Hop Bottom – An Easter ball is to be given at the Masonic Hall in Brooklyn. It is to be given by Professor Cohen, of the Brooklyn-Hop Bottom dancing school.

Parkvale, Dimock Twp. – The roads are in very bad shape—so bad that the mail didn’t get through Saturday. In Dimock, there will be an entertainment by the Young Men’s Association of Dimock in the school house, Saturday evening, March 22nd at 8 o’clock. The feature of the evening being a laughable farce presented by 8 young men called the “Sight Seeing Auto.” It is humorous, amusing, side-splitting; also singing and music.

Franklin Forks – Mr. Hosford is putting new gasoline lights in the M. E. church, this week.

Herrick Center – The O. & W. Railroad has been nearly blocked with mud. They have had gangs working night and day.

Ararat – Earl Tourje, of Forest City, was in this place Saturday and did some repair work on the telephone line via Gelatt and Jackson.

New Milford – The Sittenfeld Tanning Company is working to its full capacity and not able to meet the demand for their product.

Springville – “The Dear Boy Graduates,” a farce-comedy in four acts, will be presented by Springville High School, Thursday evening, March 27th, at 8 o’clock, in the High School Auditorium. If heavy rain, succeeding evening. A thoroughly modern drama of school life, bubbling with vivacity, sparkling with wit, thoroughly new in setting and in expression; and at once setting forth both the value and the danger of athletics. Costumes of football and baseball. Admission 25 and 15 cents.

Elk Lake – The original and only Harry Lyons dropped in the Democrat office yesterday afternoon and any trace of gloom that might have been hovering around the office scurried for quarter. The roads between here and Elk Lake are not very good and when a neighbor came out to ask him how he was getting along, “Harry” promptly replied “about a mile an hour.” Harry is full of subtle, original humor and should he ever wish to incorporate some of his puns in a book, it would figure as one of the “best sellers—locally, at least.” And Harry is just as full of cordiality as he is of humor.

Montrose – The interior of the Exchange Hotel has been undergoing very noticeable improvements. Landlord Donlin having papered and painted the rooms and halls on the second and third floors and has electric lights installed on the third floor also. Mr. Donlin is a thorough believer of progressiveness.

East Ararat – Wellington A. Silver and Miss Pearl P. Wademan, both of Ararat, were united in marriage March 12, by Rev. H. J. Crane, at Uniondale. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Silver, of Lestershire, and the bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Wademan, of Burnwood.

Alford – Down at Alford, where they have been using half a ton of dynamite at a single blast, in some instances, on the Lackawanna cut-off operations, it is said that residents of the town have given up trying to keep windows in their houses. Men engaged in puttying in new panes have had them broken by blasts before the work was completed. Although Montrose is nine miles from Alford, as the crow flies, continuous blasting on the cut-off excavations has rattled the windows.

Uniondale – Oliver, the 18 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. James Richards, was instantly killed at the Vandling colliery, where he was employed as a door tender, by a trip of runaway cars. The young man had many friends, who are plunged in sorrow by his sad and untimely death. Besides his parents, there survives two sisters and one brother, Mrs. Lee Spencer of Forest City, Margaret and James at home. The body was taken to the home of Mrs. Spencer, where the funeral was held Sunday afternoon.

Susquehanna – Frederick D. Lyons, Susquehanna’s oldest resident, celebrated his 95th birthday anniversary on Friday. Mr. Lyons is probably the oldest person in the county.

Forest Lake – B. W. Clark has returned home after spending the winter at the National Soldiers’ Home at Johnson City, Tenn. Mr. Clark was a special policeman during the week of inauguration at Washington.

Forest City – Eula, the 12 year-old daughter of Supt. of Roads and Mrs. O. T. Rounds, was killed by a bullet from a rifle in the hands of a playmate, Willie Gilroy, yesterday. This tragic accident occurred at the Burdick school house, two miles north of Forest City, during the forenoon recess. The gun, we understand, had been brought to school by Leo White, who had borrowed it from Gilroy and was returning it to the owner. It was placed on the hat rack in the cloak room. During recess, Gilroy took down the firearm and loaded it. It accidentally discharged and the bullet struck the little victim in the temple. Miss Murial Stevens sent the other pupils for assistance and E. C. Boulter, Bert Burns and Mr. Rounds were quickly on the scene. Eula never regained consciousness. She was a bright little cherry girl and the idol of the household. The sympathy of all is extended the afflicted family. The accident has plunged the entire community in gloom.

Susquehanna County 103 Years Old – Susquehanna County derived its name from the Susquehanna River, which first enters the State within this county. In the Indian dialect the name signified crooked stream; Susque meaning crooked and hanna a stream of water. This is a very appropriate name for the “beautiful Susquehanna.” A more winding stream cannot be found in this section of the United States. Some of the important creeks are—Tunkhannock, Starrucca, Meshoppen, Wyalusing, Canawacta, Mitchell’s, Martin, Snake, Salt Lick, Wiley’s, Choconut, Apolacon, Tuscarara, Drinker’s, White, Silver, Rhiney, Bear, Summer’s, Forest Lake, Wolf, Beaver, Hopbottom, Butter, Partners’, Butler’s, Riley, Horton’s and Cascade. Among the most important lakes are: Silver Lake, Quaker Lake, Crystal Lake, Carmalt Lake, Elk Lake and Heart Lake. The highest elevation in the county is Elk Mountain, in Clifford Township. From this point nearly every other high ground in this or adjoining counties may be seen. The view from its summit is unparalleled in extent and beauty. The county is generally hilly, but there is very little waste land, and tillable land and fertile farms are found in every portion. Dairying is the most extensive industry in the county. The county is 33 5/8 miles in length by about 24 ½ in width, containing 824 square miles. Over 320 acres are improved and there are 154,929 acres of timber land. There are 4,675 farms, 4,110 of which are dairy farms, containing 35,112 cows, which produce 62,742,876 quarts of milk per year. 9,895 horses are required to do the farm work. The county also contains 24,636 sheep, 12,469 swine of all ages and 46 goats. (To be continued....)

Given the recent horrific school shooting in Connecticut, there has been a lot of discussion about additional legislation relating to regulating firearms, i.e., the gun control debate. This is a hot button political issue that has passionate advocates on both sides of the proverbial fence. It even prompted our own County Commissioners to pass a resolution declaring that no new federal gun laws would be “enforced” in Susquehanna County if those laws infringed upon the Second Amendment. Given that law enforcement, prosecutors and courts, not the County Commissioners, enforce gun laws, the resolution was plainly only ceremonial to express the collective opposition of both the Republican and Democrat political leaders in Susquehanna County to any addition gun legislation.

Rather than recognizing the resolution as a political statement, the Scranton Times editorial board condescendingly referred to our beautiful county as “Susquehannastan.” Unfortunately, this has become the nature of debate on important constitutional issues – when you disagree with someone, you simply disparage them and call them names. What exactly is so outrageous about a local board of commissioners voicing their opposition to unconstitutional acts? The Commissioners did not voice opposition to any federal law; rather, they expressed collective opposition to any new federal law that infringed upon a fundamental constitutional right. The defense of the Constitution itself by elected officials is something that is now worthy of derision and ridicule.

The current state of gun laws is a twisted maze of federal and state legislation that sometimes provides no clear guideposts as to what is lawful behavior. Under Pennsylvania law, the legislature has listed offenses for which a conviction will bar you from possessing a firearm. The list is fairly extensive – and has specifically enumerated offenses. In other words, you can look at the list and know if you have been convicted of that particular offense. If you have, then you cannot lawfully own a gun. If you have not, then you can possess a gun under state law – but not necessarily federal law.

The additional layer of federal law creates confusion and uncertainty. What state offenses qualify as disqualifiers under federal law? Under federal law, if you have been convicted of a crime punishable by over a year in prison, then you cannot possess a firearm. A reader recently sent me an article outlining the problems that can arise out of the interpretation of this federal gun prohibition.

In North Carolina, numerous individuals were prosecuted by the federal government for unlawfully possessing firearms under federal law as a result of disqualifying state convictions. In one particular case, Gordon Miller had a previous state conviction that the federal government determined was sufficient to trigger the federal prohibition against possession of a firearm. Miller was convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 6 years followed by another 3 years of supervision. After Miller had served his sentence, an appellate court determined in an unrelated case that the state offense that the federal government relied upon was not sufficient to support a federal prosecution for unlawful possession of a firearm. Miller tried to have his conviction overturned, and the federal prosecutors agreed, but the Judge determined that too much time had elapsed since his conviction and Miller was not entitled to any relief. In other words, Miller gets to keep his federal felony conviction for life – even though he never should have been convicted.

The USA Today article reported that in June 2012 the United States Department of Justice conducted its own review and determined there were 175 defendants in Miller’s position in just one district in North Carolina – citizens who never should have been convicted of unlawful gun possession under federal law. Rather than immediately notify those people and take remedial action, the Justice Department did nothing until August 2012, and now 34 people have been freed from incarceration. The rest had already served their sentence, and, like Miller, may never get any legal relief.

This is simply a cautionary tale – a real world example of what happens when you place layer upon layer of regulations upon gun ownership. What is lawful under state law may be prohibited by federal law – but then if the prosecutors and judges are having a hard time figuring it out, where does that leave the average citizen who may have a criminal conviction on his record? So, when local Commissioners express some level of caution about adding additional gun regulations on the federal level, perhaps folks should look to what happened in North Carolina where innocent people were wrongfully convicted and jailed as a result of confusing federal gun legislation. But then again what do I know, I live in Susquehannastan.

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/.