Montrose – Samuel Katz has moved to Binghamton where he will continue in the business of buying junk. ALSO Lee, the young son of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse M. Noble, who was severely burned by contact with an electric wire some weeks ago, continues to suffer from the injury. The little fellow was playing on the Fairgrounds when he noticed the wire dangling close to the ground and grasping it was severely shocked by the high voltage. One hand was seriously burned.

Oakley, Harford Twp. – Geo. Tripp had 25 bushels apples and 50 heads of cabbage stolen. ALSO In Harford the question was asked, “Did you see the aeroplane pass over Harford, Saturday night?  We understand that one went over the town just at dusk.”

South Auburn – Mrs. G. B. Crawford is failing very rapidly. AND At Auburn 4 Corners they acknowledge that winter is coming. We had some snow. The death of Raville Harris occurred Oct. 26, 1917, in his 82nd year.  He had lived in the neighborhood all of his long life and for many years was an efficient auctioneer at public sales.

Dimock – Mrs. C. F. Warner, of Dimock, is with her son, Benj. Warner, of Union NY for the winter, her grandson, Virgil VanCamp, coming over and taking her to Union in his automobile.  Mrs. Warner is 93 years of age and her health is quite good, and was not greatly tired by the trip to Union.  She was accompanied by her daughter, Mrs. Julia VanCamp, who visited her sons, Virgil, of Johnson City, and Earl, of Binghamton. ALSO The condition of the so-called State road from Dimock to Montrose is simply scandalous.

Bradford County – We find the following interesting item in the Meshoppen Enterprise: Old mother earth is to be punctured again up in Bradford County in hopes of finding oil.  This time the hole will be rammed downward in the vicinity of Macedonia 4 Corners to the depth of 4,000 ft., so report says, unless the sought for oil or gas is found up nearer the crust of this terrestrial sphere.  Upwards of 10,000 acres of land have been leased. The contract has been let for drilling the first hole and lumber ordered for the derrick and engine house.  Here’s hoping they strike a gusher equal to any in the Texas field.

Silver Lake – D. F. Donovan was greeting his many friends in Montrose, his first visit to the County Seat in three years.  Although always cordially received here, Mr. Donovan misses many of the older faces which have joined the silent majority, among whom we might mention, Wm. Post, A. H. McCollum, A. J. Gerrittson, Judges McCollum and Searle, and many others with whom Mr. Donovan was on familiar terms for years.  Mr. Donovan is well preserved for one of his years, but says he has a great preference for home now-a-days.  He is a splendid companion.

Susquehanna – Comedy entitled “Jimmie’s Aunt Jane,” will be given at the Hogan Opera House, Nov. 1 & 2, under direction of Mr. Wooden.  It is under the auspices of the Barnes Memorial Hospital and a large attendance is hoped for both dates. ALSO  U. G. Baker, who has been editor of the Towanda Daily Review Since 1907, has purchased the Susquehanna Transcript & Weekly Ledger. Editor Baker is a capable newspaper man.

Rhiney Creek – Wm. Wilbur, an aged resident of Rhiney Creek, had a narrow escape while in Montrose recently.  In turning out for a passing automobile, on the crossing, he was struck by a motor hand-car, throwing him out of the wagon, breaking one rib and otherwise shaking him up.  Two wheels were torn off his wagon and harness broken quite badly. ALSO Mrs. Louise Fish started with some friends for an auto trip to Buffalo.  When they got to Bath, NY, they came in contact with a snow storm with snow 8 inches deep.  The consequence was, the auto trip was abandoned and they returned home.

East Rush – Mr. & Mrs. Herman Hollister entertained a company of young people a few evenings ago, and they husked corn for a pass-time, after which they spent a few hours in playing games.

Hop Bottom – At the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Hortman, Oct. 25, occurred the wedding of their daughter, Bertha, and Mr. Grover Lawrence.  Mrs. Lawrence has been engaged in teaching for several years.  They will reside in Oneida, NY where Mr. Lawrence is engaged in business with the Grand Union Tea Co.

East Lynn – The following have been neither late nor absent during the entire month at the East Lynn School: Verda Button, Bessie Teel, Reba Miller, Bessie Hunt, Francis Hunt, Helen Ward, Irene Ward, Donald Parks, Floyd Pratt, Leon Sutton and Hugh Parks.

Forest City – Michael Kaslowski, of Dundaff St., was fatally injured in the Gray slope of the Hillside Coal and Iron Company by a fall of rock.  He was working alone in the chamber when the accident occurred and it is supposed that he was under the debris for several hours before he was discovered.  He was born in Lithuania 43 years ago and for the past 16 years had been a highly respected resident of Forest City.  Besides his wife he is survived by four children, George, William, Martin and Emma. ALSO The following is a letter sent to the Forest City News correcting an article they had printed the week previous: “I wish to say that Paul R. Barriger never was a member of a Bucktail regiment.  He was a lieutenant in Co. B., 143d Pa. Vol. (my Co.). It was brigaded with two Bucktail regiments, the 149th and the 150th.  The regiment referred to in the item was the old Bucktails who entered the service in ’61 or spring of ’62 and I think were from the western part of the state.  We, the 143rd, enlisted in August, ’62, mainly from Luzerne co.  About 150 went from Susquehanna County and a few from Wyoming county to fill up the regiment.  Lt. Barriger made harness at Clifford Corners in the late 60’s, later at Uniondale and now (if alive) at Great Bend, Pa., I think.  Signed A. A. Abers, Clifford. [Paul Barriger died in August of 1923 in Jackson. His death notice repeated that he served with the famous “Bucktail” regiment during the Civil War.]

200 Years Ago from the Montrose Centinel, November 1, 1817. 

*NOTICE.  Public notice is hereby given to all persons interested in the estate of Edmund Stone late of the township of Bridgewater, in the county of Susquehanna, deceased, that Raphael Stone administrator of all & singular the goods & chattels, rights and credits which were of the said deceased, hath filed his account of the administration of the estate aforesaid in the Register’s Office for the County of Susquehanna, at Montrose, & that the same will be presented to the Orphans’ Court of the said County for confirmation and allowance on the first Monday of December next at the Courthouse in Montrose.  JABEZ HYDE, Jr. Reg’r. October 30, 1817.

*ALMANACS for the Year of our Lord 1818, Just received and for sale at this office.  Also a variety of Blank & Writing Books.

*List of Letters Remaining in the Post Office at Montrose, October 1st, 1817. Sayre & Mulford, Wm. C. Turrel, Charles Fraser, Aron Blakesly, Rhodolphus Potter, Thomas Thompson, Wm. H. Spencer, John Palmor, Daniel Foster, P. H. Bostwick, Cornelius Wood, Nancy Cook, Wm. Lawrence, Mecom Maine, Isaac Deuel, John Burnham 2, Sally Crane, Ezra Shove, James Wells, Samuel Wilson, Alby Bostwick, Ezekiel Griffis, Alexander Milroy, Henry Park & Benjamin Blakesly.

Franklyn Hutchinson and Brienne Miles rented an apartment together in Northampton County, Pennsylvania.  In early July 2015, Hutchinson returned home and found Miles dead from an apparent drug overdose.  Over the course of the next two days, Hutchinson told their landlord that Miles was sleeping or resting.  Hutchinson also utilized Miles’ cellphone to respond to her grandfather.  After waiting for two days, Hutchinson finally contacted the police to report that Miles had died and that her body was resting in their apartment.  When the police arrived, Hutchinson indicated that he had discovered Miles’ body that morning – but based upon the decomposition of Miles’ body, the police knew that Miles had been dead for several days.

Hutchinson was charged with the criminal offense relating to “Abuse of a Corpse” based upon his decision to leave Miles’ body in the apartment for several days after her death.  This particular criminal statute makes it unlawful to “treat a corpse in a way that one knows would outrage ordinary family sensibilities.”  After a jury convicted Hutchinson the Abuse of Corpse charge, as well as two other misdemeanor offenses relating to false reports to authorities and possession of drug paraphernalia, the trial court sentenced Hutchinson to a period of incarceration of 2 years to 4 years.

Hutchinson filed an appeal to the Superior Court contending that the Abuse of Corpse statute was not intended to criminalize his inaction, i.e., simply leaving the body in the apartment and not reporting the death to authorities.  Hutchinson essentially argued that he did not do anything to Miles’s corpse – he simply failed to call for someone to remove and care for the corpse after he discovered it. 

The Superior Court stated that the issue in the appeal was simple: “Whether a person who knowingly leaves a corpse to rot, without making arrangements for a proper burial has treated a copse in a way that he knows would outrage ordinary family sensibilities.”  The Superior Court considered the commentary from the model legislation upon which the statute was based and concluded that the offense was intended to cover those persons who concealed a corpse from discovery.  After reviewing the facts of the case, the Superior Court found that Hutchinson had concealed Miles’ corpse in the apartment for several days before reporting her death.  In a very blunt summary, the Superior Court concluded: “[Hutchinson] failed to notify authorities of Miles’ death and let her corpse rot.”

Hutchinson also objected to a portion of the prosecutor’s opening statement wherein she told the jurors to imagine how the police notification of Miles’ death was received by her grandparents: “Your granddaughter has died.  We suspect a drug overdose.  Imagine the grief.  But wait, there’s more . . . her body is completely decomposed and was left for at least 48 hours before it was discovered.”  Hutchinson contended that the prosecutor was asking the jurors to put themselves in the victim’s shoes.  Such a personal appeal to the jurors’ emotions is improper in an opening or closing statement.

The Superior Court disagreed with Hutchinson’s position and noted that the prosecutor was merely asking the jurors to consider how this news was received by Miles’ family – not for the jurors to consider how they would react to the news if it was one of their family members.  Given that the Commonwealth had to demonstrate that Hutchinson’s treatment of Miles’ corpse would “outrage ordinary family sensibilities,” the Superior Court found that the prosecutor was permitted to explain to the jury exactly how those family sensibilities were outraged in this particular case.  Hutchinson’s conviction and sentence were affirmed.

Lice? But my kids are clean!

Mrs. Brown called the pharmacy and asked if her doctor phoned in some medications for her family. The school nurse had called Mrs. Brown and informed her that her youngest child, Marissa, 9, had head lice. Upon inspecting her other child, Luke, 10, the nurse also reported that he had head lice as well. "How could they have lice? My children are clean and well-groomed." Knowing that she would have to go to the pharmacy to pick up 4 clearly marked boxes of LICE TREATMENT for the children as well as for her and her husband would be totally embarrassing.

The pharmacist explained that head lice typically carry a social stigma implying poor parenting and poverty. But this is not true. Head lice thrive in clean hair and clean houses. The household laundering, cleaning and bagging would only be necessary if the children had body lice, which are genetically distinct from head lice. According to the school nurse, Mrs. Brown's kids did not have body lice.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently conducted a study that included some telling statistics about head lice: There are approximately 12 million cases of head lice in the US every year. The vast majority of these cases occur among children 3 to 12 years old. Girls are more likely to become infected than boys. More often than not, one infestation leads to several more cases. Hair length does not significantly increase instances of head lice.

Determining whether an individual is infected with head lice is relatively easy: check their scalp. If someone is suffering from an itchy scalp over an extended period of time, it is a good idea to check for head lice. The best way to identify an infestation is to observe live nymph or adult lice. Finding nits (eggs) does not necessarily confirm an active infestation since they may indicate a past or inactive infestation. Nevertheless, if the symptoms exist, and live lice, nymphs, or nits are found, it is a good idea to treat the individual and begin screening for other cases within the family.

Know that there are both over-the-counter and prescription formulations of pediculicides (lice killers), the latter of which may be covered by insurance. Ask your pharmacist to advise you on this point. When treating head lice, supplemental measures can be combined with recommended pharmacologic treatment; however, such additional (non-pharmacologic) measures generally are not required to eliminate a head lice infestation. For example, hats, scarves, pillow cases, bedding, clothing, and towels worn or used by the infested person in the 2-day period just before treatment is started can be machine washed and dried using the hot water and hot air cycles because lice and eggs are killed by exposure for 5 minutes to temperatures greater than 128.3°F (53.5°C).

The pharmacist told Mrs. Brown that even the rich and famous - with their red carpets and haute couture - are not immune to this dreaded childhood "milestone." Celebrity mom Jennifer Garner recounted her family's bout with head vermin on Jimmy Fallon's show a few years ago. That experience was capped off by her first introduction to the super-suave George Clooney with her hair still greased and smelly with a pediculicide. Awkward! Also Courtney Cox of Friends fame had to confront another (unnamed) actress when her daughter, Coco, received a lice infestation from that actress' daughter. Then things only got worse when Courtney found out she too had the bugs in her hair. But everyone was treated and life went on, just as Mrs. Brown's family-wide infestation became just a nasty memory.

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