130 Years Ago
Oct. 7, 1892
Last Saturday Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Parmeter with their twin babies started across the country towards Hay Springs, their destination being the home of J. W. Vanderpool, Mrs. Parmeter’s father. When about half a mile south of Box Butte postoffice the lines became untied and the result was what might termed a fortunate runaway – in the outcome. Mr. Parmeter climbed over the front of the buggy between the horses and succeeded in getting the lines, but just then was kicked on the side of the head and stunned. The livery team ran to Box Butte, wheeled suddenly and Mrs. Parmeter and the babies were thrown to the ground, but were not injured and one of the twins not even awakened. George arrived in the village on foot in a few minutes, and now wears a bandage on his head, covering a cut about two inches long. The rest of the journey was completed in safety, but it is a wonder that no more serious harm resulted.
125 Years Ago
Oct. 1, 1897
A “hold up” occurred at Spry & Soder’s saloon last Monday night at midnight, and the robbers secured booty to the amount of about $100. A rather tall, slim fellow, light complected and wearing a slouch hat had been “playing the wheel” for probably a quarter of an hour, when another stepped inside the door with a drawn revolver and commanded the bar tender to step from behind the bar, and all to hold up their hands. Every man complied, with the exception of the man who was gambling. He pulled a gun to assist the other robber. The thieves pocketed the money stacked upon the gaming table, and quickly departed with a warning that they would shoot the first fellow who poked his head out the door. This is the first affair of this nature that has ever happened in the town.
120 Years Ago
Oct. 7, 1902
Dr. W. S. Bellwood is confined to his home in this city with a badly broken leg as the result of a mishap while driving Sunday evening. He with Mrs. Bellwood and the baby were behind the Doctor’s fast stepper, going at a rather rapid rate on the race track west of town. The horse turned at a point where the embankment is rather high, and the vehicle was overturned towards the right side, the Doctor alighting underneath, but managing to break the force of the fall for the wife and baby. They were entirely uninjured, escaping with scarcely a bruise. Dr. Bellwood did not fare so well however, his right leg striking the roadway with such force that it was broken in two places. About three inches below the knee both bones of the leg are broken, and midway between the knee and the ankle there is a fracture of the large bone. He is resting as comfortably as could be expected.
115 Years Ago
Oct. 1, 1907
A. Hague received a letter the first of the week giving the details of the death of Mrs. Sarah Mackey, sister of Mrs. Hague, at Nevada, Iowa, last week. It seems when about to board an incoming train she was escorted across the track by the operator and the latter, noticing the nearness of the train in the fog, called her to stop, when she stumbled and fell head long in the center of the track, being frightfully mutilated and death instantaneous.
110 Years Ago
Oct. 8, 1912
J. B. Lucas, who is in charge of the Alliance stock yards at night, is greatly delighted over the recovery of his year old bull dog, which was lost last week. $100 would not have purchased the canine, which is especially prized as a watchdog. The dog was stolen by emigrants who tried to carry it in their car to Western Montana. They stopped in Alliance and a switchman observed one of them playing with the dog. He did not think anything of it until after the departure of the car, when he heard that Lucas was searching for his dog. When the switchman told Lucas, he wired the superintendent of the Sheridan division of his loss and asked that the car be searched. This was done when the train was between Sheridan and Billings and the dog was found. The superintendent ordered the dog returned to Alliance and it arrived on train 44.
105 Years Ago
Oct. 2, 1917
The loss of two automobiles and a stack of 200 tons of hay were the sum total of the “catch” of a party of duck hunters who went to the sand hills. A Pullman car belonging to P. F. Schott and an Oldsmobile belonging to J. L. Nicolai, were a total loss and the stack of hay belonging to Mr. Beck. The men were hunting in the rushes which border the lake when Mr. Schott noticed a cloud of smoke emanating from the hay stack against which the cars were parked. The Oldsmobile was standing in the flame and he made an effort to start the car and get it out of danger, but the ignition system had recently been changed and the starter refused to work. He left the machine and ran to the Pullman car which was then enveloped in the flames but when the shot gun shells in the car began to pop and the flame neared the gasoline tank he jumped and left them both to their fate. They were about thirty-five miles from town in the Reno lake district and it took the party eight hours after the cars burned before they secured transportation to town.
100 Years Ago
Oct. 3, 1922
An almost miraculous escape from death of serious injury was the experience of A. J. Gaghagen, who lives in Duncan’s addition, when his Dodge automobile was struck and practically demolished by passenger train No. 44 at the crossing near the I. L. Peters place, about two miles northwest of town, Saturday forenoon. Mr. Gaghagen, was alone in the car, was not injured. He had been out in the country and was returning to town, driving south along the road which runs parallel to the railroad track for some distance. As he turned to cross the track the train suddenly burst upon him, the engine striking the front end of his car with such force as to smash the radiator, the fender and one front wheel and hurling the car completely around into a ditch, leaving Mr. Gaghagen still sitting at the wheel as the train thundered past.
95 Years Ago
Oct. 7, 1927
Marguerite Goines, 12-year-old daughter of City Manager and Mrs. L. A. Goines, had a narrow escape when she awoke to find that blankets and quilts beneath which she had been sleeping were burning and the bedroom was filled with dense smoke. She had been reading in bed and is believed to have gone to sleep with the electric light burning. The light came in contact with the bed clothing and caused the fire. The girl’s parents detected the odor of smoke and rushed into their daughter’s room to encounter the fumes from the burning blankets. The girl had managed to open wide all the windows of the room and was stamping on the smoldering bed clothing. No damage was done other than to the blankets and quilts.
90 Years Ago
Oct. 4, 1932
Two men held up and robbed Michael D. Nolan, manager of the Home Oil company, of $1.35 early Saturday evening at an alley entrance between Laramie and Cheyenne avenues on West Second street. They overlooked $38 in currency hidden in Mr. Nolan’s hat and two “darned good ten-cent cigars,” he said. Nolan was walking toward Box Butte avenue from his filling station about seven o’clock when a roughly-dressed man approached him and said: “Gimme a match, pardner.” Nolan reached in his pocket to comply with the request when, he said, he was poked in the ribs and told to “stick ‘em up!” While his companion stood a few feet away the hold up went through Nolan’s pockets and took a small purse containing the change and the pair disappeared in the alley.
85 Years Ago
Oct. 5, 1937
Two Alliance volunteer firemen were injured last night when a ladder they were using in a fire drill collapsed and plunged them 18 feet to the ground. They are Bill Hall, son of Fire Chief Ward Hall and Dennis Bicknell. Bicknell incurred an injured back and Hall was severely bruised. Both were able to be up and about today, however.
80 Years Ago
Oct. 2, 1942
Claude H. Parker, 44, who has worked as a fireman on the Burlington out of Alliance for the past two months, has been arrested by the F. B. I. And is being returned to Atlanta, Ga, to serve out an unfinished term of 20 months for violation of the Mann act, it was disclosed here today. Parker was removed to Omaha by the U. S. marshal yesterday. His wife and child, who had been living here with him, have also left.
75 Years Ago
Oct. 7, 1947
A sentence of two months in the county jail with the first and last 10 days on bread and water was ordered Monday by Judge Penrose Romig against Peter Neiss, who was charged with failure to support his children. Neiss has four children. The complaint filed against him by County Attorney Wade H. Ellis stated that he has unlawfully neglected to provide proper food, clothing and shelter for his family while being able to work and contribute to their support. He can obtain release from jail by posting a $200 bond to support his children.
70 Years Ago
Oct. 6, 1952
John Wright will be the editor and Dan Farrington advertising manager Wednesday when Alliance High School journalism students take over the publication of The Daily Times-Herald. The one day experiment is part of the National Newspaper Week observance in Alliance.
65 Years Ago
Oct. 5, 1957
The Daily Times-Herald’s “outstanding carrier boy,” Larry Johns of Gordon was given a conducted tour of the Times-Herald plant, by Publisher Gene Kemper and Circulation Manager John Tew. Larry is spending his 11th birthday in Lincoln as the guest of Governor Victor Anderson along with 13 other “outstanding carriers” from Nebraska’s daily newspapers. Larry has been a carrier boy one year and in that period has increased the Times-Herald route from 20 papers to 70. He is a “B” student, keeps flawless records of his operation, and pays his bills promptly. The train trip, accompanied by Tew, is Larry’s first visit to Lincoln.
60 Years Ago
Oct. 6, 1962
Many processing potatoes from Box Butte County have gone to George Rullman, who operates a Hastings French-fry plant, and to the Weaver Potato Chip factory at Lincoln. Ed Weaver, Jr., of the Lincoln plant, was here Thursday and said Box Butte potatoes had processed well for his firm.
55 Years Ago
Oct. 7, 1967
In halftime ceremonies at the Alliance – North Platte high school football game here Friday night, Miss Barbara Edwards was crowned 1967 AHS Homecoming Queen. Miss Edwards, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rich Edwards, was escorted onto the football field by a fellow classmate, Jim Petersen. The first attendant, Miss Debbie Pillow, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Timmerman, was escorted by Mike Darveau and the second attendant, Miss Jane Timbers, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Timbers, by Bruce Blume.
50 Years Ago
Oct. 3, 1972
W. Fred Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the Electric Hose & Rubber Co. of Wilmington, Del., is in Alliance today. He is here in connection with preparations for the opening of a new EH & R plant to be located on the Alliance Industrial Site in the former True Temper ski division building. Anderson’s company is currently converting the building for hose-making operations.
45 Years Ago
Oct. 5, 1977
Hemingford gained its first representation on the Box Butte General Hospital Board of Trustees when the County Commissioners voted to appoint Neil Bailey to one of two terms left open at the end of September. Bailey was appointed for a six-year term, replacing Mary Ann Curtiss on the board. Board chairman John Cover was reappointed for a six-year term also after completing his original four-year appointment.
40 Years Ago
Oct. 6, 1982
The Alliance Board of Education decided to hire Lincoln architect Jack Beers to draw up plans for a six-room addition to North High at its meeting Tuesday night. By a 4-to-1 vote, the board directed Superintendent Martin Petersen to meet with Beers and the school district’s attorney to hammer out a contract. Board member Wayne Goff cast the dissenting vote and once again told his counterparts that the addition should be built only with voter approval.
35 Years Ago
Oct. 5, 1987
The Alliance High School and Middle School marching bands attended the Marching Band Contest in Sidney over the weekend. There were 22 bands altogether. Alliance High School band, seventh and eight graders, won the parade competition, the field competition, and won overall competition. Alliance Middle School won the Junior High field competition. “This is their first time out and they did very well,” said Bill Rischling, Middle School band instructor.
30 Years Ago
Oct. 3, 1992
Six postal workers who are retiring were honored for their service Friday morning in the Alliance Post Office. They are Chuck Shimp, distribution clerk for 28 years; Marvin Hawley (retired two weeks ago), city carrier for 25 years; Terry Vandeventer, window clerk for 32 years; Frank Walgren, distribution clerk for 28 years; Larry Holub, rural carrier for 28 years; and Jim Essex, window clerk for 35 years.
25 Years Ago
Oct. 4, 1997
Panhandle housing authorities will receive funds of over $1,7000,000 during the next six years. The first year sum of $286,000 will become available to the 15 housing authorities in the Panhandle and the community development organizations, according to Jon Ford executive director of the Alliance Housing Authority. Representatives from each of the housing authorities from around the Panhandle will attend the first ever regional meeting to develop a regional plan to determine the best use for these funds and how the funds will be distributed.
20 Years Ago
Oct. 5, 2002
Greg Nelson and Ed Eastman donated Apple computers as a private contribution to the Senior Center. Nelson hopes that the senior citizens will use the computers to write their life stories. Nelson takes the time to demonstrate some usage details to Bayone Meyer at the center.
15 Years Ago
Oct. 4, 2007
The Box Butte Sheriff’s Office recently upped its manpower with the hiring of Jerod Hahn, who started as a deputy on Oct. 1. Hahn, who is replacing Deputy Steve Booker, earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
10 Years Ago
Oct. 5, 2012
As services for Richard Bauer at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Alliance conclude, Bauer received the honor of having a UH 72 Lakota helicopter fly-over – a first for the cemetery. The helicopter is a National Guard vehicle, with the model having been around since 2006. Bauer was also given a 21-gun salute, flags were flown at half-mast and Taps was played as a final farewell. Attendees at the funeral included friends, family and members of several area law enforcement agencies. Memorials of Bauer can be seen at the shadowboxes in cemetery’s Administration Building.
5 Years Ago
Oct. 4, 2017
Westco finalized the purchase of S&S LP Gas Company from Bruce and Doug Shaver of Hemingford on Monday, Oct. 2. S&S opened in Hemingford in 1949 when Albert Shindler and Wayne Shaver, father of Bruce and Doug, went into partnership to provide propane services to the region.