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COLUMNS: FOREST CITY: The jury in the murder trial of Michael Salajda, charged with stabbing to death John Polica, at Forest City, brought in a verdict of manslaughter after being out 23 hours. The jury had considerable difficulty in arriving at a verdict. It is understood that the first ballot was eight for acquittal, three for second degree murder and one for manslaughter. The jury returned to the court room on a later ballot, influencing the action of one: eight for acquittal and four for second degree. On the fifth ballot, which was taken Saturday night, the vote was seven for acquittal and five for second degree murder. No further ballot was taken until Sunday morning, when all the jurors agreed on a verdict of manslaughter. Salajda’s attorneys are filing for a new trial based on the fact that the court refused to permit a witness to testify whether or not Polica threatened to go to Salajda’s home and assault his wife, or to allow the jury to consider the threats of Polica against Salajda’s wife. Saladja is a young man with a good face and his little children, three of them, the oldest not over four years, as they clambered over him and caressed him, made a scene to melt the heart of a stone, particularly if the person with that heart was a father. LAUREL LAKE: Clarence Hill has purchased a new runabout. Neighbors have been warned to keep their stock in the back lots. LITTLE MEADOWS: Lee Pendleton, of the Owego Free Academy, spent Easter vacation with his parents. BROOKLYN: Mrs. W. L. Sterling entertained a very enjoyable party on Wednesday afternoon of last week. About 16 ladies were present and each wore a calico dress. Rags were sewed for a carpet, and after the day was well spent, Mrs. Sterling served an elaborate supper. Among those present were Mrs. M. J. Kent, Mrs. Alice Craver, Mrs. F. B. Jewett, Mrs. W. W. Palmer, Mrs. J. J. Austin, Mrs. H. H. Craver, Mrs. J. F. Doran, Mrs. Charles Fish, Mrs. Emma Sterling, Mrs. William Cameron, Mrs. A. G. Sterling, Mrs. Ethel Russell, Mrs. Luther Fish, Mrs. Phil Doran. UNIONDALE: D. B. Gibson sustained loss by fire on Saturday night, of four horses and three good sized barns, with most of the contents. The barns were located just across the road from Mr. Gibson’s dwelling in the borough and the origin of the fire is not known. The chores were done about 5 o’clock before it was necessary to have artificial lights, and the fire was discovered about eight o’clock. A large crowd quickly assembled and a great effort was made to save the horses. The animals were frantic, however, and could not be handled. Only some wagons were secured from the barns, which were joined together, and all soon were enveloped in flames. It was necessary to form a bucket brigade to save the adjoining buildings. The loss will be about $3000 with only $300 insurance. One of the teams had been purchased by Mr. Gibson only last week. NEW MILFORD: Prospects are bright for the tannery to open this spring with a full force of men. THOMPSON: The high school closed last Tuesday evening with a first class program. Prof. Albert, of Bloomsburg Normal, gave an up to date address. Mrs. Davis, of Uniondale, sang delightfully and the Thompson orchestra surprised itself and the class - Anna Harpur, Jesse Wilmarth, Hazel Sanford, Floyd Stone and Myrl Stearns - though the youngest class ever graduated from the school, was abreast with former graduates and speaks well for the efficiency of the principal, Miss Pickett, and her fellow teachers. LENOX: This little town was thrown into quite a good deal of excitement Easter Sunday when the news reached here that Moses Decker, while driving his team home just below Roy Roberts’, was suddenly stricken with apoplexy, falling from his wagon. Dr. Haverly was summoned and found life extinct. Neighbors broke the news gently to his aged mother, whom he left an hour before in perfect health. MONTROSE: J. Lewis Hart was in Philadelphia recently, where he successfully passed the State Board examinations to practice undertaking in Pennsylvania. ALSO, Miss Edith Collins, an orphan, whose father died about two months ago, has come to Montrose where she will make her home with Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Nailor, on Grow Avenue. Miss Collins was brought up, since the death of her mother, at the Convent of the Blessed Sacrament, at Cornwall, Pa., which is under the direction of Rev. Mother Katharine Drexel, a wealthy lady who establishes schools for the Negro race. Miss Collins sings soprano and was a member of the convent choir. HEART LAKE: Mr. and Mrs. John W. Jay, of Binghamton, were in town Tuesday and made arrangements with Frank T. Mack to conduct the former Griffing house at Heart Lake the coming summer. The house will be conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Jay as a first-class boarding house and good meals will be served to individuals or parties and a specialty made of Sunday dinners. Mr. Jay formerly ran the Jay Hotel at New Milford and has an established reputation as an excellent hotel man. AUBURN TWP.: The senior class of Auburn High School will hold their commencement at the High School auditorium in that place on April 28. Miss Luvia Muriel Dunlap is the only graduate for this year, but the junior class that will graduate in another year is a large one. Deputy State Superintendent Reed B. Teitrick, of Harrisburg, will speak. HARFORD: The boys in Miss Lupton’s room have purchased a football and will soon be doing stunts. RUSH TWP: Will Kirkhuff met with a serious accident, Wednesday, at Terry’s mill, on the Stark lumber tract. Mr. Kirkhuff, Miner Manning and Cyrus Terry were working on the logway and one log started unexpectedly and caught Mr. Kirkhuff, throwing him to one side, causing him to fall, striking his knee on a stone, which split his kneepan. Dr. Hickok reduced the fracture, but advised him to go to the hospital for an operation. JACKSON: The death of David Alonzo Lamb occurred April 13, 1911, aged 78 years. He is survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter: Chas. Lamb, of Del Rio Texas, Mrs. T. H. (Mattie) Koup and Scott Lamb, of Jackson, two brothers, John Lamb, of Mansfield, Pa., and W. R. Lamb, of Denver Colo. He was one of Jackson’s oldest residents, being born here in 1832 and spending his whole life here. His father, David Lamb came to Jackson in 1814, from Vermont, with his grandfather, Major Joel Lamb, a Revolutionary War veteran. He was a charter member of the Jackson M. E. church and a regular attendant as long as he was able to be out.
From the Desk of the D.A. Back in the fall of 1990, I was a sophomore at the University of Scranton, but my schooling was playing second fiddle to my favorite baseball team. The Cincinnati Reds had won their division and were playing against the Pittsburgh Pirates for the National League pennant. We were watching one of the games in my dorm room when the announcer indicated that the Pirates had not sold out the tickets for the next game at Three Rivers Stadium. With energy that only youth can ignite, we all decided to make a road trip to Pittsburgh to see the game. We filled the car up - beyond capacity - and made the long trip across the state and found ourselves in Three Rivers Stadium watching a great ballgame. This was the first and only time that I saw Barry Bonds play baseball. He was a tall, gangly 24-year old kid at that time - but a monster just the same. In 1990, Bonds had a .301 batting average, hit 33 home runs and drove in 114 RBIs. He was also fast - he stole 52 bases that year - and that type of power and speed has rarely been seen. He won the National League Most Valuable Player in 1990 - and everyone knew that Bonds was a rare talent - a once in a generation player. I was almost as excited to see Bonds as I was to cheer on my favorite ball team. The Reds lost the game, but went on to win the NL pennant and swept the Oakland A’s in the World Series, but seeing Bonds play made the trip historic. I was thinking about that game this week when I saw the verdict in the federal trial of Bonds for perjury and obstruction of justice. How could a young kid with so much promise, potential and talent end up in federal court fighting not just to avoid a conviction, but to salvage something of his reputation and legacy? Did Bonds use steroids? Did he perjure himself when he testified before a grand jury about his steroid use? The jury could not make a decision on the perjury counts - but Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice. It is not immediately clear how Bonds could have obstructed justice without perjuring himself. It was pretty clear that the verdict represented some kind of compromise between the jurors. Compromise verdicts are pretty common in jury trials. Whenever you get 12 people together, you are going to get 12 different views and perspectives. Evidence and testimony will be viewed through 12 different sets of eyes - and the weight and credibility assigned to the evidence can be dramatically different from juror to juror. With these differences surfacing in deliberations, the jurors must work on finding common ground from which a unanimous verdict can be reached. In the Bonds’ case, there were clearly jurors who believed that Bonds had perjured himself and others that believed that the government had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. The jurors refused to move from their respective positions - and this resulted in the mistrial on the perjury counts resulting from the hung jury. The jurors, however, were able to agree that some obstruction of justice had occurred, i.e., that Bonds did something to thwart or interfere in the government’s investigation. This was plainly a compromise that the “not guilty” jurors were willing to make to the “guilty” jurors - even if the compromise made little legal sense. In the end, there will be appeals over the “inconsistent” verdict, but the case law strongly support compromise jury verdicts even where the verdicts make no sense, or even contradict each other. The government will have to decide what, if anything, it intends to do with respect to the perjury counts. Is it worth the time, effort and expense of a second trial? Can the government accept the felony obstruction conviction and simply dismiss the perjury counts? Are the prospects at a second trial any better? Of course, Bonds is not likely to accept the felony conviction - so the government will be forced to continue the battle. There is no graceful way out of this situation for the government - and Bonds has the resources to fight, fight and fight some more. A battle may have been fought, but the war is far from over for either side. When the end is reached, it is doubtful that much will be settled except for some legal resolution that some will accept, some will decry and some just won’t care. It remains to be seen how dark a shadow these legal proceedings will cast over Bonds’ legacy. For me, Bonds will remain the youthful outfielder I saw briefly in 1990 - slender, powerful, fast and as complete a ballplayer as you will ever get to see play the game. When I tell my kids and grandkids about seeing him play, it will be the Bonds that existed before the explosion of muscles, the enlarged head and the dramatically changed body shape. It will be the Bonds who still played the game for the pure love of it - not for glory, money or records. I will remember a time before Bonds was driven by injections, creams and other “supplements.” Somewhere along the way, Bonds lost himself and that perhaps is the greatest crime of all. Please submit any questions, concerns, or comments to Susquehanna County District Attorney’s Office, P.O. Box 218, Montrose, Pennsylvania 18801 or at our website www.SusquehannaCounty-DA.org or discuss this and all articles at http://dadesk.blogspot.com/.
The Healthy Geezer Q. My 90-year-old mother is extremely independent and doesn't want me coming with her to see her doctors. It's frustrating, because, when she gets home, I can't get any decent information from her. She doesn't ask the doctors questions. What can I do about this? This behavior is very familiar to me. People in my parents' World War II generation are self-reliant, but with a stronger respect for authority than subsequent generations. These folks tend not to challenge their doctors even with simple questions. I'll give you some information you can use to convince your mother that it is in her best interest to have you with her when she goes to the doctor. A study done at the University of Colorado demonstrated that both patients and doctors benefit from having a companion along at a visit. "Companions that patients choose to bring to their medical visits are generally very helpful and improve the communication and understanding that occurs between the patient and the physician," explained Dr. Lisa M. Schilling, lead author of the study team. The researchers analyzed almost 1,300 patient visits to determine the frequency, role and influence of companions during outpatient visits. Patients were accompanied by a companion in almost 3 out of every 10 visits, In 93 percent of the assisted visits, the companion was a family member. The study showed that companions improved doctor-patient communication. The patients recalled the physician's advice better, and were more able to express their concerns to the physician. According to the patients, their companions improved three out of four of their medical visits. About 60 percent of the physicians said that the patients' companions helped them understand their patients better. Almost half of the physicians said the companions helped increase the patient's understanding. In another study at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Debra Roter and her colleagues reported findings similar to those at the University of Colorado. The study at Johns Hopkins included 12,000 Medicare recipients. The researchers found that elderly patients who were accompanied to a doctor's examining room reported greater satisfaction than those who showed up in waiting rooms alone. “Having a companion made those who were more ill or less educated on a par with people who were better off on those variables,” said Dr. Roter. She said that a companion at a doctor’s appointment can help in the following ways: 1.) Take notes. 2.) Remind the patient to ask questions or express concerns. 3.) Provide information the patient has forgotten, or clarify information for the doctor. 4.) Act as a “translator” who explains what the doctor and patient are saying to each other. Another recommendation that came out of the study is for a rehearsal. The patient and companion should go over every subject in advance to prepare for the visit. If you have a question, please write to fred@healthygeezer.com.
Library Chitchat Budgets and budget cuts are dominating the headlines lately. The overriding theme of each article I read is how to make do with less. Although we are not comfortable with the situation, the Susquehanna Historical Society and Free Library Association has learned in recent years to expect that when the budget process starts, we will probably lose more state funding. It has been touted that people in this country want taxes cut or, in the alternative, maintained at the current level. Yet, people expect to continue to receive the same services they have always enjoyed. It is for that reason that non-profit organizations, such as ours, have to think of new and creative ways of fund-raising in order to continue to provide for our patrons. The Susquehanna County Historical Society and Free Library Association is committed to being there for the residents of this county. We have become masters of doing as much as possible with decreasing tax revenue. We have been told over and over again by the people we serve that we are important. We appreciate your good words, but we also need your dollars. Any contribution, small or large, is welcome. During the next few months, the Association will be having several fund raisers, including our annual Blueberry Festival in August. We hope you will come out and support them. To keep up to date on the happenings at the Library, go to our website www.susqcolibrary.org and sign up for our e-mail newsletter.
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