MARIAVILLE 

Be sure to date your letters “1923.” 

NEW SALEM 

School is closed until Monday, the teacher being detained at her home on account of scarlet fever. 

CLARKSVILLE 

— People of this village are using skis, as the snow is very deep. 

— Augustus Ingraham has a new ice house erected near his ice cream parlor, which is greatly appreciated by his patrons. 

— The plow tractor from Rensselaerville made the trip from the place to Clarksville in 5 hours, opening the roads which were filled with snow.

GUILDERLAND CENTER 

The children and the teacher of the district school had a glorious time the last afternoon of school before Christmas. The “eats” were very much in evidence, and all were enjoying themselves when some one rapped at the door and Santa Claus walked in with an armful of ice cream cones. The children then became hilarious and begged Santa to remain, but he had other business to attend to. After the refreshments had been taken care of to their fullest extent, the children were each remembered with a slight token from their teacher, Ms. Edmund Witherwax. And the teacher? Well, it required a clothes basket to convey her gifts to her home. 

W. H. OLIVER SWINGS RIFLE AT
DOG, FALLS DEAD AT SHOT 

William H. Oliver, thirty-one years old, a farmer of Best road, East Greenbush, accidentally shot and killed himself early Tuesday morning when a rifle he was using to drive home a runaway dog was discharged with the muzzle a few inches from his heart. 

Mr. Oliver had been trying unsuccessfully to break the dog of roaming, Mrs. Oliver said this morning, and last night locked him in the barn. This morning when Oliver went to release him, he found the dog gone. The animal had dug under the side of the barn. 

Mr. Oliver angrily went in search of him, taking the rifle to scare the dog, his wife said. 

He found the dog in a field near Best road about a quarter of a mile from his farm and when it refused to go home at his command, he started to strike it with the butt of the gun. As he swung the gun, the trigger apparently became entangled in a bush, discharging the rifle. 

The tragedy was witnessed by Mr. and Mrs. Whitbeck, who live a short distance from the Oliver farm on Best road. Mrs. Whitbeck said this morning they had been watching Oliver try to send the dog home. 

“We heard the shot as he swung the rifle to strike the dog,” she said. “After the shot, Mr. Oliver just jumped once and then fell over. My husband ran out and found him dead.” 

Mr. Oliver was taken home by Mr. Whitbeck who told Mrs. Oliver of the accident and notified Coroner Stephen H. Curtis and an East Greenbush undertaker. 

Mr. and Mrs. Oliver and their three children had been living in East Greenbush for six years, having moved from New Scotland in the spring of 1917. 

DELMAR 

— A contest for troop bugler is to be held at the regular Boy Scout meeting next Friday evening. — On account of the coal shortage and other reasons, it has been decided to omit the week of prayer at this season and hold one later, probably during Easter week.