West Lenox – The storm on the evening of July 2nd did great damage. The strong wind blew one-half of the roof from N. Empet’s house; also caused window lights and lamps to be broken. The torrents of wind and rain ruined plaster, paper, carpets and bedding. The family was badly shocked from the disaster, but no one was hurt. Several apple trees were blown down. Albert Baker’s porch was somewhat damaged.
Hop Bottom – Mrs. Lucy Taylor died July 3, 1916 at her home here, aged 71 years, and her husband, James, died at the same place Thursday noon, aged 82 years. They are survived by 2 sons and 3 daughters, Dr. A. J. Taylor, Eldon Taylor, Mrs. J. H. Hortman, of Hop Bottom, Mrs. T. O Watrous, of Binghamton and Mrs. Reuben Vosseller, of Oxford, N. J. Mr. Taylor was born in England and came to this country when only 3 weeks old, settling in Scranton. He married Lucy Westcott in January of 1864 and settled on the farm where they spent together so many happy and prosperous years. ALSO Foster [Hop Bottom] had a fine celebration on the 4th. Over $200 was netted for the fund to provide electric street lights. The Parade Marshall, Tracy Brown, dressed in Shakespearean costume, presided over a parade of floats and various presentations by organizations. Prizes were awarded by category and the Better Baby contest was won by Mrs. Myron Tiffany ($2.50), presented by Dr. Taylor. 2nd Mrs. Monroe Rought; child’s rocking chair, presented by F. Janausheck. The Prettiest Baby was won by Mrs. Harry Weiss ($2.50), presented by Dr. Taylor. 2nd Mrs. Bellfield, chair, presented by F. Janausheck. In the afternoon a ball game was played between Foster and New Milford; in the evening there was a speaking contest, a dinner, solos, impersonations, an oration, “A Pair of Lunatics,” a farce; and the Glenwood band entertained the pubic in a pleasing manner.
Susquehanna – John P. Shanahan, who for the past three years has been editor of the Susquehanna Evening Transcript and Weekly Ledger, relinquished his position to accept a clerical position in the Erie storehouse department. He has assumed his new position.
Rush – While Fourth of July celebrations are usually counted as profitable for licensed hotels, particularly where a town in which a hotel is located celebrates, Silas D. Kintner, proprietor of the Rush House, closed his place July the Fourth and left town, though the town celebrated the day. The proceeds were for a community building for Rush and certain it is, Mr. Kintner was no competitor either, for meals or refreshments that day. And another important matter, no possible disorder could be laid to Mr. Kintner’s door. Many people regarded it as a most proper and discreet thing to do.
Clifford – The Cristal Lake Park company has asked the court for an order of dissolution. July 24 was the date fixed for a hearing. Interest was revived in the company when it seemed as if it was a foregone conclusion that the Laurel Line would be extended to the Pioneer City and from thence to Crystal Lake, where one of the largest pleasure resorts was to spring phoenix-like, but the best laid plans of men “gang aft aglee” [agley]. The road did not come and all prospects for the carrying out of the plans of the promoters went glimmering.
Forest City – An agreement has been made with the Consolidated Telephone Co. for direct connection of the two companies at Simpson, Pa., between the Forest City exchange of the North-Eastern and the Carbondale exchange of the Consolidated. The line will run east of the main public highway and should be free from all electrical currents assuring the best of service between this place and Carbondale. Forest City will be the checking station for the entire North-Eastern system when its patrons telephone to Carbondale and Scranton. The North-Eastern expects to extend its trunk line from Jackson to Susquehanna thereby enabling the subscribers of the Susquehanna Telephone and Telegraph Co. to reach Carbondale and Scranton at lower rates.
This was accomplished through the efforts of F. J. Osgood, of North Eastern Pa. Telephone Co.
Lynn, Springville Twp. – Nelson Sheldon, wife and daughter, of Seattle, Washington, are making an eastern visit among friends and relatives in Lynn, being the birth place of Mr. Sheldon, who has been away several years.
Montrose – Joseph Mahanna, hostler at the Montrose House barn [now C&F Motors], accompanied by his little 4 year old son, were out driving Tuesday evening, with one of Landlord T. L. Dolan’s fast horses. Mr. Mahanna left his son in the carriage for a few moments, while on Grow avenue, and the animal, becoming frightened, started at a breakneck speed in the direction of Lake Mont Rose. The child was thrown from the carriage and the animal continued to race toward Franklin and was not stopped until it reached the H. S. Patrick farm below the lake. The carriage was badly damaged, but the child escaped with no apparent injury.
Hallstead – A former Hallstead man, William J. Pike, was named consul to Madrid, Spain, last Thursday, by President Wilson. Mr. Pike has been in the consular service for the past 18 years and had recently been attached to the State Department. Mr. Pike is a son of the late John Pike, for many years a Lackawanna engineer. Twenty years ago he was secretary to the late Hon. Galusha A. Grow, then Congressman from the 14th Pennsylvania District.
Middletown– On Wednesday morning, June 21, 1916, a nuptial high Mass was celebrated in St. Patrick’s church in Middletown, Pa., joining in wedlock Thomas J. Lee of Friendsville, and Miss Margaret Nora McManus, of Middletown. The bride was attired in a white net dress with satin trimmings and wore a white picture hat. Her sister, Genevieve, was maid of honor. The best man was William Reilly, a cousin of the groom. A wedding breakfast was served at the home of the bride at 12 o’clock. Miss Lee is a graduate of Rush High School and has been a successful teacher in the public schools for the past four years.
Glenwood – The cornerstone of the Addie Bailey Memorial M. E. church was laid Sunday afternoon. The church is to be 28x40 with belfry. It is expected to be ready for use Oct. 1, when revival services will be held. A sealed box in the corner stone contained a copy of the conference year book for 1916, a copy each of the Christian Advocate, the Nicholson Record, Examiner, Tunkhannock Republican, the list of officers and members of the Glenwood church and 3 Lincoln cents of 1916. It was sealed by Clarence MacConnell, who made the box.
200 YEARS AGO, THE CENTINEL, MONTROSE, PA, July 16, 1816.
FIRE. On Thursday last the barn of Capt. Daniel Lathrop, of this town, was entirely consumed by fire, together with all the hay and grain that was in it.—The fire caught in the yard which was covered with straw, from a fallow that had been set on fire but a few moments previous. Such was the extreme dryness of the weather, that it was with difficulty that the buildings in the neighborhood were preserved. Great damage was done to the fences.
Notice is Hereby Given that ALL persons indebted to the estate of Colwell Cook, insolvent debtor, late of Bridgewater township, deceased, must make immediate payment and that those having demands against said estate must present their accounts so that a dividend may be made amongst his creditors. OZEM COOK, Administrator.
MARRIED. In the township of Rush, on Sunday the 30th of June last, by Seth Taylor, Esq., Mr. Sidney A. Knowlton to Miss Harriet Burnham, daughter of Mr. John Burnham.
Farmers & Mechanics, “If your tools are dull” grind them. Just received and for sale, a number of excellent GRIND STONES. For further particulars call on the subscriber at Montrose. C. Carr.
When pro se litigants (people who represent themselves in court without an attorney) appear in court and present evidence, the most common problem they encounter with the presentation of evidence is the hearsay evidence rule. Most people have a basic understanding of what constitutes hearsay, but this rarely translates into working knowledge for courtroom purposes. While the concept of what constitutes hearsay is simple enough, there are numerous exceptions and limitations that create countless complications.
Hearsay can be easily defined as an out of court statement being presented to prove the truth of the matter asserted in the statement itself. Any question that involves something like “what did he say” or “what did you hear” generally sets the stage for a hearsay issue. These types of questions seek to introduce a statement that was made outside of the courtroom which is the first part of the hearsay definition. The next question is what is the purpose of introducing the out of court statement? Generally speaking, the purpose for which most pro se litigants seek to use an out of court statement is to prove what is contained in the statement itself, i.e., offering the statement for the truth of the matter asserted in the statement. Such a use of an out of court statement is generally not permissible – but subject to numerous exceptions.
The common law developed the hearsay rule as a means to protect the integrity of the evidence itself. If a litigant is allowed to present statements made by X without presenting X as a witness, then there is no way for the opponent to test the veracity of the statement through cross-examination. What does that mean? If X is not available to testify, then X cannot be questioned as to how X acquired the knowledge and any biases or prejudices that X may have for making the statement in the first place. If a factfinder does not have this crucial information, how does the factfinder make any determination as to the veracity of what X purportedly said?
There are many exceptions to the hearsay rule – and they general involve situations where the veracity of the out of court statement is not questioned based upon the circumstances in which the statement was uttered. The classic example of this evidentiary rule would be a dying declaration, which is a statement about the circumstances or causes for the speaker’s impending death. Thus, the courts have recognized that the statement of a person who has been terminally wounded may be used as substantive proof in a subsequent court proceeding. For instance, in a homicide prosecution, the police could testify as to the victim’s dying declaration as to who had shot or mortally wounded the victim.
Why did the common law allow for such an exception to the hearsay evidence rule? The person’s knowledge of his or her impending death provided inherent trustworthiness to the statement, i.e., what kind of person thinks about lying when they are about to die? Because the statement was inherently trustworthy, the need for cross-examination of the victim is lessened. Indeed, based upon the victim’s death, the dying declaration exception would be the only means to get the victim’s eyewitness testimony into the record.
This does not mean that the jury must accept the dying declaration as the truth – it is evidence that the jury must weigh before making its determination. The other party can present evidence relating to (1) the inability of the victim to have knowledge regarding the contents of the statement; or (2) any biases or prejudices that the victim had that would have caused the victim to make the statement. The jury would then have to weigh the dying declaration, the circumstances under which it was made, and any evidence concerning the victim’s veracity before determination what weight, if any, to give to it. The dying declaration exception allows for the hearsay statement to come into evidence but the jury ultimately determines the weight to give to it.
In later columns, we will take a look at some of the other exceptions to the hearsay rule, and you will see that the exceptions generally involve situations where there is some inherent veracity that makes the out of court statement trustworthy and therefore admissible as evidence.
Is Zika the new Ebola?
Mr. Lewis came into the pharmacy and said to the pharmacist, “This Zika virus is confusing. Is it like the Ebola virus? Will it just go away or stay in the tropical areas?” The pharmacist told Mr. Lewis that Ebola and Zika are not similar. While they are both unusual viruses, their symptomatologies are quite different. She explained to him that despite frequent comparisons in the media, Zika differs considerably from Ebola. Ebola causes vomiting, fever and excessive bleeding that warrants the rapid development of treatment centers, safe burial practices and strict infection control protocols. Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with infected blood or body fluids; the virus is not transmitted through the air like the measles virus. The 2013-2016 outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa infected more than 28,000 people including 11,000 who died – a 40% mortality rate. Conversely, Zika is usually relatively mild. Only 20% of those infected experience flu-like symptoms.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Zika virus spreads to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). People can also get Zika via sex with an infected man, and the virus can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eye). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. People usually do not get sick enough to go to the hospital, and they very rarely die of Zika. For this reason, many people might not realize they have been infected. However, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly (an abnormally small head), as well as other severe fetal brain defects.
After low-key cautions about a mosquito-borne virus in Brazil associated with a surge of babies born with abnormally small heads and brain damage, the World Health Organization (WHO) in January 2016 ramped up the alarm, warning that the Zika virus is “spreading explosively” through the Americas — teeing up a familiar playbook of panic over an unfamiliar disease. US Federal health officials say they expect Zika spread throughout the US, but that any outbreak would be limited. However, as the Ebola panic demonstrated in 2014, it is difficult to communicate public health messages in the best of circumstances.
How will the Zika virus impact the US? As of June 29, 2016, the number of locally acquired mosquito-borne cases reported was zero, whereby 935 travel-associated cases were reported, says the CDC. The majority of cases were in Florida, New York and Texas, although every other state has reported at least one case. Also, according to the CDC, there was one infant born with birth defects and two pregnancy losses as a result of likely maternal Zika virus infection among US women during the week ending June 16, 2016.
How do you protect yourself (and your fetus)? Although a vaccine is in development, there is no treatment currently available. So, your line of attack will involve protecting your body and discouraging mosquitoes from biting. Thus, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Stay in places with air conditioning and window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside. Control mosquitoes inside and outside your home. These insects only fly 100-200 yards so quick your property and neighborhood from standing water in which mosquitoes can breed. Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and are not able to protect yourself from mosquito bites. Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon, eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol. Choosing an EPA-registered repellent ensures that the EPA has evaluated the product for effectiveness. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breast-feeding women. Mr. Lewis now knew the difference between Ebola and Ziki.
Ron Gasbarro, PharmD is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Write him with any ideas or comments at ron@rx-press.com.
