News Tidbits - Lancaster County, Nebraska

The spirit of Christmas this morning was personified in a small 9-year-old Jack Forrest. Accompanied by his father, John Forrest, Sr., 2645 Garfield Street, the boy walked into the office of the Charity Organization and explained that he has just won a ton of coal at a drawing conducted by an O Street coal dealer.

“We have coal in our cellar,” the boy stated, and I am sure that there are lots of poor people in Lincoln who need this ton of coal worse than we do. So I want to give it to some people who haven't any.”

Secretary Prevey thanked the small donor and told him that the organization would place the coal where it was worst needed. The boy then expressed a desire to visit the family to whom his give was to go. Father and son were given an address in northwest Lincoln and walked out of the office.

“I think that those people needed that coal all right,” he confided. “We went out there and there was hardly any furniture in the house and no fire in the stove. There were two little children who looked so cold and I felt so sorry for them.”

”Father,” he said, turning to the older Forrest. “I am awfully glad that I won that coal, because if some one else had got it maybe those little children wouldn't have had any fire to sit beside tonight while they waited for Santa Claus.”

A Lincoln woman was killed in a head-on crash a half mile north of I-80 on 70th Sunday afternoon, according to the State Patrol.

The patrol said Edna Edstrom, 81, of 3025 N. 61st, was killed when the car in which she was riding, driven by her husband Herbert, also 81, was in collision with a vehicle driven by Leeta Neujahr, 17, of rural Lincoln.

Mr. Edstrom was listed in "fair" condition at St. Elizabeth Health Center and Miss Neujahr was treated for minor injuries.

Mrs. Edstrom's death brings the Lancaster County traffic death toll to 27 compared with 23 fatalities in 1973.

Submitted by: Ida Maack Recu

In the third accident, one half mile north of 70th Street on Interstate 80 on the outskirts of Lincoln, Edna Edstrom, 81, of Lincoln was killed late Sunday in a two-car crash.

The patrol said she was a passenger in a car driven by her husband, Herbert Edstrom, 81, of Lincoln, when it was in collision with a vehicle driven by 17-year-old Leetta M. Neujahr of Lincoln.

Mrs. Herbert (Edna) Edstrom, 79, 3025 No. 61st, died Sunday. Services: 2 p.m. Thursday, Grace Lutheran Church, Swedeburg. Memorials to church. Nelson Funeral Home, Ceresco.

The State Accident Records Bureau said Monday that the death of a Lincoln woman following a Dec. 22 accident was not due to injuries suffered in the accident.

The bureau said Edna Edstrom, 81, of Lincoln, died of causes not related to the accident which occurred on a county road two miles north of Lincoln. Her name has been removed from the list of 1974 traffic victims, reducing the year's death toll in Nebraska to 386.

Submitted by: Ida Maack Recu

Meanwhile, the State Accident Records Bureau said it was reversing an earlier ruling and returning Edna Edstrom, 81, of Lincoln to the list of 1974 traffic victims in Nebraska.

The bureau initially ruled that the woman had been killed in a Dec. 22 two-car accident north of Lincoln, but then on Jan. 13 the bureau said that death was due to causes other than the accident.

Tuesday, the bureau said that results of an autopsy established that the woman died of injuries received in the accident.

The addition of her name to the 1974 fatality list boosted the 1974 total to 387.

Submitted by: Ida Maack Recu

Roadside Hunting Repeal Fails Revival Attempt

Legislation to repeal Nebraska roadside hunting law remained dead Wednesday despite arguments current law led to a Lincoln woman's death.

Efforts to raise the bill, LB113, from its grave in the Constitutional Revision and Recreation Committee failed by one vote under terms of a rule adopted last week by the Unicameral.

That rule requires 30 votes to raise a bill from committee rather than 25. The vote to raise LB113 was 29-13.

Waverly Sen. Jerome Warner, a crusader against the roadside hunting law enacted last year, said he would try again later to bypass the panel action and breathe new life into the repealer on the floor.

Warner said Edna Edstrom, 79, Lincoln, was killed in a Lancaster County accident last Dec. 22 because of a car parked along the roadway for hunting purposes, the practice allowed by the law Warner wants to repeal.

Ironically, Warner was one of the supporters of the rules change that led to his defeat Wednesday. He said he didn't intend to change his support for the new rule.

Warner, during floor debate, was visibly perturbed over the bill's death and concerned about whether it would be raised from committee.

"I don't know how many fatalities they want," Warner said, speaking of those lawmakers who opposed his move and outside lobbying influences, "For me, one was enough."

Omaha Sen. John Cavanaugh said Warner's traffic safety argument was fallacious because LB113 isn't a highway safety measure.

Adams Sen. George (Bill) Burrows said a reason to support Warner was to improve relations between urban hunters and rural farmers.

The vote breakdown showed opposition to the Warner move came mainly from urban lawmakers. Here is the breakdown:

For (29) - Anderson, Barnett, Bereuter, Burbach, Burrows, Carsten, Chambers, Cope, Dickinson, Duis, Dworak, Fowler, George, Hasebrock, Johnson, Kelly, Kennedy, Kime, Koch, Kremer, Maresh, Marsh, Mills, Nichol, Rasmussen, Rumery, Schmit, Stoney, Warner

Against (13) - Cavanaugh, Clark, Fitgerald, F Lewis, Luedtke, Moylan, Murphy, Savage, Simpson, Skarda, Swigart, Syas, Wiltse

Absent or not voting (7) - DeCamp, Goodrich, Keyes, R Lewis, Mahoney, Marvel, Stull

Submitted by: Ida Maack Recu

Waverly Sen. Jerome Warner is trying to repeal the roadside hunting law in Nebraska because hunters' cars parked along rural roads can be hazardous.

Warner hinges his argument on traffic safety, an argument that should appeal to Omaha Sen Warren Swigart.

Swigart, on bills other than Warner's LB113, has presented forceful arguments regarding the importance of traffic safety.

Yet, when Warner tried to raise his bill to repeal the roadside hunting law from committee last week, Swigart voted "no." The effort to bring the bill to the floor despite committee action failed by just one vote.

A new rule in the Unicameral requires 30 votes to raise a bill from committee despite the panel's action. The Constitutional Revision and Recreation Committee had killed LB113.

Swigart's vote against raising the bill came just hours after he argued against the advancement of another piece of legislation that he saw as a traffic safety issue.

The Omaha lawmaker argued against a bill that would allow special driving permits so people who had lost their regular licenses could get to and from work.

When Warner tried to raise LB113, he presented the records of an accident last December that he said showed the danger of allowing roadside hunting.

He cited the death of Lincolnite Edna Edstrom, killed in a Lancaster County accident that stemmed from a car parked along the shoulder of a road for roadside hunting purposes.

Swigart, questioned about the apparent inconsistency on the two bills, said he wanted to give more time to see if the roadside hunting law works or is creating problems.

The Lincoln Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) March 30, 1975
Submitted by: Ida Maack Recu

Lincoln, Nebr., Joseph Melkes, convicted of manslaughter in Sarpy county, has filed an appeal in the supreme court. He was charged with murder in the first degree for the killing of Julia Melkes by stabbing her with a knife February 1930.

A jury found him guilty of manslaughter and he was sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary.

Lincoln. Neb., March 29 – A Jury was drawn this morning and testimony was to be started this afternoon in the trial of Mrs. Willette Snook, 23, on a charge of first degree murder in the fatal stabbing her husband, Clyde Snook, in a downtown rooming house here February 20.

Lincoln, Neb. Jan. 10.—Three persons are under arrest, charged with complicity in the recent murder of John Sheedy.

They are Mr. Sheedy's widow, her lover and a negro.

It is said the latter made a confession that Mrs. Sheedy hired him to kill her husband; that he was to be paid $500 if he succeeded in injuring Sheedy so as to confine him to his bed. He was also to receive $15,000 if death was instantaneous, or if death resulted from injuries inflicted.

It is rumored Mrs. Sheedy remarked: ''If you lay him up in bed, I'll do the rest."

The body of the murdered man will be exhumed and examined by experts.

Lincoln, April 20 -- Norris Brown of Kearney was in the city appearing before the supreme court in behalf of Dinsmore, the murderer now confined in the penitentiary, under death sentence. Mr. Brown visited his client at the penitentiary after appearing in supreme court earlier in the day. He is trying to get a new trial.

The Mallory's and the Sharpensleens Conflict -- Brother James Makes a Formal Challenge

Last night as Miss Sharpensteen and her mother were returning from church they were met near their home by Mrs. Mallory and some of her friends.

The meeting was by no means friendly one and some rather warm words were indulged in by both sides, and this morning the grievances were aired in police court.

Millie Sharpensteen is the young colored woman who eloped with Constable Mallory last fall, and since then the relations existing between the two families had been rather strained. The fracas, called forth this rather ungrammatical letter from Miss Sharpensteen's brother:

I, the undersigned, James Sharpensteen, is willing to say in regard to his sister's affairs that if he can find out Mr. Mallory's whereabouts he will have him sent to the penitentiary for bigamy and if there is anything goes on like went on last night at church he will have a hand in it to a finish."

Prof. Hagenow and his school will give a concert Monday, February 26 for the benefit of the Haish Manual Training School rebuilding fund. The students and faculty of Wesleyan College have already $4,500 toward rebuilding the annex which was destroyed by fire a week ago last Sunday.

No one aquatinted with Professor Hagenow and his family need be told that it will be a rare musical treat. It will be the first faculty concert of Prof. Hagenow's school, and of itself would draw a large audience. When it is know that the entire proceeds are donated to the fund for rebuilding the Haish the patronage will doubtless test the capacity even of the Lansing Opera House, where the concert is to be given.

The liberality of Prof. Hagenow is equaled by that of Lansing & Oliver, who donated the Opera House free, and of the Lincoln Gas Company, who donated the light. All the Lincoln newspapers give free advertising, and Mr. Cromble, the job printer, provides the tickets.

Nelson Morris vs Marion G. Merrill, Edward Hooper vs, R. N. Day and Diana M. Day and David Deaner vs. J. H. Arthur are cases in the Supreme Court appealed from the district court of Burt County.

Mary I. Kelly carries her divorce case against Seth Kelly to the Supreme Court and asks for the custody of their two children, $60 per month for their support and $600 for attorney's fees. She avers that Kelly is abundantly able to pay it, having and estate valued at $10,000.

Frederick Mengedoht is plaintiff in error in a case in the Supreme Court against Thedore L. Von Dorn for judgment given against him for $167.51 in the district court of Douglas County.

John Nelson, a halfbreed, who was brought in from Pine Ridge Agency, charged with selling whisky to Indians, was fined $20 and costs in the Federal Court this morning.

An inquest into the death of the child, which it is said was killed by its mother, was held yesterday by Coroner Calin. The verdict was that the child died from neglect, but that the mother could not be hold on the charge of infanticide.

Alex Halter was removed from the position of administrator of estate of J. H. Varnhoidt by Judge Lansing Saturday. The application for his removal was made by a sister of the deceased, who charged he had mismanaged the affairs of the estate.

The Lincoln office of the Omaha World Herald has been removed to 129 North Ninth Street in Lincoln Hotel Block. More spacious quarters have been secured and better service can hereafter be extended its many Lincoln patrons.

The city of Omaha is plaintiff in error in a case in the Supreme Court against Samuel Halmer, who obtained judgment against the city for $812.33 in the district court of Douglas County.