SOC I ETY
p n tj t t ft i; "j O
Volume 53, Number 8.
HEPPNER, OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1937.
Subscription $2.00 a Year
OREGON HISTORICAL
PUBLIC A U D I T 0 R 1 'J M
lone Girl Fatally
Wounded by Shot
From Play Gun
Elsie Rosetta Ball, 6
Victim of .22 in
Hands of Brother.
Little Elsie Ball, 6, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Ball, was acci
dentally killed by a shot from a .22
rifle in the hands of her brother
Don, 9, at the family home in lone
at 5 o'clock Tuesday evening.
The children, Elsie, Don and Betty,
7, were in the bathroom when Don
picked up the rifle from its position
in a corner and was playing with it
when the fatal shot was fired. The
bullet struck the child beside the
right nostril and passed out the top
of the skull. She died without re
gaining consciousness in a local
physician's office to which she was
rushed immediately. The mother
and grandmother, Mrs. P. C. Peter
son, who were at the barn when the
accident happened, rushed to Elsie
on being told by the other children
that she had fallen in the bathroom
and hurt her head. They brought
the child to Heppner.
They did not know of the presence
of the gun in the bathroom, and did
not suspect the nature of the acci
dent until after they returned home
and officers had made an investiga
tion.
Dr. A. D. McMurdo, coroner;
Frank C. Alfred, district attorney,
and C. J. D. Bauman, sheriff, made
the investigation which definitely
established the accidental nature of
the fatal wound, as well as its cause.
The children's uncle had left the
gun in the bathroom corner after
using it to kill hogs. Little Don had
played with it before, and realized
no harm in repeating the perform
ance. When first questioned, he said
the gun wasn't loaded, but later said
there was a shot. The empty shell
in the gun, and the bullet found
lodged in the ceiling were convinc
ing evidence.
Mr. Ball was on his way to Port
land with a loaded truck, and was
notified at Hood River, returning
immediately.
Funeral services are being held
from the Christian church in lone
at 2:30 this afternoon, with Alvin
Kleinfeldt officiating and arrange
ments in charge of Phelps Funeral
home. Interment is being made in
the lone cemetery.
Elsie Rosetta Ball was born to
Lewis' and Anna (Petersen) Ball in
lone, December 25, 1930, being aged
6 years, 4 months and 2 days. Be
sides the parents she is survived by
the brother Donald, sister Betty
Jean, grandparents Mr. and Mrs. P.
C. Petersen, and many other rela
tives in this county.
NO JUICE DELAYS PAPER.
Heppner was without electrical
service from 11 until shortly after
4 o'clock today, and as the mechan
ical deDartment of this paper is help
less without "juice," there was no
avoiding the delay in getting the
paper into the hands of readers. A
short circuit caused from the Black
horse telephone line breaking loose
and wrapping around the high pow
pr line caused the break in service
here as well as discommoding the
entire Sherman district as fuses were
blown on the outside. The local
force worked diligently in getting
the service in repair.
Mr. and Mrs. E. D. Hallock have
announced to Heppner friends the
arrival of David Bradford, weight 8
pounds, 1 ounce, at their home in
Redmond, April io.
Mrs. W. C. Cox returned to her
home this week from Heppner hos
pital where she was confined for
some time by illness.
Mrs. Claude Graham and baby
daughter, Jean Marie, returned
home today from the Heppner hos
pital.
WORK IN FOREST
WILL START MAY 1
Repairing and Opening of Tele
phone Lines, Roads and Trails
Included in Spring Program.
In spite of unusual snow conditions
in the Heppner district of the Uma
tilla National forest, spring work will
start May first, F. F. Wehmeyer,
ranger, announced this week. Work
scheduled includes repairing and
opening up of telephone lines, open
ing of roads and trails so far as pos
sible, and repairing fences. The
crew will consist of the forest guards,
Bert Bleakman, Kenneth Bleakman,
Marion Saling, Chas. Wilcox, Max
Buschke and Prior Parrish.
On a snow survey made the end
of the week there was found to be
3 feet of packed snow at Ditch Creek
ranger station and 8 feet at Linger
Longer. Mr. Wehmeyer stated the
general average depth of snow in the
timber on top to be four feet, indi
cating a large reserve supply of
moisture for future use.
Other items of interest pertaining
to the operation of the Heppner dis
trict as given by Mr. Wehmeyer
were:
Henry Fries of La Grande has re
turned to assume his duties as ad
ministrative assistant. He will be
stationed at Opal ranger station and
expects to move his family from La
Grande about the first of June.
Transferred from the Chelan for
est to the Umatilla as assistant rang
er, Harold Chriswell will be sta
tioned at Heppner, expecting to have
his family here June first.
Geo. Cashey will return from the
University of Oregon June 15, to as
sume duties as protective assistant,
and will have his office in Heppner.
Annual meetings of Cattle and
Horse Raisers associations using the
Heppner district are announced as
follows: Five Mile association, to
day (Thursday) at Lena; Hardman
association, Friday, April 30, Hepp
ner, at the forest office; Tamarack
Monument association, Saturday,
May 1, at Spray.
The Soil Erosion service in coop
eration with the forest service is
putting in a side camp at Ditch creek
for the summer months. Work con
templated includes the installation
of check dams in the creeks of the
district with a view to raising the
water table and restoring fishing in
the streams if possible.
A recent check on reported heavy
winter game losses made by Harold
Chriswell revealed the loss to be
normal or less than normal. He
found deer in good condition, and in
one four-mile stretch on the east
side of Jerico creek he counted 147
deer.
F. F. Wehmeyer, local ragner, at
tended a ranger meeting in Pen
dleton over the week end. All rang
ers of the Umatilla forest were pres
ent and various policies and prob
lems of the forest were discussed.
Roy Mitchell, assistant supervisor
of the Chelan forest, has been trans
ferred to the Umatilla forest as as
sistant supervisor and will have
charge of forest service cooperation
with the AAA in this locality, with
office in Pendleton. Under direc
tion of Mr. Mitchell work of exam
ining range and ranch lands to de
termine stock carrying capacity will
start immediately.
Jack Hynd Undergoes
Emergency Operation
Jack Hynd is reported as doing as
well as can be expected at Heppner
hospital where, Tuesday, he under
went an emergency operation for a
ruptured appendix. He was stricken
at the Butterby Flats ranch near Ce
cil Tuesday afternoon and was rush
ed to the hospital immediately, while
his son Herbert drove to Pendleton
for nursing assistance. His brother
David came immediately from Rose
Lawn ranch in Sand Hollow to be
with him through the crisis.
Mr. Hynd is a member of Hynd
Bros., large pioneer firm of sheep
operators, and the entire community
has evidenced concern as to his condition.
New Recruits Take
Part in War on
Crows and Magpies
Toll of 1000 Birds
Eggs Taken the First
Week; Plan Banquet
With a new force of recruits, and
a toll of a thousand birds and eggs
to its credit thus far, Morrow Coun
ty Hunters and Anglers club crow
magpie contest heads into its second
week, Sunday. If any remnant of the
game bird predators remain, active
war will continue until May 25 at
which time Captains Mark Merrill
and J. Logie Richardson will each
check his team's take of bids and
eggs and thus decide which team
will eat crow and which will eat
chicken at a banquet to be staged
shortly thereafter.
Plans for the banquet talked by the
captains this week call for a serving
of crow to be given each member
of the losing team, while winners
will be served only chicken. "If the
losers prove themselves real sports
men, they will eat the crow and like
it," one of them said. Other than
that, no penalty will be levied on
the losers and each individual at
tending the banquet will pay for his
own ticket.
The state game commission has
been invited to send a representative
to the banquet to show moving pic
tures of wild life, and the staging of
exhibition boxing and wrestling
matches is also being considered. A
special committee will be appointed
to look after the details of planning
the actual preparation and serving
of the food, to select the place for
holding the banquet, and other es
sentials, they said. -
Recruited on the teams this week,
making a total of 50 on a side were
the following:
Mark Merrill team: Bill Buck-
num, A. A. Reihl, Frank Wilkinson,
Ed Dick, Tom Wells, Frank Alfred,
Walter Eubanks, Tom McMullen,
Charles Cox, Nels Justus, Father
O'Reilly, Mrs. Lowell Turner, Louis
Frederickson.
J. Logie Richardson team: V. R.
Runnion, Orve Rasmus, Ralph Jus
tus, Lyle Cowdrey, Guy Chapin, Ed
Bennett, Spencer Crawford, George
Howard, Glenn .Hayes, Mrs. Anna
Merrill, Ray Massey, Donald Jones,
Garnet Barratt.
If You Can't Climb,
Angle, Bert Mason
Tells Egg Hunters
Angling for crow's nests is the
newest sport recommended to the
world in general and contestants in
Morrow County Rod and Gun
club's crow-magpie contest in par
ticular by Bert Mason, a past
president of the organization.
Bert conceived this method of
angling as an effective means of
escaping injury from the vicious
thorn brush in destroying nests of
predators, and evidencing his good
sportsmanship, reveals it to foe as
well as friend.
He writes: "In hunting magpies,
etc., yesterday (Sunday), I car
ried a long bamboo fishing rod
with wire extension, and if I
found a nest in a thorny spot I
just applied a torch to my rod and
fired the nest. I also fired every
nest that I saw, which will save
many a hard climb as well as give
hunters more time to go to nests
which have not been robbed. I
covered three miles down Rhea
creek from H. J. Biddle's and left
but one nest and accounted for 74
birds and eggs, plus what I may
have burned. Other hunters cov
ered from Cecil to Morgan and
didn't get an egg as the nests had
already been visited."
Mrs. Zoe Bauernfeind and chil
dren of Morgan were business vis
itors in the city yesterday.
MARY B.THOMPSON
BELOVED PIONEER
Native of Ohio, Settled in County
in 1875, Dies at Portland Home;
Rites Held Here Saturday.
Mary Belle Thompson, beloved
Morrow county pioneer and mother
of Ralph I. Thompson of Heppner,
died at her home in Portland last
Thursday, aged 83 years. Mrs.
Thompson had fallen a few days
previously, breaking a hip bone, and
also sustained a paralytic stroke.
Funeral services were conducted
from the Phelps Funeral home in
this city at 2 o'clock Saturday alter
noon, with Rev. R. C. Young offi
ciating, and interment was in Ma
sonic cemetery beside the grave of
her husband, the late John Alexan
der TVinmnsnn. with whom she came
to the county in 1875. Many old-
time friends of the family paid tneir
respects at the final rites. 1
Mary Belle Infield was born at
Cochocton, Ohio, August 22, 1853, to
Charles and Sarah (Stamm) Infield,
hnth natives of Pennsylvania. She
died in Portland, Oregon, April 22,
1937, being aged 83 years and 8 days.
RVio had hpen a resident of Port
land the last 29 years, to which city
she and Mr. Thompson had retired
from the Morrow county ranch about
two years before Mr. Thompson died
in 1910. She was married to John
Alexander Thompson on November
23. 1871. at Eugene, and surviving
this union is the one son, Ralph I. of
Heppner, and grandson, Alexander
H. Thompson. Mrs. Thompson was
a member of the Eastern Star and
Daughters of the Nile lodges, and of
Westminster Presbyterian church.
Mrs. Thompson's father sacrificed
his life in 1861 in the service of the
Blue in the Civil war. Her mother
was among the earlier pioneers to
the Pacific coast. It was with her
that Mrs. Thompson crossed the
plains with mule teams in 1867. They
settled in the Willamette valley a
short distance below Salem, and in
the course of her schooling, Mrs.
Thompson attended Willamette uni
versity. She taught school for two
years before her marriage to Mr.
Thompson.
Shortly after their marriage in
1871, Mr. and Mrs. Thompson settled
on a 335-acre ranch on Coyote creek
near Eugene where they lived until
1875, when they came to what is now
Morrow county and settled ten miles
east of Heppner on Hinton creek.
Mrs. Thompson made the trip on
horseback, driving a small bunch of
sheep. They engaged in the stock
business here until 1885. when they
sold the property and acquired a
place on Butter creek. Still follow
ing sheep raising, their holdings were
extended to include more than a
1000 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson
disposed of their holdings in 1900
when thev retired from active ranch
life, though retaining an interest in
several ranches. They resided in
Heppner for a few years before go
ing to Portland to make their home.
Mrs. Thompson reflected the noble
qualities of the pioneer mother. Pos
sessed of a sweet and charming per
sonality, she endured pioneer hard
ships uncomplainingly, contributing
her bit wherever possible to assist
in building the empire of the west.
Community Sale
Set for Wednesday
Lexington grange has completed
arrangements for staging a large
community auction sale at its hall
near Lexington next Wednesday, be
ginning at 10 o'clock a. m. A general
invitation is extended the public to
bring any articles fo sale, all of
which will be offered at auction with
V. R. Runnion crying the sale.
A. H. Nelson is general manager,
of the event, R. B. Rice, sales mana
ger, and E. Harvey Miller, clerk.
Free lunch at noon is slated as one
of the attractions.
CARD OF THANKS.
We wish to thank our friends for
the many kind expressions of sympa
thy. Ralph Thompson and Family.
Schools Combine
In May Festivities
Here Tomorrow
Music Festival, Spell
ing Contest, Track
Events Scheduled.
Highlighting the county school
calendar in activities of closing days
will be the annual May Day fete in
Heppner, tomorrow, when the ma
jority of school children and teach
ers will assemble for a full days
program. Climaxed by the big mu
sic festival in the school gym be
ginning at 7:30 in the evening, the
program will include spelling con
tests in the morning, and track meet
in the afternoon.
The Heppner and Irrigon school
bands appearing in ensemble in the
evening will meet for joint practice
from 9 to 10 in the morning, and
from 10 to 11 children comprising the
glee clubs and choruses will meet
for rehearsal.
The spelling contests will start at
9 o'clock in the morning with the
lower division meeting in room 4 on
the lower floor of the school, and the
upper division in room 8 on the
same floor.
Pupils will bring lunches for the
noon hour. Tables and benches will
be found downstairs in the main
building where hot chocolate will be
served.
The track meet will start at 1:30
in the afternoon, and at 4 o'clock
the Star theater has arranged a spec
ial matinee showing of "Penrod and
Sam," at customary matinee prices.
A special 25-cent meal for school
children will be served at Hotel
Heppner dining room from 6 to 7:15.
The biggest undertaking of the
day, considering organization and
training, and the one which holds
probably the strongest public appeal,
is the music festival. With Mis9
Juanita Leathers as director of the
singing and Miss Marjorie Parker
as accompanist, combined glee clubs
of the various county high schools,
and combined choruses of lower and
upper grade school pupils from all
over the county will be presented.
There will also be community sing
ing by all participating pupils and
audience, besides the ensemble play
ing of the Heppner and Irrigon
bands, with Harold Buhman and
Stan Atkin, the respective leaders,
directing. Another feature of the
evening program will be the presen
tation of the awards won in previous
events of the day. No charge will
I be made for the event, and the pub
lic is urged to attend. The complete
evening program follows:
1. Flag Salute led by Boy Scouts.
Audience stands.
Song America.
2. Primary Chorus:
"Toyland," W. Otto Miesner. .
"Rosa," Folk Song.
"The Way to Dreamland Town,"
G. A. Grant-Schaefer.
3. Tap Dance, lone Upper Grade Girls.
4. Upper Grade Chorus:
"Sing When You Are Happy,"
Geoffrey O'Hara.
"Peaceful Night," Ludwin von
Beethoven.
"If I Were You," George Chad
wick. 5. Tumbling, lone Primary Grades .
6. "Corinthian Polka," Losey, Hugh
Crawford, Heppner.
7. Boys' Chorus, T. T. B High School:
"Oh Lucindy," Jessie L. Depper.
"Pickin" Cotton," O'Keefe-Wells-ley.
8. "Estilian Caprice," Clarinet Solo,
Donald Houghton, Irrigon.
9. Girls' Glee Club, S. S. A., High
School :
"When Moonbeams Softly Fall,"
E. Seitz.
"The Piper's Song," Anna P. Rl
sher. "Noon," Cuthbert Harris.
10. Rhythm Band, Boardman Primary
Grades.
11. Mixed Chorus, S. A. T. B., High
School :
"Just Singing Along," Marlon
Moore.
"A Little Pink Rose," Carrie Jacobs-Bond.
"Ride Out on Wings of Song,"
Haywood -Berwald.
12. Combined Choruses and Audience:
"When I Grow Too Old to Dream"
"My Wild Irish Rose."
13. Awards Typing, Spelling and Track
14. Bands Heppner and Irrigon:
"Our Director," March, Bigelow.
"Stars and Stripes," March, Sousa.
"Carnival Overture," Gibb.
Festival Overture," Taylor.
Directors Stan Atkin and Har
old Buhman.
Continued on Page Eight