Flynn, Middletown Twp. – The Spinster club has lost its last member, all having got married or left the place. They will tell you it don’t pay to advertise. If something of that sort would happen to the old bachelors, wouldn’t it be grand. Also L. L. Curley had a bark bee on Saturday last. There was a large crowd in attendance and a first-class job was done.

Forest Lake - During the severe electric storm last Sunday afternoon the barn of Michael Sullivan was struck by a heavy bolt of lightning, which set the barn on fire. A bucket brigade quickly responded and the flames were extinguished with but little damage done. Also, at the same time, Reilly Bros., near St. Joseph, had five yearlings and a yearling colt killed by lightning.

East Kingsley – W. O. Finn, of Montrose, Nancy E. Webster, of Franklin Forks, accompanied by their half-brother, Peter Finn and Mother, of Philadelphia, called on friends in this vicinity last Thursday. The brothers and sister had not met in 43 years and they had a jolly time. Also Bert Loomis, son of Dr. E. N. Loomis, was discharged after thirty years’ service in the army and came to his childhood home by way of California, reaching here July 4th. He is enjoying many trips over the farm on which he was born.

Elk Lake – The marriage of J. Monroe Mosher, one of Endicott’s popular young merchants, to Miss Bertha M. Risley, of this place, occurred July 11, 1914 at the Endicott Presbyterian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Mosher spent several years as public school teachers in Susquehanna County. The wedding had been postponed on account of the death of the groom’s father. Only a few nearest friends were invited and after the wedding a luncheon was served at the groom’s home, covers being laid for ten, a vacant chair and a plate upon which rested a beautiful white rose, designating the place so recently left vacant by the father gone before.

Great Bend – A horse belonging to Robert Roosa was killed by lightning on Saturday evening. The lightning struck the barn and killed the horse in the stable. Mr. Roosa was getting ready to drive to town and had just brought the horse in from the field. Also John J. O’Leary, a graduate of St. Mary’s Seminary, at Emmetsburg, Md., will be ordained to the priesthood in St. Peter’s Cathedral, Scranton, by Bishop Hoban. He will celebrate his first mass in St. Lawrence Church, Great Bend, on Sunday morning, July 19.

New Milford – Contractor Gahagan, who has the contract to build the Lackawanna [Railroad] cutoff from this place to Hallstead, has his work at this place nearly completed. The job of filling some of the sink holes in Martin Creek swamp, where thousands of cubic yards of material has been dumped without any visible difference except to raise the other side of the swamp, has been given up. The new survey puts the tracks close to the old line where the ground is solid.

Forest City – Thomas Brown, a prominent merchant of Forest City, has been appointed Justice of the Peace by Governor Tener, to succeed the late John Maxey. The insurance business of the late John Maxey has been purchased by his brother, G. E. Maxey.

Meshoppen – Edward Hawke, who had his back broke in a runaway two weeks ago, died at the Packer hospital at Sayre, July 13. A wife and little children survive.

South Ararat – Mr. Reese and family and Mr. Reynolds and family, of Carbondale, have come for the summer to their cottage at Fiddle Lake. It certainly is a very beautiful body of water and a few days spent at the lake is time not to be regretted.

Springville – The quarry here, so long known as the “Chase quarry” changed hands on July 1st, it being purchased by Doherty and Winans, of Meshoppen. Also Mrs. William Lathrop is very ill at this writing without little hopes of her recovery. The first the family noticed was that she was acting strangely. A physician was called and all is being done that can be done. That she is suffering from some sort of brain trouble is very evident. Also word from Mrs. Fred Risley says she [Mrs. Risley] is no better and there seems little hope if her recovery.

Montrose – The new asbestos composition flooring being installed in the corridors and arbitration room of the court house is attracting considerable attention. The floor is the first of its kind ever laid in Montrose. The material is composed of asbestos in combination with several dry powders and a chemical liquid. The corridors will have a base and border of red—and a center of gray, broken in panels by bands of red crossing the gray at the office entrances. The work is being done by the Woodoleum Flooring Company of Philadelphia, one of the very few companies in the business who thoroughly understand it, as misuse of the materials is disastrous.

Also J. J. Ryan & Co. was awarded the contract for installing steam heating plants in the court house and jail. Also Landlord D. J. Donovan received thirteen fine horses and mules from the Stegmaier Brewing Co., Wilkes-Barre, this week, which he has placed on his farm and is offering for sale. The company is replacing many of its horses with auto trucks.

Lathrop Twp. – The funeral of Jerome B. Davison, whose death occurred June 3, 1914, was held from his home on June 5th. The casket was draped in the stars and stripes, dear to the veteran’s heart, and the members of Rogers Post, No. 143, whose ranks are fast thinning, attended in a body to pay tribute to a comrade who was ever faithful to both flag and country. Jerome B. Davison was born Oct. 24, 1829. On Dec. 1, 1858 he was married to Miss Loretta Giles and one daughter, Sadie [Marcy], was born to them. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. F, 141st Regiment, where he was wounded at Chancellorsville May 3, 1863 and later transferred to a veteran’s corps in 1864; he attained the rank of corporal. Mr. Davison was a man thoroughly upright in character, generous in disposition, and helpful in the community in which he lived. It is the testimony of those who knew him that he served his day and generation well.

South Gibson – Frank F. Resseguie stated that he had just received a nice check in payment of his prize won during the winter in a seven days’ milk test conducted by the Holstein Breeders Association. Out of 5,000 cows in the contest, located in all parts of the United States, he said it made him feel pretty good to see his cow standing in sixth place.

South Montrose – The Springville team played the South Montrose team on Saturday and came off winner 26-0. The South Montrose team succeeded in getting but one man as far as first base.

The First Ever Montrose Architectural Treasure Hunt is underway and will end on August 1st during the Blueberry Festival. Brochures are available at the front desk of the main library, in Montrose, or at the Historical Society. Lots of fun and great prizes.

A few months ago, I received a letter from a friend who was “frustrated and discouraged by ‘bad guys’ playing the legal system.”  The letter indicated that it appears “as if ‘the bad guys’ keep getting away with it again and again and again.”  In particular, my friend was referring to one particular offender who had been through the system on several occasions – receiving only a short period of incarceration and probation for a few different criminal offenses.  She acknowledged that there had been punishment, but that it was only “minimal.”

She expressed her difficulties in explaining to her children why a particular offender was not in jail after committed a variety of different criminal acts.  She indicated that she educated her children on the presumption of innocence, i.e., that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  But setting aside this constitutional guarantee, she made the following query: “Honestly, how many times can one be accused and remain innocent without being proven guilty?  If someone is accused of criminal activities on a continual basis, chances are they are guilty of something, right?”  This would be a common sense approach to criminal justice, i.e., where there is smoke, there must also be fire.

First, as to the well-perceived and reasonable perception of “bad guys” getting away with criminal acts, I can only acknowledge that victims often perceive the criminal justice system of failing in the “justice” department.  Moreover, people who are not victims often ask me about sentences – and the general consensus of Joe and Jane Citizen would be that convicts do not receive enough jail time for criminal acts.  This is an understandable reaction – and there is no easy way to explain how sentencing occurs in Pennsylvania – though I have tried to do so in past columns.  A sentencing court is bound to some degree by the state-wide sentencing guidelines – and an offender has to work hard at getting a lengthy prison sentence – unless they have committed one of the more serious violent criminal offenses or committed an act of sexual abuse. 

There are some offenders who go in and out of jail – and you will not hear any dispute from those of us within the system itself about the frustrating nature of recidivism.  The public perceives this as the “bad guys getting away with it again and again and again.”  In reality, it is far more likely that the offender has been arrested, convicted and sentenced under the applicable guidelines – and served periods of incarceration for both the new criminal offenses and parole violations – and then is back out on the street under parole supervision.  At that point, the goal would be to finally rehabilitate the offender to make him a productive citizen and to assure that he demonstrates responsibility and accountability by paying all outstanding restitution, fines and costs.  Admittedly, there are some offenders who run through the system “again and again and again,” but these individuals represent a distinct minority.

We generally do not notice the “successful” offender – the person who has become a responsible member of society – and this is likely because most people never even know about the past criminal transgressions.  I was talking about this very issue with a local employer recently who questioned whether we did anything to recognize those past offenders who have transitioned from their past criminal acts to become productive community members.  We do not – but this employer’s experiences demonstrate that there are offenders who do rehabilitate themselves.

Finally, as to what to tell children about offenders seemingly “getting away with it,” the answer is simple: crime does not pay.  While you may see a particular offender out in the community after a seemingly short jail term, the offender continues to pay fines, costs and supervision fees for long periods of time after a conviction.  The jail component of a conviction is only a part of the punishment; fines, costs, supervision fees, and restitution is another component; collateral consequences attendant to some convictions such as suspension of any professional licenses or driver’s licenses can become the most serious consequence for some offenders; and the existence of a permanent criminal record is a punishment as well.  We have had offenders ask to spend more time in jail to avoid some of the non-incarceration consequences that a conviction carries.

So, when explaining criminality with children, the simple reality is that criminal conduct has a myriad of adverse consequences – and incarceration is only one of those consequences.  A young person can get a conviction for which there is no incarceration whatsoever – and the real punishment comes from the existence of a criminal record that will limit their opportunities throughout their lives.  When dealing with juvenile offenders, we try to make sure they understand how their acts have hurt the victims, something that often teenagers do not consider.  I also tell a lot of the juveniles that life can be hard at times – and there criminal conduct is simply making life more difficult.  Crime truly does not pay – even if there are times that it appears that the consequences for criminal conduct are too lenient.

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/. 

How To Read A Prescription And Why

Betty’s doctor wrote her out a prescription for a pain medication to relieve her back pain. The doctor’s secretary put the prescription into an envelope and sealed it. Betty did not even think to open it as she drove the 35 mile trip back home. “I can’t read those long drug names, or translate the abbreviations or Latin instructions. I don’t even know what drug he gave me,” Betty thought. “That’s the pharmacist’s expertise, right? Anyway, I may not get it filled unless the pain gets bad.” The pain got bad and Betty slept poorly that night. She decided to go to the pharmacy the next morning before work.

Getting caught in rush hour traffic, Betty got to the pharmacy later than she would have liked. She hurriedly handed the envelope to the technician and she gave it to the pharmacist. Upon opening it, the pharmacist went over to Betty and told her: “I can’t fill this the way it is because information is missing.” The pharmacist pointed out that the date was missing and the doctor failed to sign the prescription. “Can’t you call the doctor?” Betty lamented. The pharmacist nodded yes but told her that without the doctor’s signature, the prescription is not valid and could not be filled the way it was. He offered to call the doctor’s office to issue a new prescription but because it was only 8:45AM, the doctor would not be there. Subsequently, Betty was late to work and spent a miserable day with her back pain.

Several lessons here: Always read the prescription before you leave the prescriber’s office. Even though you may not be able to read the abbreviations that only a pharmacist can decipher, check for the date, signature, the patient’s name, and whether or not there are any refills. Do NOT leave your doctor’s office without looking at your script. Otherwise, you may have to make a return visit, especially if it is a controlled substance, such as a pain medication. Finally, make sure you know why you are getting this drug and ask your prescriber or pharmacist as to what side effects you potentially could expect. Be an advocate for your own health by getting involved in your treatments.

Ron Gasbarro, PharmD is a pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Write him at ron@Rx-Press.com.