Uniondale – Rumors have been in circulation that the Tri-County Fair would not hold an exhibition this year. This may have had its origin from the fact that the County Commissioners have designated the Harford Fair, which was only recently chartered, to receive a portion of the state appropriation in preference to the Tri-County Fair, which has been chartered for several years. The Tri-County Fair has always been a clean agricultural exhibition and has grown from year to year and the Fair this year promises to be the largest in its history. The railroads are arranging to run special trains to the Fair and with the enthusiasm that has been inspired in the public in this section by the treatment of the Commissioners, the Fair at Uniondale is bound to be a success.
Forest City – The borough asks bids for paving the street from the Hillside crossing on South Main street to the house of E. W. Cole on North Main. The street car company has agreed to extend its tracks the length of the paved street. Vetrified brick is the material to be used and it is estimated the cost will run around $24,000.
Montrose – J. C. Hawley, who is starting the shirt factory here, accompanied by Raymond and John Kretzinger, arrived Monday. The machinery is here and will be installed in a few days and operations will commence in the course of ten days. Mr. Hawley and his family are moving into the Mrs. T. C. Allen house. ALSO A Bush Meeting was held on the Fair Grounds last Sunday afternoon under the direction of Rev. Mr. Taylor, pastor of Zion African Methodist Episcopal church, and his congregation, assisted by outside talent.
Royal, Clifford Twp. – Three or four persons living on what we call the upper road near here, leading from Clifford to Lenoxville, want the Clifford & Nicholson stage that goes through Royal every night and morning, to go this upper road and deliver their mail mornings. The people of Royal and vicinity are opposed to this change as all passengers of this vicinity going to Montrose, Scranton, Binghamton or any other town on the D. L. & W. R. R. take the stage at Royal in the morning; also all packages to be sent by the state for shipment go in the morning. To lose nearly all of this by the stage taking the cross road would be a great loss to the stage proprietor; besides this upper road drifts badly in the winter which would make it very hard and difficult for the stage driver.
Gibson – The Universalists Sunday School of this place met with the Universalist S. S., of Kingsley, for their annual picnic. The day was perfect and 50 members and friends attended from this place, meeting nearly as many from Kingsley. Tingley Lake, Harford, was chosen as the meeting place and it would be hard to find a more beautiful spot. A bountiful dinner was served and all seemed to enjoy the day.
Harford – Miss Edna Wright, field Sec’y of Pennsylvania for Woman Suffrage, was here Wednesday to secure space on the Fair Grounds where they will distribute literature and answer any and all questions on Woman Suffrage.
Ararat Summit – Scott DeFoster, aged 28, is in a serious condition in the State hospital, at Scranton, following an attempt Sunday morning to jump on a moving Delaware & Hudson freight train at the Carbon street crossing. He missed his footing and went beneath the rails. Both legs were mangled and surgeons in the State hospital amputated the left foot. Several persons witnessed the accident. The man was hurried to the hospital, where an operation was performed.
Herrick – John Clark, of Colorado, is visiting relatives here. He has been in Colorado for 12 years and was sheriff of Cripple Creek county at one time, but is now a marshall, which carries a good salary. ALSO At Herrick Center, Sunday afternoon, as Rev. Franklin Pierce, of the Baptist church, was returning from his appointment at Maple Grove, the front axle of the wagon broke and the horse ran away. Mr. Pierce was thrown from the buggy, receiving some minor injuries, and the horse, which belonged to Alfred Bowell, was seriously if not fatally injured.
Electrical Storm – The storm this morning did considerable damage. A barn on D. H. Coon’s farm near South Montrose, rented by Robert Reynolds and filled with hay and grain, was struck and burned. The house was saved by hard work. The barn of Lewis Terry, below Rush, with its crop contents and machinery, was burned. He had a small insurance. The house and barn of Charles Eastman, near Brewster’s Pond, is also reported to have been burned, and a fire is reported from Auburn. The last two we have been unable to confirm, the telephone lines being out of order.
West Auburn – Frank Angell has, in his garden, the tallest sunflowers we know of, measuring 11 ft. in height. ALSO At Auburn Four Corners, while returning from the creamery on Saturday morning, a horse belonging to G. W. Bunnell became frightened at an automobile and dropped dead.
Rush – Royal Devine has finished painting the poor asylum.
Highlands, New Milford Twp. – School opened at East Lake on August 25, with Miles Tyler, of Lakeview, as teacher.
Richardson Mills, Harford Twp. – Miss Grace Rhodes, of South Harford, commenced her school here this week, and her brother, Glenn, teaches the Sweet school.
Susquehanna – Measurements recorded Saturday show that the Susquehanna river is the lowest it has ever been since 1874. ALSO The firemen plan a big fair in October, the purpose being to raise funds to buy a lot and erect a department building. A Ford automobile is the main prize offered, to be disposed of the last night of the fair.
Lawton, Rush Twp. – James Nichols was in town yesterday. Mr. Nichols, whose terms of enlistment in the Civil War extended over a period of three years, sustained a slight shock recently and may be obliged to give up farming. ALSO The high school opens Monday with Roland Dayton, Principal; Miss Amy Hughes, Grammar department; Miss Agnes Brotzman, Intermediate and Miss Mabel Hillis, Primary department.
Springville – Miss Jessie Prichard leaves on Monday next to begin her three years’ course of training as a nurse in Dr. Thompson’s hospital in Scranton.
The Pennsylvania Superior Court issued an interesting opinion last month concerning the use of a defendant’s exculpatory statements made in a recorded telephone conversation at the time of trial. It is common for the Commonwealth to utilize exculpatory statements, i.e., those statements that tend to incriminate a defendant. But what happens when the Commonwealth surreptitiously records the defendant’s conversation where he professes his innocence? Can a defendant use that recorded conversation at the time of trial?
Robert Lee Stephens was convicted in Chester County for sexually abusing his girlfriend’s daughter over a two-year period that started when the child was only 8 years old. As often happens with children, the little girl did not immediately report the sexual abuse. After her mother had terminated her relationship with Stephens, the young girl told her mother about the abuse. The mother then called Stephens to confront him about the allegations of sexual abuse – and the mother eventually reported the matter to Children and Youth Services and the investigation made its way to the State Police.
As part of the State Police investigation, the victim was asked to call Stephens on the telephone and confront him about the sexual abuse and the State Police recorded the telephone call. During the telephone call, the victim accused Stephens of molesting her, Stephens denied each of the allegations and Stephens never made any admissions. At the time of trial, Stephens attempted to introduce the recorded telephone call as proof of his innocence, i.e., when confronted, he denied the allegations. The trial court refused to allow the admission of that evidence as it constituted hearsay, i.e., it was an out-of-court statement being offered to prove the defendant’s innocence. Hearsay is generally not admissible in a court proceeding unless there is an applicable exception. The reason that hearsay is not allowed is that it is not deemed inherently reliable – out-of-court statements are not made under oath, there is no way to cross-examine the speaker, and the jury cannot assess the credibility of the speaker in person.
In this case, Stephens argued that he was making an excited utterance, which is a spontaneous reaction to surprising events. The reason that there is an excited utterance exception is that the law recognizes that when confronted with a startling occurrence, people generally lack the ability to take the time to make the cognitive reflection necessary to fabricate information. In other words, when you are excited, you simply respond to the situation in an honest and candid way. The Superior Court rejected this argument soundly. First, the Superior Court noted that Stephens was aware of the allegations of sexual abuse for several weeks prior to the phone call because the victim’s mother had contacted him and confronted him. The Superior Court concluded: “Stephens was not making excited utterances during the intercepted phone call because he had several weeks to calculate a false statement concerning the allegations against him.” The Superior Court noted the there was nothing about the telephone call that suggested that Stephens was surprised, startled or excited when confronted by the victim with the allegations of sexual abuse. Thus, the jury never heard the recorded telephone conversation as it constituted inadmissible hearsay.
What would have happened if Stephens had admitted to sexually abusing the victim? It would have been admissible as an admission – and it would not have been hearsay evidence. It might seem a little bit of a double standard here – but when an adverse party in litigation seeks to admit an opposing party’s statement, the evidentiary rules allow it. The reason is simple – the opposing party can always take the stand and explain the statement. The distinction is who sought to admit the statement. In this particular case, the defendant wanted to introduce his own recorded statement, and thus it was hearsay. If the Commonwealth had sought to admit Stephens’ recorded statements, those out-of-court statements would have been admissible and it would not have been hearsay. With evidentiary questions, the end result can hinge upon which party is presenting the evidence for what purpose.
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/.
"To pick a flower is so much more satisfying than just observing it, or photographing it ... So in later years, I have grown in my garden as many flowers as possible for children to pick." - Anne Scott-James
As sultry Summer days dwindle down to a precious few - It’s time. Time to gather the family together for the final picnics, to enjoy the County Fairs and Carnivals before summer says “So Long”, and the children prepare to go back to school. Bittersweet? Maybe--but you still have time to check in with your local Library Branch for some great titles perfect for that last relaxing day at the beach.
Apparently there are multitudes who “Geek” blueberries as the Annual Blueberry Festival was a resounding success with crowds numbering in the thousands enjoying the two days of festivities. The Festival owes its success to so many, that there isn’t room in this column to name everyone, so, I will give a tip of a blueberry-colored cap to you all, along with a huge “Thank-you” to volunteers and attendees alike. Your hard work, generosity, and dedication are very much appreciated. If you took a chance or five on the stunning Blue and White Stars Quilt and wondered who won—the winning ticket was held by Kathleen Woloszczuk from Philadelphia. Kathleen, If by chance you’re reading this, Congratulations and we hope you’ll enjoy many cozy nights with your beautiful, handmade quilt. Many thanks to all who purchased tickets.
Over the river, the Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Library reports that their 11th (and final) Golf Tournament, sponsored by Trudy and Dale Henry raised $3355.00 and, over the years, has raised more than $35,000, which has helped to purchase shelving, computers, an alarm system, air conditioning, magazine subscriptions and many other needed items. On this year’s wish list is a “Facelift” for the outside of the building. Of course, all of this would not be possible without the generosity and dedication of Trudy and Dale --many, many thanks for the countless hours and continuing support you give to the Hallstead/Great Bend Branch, and a round of applause to all who participated.
Back at the Susquehanna Branch, the Reading Group has read and discussed two selections in August, “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand—A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, and “Remarkable Creatures” by Tracy Chevalier. A novel set on the beaches of the English coast, it is about two remarkable 19th Century women who are also fossil hunters, with one’s unique gift and the other’s talent, changing the scientific world forever. The discussion for the above titles was held on August 15th , but don’t despair. If you are interested in joining, drop in at the Branch and speak with Laura, Pam, Deb or Elizabeth and they’ll be glad to sign you up. While you’re there, you may want to check out the group’s September selection as well.—“The Time Keeper” by Mitch Albom, of “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” fame. This is a compelling fable about the first man on earth to count the hours, the man who became “Father Time”. Mark down the discussion date of September 19th at 4:00 pm for this one.
Remember to mark the date of Thursday, September 19th on your calendar. The Novel Woman Book Club will be sponsoring the annual “Author Luncheon” which will be held at the Stonebridge Inn and Restaurant. Featured guest will be Author, Actress and humorous Public Speaker, Angela Shelton. You won’t want to miss this—more details forthcoming.
Don’t forget to find us on “Facebook”: (Susquehanna County Library) and look us up on “Pinterest” for lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore and now, if you “Tweet”, follow us on Twitter (@susqcolib) to check out event information, local scoops and much more.
As I gather a bouquet of Queen’s Anne’s Lace and press a few blooms to remind myself of summer when the snow-filled gusts whistle around corners, I leave you with this thought: ‘Change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawnm and it comes like a stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass.’ – John Steinbeck.
Tomato Sandwiches – Scurrying Squirrels – Sweet Corn
Enjoy!
