Clifford – Christmas was a beautiful day although cloudy and Clifford people enjoyed it to the utmost. Everybody went visiting or received visitors, and on Christmas Eve the churches celebrated with excellent exercises by the children and abundantly laden Christmas trees. Christmas evening brought a heavy rain storm, which turned to snow during the night and Sunday morning gave us a typical December snow. It moderated, however, about eleven o’clock and gave us the welcome sunshine.

Dimock – Work has again commenced in the large Winans’ Stone Quarry after a short lay off, owing to the extreme cold weather. ALSO  L. F. Thornton is buying all kinds of good furs at his house near W. J. Cronk’s store.

Springville – We are fortunate to have a good doctor in time of need, as our life-long physician is getting along in years, which makes it easy for both, who have a large practice.

South Montrose – Everyone acquainted with Percy Ballantine knows that he never does things by halves, and when it was announced that he and Mrs. Ballantine would give a Christmas’ party for the large number employed at Louden Hill Farm, their splendid country home, everyone knew that the affair would be “done up brown.” Roast turkey, roast duck, roast pig, baked salmon, grapes, oranges, radishes, in fact everything in the line of fruits and vegetables available at this time of the season was provided. “Santa Claus” distributed suitable gifts and a stringed orchestra engaged for the party, played for a dance. Some of the nationalities represented by their employees are: American, English, Irish, Scotch, Japanese, Hungarian, Italian, German, Welsh and Dutch. ALSO Mrs. Stella Crisman won fifth prize in the kerosene contest conducted by the Atlantic Refining Co., for best “100 ways to use kerosene.”  The prize was an oil heater.

Susquehanna – Electricity has been installed in the Erie shops for running four high power motors which run a large part of the machines. The steam boilers formerly used will be used for heating and operating the new compressor.

New Milford – Prof. and Ms. Claude Hardy, of Wilbraham, Mass., are spending their holiday vacation with relatives—Mrs. Hardy’s parents, Mr. and Ms. J. Green and with Mr. Hardy’s relatives of this place. Mr. Hardy is professor of languages in Wilbraham Academy, one of the oldest and most popular educations institutions in the United States. ALSO Ben C. Norris, proprietor of the Keystone Poultry farm, at this place, is getting over 200 eggs a day from his pullets.  With eggs at forty-two cents per dozen, that is doing well.

Herrick Center – People here have finished two weeks of volunteer good road building and as a result the main street has been paved at a cost of only $25.  The entire length of the street was filled with crushed stone then rolled and finally covered with a dressing of boiler cinders. The stone crusher used in the work cost the town $2.00 a day for nine days.  The traction engine and the teams and labor were furnished gratis, while the Erie company furnished the cinders. ALSO Sheriff Reynolds was officially engaged in this place yesterday, making the trip with a horse and sleigh, He said the day was exceedingly bleak and dreary out on the hill tops, but found the sleighing fairly good, with few bad drifts to encounter.

Harford – The Christmas exercises of the congregational Sunday school, which was held last Friday evening, proved a success. A large attendance and the programs surely showed the Christmas spirit. Santa Claus was especially “cute” and pleased the children. ALSO Hon. Charles Hebu Dickerman, one of Columbia county’s most prominent residents, well-known in financial, business circles throughout the state, died at his home in Milton, on Friday evening, Dec. 17.  He was the son of Dr. Clark Dickerman and Sarah Adelia Chandler. He was born in Harford and there received his early education and graduated from Franklin Academy. He then engaged in teaching in Susquehanna and Luzerne counties. In later years he was associated with others in the manufacture of freight cars at Milton and interested in numerous financial institutions in that part of the state.

East Kingsley – A venturesome crowd of young people from this place started for a sleigh ride on Sunday but owing to the snowdrifts they countered, they were obliged to return home and wait for more favorable weather.

North Bridgewater – Game Worden, Warren F. Simrell, after a couple of weeks investigation of  the wounding of a doe in this place—the animal being so badly wounded that it was later killed—issued warrants for the arrest of Wm. Dennison and his father-in-law, Melvin Chapman, living in that vicinity.  He succeeded in serving the warrant on Dennison, who was given a hearing before Justice F. A. Davies on Wednesday. Chapman had disappeared and could not be found. Dennison claimed no complicity in the affair.  He was admitted to bail, a second hearing to take place next Wednesday.

Forest Lake – Charles R. Potts, of Haywarden, Saskatchewan, Canada, surprised his relatives at this place by coming to visit them on Dec. 22nd. Mr. Potts, since his absence from the county, spent twenty-three years in Iowa, going to Canada nearly four years ago, where he took up a half section of land. His efforts this year have been rewr4ded with 3,800 bushels of wheat and 1,800 bushels of oats. All the labor was performed by himself, until the time of harvesting.

Fair Hill, Forest Lake Twp. – The Ladies’ Aid society will meet for dinner, in the lecture hall, next Thursday, Jan. 6.  The men will cut wood for the church.

South Gibson – Mrs. Sabra Carpenter celebrated her 96th birthday on the 23d at her home. A long life! In looking back she can recall many changes that have taken place.

Brackney – Frank Shea, of Flowery Valley, came to this place on Saturday evening. When he started to return he found that the snow drifts were many, and so was delayed until Monday morning, but from all appearances, we think he was busily engaged during his brief stay.

Alford – One of our lecturers in the High School course joined the ranks of the jokers when he told his Montrose audience that he had spent two days at Alford one afternoon waiting for a train. But Alford stays on the map just the same: it has now become a permanent and quite important railroad junction. This will assure the future of Alford, as a junction point, and will undoubtedly have a tendency to build a larger town there. It remains for the property owners there to wake up and take cognizance of the new situation and be first on the spot to take advantage of business developments.

News Brief:  Congress has been asked to appropriate $7,500 to purchase the suit of clothes Abraham Lincoln wore the night of his assassination in Ford’s theater, in 1865. Representative Robert, of Massachusetts, has introduced a bill to acquire the relic, owned by a Washington Business man, for the Lincoln memorial. ALSO Col. John S. Mosby, of Washington, the famous Confederate raider, celebrated his 82nd birthday last week. The old warrior, still in the full vigor of health, received felicitations from many friends and letters from some of the prominent men on the Union side whom he had made prisoners during the Civil War. During recent years Col. Mosby has devoted himself to writing his reminiscences. He enlisted in the Confederate cavalry at an early age, and soon distinguished himself as a leader. His raid on McClellan’s rear guard on the Chickahominy river was perhaps his most notable exploit.