Rushville – Newton R. Jones sustained a severe loss
Wednesday night when two large barns on his farm were burned to the ground, together with their contents which included three horses, wagons, tools, harnesses, hay, grain, etc. The Fire was discovered at about 8 o’clock in the evening, its origin being unknown. There was a partial insurance. The farm on which the barns were located was commonly designated as the Sherwood farm.
Middletown Twp. – One good feature about the blizzard is that we can’t get back into the “old ruts” for some time because all the roads are now through the fields.
Brooklyn – Ami Ely died at his late home March 14, 1914. He was born Dec. 9, 1824, thus his age was 89 years and three months. When such a man as Mr. Ely passes away it is worthwhile to pause and consider what manner of man he was. For over 60 years he was a prominent factor in making the Township of Brooklyn what it is today, one of the foremost townships in Susquehanna County in the ranks of business and political economy. Mr. Ely was a direct descendant of Richard Ely, who came from Plymouth, England, in 1660 and settled in Lynn, Conn. Ami’s father, Gurdon Ely came from Lynn, to Brooklyn, in1818. Ami married Emily Tewksbury and together the couple raised six children. Mr. Ely was not perfect, but if all were as good as he and obeyed the Golden Rule as nearly as he intended, there would be no need of saloons, or Court Houses and jails. The world is better for his life.
South Montrose – This town has an industry in the trunk slat factory which is furnishing about $1500 monthly in wages to a force of men that is steadily working pretty much all of the time. The creamery’s monthly payroll is about $500, and with the large force of men employed at Louden Hill Farm, South Montrose and vicinity is becoming a thriving business center and in no small way, population considered.
Hallstead – Engineer Frank Tingley returned to his home here on Monday, after running the engine on the Montrose branch of the Lackawanna for a couple of weeks, during the absence of the regular engineer, A. M. Sliker. Mr. Tingley says the experience during the recent blizzard was the worst he encountered in his railroad career of many years. The Lackawanna possesses no more reliable and capable engineer than this trustworthy engine driver and his friends here are always glad to see his genial face peering from the locomotive cab or feel the grip of his strong, steady hand. ALSO The property of the Herbeck-Deemer [Glass] Co will be sold by orders of the Court on April 8th.
South Gibson – Greeley Belcher, of Crystal Lake, is moving to the old homestead on East Mountain. ALSO Jasper Conrad, our stage driver to Foster, celebrated his 21st birthday on Saturday. ALSO Earl Manzer and F. F. Resseguie, two of our largest dairymen, have decided to make their butter at home this season.
Heart Lake – Mr. Crane, of Binghamton, was here one day last week. He expects to build a cottage at the lake in the early spring. ALSO Mr. Sneider, of New York city, visited at L. E. Griffing’s over Sunday. Mr. Sneider is one of our summer residents and wanted to see how it looked in the winter season.
Herrick Center – P. H. Flynn, of Hotel Flynn, entertained twenty-eight men engaged in breaking out the roads recently. With his usual generosity, Mr. Flynn gave each man his dinner and feed for teams gratis. ALSO A game of basketball between Thompson and Herrick Center teams was played at the gymnasium, Thursday evening, followed by an oyster supper in the basement of the school house.
Friendsville – The Riley boys are cutting wood for landlord Lake, of the Friendsville House. ALSO Joseph Mullen has the largest pile of wood in town.
South Ararat – Despite the snow and the terrible high drifts after the big snow storm our old milk boy, Charles Westgate, kept his temper and always seemed so pleasant but he don’t whistle the same old tune—it’s something like this—“Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie.”
Franklin Forks – The roads are nearly all blocked with snow. People are traveling in the fields; anywhere they can find a place to drive.
Forest City – Two young men from Elkdale and a companion from Uniondale created a disturbance at the Erie depot Saturday evening. Officer Wolfert was called and the brave young men quieted down at the appearance of the burley chief.
Montrose – Proprietor Walter G. Castle, of the Orpheum Theatre, believes in giving his patrons the best in moving pictures and on next Wednesday night offers a special 4 reel picture, “Thora, Lord of the Jungle.” This is a picture of the wild animals found in Africa. ALSO A bank note of the Susquehanna Co. Bank, at Montrose, dated Jan. 1st, 1849, signed by President Wm. G. Post and Cashier T. P. St. John and made payable to H. Tyler or bearer, is in possession of J. F. Lannon, the grocer. This note, with others, was found at Washington, D. C., when a building was being torn down, which was being used as a barracks for the Union soldiers during the rebellion. The notes were found on the rafters of the structure where it is surmised that the soldiers hid them with the intention of returning for the notes after the battle, but lost their lives in battle. The note is a trifle smaller than our present notes and is in a good state of preservation.
Springville – J. H. Kelly is selling furniture, etc., used at the Springville Hotel, at private sale. He will remove to Endicott, having sold his hotel.
Brookdale - D. Worden found a large snake near a spring and one of his neighbor’s dogs killed a wood chuck Monday, so we think spring is coming [even] if the earth is covered with snow.
News Brief: Considerable anxiety is felt along the river by people who may have damage done by the ice breaking up. At Still Water, near State Line, the ice measures 20 inches thick, while just around the bend, above the bridge, is a large ice gorge frozen in some places five and six cakes thick. There is some talk of opening up a channel with dynamite at State Line.
My Aunt called me last week to tell me that they had received some kind of notice in the mail from “Registered Property Services,” which had a return address of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The envelope appeared very official with the following message in capital letters: “OPEN IMMEDIATELY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ENCLOSED.” To add to the ominous nature of the letter, this company then included the following warning on a box on the face of the envelope: “$2,000 FINE, 5 YEARS IMPRISONMENT, OR BOTH FOR ANY PERSON INTERFERING OR OBSTRUCTING WITH DELIVERY OF THIS LETTER.” Wow, it must be something really important, right?
The first thing you see when you open up the letter is bold capital letters stating: “DEED PROCESSING NOTICE.” On this “notice,” there is a box that appears similar to something you would see on your electric bill, including a “response date” (3/21/14) and a “document fee” ($83.00). The clear impression from the mailing is that you need to respond – and respond quickly. My Aunt called me because she believed that it was a “scam.” If you read through the “NOTICE” carefully, you would see that it was not really a scam – but it is definitely unnecessary for most real property owners.
Last summer, I wrote about these solicitations in one of the columns – and outlined exactly why this proposed service was really unnecessary. I cannot recall if the solicitation came from the same company – but the proposed price remains the same, i.e., 83 bucks. It also promises to provide the same information: (1) a current deed; (2) the property address (3) the owner’s name; (4) comparable values; and (5) a legal description or parcel identification number.
As I stated then, you really are not getting much of anything for $83. First, every real property owner gets their original deed returned to them after it has been recorded in the courthouse. Even if you lost the deed, you could simply take a trip to the courthouse, call it up on the computer, hit print and get a new copy. At that point, you will not only have a copy of your deed, but you will also have your legal description for the property as it is in the deed. There will be a small fee for this service – but it will likely be well under $10.
Most people already know their address and their names. If you do not, then it might well be worth $83 to you to find them out. On the other hand, you could ask a relative to remind you for free what your name is – and the Post Office delivers reminders to you every day – just look at your mail. Actually, Registered Property Service already provided you with your address – it was the place where they mailed the “DEED PROCESSING NOTICE” and they did it for free!
Finally, the only thing that this service allegedly provides that arguably you would not have readily available to you by a simple visit to the courthouse – or a simple trip to your filing cabinet – would be the “comparable values” component. Frankly, I am not sure what you get for “comparable values,” and it might be worth $83 to you to satisfy that curiosity. On the other hand, the only time you really need this information is when you are considering selling your property – and your realtor will gladly provide that information to you as part of the service in helping you sell your property.
The problem with this solicitation is that is has the appearance of an official document – and makes it seem like you need to respond and do something to protect your property. This is the reason that my Aunt was so concerned about the letter and forwarded it to me. You need to read it carefully in order to understand that it is simply a bunch of hooey. At the very end of the solicitation – in big bold letters – there is a concession that you can likely get a copy of your deed for a lot less money. I suspect that the service that created this solicitation was banking on many people simply responding quickly without getting to page two – and then they would have spent $83 largely for information they already possess or simply do not need. Be cautious!
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/.
“St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic.” ~Adrienne Cook
While we celebrate all things shamrock-green and look forward to Spring, there are some other celebrations you should be aware of. I bet you remember the late Author, Poet, and Illustrator, Shel Silverstein . No? If the name doesn’t ring a bell, his work will. How about “Where the Sidewalk Ends”? Or “A Giraffe and a Half”? “A Light in the Attic”? Ahhh,,you’ve read and enjoyed them and. perhaps have introduced your children to them too. Thelate beloved Author has several book anniversaries coming up as 2014 celebrates Shel Silverstein's most prolific year, 1964, when he wrote and illustrated “The Giving Tree”, a touching interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return. This cherished volume will be celebrating its 50th Annibersary! Imagine, 50 years of entertainung children and encouraging them to read! Also, such favorite picture and poetry books such as “ Don't Bump The Glump!”, “A Giraffe And A Half”, “Who Wants A Cheap Rhinoceros?” And “Where The Sidewalk Ends” will be celebrating their 40th anniversaries this year. Many of Mr. Silverstein’s works are available at your local Branch Library—why not make a Spring day even sunnier by stopping by and checking out these and other enchanting titles sure to chase any March or April showers away?
There’s lots going on at the Main Library in Montrose. As I write this, the drawing for the “Spring into Romance” basket will take place on Saturday the 15th and the winner will be announced here in the column. Many thanks to all who purchased chances and, especially to Kensington Publishing for the fine selection of books and the creative souls who added goodies and made the basket one everyone would like to own.
The hunt is on for items to go in our annual auction. If you’re Spring cleaning and would like to donate—please contact the Main Library. Please keep in mind that clothing, large appliances and furniture cannot be accepted, The Auction is scheduled to be held on Saturday, April 12th at the Montrose VFW. The doors will open at 4:15 pm,with dinner (an Italian buffet) beginning at 5pm,and the auction commencing at 6pm. There is a cost. All proceeds will go to support the Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library encompassing all locations including Montrose, Forest City, Susquehanna and Hallstead/Great Bend.
You are invited to help choose the “Susquehanna County Reads” title for 2014. There is an online poll with six choices where you can vote. Participants need to have an email address to make their vote count. The deadline is March 31st. Please find this on our updated webpage (www.susqcolibrary.org). As you will recall, “The Hobbit” was the 2013 selection.
Family Storytime at the Montrose Main Library is scheduled for March 20th and starts at 6:15 pm. Stories, games, and snacks will be offered for parents and children. If you and your family have enjoyed this in the past, please make a notation on your calendar and join us again.
Over at the Susquehanna Branch. If you wanted to join the March Computer Classes, we’re sorry, but all sessions are filled for the basic course, Plans are being made for an intermediate course in the near future. If you are interested, please contact Laura at the Susquehanna Library Branch and you can be put on a list and be notified when other classes are scheduled. Individual sessions on specific topics may be available upon request.
Spring Story Hour has started at the Hallstead/Great Bend Branch Library and will continue until April 8th. If you missed the St. Patrick’s Story Time on March 11h, don’t despair, You can join us on Tuesdays at 10:00 am. Please call or stop in to register.
The Susquehanna Branch Spring Story Hours will take place on the five Tuesdays of April at 10:30am. If interested, please call the Library to register.
The Susquehanna Branch Reading Group selected "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara –a classic novel of the Civil War (and a timely choice for the Reader’s group as the 150th anniversary commemorating the Battle at Gettysburg occurred in 2013) This is. a superb re-creation of the Battle at Gettysburg, but its real importance is its insight into what the war was truly about, and what it meant. The March meeting and discussion of this book will be held on March 20th at 4:00.pm at the Susquehanna Branch Library. You are always welcome to join in this lively group.
As we sit down to a steaming plate of ham (or corned beef) and cabbage, I will leave you with this thought:
“For each petal on the shamrock, This brings a wish your way -Good health, good luck, and happiness for today and every day.”
~Author Unknown
Shamrocks—Spring Showers—Bird Songs
ENJOY!!
