Rush – Edward Cavanaugh advertises ten cows, five horses and other stock and farming utensils and implements in today’s Republican.  Mr. Cavanaugh is unable to secure help and is obliged to reduce his stock.

Oakland – Private Thomas Harvey, of Camp Meade, and Miss Helena Haws, of Oakland, where the groom formerly resided, were married on Friday, March 1, 1918, at Johnson City, by Rev. William Davis.  Private Harvey has returned to his regiment and his bride will remain with her mother, Mrs. Blanche Haws, at Oakland.

Brookdale – John Johnson is sawing out a lot of ash for airplanes and it sounds good to hear his mill whistle once more.

Clifford – W. C. Baldwin and A. R. Bennett have exchanged farms, Mr. Baldwin taking over all the tools and most of the stock of Mr. Bennett.  Bill will sure make some farmer.  Here’s luck to both of them.

Thompson –We will not attempt to give an account of the havoc made or the numerous inconveniences the people of Water street have had to battle with the past month, owing to frozen water pipes and the flooded condition of the entire flats.  It is far beyond our powers or description.  We can only say this; if spring ever comes and things are once back to normal we will know how to appreciate them.

Fiddle Lake – The farmers here have finished filling the ice houses from the pure water of the Lake and say the ice is the thickest they ever have seen and some are life-long residents.

Herrick – The home of Mr. and Mrs. Silas O. Churchill was the scene of great festivities last Sunday, the occasion being the celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary.  While the storm raged outside, all was joy and happiness within. ALSO The oldest person born in Herrick township is Lafayette Lyon, now a resident of Carbondale.  Mr. Lyon is in his 93rd year.  The second oldest is Charles Coleman, who on the 17th of March will be 87 years of age.  Shuabel Carpenter, of Uniondale, is a close third, being a few years younger than Mr. Coleman.

Forest City – Fate seems to follow Joseph Piskur, of Susquehanna street.  Two months ago his wife died leaving three small children without a mother’s care.  He has been kept from work a great deal of the time in caring for his little ones.  Thursday he secured work with the Elkbrook mine at Richmondale and on Friday was removed to Emergency Hospital, Carbondale, suffering from serious injuries sustained by a fall of top rock while at work in the mine.  He sustained a fractured pelvis. ALSO Patrons of the Plaza theatre are pleased to notice the improvements made in the screen.  A mirror screen has taken the place of the old screen and it is greatly enlarged thus giving better effect to the pictures as they are shown.

Hallstead – While conducting the funeral of a neighbor, Edward J. O’Brien, on Thursday of last week, Undertaker Edward E. Tuttle was taken seriously ill.  He was taken to his home and pneumonia developed.  Although everything possible was done to save his life, he passed away Sunday.  Mr. Tuttle was a man highly regarded in his community, an undertaker for 32 years, and his death came as a severe shock to family and friends.  He was 64 years of age. He is survived by his wife, two sons, Olin, of Susquehanna and Leland, at home.

Montrose – At a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Susquehanna County Historical Society and Free Library Association, Miss Fanny Bunnell was elected to the position of assistant librarian. One of the standards of efficiency adopted at the meeting was: The interests of the Travelling Libraries should be studied and the work fostered and every effort made to intelligently extend the same. [It was recently established that the Travelling Libraries, now known as the Bookmobile or Books-on-Wheels, at the Susquehanna County Library, is the oldest in the state of Pennsylvania established on June 11, 1924 with Miss Beulah Eyerly driving the first “book truck.”]

Hop Bottom – Ed. Penny, an aged veteran of the Civil War and member of Lieut. Rogers Post, G A. R., passed away, following a long illness of pneumonia. Although the day was stormy, his comrades of the Post attended.  With the death of Comrade Penny and Commander A. J. Ainey, the Post has lost two worthy members during the past few days.

Little Meadows – The members of St. Thomas’ parish unfurled a beautiful service flag at a recent morning service, commemorating the departure to the front of several of their young men.  The service was very impressive and many were deeply affected by the remarks of their pastor, Rev. J. McGuckin.  In the course of his address he spoke of the loyalty and patriotism of the Catholics and urged them to continue in the steadfast loyalty, which has characterized them from the very beginning.  “God and my Country,” he concluded, should be your motto.

Auburn Twp. – The Philadelphia Ice Cream and Creameries Company, which has a branch station at Auburn Four Corners, has rented the Baker creamery at Sankey and opened up business there.  The creamery has been closed since last November.

Franklin Twp. – Dist. Attorney John Ferguson, of Susquehanna, was here on Tuesday.  He stated that he and State Trooper Al. Carlson made an investigation into the death of Augustus Smith, who lost his life in his home here when the building was burned.  They could find nothing which would tend to indicate that his death was due to other than accidental causes.  Had the motive been robbery his pocketbook and other valuables would have been removed from his person, but these were found intact.  It was his personal opinion that the fire had started in the room over his head, in which were stored large quantities of papers and books, and the burning mass, ignited doubtless from the stovepipe, had made a fierce fire which suffocated him and later in falling pinned him underneath.

News Briefs: The very large number of people in Scranton and vicinity, who are deeply interested in the Lackawanna Trail, will read with much pleasure the statement that the project is not at all visionary, as some seem to have believed, but a near reality. This is the impression of D. L. Morgan, the president of the Lackawanna Trail Assn., who has been very active in the movement of establishing this modern paved state highway and who has an intimate knowledge of what has been done and of what is doing in the way of securing the releases from property owners along the abandoned Lackawanna tracks.  These releases, we are told, are all that are needed to insure the construction of the roadway.  ALSO In Susquehanna county, during 1917, there were 1436 licenses granted by the state highway department for pneumatic motor cars. ALSO Give A Book To A Soldier—It is with this belief in mind that those in charge of the “War Library drive” have started a campaign for books during the week of March 18 to 25 inclusive.  You will be asked to give one, or more, good books for the use of the libraries in the army camps. Montrose people will be personally solicited by the Camp Fire Girls, who will make a house to house canvass of the town.

The Montrose Centinel, for this date, March 15, 1818, is unavailable.

Remember, back issues of 100 Years Ago can be found on the Historical Society’s Website, www.susqcohistsoc.org.

Terry Lee Morris was convicted by a jury in Tarrant County, Texas, in connection with his attempts to get a 15-year old child to send him naked pictures to him.  As a result of that conviction, he was sentenced to 60 years of incarceration.  On appeal, Morris did not contest the strength of the evidence that was presented against him; rather, Morris contended that he was denied procedural fairness based upon the manner in which the trial judge treated him.

The trial judge was having difficulty controlling Morris’ behavior and a “stun belt” was placed upon Morris.  The stun belt was capable of inflicting a 50,000 volt shock if necessary.  At the beginning of the trial itself, the judge was requesting that Morris formally enter his “not guilty” plea on the record in the presence of the jury, and Morris refused to do so and began to pontificate about what he perceived as injustices as he felt that his defense attorney and the judge were biased against him.  Morris contended that he had filed a federal lawsuit against the judge and the defense attorney and that the judge was violating his rights by not recusing himself.

At that point, the judge removed the jury from the courtroom and then again attempted to explain the procedural situation to Morris.  When Morris continued to interrupt the judge, he was warned that any further outbursts would result in the use of the shock belt.  Morris indicated that he understood and the judge asked Morris if he was going to “follow the rules.”  Morris responded that he wanted the judge to recuse himself.  The judge tried again and asked Morris if he was going to follow the rules and Morris again responded with his demand for recusal.  The judge then directed the bailiff to “hit him” and Morris was administered the first electrical shock.

The judge then asked Morris if he was going to behave and Morris responded by noting that he had a history of mental illness.  The judge responded “hit him again” and another shock was administered.  At this point, Morris asserted that he was being medicated for his mental illness and that the judge was “torturing him.”  The judge again attempted to communicate with Morris who continued to reiterate that he was suffering from a mental illness, that he was medicated, that he did not want his defense attorney to represent him, and that he was suing both the defense attorney and the judge in federal court.  The judge then stated to the bailiff “would you hit him again” and another electric shock was administered. 

The judge then removed Morris from the courtroom and the trial began in Morris’ absence.  During various breaks in the proceeding, the judge instructed defense counsel to confer with Morris to determine whether he wanted to return to the courtroom.  Morris refused to return to the courtroom and his defense counsel noted that Morris was “scared” to return – and the jury ultimately convicted Morris.

The Texas Court of Appeals started its opinion with the following statement: “When the trial judges of this State don their robes and ascend the bench each morning, those with criminal dockets are often confronted with defendants who are rude, disruptive, noncompliant, belligerent, and in some cases, even murderously violent.  In the face of this reality, Texas trial judges shoulder another heavy burden: the burden to tame the chaos before them, impose order, and uphold the dignity of the justice system.”

While the appellate court noted that trial judges have inherent authority to correct disruptive behavior within their courtrooms, the appellate court rejected the use of stun belts for the sole purpose of dealing with an unruly litigant: “We hold that stun belts may be actually deployed only in extraordinary circumstances when immediate security concerns or flight risk justify use.  We further hold that the use of stun belts for other purposes, such as a method to enforce decorum or as a punishment for a defendant’s obstreperous conduct, is constitutionally prohibited and falls outside the wide discretionary penumbra [of powers] for courtroom management.”  Morris’ conviction was reversed based upon the improper use of the stun belt and a new trial was ordered.

Women – This is not your husband’s heart attack

Betty came into the pharmacy and the pharmacist was very glad to see her. “I am so pleased that you survived your heart attack. It was a wakeup call, wasn’t it?” “Yes, it was,” Betty replied. “My heart attack was nothing like my husband Bill’s.”

The pharmacist explained that the symptoms women have during a heart attack can be quite different from those that men experience. Both genders can have the classic, more well-known symptoms of a myocardial infarction – the medical term for a heart attack – such as cold sweats, crushing chest pains, and a sudden lightheadedness. However, some symptoms are more common in women, such as pain in the abdomen, neck, jaw, throat, or back, as well as fatigue for hours or days before the attack, shortness of breath either accompanying the chest pain or appearing alone, and/or nausea. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, these symptoms may occur during rest, begin during physical activity, or be triggered by mental stress. Take note: men who experience the so-called “women’s symptoms” should not ignore them but should also seek medical attention ASAP. Sometimes heart disease may be silent and not diagnosed until the person experiences signs or symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, an arrhythmia, or stroke. This is why women, as well as men, should have a “heart checkup” from a doctor at least annually.

According to the National Vital Statistics Report, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the US killing approximately 300,000 a year – that’s about 1 in every 4 female deaths, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. For example, approximately 1 in 31 deaths of women is due to breast cancer, whereas 1 in 7.5 female deaths – a 4-fold increase – is due to coronary heart disease, which causes heart attacks, says the American Heart Association. Despite increases in awareness over the past decade, only 54% of women recognize that heart disease is their number 1 killer.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of Americans (49%) have at least 1 of these 3 risk factors; 90% of women have at least 1 of these risk factors. Other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including diabetes, obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use. So, if you have “sugar,” a butt with its own zip code, haven’t gotten off the couch since your last beer and burrito, then don’t be surprised if you drop dead halfway to the kitchen and wake up in purgatory.

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health states that to reduce one’s chances of getting heart disease, it is important to know one’s blood pressure and take prescribed medication if it is too high. Ask your doctor if you are fat. Get tested for diabetes which is a risk factor for heart disease. Snuff out the cancer sticks. Find out what your cholesterol and triglycerides levels are. Make healthy food choices. Pizza is not a food group; potato chips are not vegetables. Also, lower your stress level and find healthy ways to cope with stress.

“Stress!” laughed Betty. “That’s why Bill and I do not watch political news shows before bedtime anymore. They were making our blood pressures shoot through the roof!”   

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

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.” ~Doug Larson

A 2018 Book Club has been formed at the Main Montrose Library. Lively discussions about the title of the month will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, starting on March 20th, at 6:30 PM at the Montrose Library Community Room. A limited number of copies of the first selection will available at the Montrose Front Desk. The following month’s title will be handed out at each discussion, or those interested may pick them up at the Library’s Front Desk. The March 20th selection is “A Wrinkle in Time”—an action-packed story by Madeline L’Engle which begins as Meg’s Father, who had been experimenting with the 5th Dimension of time travel, mysteriously disappears. It is up to Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. Are they prepared to outwit the forces they encounter within their journey through time and space? One of the ways you will find out is to read the book and join in the discussion. There is a movie tie-in promotion with the local Montrose Theatre. If you present your Library Card at any showing prior to the Book Discussion, you will receive $1.00 off your admission price. If you present your Card at any showing after the discussion, you will receive $2.00 off your admission price. Come and join us and bring a book-loving friend!

Judy Moody, spunky heroine of 13 books, famous for her tiger stripes and t-shirt proclaiming “I ate a shark”, is getting a makeover. The series, by best-selling Author, Megan McDonald, will be celebrating 20 years soon, and has sold 22 million print copies in 17 languages, as well as being made into a full-length movie. Candlewick Press is re-launching the series to introduce the irrepressible 3rd Grader to a new generation of readers. Be sure to watch for her trademark tiger stripes on every cover, brighter and better and very much our beloved Judy Moody. Psst.---Big news---to be released in September, “Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party”. Is Judy a Royal? You never know who may be on a branch of your Family Tree!  Your local  Library Location has “Judy Moody goes to Hollywood”, “Judy Moody Predicts the Future” and “Judy Moody, Girl Detective” on their shelves to introduce you to this delightful series and they are just waiting for your enjoyment. With the weather being unpredictable, why not check out these and other wonderful titles? Curling up with a good book on a snowy day has you going on adventures without leaving your armchair.

On February 28th, 2018 Joanne Fluke’s “Raspberry Danish Murder” was released. As usual, there is a lot going on in Lake Eden, Minnesota, with Hannah and her crew from “The Cookie Jar” and beyond right in the thick of it. Hannah’s Sister, Michelle is back to direct the Community Thanksgiving and Christmas Plays and help with the baking as Hannah is not quite herself these days, and who can blame her? The cookie business is booming as the holidays approach, and now she is asked by Sally to set up a refreshment booth at the Holiday Gift Convention located at the Lake Eden Inn—but above all, her beloved Ross is still missing with fewer than a hen’s teeth worth of clues as how to locate him—but he left several surprises behind. Add a murder to be solved and the chaos continues. One note that may be of interest, I, your “Dog-eared Columnist” and my Husband, Heiti continue to be characters in Author Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series. We are busy in and out of the “Cookie Jar”, and who knows? Bells may be ringing within future pages! More exciting news for all of you Hannah fans—“Christmas Cake Murder” is due to be released in October of this year, so you get two opportunities to enjoy this Cozy series this year. All three Library Locations, (Susquehanna, Hallstead/Great Bend, and Montrose ) have several of the Author’s titles on their shelves so you can transport yourself to Lake Eden and join in the sleuthing.

As I watch the snowflakes fall from Quinn, I leave you with this thought:

“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” ~Mark Twain

Steaming Cocoa—Woolen Mittens—Snow Castles

ENJOY!!