Oakland – One of the liveliest gangs of young miscreants, which has ever landed in the toils of the law, has been rounded up the past few weeks.  Two of the members of the gang were apprehended a few weeks ago and the youths were brought to Montrose and placed in jail.  The remaining three were arrested this week. Burton Follett and Daniel Crest were implicated in the robbery of E.W. Jackson’s coal office and H. E. Spencer’s feed mill in Susquehanna.  As soon as their arrests were known the other three decamped suddenly to Binghamton, where they robbed an ice cream parlor of $20.  At Stockport on the Delaware, a cottage of a Binghamton resident was entered and they proceeded down the river with stolen canoe, blankets, clothing and canned goods.  At Cohocton they robbed the Delaware House of $17.  A hasty retreat, with posse following, led to the discovery of left-behind clothing containing letters and identification of Howard Pettis. Escaping arrest in Wayne County, the pair appeared in their old haunts at Oakland and a detail of the State constabulary and Chief of Police McMahon, of Susquehanna, soon had them rounded up.  William Fleming, age 18, another member of this youthful organization, was arrested and charged with stealing automobiles and is now awaiting trial in Binghamton. He claims he was duped by the other four, Albert Lynch, Follett, Pettis, and Crest.  Another newspaper article identified Joseph Wagner—and not Daniel Crest, as the fifth member of the gang.

Montrose – It will be news of great satisfaction to learn that the county commissioners have placed an order for a new clock in the court house tower.  The old clock has done service for over half a century and it is no longer a truthful time teller. ALSO Persons desiring to purchase Hon. James T. DuBois’ book on “Galusha A. Grow, Father of the Homestead Law,” may secure them at The Republican office.  We have a limited number of autographed copies now on hand.  Price, $1.75; by mail, $1.85. ALSO An advertiser in The Republican has for some weeks been offering good prices for old sets of false teeth.  It is surprising the large number of unused sets that have been lying idle on the pantry shelves around this section.  Nearly every mail for a while brought in a set or two.  Some people inquired if the dentists used the teeth again.  We asked the party the reason for the activity in securing this seemingly undesirable waste product and he said it was the valuable platinum used in making artificial teeth, now especially rare since the war started.  A small vial of platinum which he had extracted was valued at from $70 to $80.

Dimock/Springville – Miss Marion Reynolds was seriously injured in a runaway near Dimock and did not regain consciousness until the following morning.  She was driving a spirited horse from Springville after visiting her brother, Ward.  She invited Norman Stewart to ride along and as she was passing a farm a dog’s barking frightened the horse, which dashed down a steep hill.  Mrs. Glen Billings, a deaf woman, was driving ahead of them and not hearing the approaching horse and carriage, it was impossible for them to pass.  The frightened animal crashed into the vehicle and all the occupants were thrown out and rendered unconscious.  A passing farmer found them lying in the road.  Mrs. Billings and Stewart were little injured.  Miss Reynolds was taken to her brother’s home and was administered by Dr. Wainwright and another Scranton physician, who determined she had a narrow escape from death.  The horse continued to run until it reached F. R. Cope’s farm, where a laborer was obliged to fell it with a potato hook in order to stop its mad dash.

Lenox Twp. Frank Ruland, who succeeds Mr. Button as driver of the stage between Nicholson and Clifford, uses a Ford in the service.  The trip is made in the forenoon and with much less cost than it could be done with horses.  The Government pays $700 a year for the service. ALSO Guy Empet and Curtis Shoup went to join the 13th regiment of the U. S. army last Friday, but only Curtis entered the army, as Guy did not weigh enough for his height.

Gibson – The Tingley family reunion was held at the home of R. M. Tingley and were royally entertained.  After a splendid chicken dinner was served, several speeches were made and R. M. Tingley was elected president and Miss Nora Hill, secretary-treasurer.

Brooklyn – Dr. T. A. Williams received his commission as first lieutenant on Saturday and expects to receive orders for active service soon.  The Dr. has a fine practice which he has to give up for his country’s sake.  He is the only physician in this town in active practice.

Harford – A farewell reception was given for Hallie Forsythe and Claude Lewis in the lecture room.  We will miss these young men, but may they meet with the best of success as they go to serve their colors and may they return to their home town to relate their many experiences.  May every blessing rest upon them, and all the others who leave this morning. ALSO The rainfall for the month of June was 7”, about 3 ½ “ above normal.

Silver Lake – Misses Hazle Conklin, Molly Mahoney, Florence and Grace McEnaney are among those who are working at the lake [this summer].

Fowler Hill, Auburn Twp. – There are three more automobile owners on the Hill.  Last week Lewis Barber and John Wootton, purchased Fords and Frank Krause, a Pullman.

Forest City – Rt. Rev. Bishop Hoban held impressive services at St. Joseph’s [Slovenian] church when he administered their first communion to a class of 103 young people.  Afterward he confirmed 270 boys and girls, who made a pretty picture in their confirmation dress, the girls wearing white gowns with flowing veils and wreaths. John Osolin acted as godfather and Miss Jennie Swetta as godmother.  During the services music was rendered by the full choir under the direction of Prof. P. Srnoynak.

Thompson – Mr. and Mrs. Forest Hobbs, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hobbs and family and M. Rogers and family of Ararat; Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Smith and Mr. Snyder and family of Tompkinsville, were guests at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Hobbs, South Main Street.  As they were all musicians and fully equipped with musical instruments visa: Violin, guitar and organ, a grand musicale was soon the order to which a few of the friends and neighbors, who were lovers of music, were invited, and which all greatly enjoyed.

News Brief: A new law places a fine of $5 to $100 and three months in prison on any person who is proven guilty of riding, driving, leading or handling, while intoxicated, any horse or other animal on any of the public highways. ALSO The salary of county school superintendents has been raised between $2,000 and $2,500.  Asst. superintendents have been fixed at $1,800.

200 Years Ago from the Montrose Sentinel, July 19, 1817.

*WYALUSING Woolen Manufactory. The subscriber respectfully informs the pubic that he has commenced the manufacturing of woolen cloth; the carding and spinning machines are now in operation and will continue to be attended by experienced workmen.  The price of carding will be as usual; for spinning, 8 cents per run for fulling, 10 cents for warp; for manufacturing fit for the Taylor [tailor], 75 or 80 cents per yard, or half the cloth when done  No labor or pains will be spared to do the work in the best manner.  J. Ingham, Jr. Wyalusing, June 25, 1817.  N. B. Good wool only will be accepted for manufacturing into cloth, and oil or soft grease must be sent with the wool.

*BRUSH MAKING.  The subscriber has commenced the above business at the Four Corners, in Silver Lake township, Susq. Co. where he keeps a general assortment of Brushes on hand.  He solicits the patronage of a liberal public.  Thomas Watters.  *Twenty-five cents per lb. will be given for first rate BRISTLES delivered at his factory, or at C. Carr’s, and Herrick & Fordham’s store in Montrose.  July 18, 1817.

On May 15, 2014, Calvin Wilson was returning to his apartment on North 15th Street in Philadelphia.  As he approached his driveway, there was a Jeep blocking the entrance.  Wilson rolled down his window and asked the operator of the Jeep, Richard Chambers, to move the vehicle so that he could gain entry to the driveway.  Chambers ignored the request and Wilson attempted to drive around the Jeep. 

After this was not successful, Wilson got out of his car and approached Chambers.  The two men exchanged words, Chambers threw a punch and a fight ensued.  A woman from Chambers’ Jeep pulled Wilson’s eyeglasses off and sprayed him with mace.   Wilson was knocked to the ground and Chambers continued to hit and kick him.  Chambers continued to yell that he was going to “kill” Wilson and someone continued to spray Wilson with mace.  Witnesses described Wilson as being surrounded by a variety of people who were assisting Chambers to one degree or another in connection with the assault.  The fight did not end until a police officer dragged Chambers off Wilson.

As a result of this beating, Wilson required medical treatment for “three hairline rib fractures, a concussion, a laceration requiring stitches, and a burnt retina [caused by the mace].”  Chambers was charged with a variety of criminal offenses, including aggravated assault, conspiracy and possession of an instrument of crime (the mace).  A jury convicted Chambers and he was sentenced to 18 months to 36 months for the aggravated assault conviction and a consecutive 3 years of probation for the possession of an instrument of crime.

On appeal, Chambers argued that he was not the one responsible for Wilson’s serious bodily injury necessary to sustain the aggravated assault conviction, i.e., the damage to the retina in his eye, because the evidence established that Chambers was not the person using the mace on Wilson.  Likewise, Chambers argued that he never possessed the mace itself so he could not be convicted of possession of an instrument of a crime.

The Superior Court concluded that Chambers – together with the numerous individuals who engaged in the beating – had entered into a conspiracy to cause injuries to Wilson.  Given the nature of what occurred, it was determined that Chambers and his colleagues collectively assaulted Wilson with the intent to cause harm to him.  As such, the Superior Court concluded: “Although it is uncontroverted that [Chambers] did not spray the mace at Mr. Wilson, [Chambers] is criminally liable for the actions of his cohorts because he was a full participant in a conspiracy, and conspirators are responsible for one another’s actions.”   As such, Chambers was responsible for the assault with the mace as well as its possession even though he was not personally involved with either act simply because he was equally responsible for all the criminal acts of the other co-conspirators.

Chambers also argued that the mace was not a deadly weapon as required by the section of the aggravated assault statute for which Chambers was charged.  The Superior Court disagreed: “[E]ven if mace is not an inherently deadly instrumentality, its use in this case played a critical role in the assault of Mr. Wilson, and it became a deadly weapon because it was used to render Mr. Wilson defenseless against [Chambers’] attack.”  As such, the manner and circumstances in which the mace was used transformed an otherwise lawful instrumentality into a deadly weapon – and an instrument of a crime – and Chambers conviction and sentence were affirmed.

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time.” ~John Lubbock, "Recreation," The Use of Life, 1894

Summer is scampering away and soon it will be back-to-school time. Perhaps you found a comfortable chair in a shady reading spot at home, or packed several “I have to read this..” books for a trip to the beach and a chance for a tan and get whisked away without leaving the sand. Whatever you have planned so far, or have mapped out for the near future, we know that books play a huge part in your life. As you read this, the new Main Library location will be open for its second or third day at 458 School Road in Montrose. The Grand Opening was held on Monday, July 17th. The hours for this new location are the same as the old location and are as follows: Monday through Thursday, 9 AM to 8 PM and Saturday, 9 AM to 4PM, closed on Friday.

There’s exciting news coming from the world of Children’s Literature. A new Maurice Sendak manuscript has been discovered! Many know of the late Author, who is considered to be the most influential picture book creator of the 20th century, from such books as “Where the Wild Things are”, “Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue” and “Really Rosie: Starring the Nutshell Kids”. He will now have another publication in the 21st century—five years after his death. By the way, all three books are available at your local Library Location. A typewritten manuscript entitled “Presto and Zesto in Limboland”, which was co-authored by the well-known Author and his frequent collaborator, Arthur Yorinks, was discovered by the President of Sendak’s Foundation ,Lynn Caponera. She did not recall the Author working on anything by that title, so she scanned the manuscript and emailed it to Sendak’s editor and publisher. Come to find out, not only was the manuscript complete, but so were the illustrations. They were created in 1990 to accompany a London Symphony Orchestra performance of a 1927 composition which set Czech nursery rhymes to music , but never published in book form. “Presto and Zesto in Limboland” will be released by HarperCollins in the fall of 2018.

It’s close to all things Blueberry time! Please come and join us 9 AM to 4 PM, August 4th and 5th for the 38th Annual Blueberry Festival.

Whether you come for the Pancake Breakfast and stay all day, or peruse the used book sale while waiting for the children to play games and talk with “Newberry the Blueberry”—there is something for everyone to enjoy—not to mention the Blueberry pies, muffins, Ice cream, and yes, even pizza!

Please make a note on your calendar that there will be no July or August Reader’s Group Meetings in the Susquehanna Branch Library. The group will be discussing the July selection, “A Year on Ladybug Farm” by Donna Ball, the August selection, “The Hollow Ground” by Natalie Harnett, and “The Lemon Orchard” by Luanne Rice, the pick for September, at the 2:00 PM, September 14th Meeting.

The 2017 “Library Lottery” is in full swing! This is your chance to win up to $50,000 and help the Library and Historical Society at the same time. Only 2,000 tickets will be sold. Each $100 ticket is eligible for every prize. The Library Lottery drawing will be held at the Montrose VFW, located at 16972 State Route 706, Montrose on Saturday, August 26 from noon to 4 p.m. Don’t delay--You can’t win if you don’t play—Get your Library Lottery ticket today!

As I water the drooping Zinnias, and hope for an array of colorful blossoms, I leave you with this thought:

“I am Summer, come to lure you away from your computer... come dance on my fresh grass, dig your toes into my beaches.” ~Oriana Green, @NatureSpirits

Running through Sprinklers-Lightning Bugs-Wild Roses

ENJOY!!

Nose-picking: Nasty or nourishing?

The pharmacist noticed him in the greeting card aisle. “Up-to-the-knuckle” Nate, was picking his nose as usual and then touching the cards with the same finger. The pharmacist looked at the bottles of hand sanitizers placed strategically around the store. Nate, apparently, was unaware of them, spreading germs all over the Happy Birthday cards. You’ve seen nose-pickers before, most commonly at red lights. Nothing else to do except to wait for the green light while excavating the old nostrils.

Nose-picking is the act of extracting nasal mucus with one's finger (rhinotillexis) and may include the subsequent action of ingesting the mucus pulled out from the nose (mucophagy). Nose-picking is an extremely widespread habit: some surveys indicate that it is almost universal, with people picking their nose on average about 4 times a day. A study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry was based on a survey sent to 1,000 randomly selected adults. The survey defined nose-picking as "the insertion of a finger (or other object) into the nose with the intention of removing dried nasal secretions." Of those who responded, 91% said they were current nose-pickers, and 2 respondents claimed to spend between 15 and 30 minutes and between 1 and 2 hours a day picking their respective noses. Hopefully, they are not in the food preparation business!

Mucus is secreted by tissues that line the mouth, nose, sinuses, throat, lungs and gastrointestinal tracts. It acts similarly to flypaper, trapping bacteria, dust and other unwanted substances before they can enter the body. When mucus and its trappings dry out, a "booger" is created. Overall, nose-picking is frowned upon in most cultures. Children are taught early on not to pick their noses. Picking one's nose with dirty fingers or fingernails may increase risks of infection that may include an increase in the diversity of nasal flora (and thus infection or illness), or occasional nosebleeds. Yet, many adults appear to carry on this disgusting habit, often unconsciously. And anyway, is nose-picking necessarily an unhealthy practice? Some researchers say no.

The "hygiene hypothesis" is a theory that early exposure to germs and certain infections could boost the development of the immune system, according to Dr. James T.C. Li of the Mayo Clinic. This theory may fit in with other evolutionary theories that suggest people's improved hygiene over the years has led to increases in allergies and immune diseases. For example, children who grow up in rural parts of the country and are around animals seem to be less likely to develop asthma than urban children. Recent studies suggest the hypothesis may explain why food allergies are more common in families with higher incomes compared to those with lower ones, and why American-born children are more likely to have allergic diseases like hay fever and eczema compared with children born in countries with less advanced hygiene methods. The assumption is that Kleenex® kills. There is nothing like a bare finger with a decent fingernail to scrape out the nostrils. This theory has been disputed simply because all humans swallow nasal secretions (and the stuff that’s it them) day and night, including gnat wings, dust bunnies, your little brother’s flying phlegm.  

As for Nate, he had selected a greeting card and handed the pharmacist a $5 bill. Why the bill was soggy, the pharmacist did not want to know.

Ron Gasbarro, PharmD, is a registered pharmacist, medical writer, and principal at Rx-Press.com. Read more at www.rx-press.com