Montrose - The "Black Diamond March," which has just been composed by H. A. Lyon[s], of Sayre, is winning great praise wherever it is played. Mr. Lyon[s] is a former Montrose boy, his father, M. A. Lyon[s], being engaged in the drug business here. He is a member of the R. A. Packer Band and is at present in the Civil Engineering Department of the L.V.R.R. The march will be sent to any address, postpaid, for twenty-five cents. AND The Bell telephone company is making arrangements to connect South Montrose, Dimock, Springville and other places between Montrose and Tunkhannock, directly with its new exchange in this place.

Hallstead - "It is the darkest just before the dawn." With the chair factory working all the men they can find room for; the silk mill contemplating doubling the size of their plant in the spring; work going on at the gas well; the chamois factory running steadily, and the railroad men all coming back here, there is a prospect of Hallstead having a boom to make up for the depressed feeling that has existed during the past year. AND Hallstead people celebrated on Tuesday evening of last week the order of the D.L.& W. Company to make Hallstead the terminal of the freight runs. Cannons boomed, bonfires were lighted and the Hallstead Band discoursed music. There was good feeling all around, not only because of the increased business for Hallstead, but because the strike was over.

News Briefs - George Hull, maker of the famous Cardiff Giant, died Wednesday morning, Oct. 22, in Binghamton, says the Susquehanna Journal. The famous hoax that he originated created a sensation throughout the entire country more than thirty years ago. He conceived the scheme of fashioning a giant. After considerable labor he had an immense figure of a man carved from a solid rock. This he buried and, about a year later, caused it to be found. The Cardiff giant, as it was called, became very famous, men coming from all parts of America and Europe to view it. The fraud was finally discovered, but not until Hull had become rich. He, however, died poor. [The Cardiff Giant is on display at the Farmer's Museum, Cooperstown, New York]. AND The manager of the Williamsport telephone requires all unmarried young women, securing employment at the exchange, to sign an agreement not to marry in three years. He claims that the enforcement of this restriction is the only way in which he can keep good help; for otherwise, about the time a girl becomes expert, she marries.

Lakeview - The Burdick brothers, with their steam thresher, threshed 138 bushels of oats in one hour and forty minutes.

Clifford - No people, outside the striking miners, are gladder to see the strike settled than are those who pastured mine mules for the coal companies in the vicinity of Welsh Hill, Elkdale and Clifford. The mules destroyed the trees, by eating the bark as high as they could reach, knocked down stone walls, ate the fence posts in such a manner as to allow the wire on the barbed wire fences to fall, destroyed crops, and even killed domestic animals, besides making themselves general nuisances. While the price paid for keeping them was fair, it is doubtful if any who have kept them this summer could be hired to do so again.

Franklin Forks - Mrs. A. M. Snow has a fine lot of canary birds of which she would like to dispose. AND A. M. Snow and others occasionally spend a day in setting telephone poles. AND Fred Knapp met with a terrible accident on Thursday of last week. In going up stairs in his mill his coat caught in a pulley wheel drawing him in and carrying him over a shaft and wheel. His coat and shirt were torn off. His left arm was broken several times, one bone broken in the right one, his legs were both pulled out of joint at the knees and the ligaments torn loose. He is as comfortable at present, as one could expect.

Susquehanna - The old Erie hammer shop building is to be transferred into a tube shop.

Jackson - Alva Roper, Jackson's oldest resident has just passed the 91st year of his age. He is a farmer by occupation and formerly lived in Brooklyn, this county. Hale and hearty, he now bids fair to complete a century of life.

Liberty Township - The Howard, Wilber and Chalker school districts are being consolidated by moving the Chalker schoolhouse to a place near Addison Fish's. The people generally are very indignant over it as the papers show that were circulated, being five persons for the change and forty against. The Chalker school house (now torn down) was built by the people about 50 years ago and some years ago was burned down and rebuilt by the school directors, and the church people were given the privilege of holding meetings there by building the foundation; and there has been meetings held there for a good many years, but the five wise men thought that some of the children could walk or have to be taken by their parents more than five miles to school, no matter how drifted the roads were. Did Governor Stone have anything to do with this move by cutting the school fund down?

Herrick Centre - Alick Hathaway, who is driving team for W. H. Fletcher, of Herrick, at North Jackson, where Mr. Fletcher has a lumber contract, hauled 5,910 pounds of bark from the woods to Lanesboro with a team of four year olds. He expects to haul an even sixty hundred and then demand the belt.

New Milford - Some New Milford young men have organized a football team. The team consists of the following young men: Robert Wilkinson, Merle Shelp, Maurice Hand, Fred Whitney, Lee Tiffany, George McConnell, Bert Howell, Leslie Stark, Joe Dale, Ray Ainey, Allie Turner, Corliss Bradley, Harvey Grinnell and Louis Smith.

Great Bend - Conductor C. U. Stoddard was killed by Lackawanna train No. 3, at Nicholson, at 2:30 o'clock, Oct 25. Mr. Stoddard's train had been sidetracked. He stepped on the westbound track in front of No. 3 as it came along, and was killed. It was his first trip since the settlement of the coal strike. A widow and one child survive.

Foster [Hopbottom] - Mystery surrounds the strange death of H. F. Lord, of Foster, PA, who died at the Lackawanna hospital Saturday night, which the Lackawanna company detectives and relatives of the deceased man are unable to solve. Several incidents enter into the strange disappearance, accident and death, which afford abundant room for speculation. [More next week].