Montrose – Montrose has three brothers, all living, and all having spent practically their whole lives here, who served in the Civil War, all seeing actual service on the battlefield.  They are ex-Postmaster Edson S. Warner, aged 83; Fletcher Warner, age 80 and Capt. Chas. N. Warner, age 78.  They were the three sons of a family of seven children of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Warner and spent their childhood days on the homestead farm, in Bridgewater township, just east of Montrose, near Jones’ Lake, now called Lake Montrose.  Edson, the first day out of Camp Curtin, was severely injured, having an arm crushed by a supply train wagon, which overturned.  He came very near losing this member—in fact the arm would have been amputated had not one young army surgeon persisted in an effort to save it, and his effort proved successful.  When he had recovered he returned to the service.  Fletcher was wounded at the battle at South Mountain, in 1862, having one of his ankle bones severed by a Rebel bullet.  The wound bled profusely, and he came near losing his life.  His brother, Capt. Chas. N. Warner, who was in another company, also in the battle, heard that his brother had been wounded and came to his assistance.  The wounded man was carried to a barn, and after much trouble a surgeon was secured.  The number of surgeons was greatly inadequate to the needs of the Union army during the Civil War.  His wounds were dressed and the patient taken to the hospital.  Capt. Chas. N. Warner, the youngest of the three, was a graduate of West Point, we believe the only West Point man in the county today.  Upon leaving West Point, he was made a Captain.  Ex-Postmaster Edson Warner was also promoted to the rank of Captain. [Brian R. McEnany published his book For Brotherhood & Duty: The Civil War History of the West Point Class of 1862, on 2015, after years of researching the members of this class.  Charles N. Warner, Montrose, was an 1862 graduate and his letters and diaries, from 1859 to 1865, were studied by Mr. McEnany and used for this book. McEnany was a graduate of the West Point class of 1962. He received the Eugene Feit Award for Civil War History in 2016.]

Herrick Center – Peter Clark, aged 64 years, died on Spt. 26, at Flynn’s hotel, where he had lived for the past few years.  He had been a resident of this town for many years, being foreman of the Erie section hands for several years.  He was unmarried and is survived by one sister, Mrs. Kate Kelly.  The funeral was held at the Catholic church, Pleasant Mount, and interment at same.

East Great Bend – Lieut. Fred Brush has been appointed executive medical officer of the U. S. naval training station at Pelham Bay, N. Y., where thousands of seamen are being consistently trained.

Hallstead – Eugene F. Wilmot was formerly the conductor on the Montrose branch of the Lackawanna, but for the past seven years has lived in Hallstead, where he resided previous to coming to Montrose.  His health has not been good for some months past, but “gene” as always, puts his best foot forward and “puts all his troubles in his old kit pack, and smiles.”

Dimock – Leslie Barnes, who moved to Wilkes-Barre last spring, has purchased the blacksmith shop of his father here and will soon move back to his own home when vacated by Cecil Treible, who will move to Tunkhannock and will work in the lumber woods. ALSO W. J. Cronk has built a large addition to his feed store.

Jefferson Junction – A disastrous wreck, due to a rear-end crash, occurred on the D & H railroad at this place, Saturday morning, due it is stated to the mistake of the tower man at Stevens’ Point.  Seven cars were burned, a number of others piled up in a mess covering both tracks, and the engine of one of the fast freights badly smashed and turned over on its side on the southbound track.  The train crews escaped without injury by jumping through conductor London and a brakeman who were in the caboose of the coal train, [and] had an exceedingly close call.

Dundaff– Misses Florence Morgan and Helen Bond and Messrs. Ryan Cobb and Harry Millard, were victims of an automobile accident at Johnson City, Sunday afternoon.  Something went wrong with the brakes and as a result the car toppled over twice, but fortunately the occupants were thrown out.  Miss Morgan sustained a severe cut on the head requiring 26 stitches to bring to place.  Miss Bond received a bad cut over the eye.  Mr. Cobb was picked up in an unconscious condition.  He received cuts about the face.  Mr. Millard was not injured but was badly shocked.  The ladies were removed at once to a hospital in Binghamton where their injuries were cared for.  Messrs. Millard and ‘Cobb returned home late Sunday evening. The young ladies are still in the hospital, but from reports are doing as well as can be expected. [Another newspaper has three of the occupants from Uniondale and Ryan Cobb from Carbondale.  Also Helen Bond was listed as Helen Barnes.]

Susquehanna – John B. Waidler, Edward J. Cruise, John C. Rifenbury, Harry Thomas Casey, Max Eugene Norton, Victor A. Hurley and Robert Bernard Johnson, all of this place, will leave for Camp Meade, Maryland, Friday October 12, 1917.

North Bridgewater – A double wedding was solemnized last Saturday evening, Oct. 6, 1917, at the Baptist parsonage, by Rev. Claude G. Langford, when Mr. Geo. B. Holbrook and Miss Mary E. Pickering, and Mrs. Enoch C. Holbrook and Miss Lillis H. Strang were united in matrimony.  They are among the most popular young people of North Bridgewater, and are receiving congratulations from a host of friends.

Springville – Davis Layton, Tennyson Messerole and Storm Kilts started Monday morning for California.  They will make the trip by auto.  They have taken tent and all the paraphernalia for such a trip.  Expect to be about a month on the way.

News Brief: The post office department has issued these instructions: “Postmasters shall, on and after November 2, see that postage is paid at the rate of three cents an ounce or fraction thereof on letters and other first class matter, except drop letters and foreign mail.  Postal cards are required to be prepaid two cents and therefore the one cent postal cards must have a one cent postage stamp affixed to them in addition to the one-cent stamp impressed on each card.  Post Cards (private mailing cads) bearing written messages must have two cents postage prepaid on them.”

200 Years Ago from the Montrose Centinel, October 11, 1817.

*Regimental Orders.  The Regimental staff and commissioned officers of the 76th Regiment Pennsylvania Militia are directed to meet at Edward Fullers Montrose on Monday the 20th of October next at ten o’clock A.M. for the purpose of military discipline agreeable to the 16th section of the militia law of this Commonwealth. FREDK. BAILEY Col. 76th Regt., P.M.

September 18, 1817.

*A PIOUS TRAP INDEED!! The federalists in Luzerne County have nominated George Lane, who we understand is a Methodist preacher, for member of Assembly, in hopes thereby to gull those of that sect to vote for their candidate.  Now, gentlemen, this will not go down with the Methodists in this County; as they are almost to a man Democratical Republicans; and, although they may admire M. Lane’s religious sentiments, they do not feel disposed to join with him in politics, at least not until he renounces his federal principles.  Therefore, gentlemen, you might as well keep your pious electioneer’s at home.

On June 17, 2015, the Cumberland Township Police Department arrested Robert Treece for violating a protective order.  Treece was transported to the police station.  While at the station, Treece indicated that he was not feeling well and an ambulance was called.  The emergency personnel determined that they had to take Treece to the hospital.  The police handcuffed Treece to the gurney and accompanied him to the hospital.

After an initial examination at the hospital, Treece was admitted for further treatment, but he remained under the guard of a police officer – and he continued to be handcuffed.  At some point, the police officer decided to remove the handcuffs and leave the hospital.  The police officer did tell Treece that he would return later to pick him up.  After the police officer left the hospital, Treece waited for approximately an hour, and then suddenly felt better, convinced a nurse to help him remove his IV and he signed himself out.  Treece walked out of the hospital and returned to work.

Several days later, Treece was taken into custody on an unrelated matter – and the police then charged Treece for escaping from the hospital.  Under the applicable criminal statute, a person commits an escape is he “unlawfully removes himself from official detention or fails to return to official detention following temporary leave granted for a specific purpose or limited period.”  The Commonwealth argued that Treece had been arrested, that he was in official detention which had been interrupted solely for purpose of his medical treatment, Treece knew that the police officer intended to return to the hospital, and that upon leaving the hospital, Treece failed to return to police custody.  After a jury trial, Treece was convicted and sentenced to 11 ½ months to 23 months of incarceration.  Treece then appealed.

The appeal centered upon what constituted “official detention,” which is defined in the statute as an “arrest, detention in any facility for custody of persons under charge or conviction of crime or alleged or found to be delinquent, detention for extradition or deportation, or any other detention for law enforcement purposes; but the phrase does not include supervision of probation or parole, or constraint incident to release on bail.”

The Superior Court made several quick determinations.  First, a hospital cannot be considered a “facility for custody of persons under charge or conviction of crime.”  Second, when the police officer decided to take off the handcuffs and leave the hospital, Treece was no longer in police custody, i.e., he was not under arrest at that point.  Thus, the Superior Court noted that the only other argument for an official detention was the catchall phrase relating to “any other detention for law enforcement purposes.”

The Superior Court noted that they could locate no reported case with similar facts.  As such, the Superior Court considered whether a reasonable person in Treece’s position would have felt free to leave the hospital.  The Superior Court noted that Treece may have entered the hospital handcuffed and under guard, but the cuffs were removed and the guard left.  While the police officer had indicated that he planned on returning to pick up Treece, he never specifically told Treece that he could not leave the hospital.  Further, after the police officer left, Treece did not immediately flee; instead, he remained at the hospital for another hour before deciding to leave.  At that time, medical personnel assisted him in removing the IV and he simply walked out of the hospital and returned to work.  Treece did not attempt to hide or avoid the police – he simply went back to living his life until he was arrested as a result of an unrelated traffic stop. 

Based upon those facts, the Superior Court determined that a reasonable person in Treece’s position would have believed that he or she was free to leave the hospital.  For these reasons, Treece was not being “detained” for law enforcement purposes as required for a criminal escape and his conviction was reversed and his sentence was vacated.

“October is crisp days and cool nights, a time to curl up around the dancing flames and sink into a good book.” ~John Sinor (1930–1996), in San Diego Union-Tribune

Please make room on that young person’s bookshelf for a never-before published picture book by the late best-selling, beloved American Author of Children’s books, Margaret Wise Brown. “Good Day, Good Night” has been discovered and brought to life by Illustrator Loren Long. Margaret Wise Brown uses her signature word pattern from the classic “Goodnight Moon” that millions have used to lull their children to sleep with for many years. Paired with Long’s gorgeous illustrations, readers will snuggle into the comforting world of the little bunny and be thrilled at the attention to detail, not to mention surprises on every page. Here is a snippet to whet your appetite for the story: “ When the sun comes up and the day begins, the little bunny says good day to all the familiar things outside—to the birds in the skies and the bees in their hives, to everything one by one. And as the sun starts to set, it’s time for the little bunny to say goodnight to all—Goodnight kitty, Goodnight bear, Goodnight people everywhere. Many other books by Margaret Wise Brown are available from you local Library location and they include: “The Runaway Bunny”, “Love Songs of the Little Bear”, “Little Donkey Close Your Eyes”, “Animals in the Snow” and, of course, “Goodnight Moon”—just to name a few.

The Fall Story Hour is in full swing at the Susquehanna Branch and always has room for more who wish to enjoy stories, crafts, learning games, etc. The Fall Story Hour is held on Tuesdays, at 10:30 AM with the last program scheduled for October 31st. If you would like your child to participate, please either stop in or call the Susquehanna Branch and speak with Laura, Pam, Deb or Elizabeth and they would be glad to sign you up or answer any questions you may have.

The Fall Story Hour is also underway at the Hallstead/Great Bend Library Location. Their Story Hour takes place on Tuesdays also, and starts at 10:00 AM.

If your child would like to attend, please stop by or call the Library and speak with Angie or Valerie and they will be more than happy to answer your questions.

As I try to beat the squirrels to the fallen Hickory Nuts, I leave you with this thought:

“But in October what a feast to the eye our woods and groves present! The whole body of the air seems enriched by their calm, slow radiance. They are giving back the light they have been absorbing from the sun all summer.” ~John Burroughs (1837–1921), "The Falling Leaves," Under the Maples

Jumping In Leaf Piles— Migrating Monarches—Bubbling Homemade Soup

ENJOY!!

Should antibiotics become controlled substances?

Mr. Taylor came into the pharmacy and handed the pharmacist a prescription for an antibiotic. The doctor wrote that Mr. Taylor could have 3 refills. When the pharmacist asked his patient why he needed so many refills, Mr. Taylor explained that he was heading south for the winter and needed the antibiotic in case he got a sinus infection or was bitten by a tick.

Antibiotics have been used for the last 70 years to treat patients who have infectious diseases. Since the 1940s, these drugs, such as penicillin, have greatly reduced illness and death from infectious diseases. However, these medications have been used so extensively and for so long that the infectious germs the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted to them, making the drugs less effective. This is called antibiotic resistance and it is creating superbugs that are impervious to many of the antibiotics we have. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2 million Americans become infected with bacteria that are antibiotic-resistant; 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections.

Typically, bacteria swim separately throughout the organ or body it has infected and can be obliterated by an antibiotic to which it is sensitive. Researchers have recently discovered that bacteria can band together and form a super cell – called a biofilm – which attaches to a membrane and surrounds itself with a substance to protect the bacterial community. These colonies can defy the antibiotic, resulting in chronic and more severe infections. Researchers estimate that 60% to 80% of bacterial infections are caused by germs growing within a biofilm compared to free-floating bacteria. The majority of inner ear infections and urinary tract infections are caused by biofilm clusters.

Too many doctors wrongly prescribe antibiotics for coughs and stuffy noses because the patients whine until they get them. If the patient is not counseled to finish the full course of antibiotic even if s/he feels better after 3 days and stops the antibiotic too soon, then the stage is set for antibiotic resistance. But how can you stop a doctor from writing for unnecessary antibiotics?

A good start would be to give antibiotics controlled substance status. Usually reserved for narcotics and other drugs that are highly addictive and/or abused, a controlled substance designation would make antibiotics more difficult to get by holding physicians and other prescribers accountable for the prescriptions they write. Patients need to stop requesting antibiotics for self-limiting conditions like nasal congestion, coughs, bronchitis, and presumptive “sinus infections.” Doctors need to stop prescribing antibiotics for these events. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a severe antibiotic-resistant infection prevalent in hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes, where people with open wounds, invasive devices such as catheters, and weakened immune systems are at greater risk of a hospital-acquired infection. Norway, for example, has virtually eradicated MRSA just by restricting antibiotic use. Conversely, in Japan where 17,000 die from MRSA every year, doctors overprescribe antibiotics because they are given financial incentives to push drugs on patients.

Not every person with a fever or a sniffle warrants an antibiotic. The best practice is to tell patients to hydrate, rest, and take aspirin to reduce the fever. If the current opioid epidemic has taught us anything, thought the pharmacist, it is that drugs kill. But while narcotic overdoses usually affect one person at a time, antibiotic resistance has the potential to harm many millions of people.

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