylor, of Union, preached
the sermon.
Mr. Pittman lived in Avoca and
Nehawka, Neb., until last summer
when, because of his condition and
the blindness of his wife, the couple
moved to Omaha. Cause of death was
cancer.
He was born in Corydon, Ind.,
March 13, 1855, and grew to man
hood in that community. On Novem
ber 3, 1S75, he married Sarah Smoots
and the couple came to Nebraska to
make their home, settling in Waco.
They later moved to Nehawka and
then to Avoca.
Besides his widow Mr. Pittman is
survived by five children, Mrs. Laura
Fleshman and Mrs. Hattie Chapman!
of Nehawka; Corda Pittman of
Plattsmouth; Ward Pittman of Om
aha and Marion Pittman of Avoca.
A sister, Mrs. Hattie Sutphen and a
brother, C. W. Pittman, also survive.
Three daughters, Arilla, Julia and
Anna, died in infancy.
Mr. Pittman was a member of the
I. O. O. F. lodge for 35 years and
a life-long member of the Christian
church.
Interment was made In Mount
Pleasant cemetery at Nehawka.
VISIT AT LINCOLN
rrom Tuesday's DaHv
This afternoon Mrs. Otto E. Lutz
and daughter, Marylin, John Lutz.
and M. D. Brown departed for Lin
coln where they spent a few hours i
with Otto Lutz at the U. S. Veterans'
hospital. Mr. Lutz is showing a nice
progress and the relatives are hope
ful that he may soon be able to re
turn home.
SHOWING NICE RECOVERY
The many friends of Otto E. Lutz
will be pleased to learn that he is
doing very nicely at the U. S. Vet
erans' hospital at Lincoln where he
was operated on the past week. Mr.
Lutz was operated on for appendi
citis from which he has been a suf
ferer for a period of years and which
finally became so severe as to make
an operation necessary. A number
of the relatives and friends were at
Lincoln Sunday to enjoy a visit with
Mr. Lutz.
High School is
Preparing for De
clamatory Work
Winners of Local Contest, Feb. 28,
Will Go to Sub-District Contest
at Auburn in March.
The declamatory season is now
opening among the schools of the
state and in particular in the 2nd
District Declamatory Association of
which Plattsmouth is a member. For
the past several years, Plattsmouth
students have won a large share of
honors in the various contests spon
sored by the association. Three
plaques representing championships
in the Southeastern Sub-district hang
on the auditorium walls.
This year, 19 students are working
in the four fields: Oratory, Extem
poraneous, Dramatic and Humorous
reading, under the direction of Mr.
Wayne Alvord, of the history depart
ment who has charge of the dramatic
and declamatory work. The local
contest has been set for the evening
of Fabruary 28. Winners of the local
contest will represent the school in
the sub-district contest to be held at
Auburn the latter part of March. Due
to the large number of students par
ticipating In declamatory. Mr. Star
rett. Miss Beighley and Mr. Patter
son l ave been assisting Mr. Alvord.
Only one veteran of last j-ear's sub
district contest is entered this year,
Fred Fricke who will compete in the
oratorical section. Others in this sec
tion are Lois Meade and Amber
Bonier. In the extemporaneous sec
tion are four girls: Eleanor Minor,
Bessie Carey , Jane Boedeker and
Naomi Day.
In the Humorous reading the fol
lowing are competing: Joan Hall,
Sybil Geist, LaRue Bomer, Edna Mae
Peterson, Betty Kalina, Carolyn
Heigl. In the Dramatic section: June
Geist. John Nottelman, Velma Ed
wards, Ruth Stutsman, Avis Sylvester
and Inez Drucker.
Beside the splendid showing made
in declamatory in the past in com
petition with other schools, a large
number of individual student are
annually given the benefit of this fine
training which after all is the main
justification for work of this kind.
It is hoped that a large audience will
be present on the evening of the local
contest.
VISITS IN CITY
Monday afternoon Ben A. Olive.
Sterling Amick and Seward Day,
prominent residents of Weeping Wa
ter, were in the city to spend a short
time looking after some business and
visiting with their many friends.
The gentlemen are prominent fig
ures in the American Legion organ
ization of Weeping Water and Cass
county and Mr. Olive a former county
commander. The fine record that Mr.
Olive made as the Cass county com
mander has caused his friends over
the district to urge that he permit
the use of his name as a candidate
for the position of district command
er and for which office he will no
doubt receive the support of all of
the world war veterans in Cass coun
ty. MRS. WALTERS ILL
Mrs. Emil Walters, residing in the
northwest portion of the city, has
been quite seriously ill for the past
several days, suffering apparently
from a, general breakdown. Last
evening her daughter, Mrs. Mar
guerite Johnstone with Mr. John
stone, arrived by auto from Sheridan,
Wyoming, to be here with the moth
er. Another daughter from Califor
nia is expected here within the next
two days to join the members of the
family at the bedside ot the mother.
Rotarians and
Ladies Enjoy a
Pleasant Time
Musical ProgTara Given by Knofiicek
Family; Address by R. Foster
Patterson, Last Evening.
From Wfdnt-sclay s Dally
Last evening the members of tie
Plattsmouth Rotary !ub and their
ladies enjoyed a most pleasant even
ing at the parlors of the First Mth
odist church, the event being the
Rotary Ann meeting of the club.
The members found that the So
cial Workers of the church had ar
ranged a charming setting fur the
dinner, the decorations being a com
bination of the Lincoln clay and
Valentine season, tiny log cabins ami
the red hearts entering into the
decorations of the table. The laciies
doing the serving were also gowned
in costumes of the colonial period to
add to the attractiveness of the oc
casion. President L. O. Minor j. resided
over the meeting and the members of
the party were led in the songs by
George Jaeger, song leader of Rotary.
The program leader was Judge A.
H. Duxbury, who presented a f.nf
and interesting program for the en
tertainment of the guests.
A delightful musical program had
been arranged which comprised a
piano number, "Rapsodie" by Koel
ling, given by Billie Reddie, the pre
sentation of this talented nine-year-old
musician being especially appre
ciated. Miss Mildred Knoflicek, of the
high school, was heard in a viula
solo, "Pictures from Fairyland." by
Schumann, a wonderfully given se
lection. Miss Beatrice Knoflicek was heard
in a piano number, "Waltz," by
Strauss-Greenfield, which was given
in her always artistic manner.
Bernard Knoflicek was heard in a
'cello solo, "Meditation." by Squires,
in which this talented young musi
cian was heard at his best and his
rendition was one that was charm
ing and delightful.
The string trio was heard in a
number, that was one of the most
pleasing of the evening and in which
Mildred Knoflicek was heard as first
violin, Louis Knofiicek, second violin,
Bernard Knoflicek, 'cello and Bea
trice Knoflicek as the piano accom
panist. The address of the evening was hy
R. Foster Patterson, who took as his
subject, "The Life and Times of An
drew Johnson." Mr. Patterson show
ed a deep research into the life of
this little known president who had
presided over the nation in perhaps
the most troublesome times of the
nation's history when the reconstruc
tion acts of congress had paralyzed
the south and caused bitterness even
greater than the war that had swept
the states. The address was one that
gave everyone of the party an in
sight into the history of the United
States in the period from IS 65 to
1869 when the constant battle? of
the president and congress was
raging.
ELECT OFFICERS
From Tuesday's Daily
Last evening the members of the
Cass County Young Democ rats held a
meeting at the district court room
and selected their officers lor the
ensuing year. The club selected a
fine group of young people who will
guide this important group cf young
voters for the coming year. The of
ficers selected were as follows:
President Joo Knoflicek.
Vice-President Robert Wurl.
Secretary Paul Vandevoort.
Treasurer Avis Sylvester.
The club also named as their club
advisor J. A. Capwell, well known
democratic attorney and selected as
the delegates to the state convention
of the clubs at Norfolk cn February
15th and 16th. Mr. and Mrs. Paul
Vandervoort.
There was the greatest of enthus
iasm at the meeting and the club
will launch into the program cf edu
cational work as well as social ac
tivities for the coming months in
preparation for the more Important
tasks of the campaign of 1936 when
they will again lend their fine efforts
to the work of the party.
Phone the news to Ao. 6.