Home → Columnists ( May 6, 2026 )
Bridgewater Twp. – Rufus Gregory Scott, a native of this locality where he had spent the most of his life, died May 2, after an illness of several months. Mr. Scott was born here on May 12, 1847. He was prominent in the mercantile business in Montrose and later years he had lived practically a retired life, except as his duties as tipstaff in the court house. He was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and a son of Samuel T. and Sara Gregory Scott. His father was a prominent educator and newspaper editor and his great grandfather, on his paternal side, was Rev. Davis Dimock, the first Baptist minister in Susquehanna County.
Hallstead – A sad accident occurred at the home of Wallace Gathany in Steam Hollow, near this place, Sunday, April 25, when his 13 year-old son, Justin Robert Gathany, was accidentally thrown from a horse and fatally injured. The young lad was riding a horse about the yard when in some manner he was thrown from the animal’s back, striking heavily on the frozen ground. He was removed to the house and a physician summoned, but his injuries were such that he passed away Sunday evening.
Gibson – Wm. Cole was released from jail under $800 bail. Cole is charged with assaulting, with intent to kill, Leo Resseguie, of this place, an account of which appeared in The Democrat last week. Resseguie, who was thought to be dying from injuries alleged to have been inflicted by Cole with a hammer, is in the General Hospital, Carbondale, and latest reports favored his recovery. ALSO May 12 is clean-up day at the Gibson cemetery. All lot owners are inited to attend. Dinner will be served in the Grange hall at a nominal price. Proceeds are for improvement of the cemetery.
Franklin Forks – Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Stockholm are entertaining her mother, sister, brother and two nephews, from Sandwich, IL. They came by auto.
New Milford – Mr. and Mrs. F. H. Woodward and Mr. and Mrs. Claude Woodward have returned from St. Petersburg, FL, where they spent the winter. They will soon open their ice cream parlor and restaurant.
Springville – Frank Wallace and Karl Krueger sold their general merchandise business to Frank Bunnell, of Auburn Corners, who will take possession June 1st.
Montrose – The Symphony Male Chorus will give a concert in the Congregational church at Harford, on May 14. This will be the third concert which this organization has given in this church. The chorus has recently added new members and now have twenty voices. The program will consist of popular, classical and old favorite selections. ALSO At a meeting of the Montrose board of health, the ban on children attending the motion picture shows was removed. The youngsters, who have been prevented practically all winter from attending the movies, turned out in good numbers. [This was done to prevent the spread of Typhoid fever.]
Susquehanna – Arthur Prentice, 18 year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Prentice, of Lanesboro, was seriously injured when struck by an automobile near the stone bridge, at that place. He is at Barnes Hospital with a broken hip and bruises about the head and body. Miss Linnie Parker and Miss Springsteen, going to their home at Stevens Point, were riding in Miss Parker’s Ford coupe and Miss Parker did not see young Prentice as she rounded the sharp turn until she was almost upon him. She made a desperate attempt to turn the car, but could not avoid striking the young man.
Brooklyn – The girls of the Vocational High School will hold a Fashion Show in the school building, May 13th. One of the main attractions will be a group of spring dresses from Robinove’s store. There will also be exhibits of the work done in clothing this year.
Uniondale – Our local meat market has recently changed hands. E. E. Deming, proprietor, having exchanged the same for the Norton farm, a mile west of Lewis Lake. He will move to his residence, now occupied by LeRoy Craft, below the railroad tracks and engage in chicken farming.
Clifford – There will be an entertainment in the Hall, under the auspices of the Young People’s S. S. Class of the Baptist church. Proceeds for fund to install more electric lights.
Jackson – Commencement exercises of Jackson graded school were held Friday evening. There were three graduates.
West Lenox – H. L. Adams had the misfortune to chop his finger off while chopping wood, one day last week.
Birchardville – Our school closed after a very successful term, and all are anxious for the teacher, Homer McCloud, to return for another year.
Harford – The high school will present “The Mid-Summer Nights Dream” for the benefit of the library fund. This will be an outdoor fete if weather is permissible.
Forest City – We, the recently organized baseball club representing the Central Lunch Room, hereby challenge the Model A. C. or any team in town. Arrangements can be made by calling 8-3 Forest City or at Central Restaurant. ALSO The Service Radio Shop, of Carbondale, has opened a branch in the H. H. Weiss building next to the Aldine market.
Revolutionary War Honor Roll: CAPT. CALEB RICHARDSON, son of Stephen and Hannah Coy Richardson, and fifth in descent from Samuel Richardson, who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636, and was one of the seven founders of Woburn, MA. Caleb was born in Attleborough, June 26, 1739; died in Harford, PA, March 2, 1823. He married, in Attleborough, Nov. 1761, Esther Tiffany, born there Feb. 18, 1739; died in Harford Feb. 2, 1822. She was the oldest child of John and Deliverance Parmenter Tiffany, and sister of Hosea Tiffany, one of the Nine Partners of Harford. Caleb Richardson had a forge, and made nails and other articles of iron. He was a soldier in the French War. In the Revolutionary War he served as 2nd Lieut., under Capt. Moses Wilmarth, in the Attleboro Co., “called on account of the alarm in April, 1775.” (Supposed to have taken part in the Battle of Lexington.) Nine additional sources of his service are also listed.
DIED. At his residence, in Harmony Township, on Saturday the 15th inst., JOHN HILBORN, aged 84 years and 11 months and one of the early settlers of this county. [John Hilborn, a Quaker and native of Bucks County, was captured by the Delaware Indians, near Stroudsburg, in 1778. During his walk to Quebec, he encountered the Mohawk chief, Joseph Brandt, who ignored Hilborn’s pleas to be freed. After two years of captivity, Hilborn gained his freedom and in 1791 came to the mouth of the Cascade Creek with his wife and child, as an agent for Henry Drinker. It is thought that Hilborn was the first prisoner who returned from Canada and perhaps the only one who paid for his freedom.] The ordeal of John Hilborn is found on pages 92-94, Blackman’s History of Susquehanna County, PA.
Stella and Dominic were in a romantic relationship during which they had children. After the parties separated, Stella filed for child support. Dominic was ordered to pay the amount of $737.21 in monthly support and, because Dominic fell behind, the support order eventually included an additional monthly requirement of $221.16 to be applied toward the unpaid child support. Dominic was not doing a very good job at maintaining his child support payments – and he ended up in court for contempt proceedings repeatedly for non-payment.
Understandably, the trial court was frustrated with Dominic as he had become a frequent visitor to contempt hearings based upon his failure to pay his child support. In March 2025, Dominic appeared before the court for a contempt hearing without an attorney. At that point, Dominic was more than $7,000 delinquent in his child support payments. The trial court did not provide Dominic with an attorney – and a hearing was conducted. The record demonstrated that Dominic did have a job from November 2024 though January 2025 where he was bringing home about $475 per week. As of the date of the contempt hearing, however, Dominic was no longer employed – and used his unemployment as a defense to any finding of contempt, i.e., he lacked the current ability to pay his support so his failure to pay was not willful.
The trial court found that Dominic was in contempt based upon his failure to make timely child support payments during the period that he was employed. Dominic was incarcerated for seven days, or, in the alternative, Dominic could avoid incarceration if he paid the sum of $1,200 toward his back child support. A family member then borrowed the $1,200 and paid those sums to get Dominic out of jail.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) then took up Dominic’s case and filed an appeal. First, the ACLU contended that Dominic’s right to legal counsel had been improperly denied when Dominic was not provided legal counsel for the contempt proceeding. If a defendant lacks financial resources to hire an attorney, a defendant is entitled to court-appointed counsel whenever there is a risk of incarceration associated with the proceeding. In this case, the contempt proceeding had the risk of incarceration for a period of up to 6 months. The exasperated trial court explained that Dominic was well-aware of his right to counsel as he was a frequent flyer to domestic relations court – and Dominic opted to proceed without counsel. The Superior Court disagreed and concluded that the trial court had violated Dominic’s right to legal counsel by not providing court-appointed counsel to represent Dominic during the contempt proceeding.
While a defendant can waive their right to counsel, the trial court must conduct a detailed interview with a defendant to assure that they understand their right to counsel and the potential consequences if they proceed without legal counsel. Dominic was certainly an “experienced” litigant as it related to child support contempt proceedings, but this real-world experience was not sufficient to overcome his presumptive right to counsel. If the trial court intended to allow Dominic to proceed without legal counsel, then the trial court needed to demonstrate on the record that Dominic understood his right to counsel, and he was affirmatively waiving that right. This was not done – and Dominic’s contempt finding was reversed.
While the contempt finding was reversed, the Superior Court did not order the return of the $1,200 that was paid by a relative to purge Dominic’s contempt. Technically, the contempt order was reversed so Dominic was no longer required to pay the $1,200. But the bell had already been rung – the money had been paid and was likely now in Stella’s pocket. Dominic owed that money, Stella was entitled to that money, and Dominic’s family made the decision to loan him that money, albeit for the purpose of getting him out of jail on an order that was now reversed. Theoretically, Dominic could petition the trial court to direct Stella to return the money now that the order was reversed – but it is unlikely that the trial court would be very receptive to such a request.
Good day dear hearts, I love you. In last week’s article, we explored the first three and a half years of the Tribulation a period Jesus Himself called “the beginning of sorrows.” According to Scripture, this seven-year span marks the final chapter of human history before Christ returns to establish His kingdom. The first half is marked by global instability, the rise of a charismatic world leader and a fragile peace that ultimately collapses. But as the Bible makes clear, the second half of the Tribulation is far more intense. Revelation describes it as a time when God’s judgments increase in severity, spiritual deception reaches its peak and the world is forced to choose whom it will serve.
The midpoint of the Tribulation is marked by a defining event: the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and sets up what Scripture calls “the abomination of desolation,” Matthew 24:15. This act signals the beginning of what Jesus refers to as the Great Tribulation, the final three and a half years of unprecedented suffering. Revelation 13 describes a world system dominated by the Antichrist and empowered by the False Prophet, who compels humanity to worship the beast and receive his mark. During this period, the judgments of God intensify. The trumpet and bowl judgments described in Revelation chapters 8, 9 and 16 unfold with increasing severity. These judgments are not random acts of destruction but purposeful acts of divine justice, calling the world to repentance while demonstrating God’s sovereignty over the nations. The earth experiences ecological devastation, cosmic disturbances and global upheaval. Yet even in judgment, God continues to extend mercy.
One of the most remarkable displays of God’s mercy during this dark period is the ministry of the Two Witnesses. Revelation 11 tells us that God raises up two prophetic figures who minister in Jerusalem for 1,260 days, the exact length of the second half of the Tribulation. Their identity has been debated for centuries, but their mission is unmistakably clear: they proclaim God’s truth in a world dominated by deception. These witnesses are empowered in extraordinary ways. Scripture says they can shut the heavens so that it does not rain, turn water into blood and strike the earth with plagues as often as they wish. Their ministry echoes the miracles of Moses and Elijah, reminding the world that the God of Scripture is still the God of history. Despite global hostility, the witnesses cannot be harmed until their mission is complete. When they are finally killed by the Antichrist, the world celebrates their death. But after three and a half days, God raises them from the dead and calls them up to heaven in full view of their enemies. Their resurrection becomes a powerful testimony that, even in humanity’s darkest hour, God’s purposes cannot be thwarted.
Alongside the Two Witnesses stands another remarkable group: The 144,000. Revelation 7 and 14 describe them as 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel sealed by God for a special purpose. These individuals are set apart as evangelists during the Tribulation, protected by God and marked by purity, faithfulness and devotion to Christ. While the world is engulfed in chaos, the 144,000 serve as a living reminder that God has not abandoned His covenant people. Their ministry results in a vast multitude coming to faith so many that John describes them as “a great multitude which no man could number,” Revelation 7:9. Even in judgment, God is gathering a people to Himself.
Some may wonder why these ancient prophecies matter in our modern world. The answer is simple: Scripture presents the End Times not to frighten believers but to prepare them. The Tribulation reveals both the seriousness of sin and the steadfastness of God’s mercy. It reminds us that history is not spiraling out of control but moving toward a divinely appointed conclusion. The second half of the Tribulation shows us that evil will not have the final word. The Two Witnesses stand as symbols of God’s truth in a world that rejects it. The 144,000 remind us that God always preserves a faithful remnant. And the judgments themselves testify that God is both just and patient, giving every opportunity for repentance. For believers today, these truths call us to live with urgency, compassion and hope. The same God who will sustain His people through the darkest days of human history is the God who sustains us now. And the same Christ who will return in glory is the Christ who walks with His people today. As we continue this series, we will move toward the climactic events that bring the Tribulation to its close and usher in the return of the King. Until then, may these truths steady our hearts and strengthen our faith. God Bless.
Gracious Father, we praise and await your Second Coming. While we wait, bless the people in our little town. Watch over us and give us peace. Our church invites the entire community to join us Sunday, May 17 at 11:00am. After a worship service there will be a blessing of the motorcycles, a free boy and girl bicycle raffle in memory of the good things people do for one another, corn hole, hot dogs, bounce house and music by Morning Star. All free. Pastor Vince, 570-853-3988.