Springville – Springville boasts of an orchestra of a dozen members which is giving the residents of that town considerable pleasure along musical lines. It started about 6 months ago, and for the past 4 months it has been under the able direction of Dana Taylor, a musician capable of playing many of the most difficult instruments and a leader of pronounced ability. Rev. P. N. Taylor, the Methodist clergyman, who delights in promoting the organization, has given the use of the parsonage for a meeting place to practice. Members are: Dana Taylor, violin, trombone; G. A. Lathrop, Dyer Shoemaker, first violins; H. H. Gavitt, first cornet; Lee Compton, second cornet; Harold Ferguson, B-flat clarinet; Howard Thomas, Jerre Stephens, C-clarinets; Walter Spencer, violin cello; R. L. Avery, E-flat bass; Minot Riley, trombone; Ziba Shoemaker, pianist. [Dana Taylor was the father of Maurice Taylor, former director of the Montrose H. S. band and author of “Easy Steps to the Band,” and “Easy Steps to the Orchestra”] still used by students throughout the United States.

Great Bend – The supervisors of Great Bend township have been notified that a suit has been started against them by Earl Tiffany, one of the proprietors of the excelsior factory, in the sum of $500. We understand that the supervisors will contest the claim. Tiffany claims that while coming to Hallstead with a load of excelsior, last winter, his wagon went over the bank where the highway was unprotected, no guard rail having been erected at that point. Tiffany claims to have received injuries at this time which have caused much suffering, and that one horse was badly injured.

Silver Lake Twp. – An interesting but somewhat one-sided contest was played on the Laurel Lake diamond the first of the week when the aggregation from Richmond Hill defeated the Lake team by the score of 10-4. “Wild Bill” Furey, the promising young southpaw, was in excellent form and his control was faultless; at times the Lake boys were helpless before him. Mark Lannon, the second part of the battery, played a fine game behind the bat. The other members of the team all played well, and “swung the willow” vigorously. The Laurel Lake team used two pitchers, but with little effect on the victors. Their part of the game was lacking in anything sensational. The new uniforms recently purchased by Richmond Hill were worn for the first time at this game, making a snappy appearance.

Harford – Fresh Air children are to be entertained in Harford by the following: Mrs. Cullings, two girls; Mrs. A. E. Turrell, two girls; Mrs. Ira Chamberlain, two girls; Harry Chamberlain, one boy; Mrs. Hollis B. Bailey, two girls; Mrs. A. R. Grant, two girls; Mrs. E. M. Watson, one girl.

Montrose – Our attention was called to the fact that the other night, after dusk, one of the oldest residents of the town was nearly run down by an automobile without lights. This aged man was crossing the street, slowly making his way alone, when the machine, with a couple of occupants, hove into view unexpectedly. Only quick work on the part of the startled driver of the car saved the pedestrian from probable death. There is yet too much reckless driving of cars on the streets of the town, and especially when automobilists are out after nightfall with unlighted lamps. And it is not necessary to kick up a cloud of dust by fast driving to impress pedestrians on the sidewalks, or friends sitting on porches or lawns. Go slow, it is safer, pleasanter, wiser. Better for the driver and the machine. Even 20 miles an hour on our roads is too fast; fifteen is better.

New Milford – Dewitt Vail is so progressive that he can stand 8 or more feet in the air, and bring down the news, having erected a bulletin board on the corner, opposite the post office. Now it is up to farmers and their wives to patronize his family theatre so he may fully equip his wireless office to get the weather reports for them. ALSO Miss Rachel Brundage is the owner of a handsome Cadillac, five-passenger touring car, purchased of George McConnell, the local agent.

Thompson – A horse driven by William Weir, a prominent Thompson farmer, and attached to a carriage containing the Weir family, Mrs. Weir and daughter, Helen, while passing the cemetery Sunday, became frightened at a passing train and ran away, throwing the family out. Weir was thrown over the fence and landed on a tombstone, fracturing his skull. Mrs. Weir fell on one of the iron pickets, inflicting a deep gash in her thigh that required twenty stitches to close it up. The girl, Helen, also landed on a picket, having her arm badly cut.

Nicholson – About 70 men are at work getting things in shape to begin building the large concrete bridge here, which will be the largest in the world. It will take several weeks yet before things will be ready to start on the job. A hospital has been erected for the treatment of the sick and injured workmen and a physician will be in charge of it.

Towanda – Charged with using the mails to defraud, Mrs. Roles, Miss Tracy Johnson, John Wolfe and Mrs. Michael Johnson, all relatives of the famous Bigler and Chas. Johnson, who were hanged at Towanda years ago for murder, were arrested for further hearing, which will be held next week. A soap firm is the complaining company, the allegation having been made that the company has lost $1000 through the swindle said to have been originated by those now under arrest. It is claimed that since the early part of 1909, the Soap Co. has been filling orders for soap sent them by soap clubs formed in and around Towanda, but when payment was not made investigation showed that fictitious names had been used.

Forest City – The Forest City Realty Co. has started the erection of four houses on their plot of lots here. They expect to build more later in the season. Also The Roosevelt sentiment will not [die] down in this vicinity. People here about still consider “Teddy’s hot in the ring.”

Franklin Forks – Fred Southworth killed a rattlesnake on his farm, 4 ft and 9 inches long, last week.

Clifford – Fourth of July celebrations were thick hereabouts. Dinner and celebration at Dundaff, baseball and ice cream at Royal and ice cream at the hall here. That ought to be sane enough.

News Brief: The indications are that berry pickers will have their troubles with snakes this year. The fine rains in the early spring and summer have put a productive outlook on the berry bushes, but the same conditions that make for berries have been conducive for the snake families to remain on the high ground, where the berries grow, instead of taking to the valleys as is usually the case in dry summers. There were no forest fires this summer, a fact which means a 25 per cent increase in the snakes, for every year heretofore the extensive fires have burned many reptiles. Rattlers and copperheads are especially plentiful, so trout fishermen report, for they have come across many a big fellow in the mountain paths.

There are so many topics swirling around from the previous week that provide fodder for this column – too many to really pick one topic and focus on it. I had planned on addressing the homily that the priest delivered at Mass last Sunday – about religious freedom, free exercise and the dark threat posed to liberty by government control of religious organizations. The homily was part of the Catholic Church’s Fortnight for Freedom – two weeks dedicated to prayer, contemplation and public action in defense of religious freedom and conscience. Our priest delivered a terrific homily blended together with constitutional principles, religious doctrine, and historical references. I had planned on plagiarizing some of his words here – but the past week was a crazy one.

There was the Arizona Immigration Law decision – which upheld by a unanimous vote the provision that required law enforcement officers to request documentation demonstrating immigration status during any lawful detention. Other provisions of the Arizona law were struck down, but the most contention part of the law survived judicial scrutiny. The response from the federal government was quick – and astonishing. Arizona was told that the federal government was revoking its cooperation agreement with that state with respect to immigration enforcement efforts apparently in protest to the law’s requirement that police check immigration status. Given the Supreme Court ruling, it would appear that Arizona is now in a position that they can take proactive steps to identify illegal immigrants, but they can do nothing about it, and nor will the federal government assist them.

Then, the Supreme Court came out with the decision that declared that juvenile offenders who have committed homicide can no longer be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole as such a sentence constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. If you follow this column, you know that this issue has been building for several years and I wish I could say that I was surprised by the decision, but I am not. As a result, there are estimates that there are over 400 persons serving life sentences in Pennsylvania for homicide offenses that were committed when they were juveniles – and one of those individuals is a Susquehanna County case. The Supreme Court has essentially called into question every one of those sentences – and people are now scrambling to figure out what the next step in those cases will be.

Chief Justice Roberts then shocked the nation – liberals and conservatives alike – by upholding the constitutionality of “Obamacare.” Roberts joined with the liberal justices to find that the “penalty” attached to the individual mandate was not a “penalty,” but a “tax,” which was within the taxing power of Congress. Kennedy, thought to be the real swing vote here, joined the normally conservative block to howl in outrage noting that Congress called it a “penalty,” the President called it a “penalty,” and the government attorneys called it a “penalty,” and Roberts could not unilaterally make it a “tax.” Well, he did and that it the end of that – and judges are supposed to find ways to uphold laws if possible even if the legislators did not know what they were doing when they did it. At a minimum, Roberts seems to have saved the Commerce Clause – and it is clear that a majority of the Supreme Court would have struck the law if the Commerce Clause was the sole justification. If there is a silver lining, it is right there.

Then, the political drama continued as the House of Representatives voted to hold the sitting Attorney General of the United States in contempt for refusing to release documents relevant to the “Fast and Furious” investigation. The vote was lopsided – 255 to 67 – but a large segment of representatives, led by the Congressional Black Caucus, actually walked out rather than fulfilling their responsibility to vote. In the end, however, 17 Democratic representatives voted to hold Eric Holder in contempt – thereby making it a bi-partisan vote. And the “Fast and Furious” investigation continues – with the media likely “furious” that they have to cover it.

A compelling week by any measure – and it conveyed a strong message about the importance of the upcoming election and how important that election will be in determining the direction the country takes. I heard Newt Gingrich say recently that the upcoming election was the most important election since 1860 – and I started to reject this as another one of Newt’s hyperboles. After this past week, perhaps Newt is not all that far off base – it will be a very important election regardless of which side of the political spectrum you sit on.

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/.