North Harford – The Harford Fair was a good success, everybody seemed to have a fine time and the weather was very favorable. Mr. Steinke, the famous cartoonist, was among the crowd, as usual, and the pictures which appeared in the Scranton paper were indeed very amusing.
Thompson – Thompson Health Officer, A. H. Crosier, wishes to extend his thanks and appreciation to the people of Thompson borough who so readily and willingly responded to the order of the Health Board by removing all rubbish and filth from their premises and also in the observance of all other orders by the merchants and fruit dealers. [In response to the infantile paralysis scare]
Montrose – “The Woman’s Law,” to be presented at the C-Nic Theatre, gives the story of a dissolute New York millionaire, who forfeited his wife’s respect and affection by his notorious infidelities. There are many tense situations in the drama, which is given in five parts. ALSO Mrs. Eleanor Chase Lortz and husband, Karl Lortz, of Montana, and J. C. Miller, have been spending ten days in Montrose. They are members of the Wild West Entertainers, who appeared at the county fair with a number of trained horses and dogs. Their entertainments were edifying and pleasing to all and attracted large crowds.
Franklin Twp. – F. M. Wilson has a walking stick that he prizes very highly, one coming down to him through several members of his family. It was cut by his grand-father, 75 years ago, in Iowa, being a common water beech, but through the effect of a bitter sweet, which had snugly encircled it, it had grown into a very symmetrical, handsome shape, lending itself admirably to some skillful work in fashioning it into a most handsome walking stick. Mr. Wilson is a relative of A. B. Wilson, the man of world-wide fame as a sewing machine inventor and manufacturer.
Lynn – All roads lead to the County Fair at Montrose this week. The weather is all that could be asked for, but the dusty roads are something fierce.
West Lenox – On Friday evening several young people had a corn roast at the log cabin on the farm owned by Mason Tingley. The evening was spent in toasting marsh mellows, roasting corn, baking waffles and playing games. A fine time was enjoyed by all. Those present were: Mr. & Mrs. Mason Tingley and Mrs. Eddie Tingley, who acted as chaperones, Verna Tingley, Lillian Tingley, Gertrude Squires, Myra Empet, Frances Phillips, Gertrude Powers, Leda Adams, James Tingley, Guy Empet, Wendell Phillips, Amos Adams, Charles Powers, Edwin Raught, Glen Rhodes.
Middletown Center – One of the fastest ball games of the season was played on Haire’s park, Lawton, when Laurel Lake met the Middletown Center team and was defeated by a score of 11 to 3. The Laurel Lake team came over with the record of winning every game of the season, but went back with their colors down.
Forest City – Contractor Bloxam, of this place, has a force of men building a twelve room dwelling house for Mrs. Emily Miller, on her property in Herrick Center, where the store burned down a year ago.
East Rush – Clark James started for Iowa last Monday, where he intends entering a theological college.
Springville – Miss Jessie Pritchard, a former teacher in the Montrose High school, graduated Monday from Dr. Burns’ private hospital, in Scranton, as a professional nurse. The day following Miss Pritchard started for Detroit, Mich., in charge of a patient.
Hop Bottom – Several families have moved away from town, leaving additional houses for rent at present. The crying need of Foster [Hop Bottom] village is that some industry should move in and furnish employment in order that men with families may not feel obliged to desert their own home town for want of work. ALSO – Among the young people who will attend Mansfield Normal this fall are Lena Corson, Pauline Taylor, Paul Hettis, Clarence Phillips and Thomas Lynch.
Jackson – George V. Larrabee, Sept. 1st, completed 20 years of active service for the publishers of the Susquehanna Daily Transcript and Weekly Ledger. His first newspaper work was in 1880, when as a writer for the late B. F. Haines, of Honesdale, he furnished articles for the Wayne Independent.
Gibson – Harry VanGorder, of Susquehanna, bought out L. B. Wilder’s store and Mr. Wilder will run a store in Johnson City. ALSO Byron Tiffany has sold the creamery here to a firm in Scranton and Mr. Goldberg is now in charge, with James Evans, at his same old place in making butter and cheese.
Clifford – A large touring car containing S. C. Whittmore and four others, turned turtle on the road near the residence of Jos. Kirkley last Monday. One lady has a fractured leg as a result and all were more or less injured. Dr. Fike was called and responded promptly. The injured were carried to his home and all will probably be around soon except the victim of the broken limb.
ALSO While coming down the hill near A. S. Colvin’s, Monday, a car bearing a New York license, suddenly made a dash for the stone wall and arrived there in due time. The car was run to the garage of Wallace McAlla where the damage was soon repaired.
Tunkhannock – The first horseless carriage, or automobile cab, passed through this place on July 11, 1899. It was owned by C. R. Woodin, of the firm of Woodin & Jackson, car builders at Berwick, Pa. The cab was built something like an overgrown buggy, a one cylinder engine being placed at the rear and connected with the axle by chain drive. The wheels were as high as ordinary wagon wheels and the machine was steered by a rod which bent over toward the driver’s seat, terminating with a handle. The vehicle weighed 1,700 lbs., was capable of making ten to fifteen miles per hour on good country roads, and would travel 20 miles on a gallon of gasoline. The Woodin’s came from Clifton Springs, N. Y. and took the train [to Berwick], leaving his young chauffeur to drive the machine home alone.
200 Years Ago from the Centinel, Montrose, PA, Sept. 16, 1816.
Married – on the 15th inst. by David Post, Esq. Mr. Daniel Gregory to Mrs. Huldah Miller, both of this township [Bridgewater].
Take Notice – All persons indebted to the firm of HERRICK & FORDHAM, whose accounts have been over 90 days standing, must call and settle the same by the 15th of October next. ALL kinds of COUNTRY PRODUCE will be taken in payment of debts if delivered by that time.
Public Sale – By virtue of the powers vested in us by the several acts of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, relative to Domestic Attachment, will be exposed to sale at public vendue or outcry, at the house of Samuel Fessenden in Bridgewater on the 23d day of Sept. inst. at
2 o’clock P.M. the following property, to wit: one cow, three swine, one colt, one steer, & one heifer, together with a quantity of Hay and Grain, attached at the suit of Ebenezer Parker and Sarah Cook Administrators of Colwell Cook deceased vs. Ozem Cook. JONAH BREWSTER, JOSHUA W. RAYSFORD, Trustees.
Several weeks ago, the column addressed a recent Superior Court case involving the criminal statute that prohibited the possession of weapons on school property. It involved a father who had a jackknife in his pocket when he attended a disciplinary meeting for his 9-year old son. The son had possessed a similar jackknife on school property. The father was convicted of possession of a weapon on school property and was placed on probation for a period of 12-months. On appeal, the father attempted to utilize a defense available under the statute that allowed the possession of a weapon on school property “for other lawful purpose.” The father argued that he possessed the weapon for a lawful work purposes, i.e., he was a carpenter and had been using the knife that day at work and did not take it out of his pocket before going to the school to address his son’s disciplinary meeting.
The Superior Court rejected father’s argument because it would have wholly undermine the statute. If people could simply contend that they possessed a weapon on school property for any “other lawful purpose,” then any person could bring a weapon onto school property by simply claiming it was possessed for that other lawful purpose. After the column appeared, Sheriff Benedict informed me that it generated quite a bit of a response from the community especially as it related to concealed carry permits. Apparently, there were many people who assumed that if they had a concealed carry permit that they could lawfully possess a firearm on school property. As the Superior Court made clear in its recent decision, however, unless the possession of the weapon is somehow possessed for school purposes, then you simply cannot possess a weapon on school property even if you have a lawful basis for carrying that weapon outside of school property. There was no dispute that the father in the Goslin decision could legally carry his pocketknife to work, but he simply could not lawfully possess it on the school grounds unless he was there for work purposes and the weapon was possessed for those work purposes.
The Goslin decision was a 2-1 vote and the dissenting judge’s opinion was not referenced in the previous column. Judge Dubow dissented from the majority’s decision and concluded that “other lawful purpose” was a far broader defense than the majority was conceding. Judge Dubow would not have limited “other lawful purpose” to only those purposes connected with a school function, activity, event, or work. For Judge Dubow, the phrase “other lawful purpose” was a “catchall provision” aimed at protecting “any additional or different lawful reason” that is unconnected with school-related activities. The dissent noted that “the possession of weapons on school property is obviously a major concern to communities across Pennsylvania.” But Judge Dubow noted that it was “for the legislature, and not the courts, to limit the applicability of a defense to any crime” and that the “courts lack the authority to re-write the clear and unambiguous language” of the statute.
When I wrote the column, I suspected that people would be interested in the final decision. I did not include the dissenting opinion because it has no force of law – the majority decision governs. Based upon the reaction reported by Sheriff Benedict, it seemed prudent to provide the entire context so that people understood that this panel of the Superior Court came to a split decision. The majority – and the opinion that governs the interpretation of the statute – has determined that “other lawful purpose” must be a purpose that is connected to some kind of school activity. While you may agree with Judge Dubow’s dissent, it is not the law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Moreover, there was no appeal taken from this decision – so the majority opinion in Goslin is the currently the only reported interpretation of what constitutes the defense of “other lawful purpose” under the statute. As stated in the previous column, do not take any weapon onto school property unless you can demonstrate that its possession is somehow connected with a school function, activity or work.
Overdosing for dummies
The pharmacist walked into the store in his black suit. He discussed some pharmacy-related issues with the pharmacist who was covering for him that day. His technician asked him how the funeral went. “Well, Jimmy’s mom seemed a bit drunk and his dad was not there,” he told her. “His 3 year old was crying and both the baby and his wife looked unkempt. The whole thing was beyond sad.”
Jimmy and his wife were indeed two of the “druggies” who would come into the pharmacy, always for a narcotic. The “scripts” were written by three different doctors. The pharmacist had verified that the prescriptions were valid and even spoke with the doctors involved. Yet, the scripts kept coming from the same prescribers and the pharmacist was obliged to fill them so that he would not be professionally reprimanded if the patient went into withdrawal and died.
Right before Jimmy’s death, he heard that Jimmy and his wife were selling the pills to teens so Jimmy could get enough money to buy heroin. His wife preferred crack cocaine. One night they went into the city to buy their favorite drugs. Long story short: the wife’s daughter, who herself had overdosed two weeks before but was able to be resuscitated, walked in on Jimmy and her mom. The mom was incoherent but alive. Jimmy was not. As the EMT told the pharmacist, the house was filthy and had no heat and there were prescription bottles of narcotics all over the coffee table. As it turns out, Jimmy had injected heroin that was laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more deadly than heroin. Fentanyl is usually used as a skin patch and prescribed for people who have a terminal illness. But in addition to mixing it with heroin, drug dealers are cooking up tablets that look like hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin®, Norco®) but are really pure fentanyl. The late singer Prince was found with a bottle of “hydrocodone” but was really fentanyl in disguise. He probably died within minutes. A great talent was reduced to being a dummy.
To make this current wave of drug deaths an even bigger workload for first responders, EMTs, and emergency room workers, a horrific spinoff of fentanyl is being mixed with heroin. It is used to sedate large animals such as elephants, is 100 times stronger than fentanyl and, therefore is 5,000 times more deadly than heroin. The drug is carfentanil and it is already popping up across the country. Carfentanil is the latest addition in an arms race for drug dealers looking to create the next big high. First responders and emergency room workers are being told to wear protective gloves and masks. That's because carfentanil is so potent, it can be dangerous to someone who simply touches or inhales it. In fact, it killed 125 people in a Moscow theatre in 2002 by terrorists when it was blown into the air and was inhaled. Imagine injecting it directly into your veins. You would be dead as soon as the needle went in. There is no reverse antidote as there is with heroin – and no time in which to give it.
So you want to take heroin? Take your chances on what you are getting. Is it weak heroin, strong heroin, heroin plus fentanyl or heroin with carfentanil that your pusher is giving you? You will never know. Because you will be dead. “What a dummy Jimmy was,” the pharmacist thought.
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.
