Hop Bottom – On July 3rd about 40 invited relatives assembled at the pleasant home of Mr. & Mrs. H. G. Wright to celebrate their golden wedding.  An elaborate dinner was served at 1 p.m.    Five were present that were, 50 years ago, at Wm. P. Crandall’s when the Rev. S. F. Brown, of Brooklyn M. E. church, officiated at the wedding of this estimable couple. [Two newspaper photos accompany the announcement, one on the day of their marriage, and one on the day of their 50th anniversary].

Hallstead – The death of George M. Lamb occurred July 11.  He retired as a Lackawanna engineer about two years ago, having for 40 years been an engineer on a run between Binghamton and Washington, N. J.

Scranton Times, June 23 – At the age of 100 years and nine months, according to the reckoning of her family, Mrs. Sarah Johnson, colored, formerly of Montrose, died at her home in Winton [now Jessup].  Last summer it was announced that Mrs. Johnson had attained the 100th anniversary of her birth.  John Johnson, husband, died six years ago, and it was then reckoned by the family that he was 106 years old.  The husband was a slave before the war—escaping to the North through the famous underground railroad, which landed the refugees in Montrose.  He joined the army when war came.  Mrs. Johnson was born in Lackawaxen twp, Pike county, and lived there for some time.  She also lived for years in Moscow, and came to Winton about 30 years ago.  From the time she was 10 years of age old “Granny” Johnson smoked, and up on the occasion of her 100th anniversary she said her recipe for longevity was: Plenty of tobacco, lots of good cheer and plenty of work.   Until recently the old woman was able to walk daily to the Winton postoffice and to do most of the household work in her little home along the mountain road, including frequent baking of bread.  Mrs. Johnson was never able to recollect the year of her birth.  But she remembered that she was a young woman during the campaign of “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too,” that being in 1840, when W. H. Harrison was a candidate for the presidency.

Elk Lake – George Ridley is advertising building lots on the shore of the lake.  Lots at Elk Lake have been selling rapidly the past few years and not many desirable locations will be left in a short time.  Those for sale are located in heavy timber and are ideal for campers.

Apolacon Twp. – This township has troubles of its own.  Not long since the supervisors were arrested for not removing the stones once each month during the summer season, from the highways, as provided by law.  They gave bail for appearance at court, but failing to remove the stones as the law provides, they were arrested a second time on complaint of residents.  Wm. Butler who drove the “kid wagon” that conveyed the students to the centralized school, has also brought suit against the school board, because he has not been paid for his services.

Susquehanna – A chair originally owned by George Washington, and now owned by Mrs. Polk Palmer, of West Main street, is on exhibition in the show windows of Henry Perrine, the furniture dealer, and is attracting very much attention. The chair was one of a set presented to Washington by Louis XVI, King of France. When the capitol was moved from Philadelphia to Washington, M. Arnous, a Frenchman, purchased the chair at a sale. He gave the chair to his friend, Samuel Simpson, of Philadelphia. In 1827 Samuel married Mehitable Vanaman Wade, a widow with one child, Eliza C. Wade.  Samuel died Oct. 18, 1838 and his effects passed to his widow. In 1842 Eliza Wade married Theo Abbett, of Philadelphia, and among the wedding presents was the Washington chair.  Mrs. Polk Palmer is the only surviving child of Theo. and Eliza Abbett and after their death the chair passed into the hands of Mrs. Polk Palmer of Susquehanna.  The balance of the chairs are in Independence Hall, at Philadelphia, and the Washington home, at Mt. Vernon.

Bridgewater Twp. – Two offenders, who persisted in dumping decayed vegetables, etc., near the road on the poor farm, some distance from the borough dumping grounds, were arrested and brought before Justice F. A. Davies last week.  The dumping grounds are proving a nuisance, because those who dump rubbish there do not live up to the rules governing it.  In some instances carters [truckmen] dump old cans and refuse along the roads in that section, greatly annoying those property owners who are obliged to attend to its removal.  Friday is the only day in the week when rubbish may be dumped on the borough dump.  Parties who disobey the rules will be hauled before a justice and fined.

Uniondale – Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Tinker entertained the Tinker reunion on Thursday, July 6th, about 40 being in attendance.  Among those present were Dr. and Mrs. J. S. Tinker, of Philadelphia, Miss Jean Byall, of Sterling, Kan., Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Jones, the Misses Nettie and Jennie Russell, of Carbondale, the Misses May and Janet Tinker, Mrs. A. H. Smith and Miss Faye Smith, of Uniondale.

Brooklyn – Dr. and Mrs. Charles Lewis and family, from China, who have been spending part of their furlough here, are about to return to China.  Dr. Lewis will open a new hospital which he built in Poating Fu, in addition to the Taylor Memorial Hospital which he built in 1903.  Mrs. Lewis’ sister, Bertha Savige, will return with them to establish a kindergarten at Poating Fu.

Thompson Borough - H. P. Meade and Dr. Hugh Barnes are the latest owners of automobiles here, swelling the number to 33, if rightly informed.

Harford – Anti-Aircraft guns now seem necessary to protect the products of the farm from the “enemy.”  At least Ray Tingley, one of our popular and progressive farmers, was strongly inclined to this belief the other day, when, with a trusty gun, he brought down an immense hawke, measuring five feet from tip to tip, which was about to swoop down on a flock of chickens on his farm.  A few days later he shot a large owl and is having both birds mounted by a local taxidermist.

Dimock – One of the most prominent events of 1916 will be the 44th annual session of the Dimock Camp Meeting, which will be held on the grounds of the Association at Dimock, commencing August 17 and closing Sunday night, August 27. An admission fee of 10 cents a day will be charged at the gate or a season ticket for 25 cents.  Prominent speakers of world-wide reputation will be in attendance and will be announced later.

Great Bend – Homer Cobb met with an accident while riding on a cow’s back, he fell and broke his left arm at the elbow.  He was taken to the State hospital, at Scranton, to have the fracture reduced.

Birchardville – As F. E. Fessenden was coming from this place, Monday morning, with two tons of butter, his big auto truck skidded when near the farm of George Snell, and backed down the hill and off a bank.  The top was torn off by a tree, but Geo. Snell and Wm. Larue helped him get the truck in the road and he proceeded to town with his big load—no one was injured.

200 YEARS AGO, THE CENTINEL, MONTROSE, PA, July 23, 1816.  Extract of a letter, dated Waterbury, Vt., June 9, to a gentleman in Windsor.  “During the 6th inst. The snow fell rapidly in all the towns about here, but melted as it fell.  Much snow fell on Friday night and on Saturday in the forenoon in many places; in Williamstown it was 12 and in Cabot 18 inches deep!  The ground at Mountpelier was generally covered during the whole of yesterday, and the mountains, as far as we can see, are yet completely white.  I can find no person who has ever before seen snow on the earth in June.  This part of the country I assure you presents a most dreary aspect; great coats and mittens are almost as generally worn as in January; and fire is indispensable.

Last week, we looked at the hearsay rule and how it generally excludes out of court statements from being admitted into evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted in the statement.  For instance, in a homicide case, the prosecution could not have a police officer testify that person X told them that the defendant committed the homicide.  The police officer would not have any personal knowledge as to whether the statement was true.  The only person who can testify to such a statement would be the person who made it – and then only after a proper foundation was laid as to how that person gained the knowledge.  Oftentimes, you find that person X is saying something that person Y told him – which results in layers of hearsay that need to be untangled to determine admissibility.

The hearsay rule is designed to assure that an opposing party has the chance to cross-examine the speaker so as to develop a record as to the speaker’s knowledge and to discover any potential biases or prejudices that may be motivating the statement itself.  There are exceptions to the hearsay rule that permit the admission into evidence of an out of court statement that is made under circumstances that inherently suggest that the statement is credible.  The example that we used last week was a dying declaration – an out of court statement made by a seriously injured individual who believes that death is imminent as to how his injuries occurred.  The common law recognized that people generally do not lie when faced with impending death - and the common law allowed for the admission of dying declarations even though such statements constitute hearsay evidence.

Another exception to the hearsay rule under the common law was statements relating to a present sense impression.  This exception allow for the admission of an out of court statement that describes an event or condition if the statement is made at the time the speaker perceived the event or condition occurring (or immediately thereafter).  The common law allowed the admission of these out of court statements because of the statement occurred simultaneously with the speaker’s perception of the event.  Because the statement occurred simultaneously (or nearly simultaneously), the speaker had no opportunity to consider fabricating what the speaker was witnessing.

For instance, in Commonwealth v. Hood, a homicide prosecution out of Philadelphia, the prosecution admitted 911 tapes from 2 callers who indicated that they were witnessing the shooting and identified the shooter.  Neither caller identified themselves, and the one caller specifically stated that she could not testify because they lived in the neighborhood, i.e., the caller feared for her safety if the shooter learned that she had provided the information.  The trial court admitted the 911 tapes under the present sense impression that identified the defendant as the shooter.  The defendant was convicted of murder and he filed an appeal contending that the hearsay statements (911 tapes) identifying him as the shooter should not have been admitted into evidence.

The Pennsylvania Superior Court determined that the trial court properly admitted the evidence under the present sense impression exception to the hearsay rule.  In making this determination, the Superior Court noted that the Commonwealth had laid the appropriate foundation to demonstrate that the 911 calls were made contemporaneous with the shooting.  Thus, the Superior Court found that the 911 calls were made so close to the shooting that the witnesses did not have time to contemplate a fabrication of the events that they were witnessing.  Moreover, the 911 calls mirrored each other as to their content – as well as mirrored the testimony of two other actual witnesses who testified at trial.  These facts further demonstrated the veracity of the statements contained in the 911 calls.

As noted in the beginning, a police officer generally cannot testify as to what another person told him as to who committed a particular crime.  The present sense impression provides a limited exception that generally applies to 911 calls or similar situations where the speaker is providing statements made contemporaneous with the event that they are witnessing.

“"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world." ~Ada Louise Huxtable

With the firecracker-hot month of July, comes the 100th birthday of Actress Olivia De Havilland. No doubt you recognize the name as one of her most famous roles was that of Scarlett O’Hara’s Cousin, Melanie Hamilton Wilkes from Margaret Mitchell’s award-winning novel, “Gone With the Wind”. Miss De Havilland is the lone survivor among the top stars of that unforgettable movie. Perhaps you did not read the book before viewing the movie—You are able to check it out from your local Library location. You may also borrow “Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind” by Author Alexandra Ripley which is on a shelf just waiting for your perusal. Olivia De Havilland also has the title of Author in her credits, as she has written her autobiography entitled “Every Frenchman Has One”, published in 1962. At present, this tome is not available at our local Library Branches, but may be requested.

The Third Annual Montrose Architectural Treasure Hunt, presented by the Susquehanna County Historical Society and Free Library Association started June 15th and runs through and including the first day of the Montrose Blueberry Festival, August 5th. This event highlights the historical architecture of Montrose for the enjoyment of those in Montrose, as well as those in surrounding areas, plus a chance to win some great prizes (to be announced). For more information, call 570-278-1881 or you can pick up a brochure at the Historical Society or the Montrose Main Library.

The annual Blueberry Festival, scheduled for  August 5th and 6th, is only a little over 2 weeks away and, as a reminder, the Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association will be accepting donations of clean, saleable items for the White Elephant Sale from 9AM to 2PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the month of July (to & including July 21st). Please note there is a new drop-off location this year at the former Loomis Pipe Plant, located across from Tractor Supply on Route 706. You will see the signs for direction. Please, do not drop off books at this location.

The Susquehanna Branch Reader’s Group will not be meeting during the months of July and August. The selections for July and August, “Transatlantic” by Colum McCann, a soaring novel that spans continents, leaps centuries, and unites a cast of deftly rendered characters, both real and imagined and “The Paris Architect” by Charles Belfoure, A heart-tugging and elegant account of an ordinary man's unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism during the second world war. These two titles will be discussed, along with the September Selection, “The Last Run Away” by Tracy Chevalier, a sweeping and important novel about the power of bravery, friendship, and perseverance encompassing the story of modest English Quaker, Honor Bright as she is drawn into the activities of the Underground Railroad. The meeting begins at 2:00 PM, September 8th.

The 2016 Library Lottery will be held at the Montrose VFW, located at 16972 State Route 706, Montrose, on Saturday, August 20th from noon to 4 PM. Only 2000 tickets will be sold, with every $100.00 ticket being eligible for every prize. You have a chance to win up to $50,000 and help the Library Association and the Historical Society as well. You can download an application by going to the Library website: www.susqcolibrary.org. You can’t win if you don’t play!

As I pick some zucchini squash from our garden, I leave you with this thought:

"Grass is the cheapest plant to install and the most expensive to maintain." ~ Pat Howell 

Blue Chicory Blossoms—Strawberry Shortcake—Flip-Flops

ENJOY!!

Watch your drug doses when your weight changes

Jan, 60, came into the pharmacy and mentioned to the pharmacist that since she has lost 30 pounds, she has been getting dizzy. The pharmacist reviewed her medication list and noted that she is being treated for high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation with several prescription drugs. What jumped out at the pharmacist is her beta-blocker which she takes for her conditions.  A beta-blocker is a medicine that is often used to treat hypertension and heart problems. Some examples of beta-blockers are atenolol, metoprolol and carvedilol. This kind of medicine blocks the harmful effects of stress hormones on your heart. It also slows your heart rate, and, therefore, can make you dizzy, fatigued and cause sleep problems in the form of vivid dreams. Dizziness can be serious in the older person who can tumble down stairs.

“Should I stop taking that medicine?” Jan asked the pharmacist. Many medications are dosed according to one’s weight. So losing weight can make the drug too potent, leading to many side effects, as in the case of Jan’s dizziness. The pharmacist told Jan that one should never abruptly discontinue a medication. Most drug classes require a taper-down period during which the dose is gradually lowered, as in the case of antidepressants and thyroid medications. Quitting “cold turkey” may cause major withdrawal symptoms when these medications are suddenly stopped. The symptoms for which Jan had been treated in the first place return. Her weight may have changed and her blood pressure has gone down but she is still at risk for heart failure.

Often, a drug will come in a variety of strengths so that the optimal dose can be tweaked to coincide with changes in body weight. The pharmacist called Jan’s nurse practitioner and the dose of her beta-blocker was reduced by 50%; subsequently her dizziness stopped.

Sue, 52, had the opposite problem. She noticed that one of her medications was making her put on weight. Some very common medications can also lead to weight gain - prescription drugs used for mood disorders, diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines, and seizures can add on unwanted pounds. While some medications are more common than others to add pounds, not all patients gain weight from every drug that has weight gain listed as a side effect.

Yet, Sue had put on 25 pounds in the last few months. The cause of weight gain for many drugs is not known for certainty. Some medications can increase appetite, cause fluid retention, or slowly lead to weight gain over a period of time due to fatigue and lower activity. Drugs that trigger increases in appetite may work in the brain and affect the satiety (fullness) center.  It is often difficult to distinguish between weight gain from a drug and weight gain from other reasons, like diet or lack of exercise, because it can be a slow process.

Weight gain may increase the chance for high cholesterol, hypertension (high blood pressure), and type 2 diabetes. If significant weight gain occurs in a short period of time, a healthcare provider should be contacted for evaluation, especially if the patient is at risk for heart disease or high blood pressure. In many cases, patients will need to increase their level of exercise, as well. Patients should also ask their healthcare provider about the potential for weight gain before a new medication is prescribed. Alternative treatments may be available. Start with the lowest dose possible according to your weight, and then have your prescriber move up slowly if needed.

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.

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