SEPTEMBER 2017

THE
STURBRIDGETIMES
THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING
MAGAZINE

Permit No. 2
Worcester, MA
PAID
U.S. Postage
Prsrt. Std
 r MUSINGS FROM LONG HILL s
QUABOAG NOIR
BY RICHARD MORCHOE

A s a species, we humans are capable of

making absurd yet true statements. For
certs on our common. Not much really hap-
pens, though.

LEGAL example, someone of most any age may be ca-

pable of saying something like, My dad or
Thats the wonderful thing about this
town, its quiet. Some might say boring, but

BRIEF mom is the best dad or mom in the world.

Given the number of parents that have ever ex-
isted, the statement is neither provable nor
I prefer tranquil. No matter, we have all we
need and can go farther afield if more is de-
sired. One can voyage to East Brookfield if
ROBERT A. GEORGE, ESQ.
STURBRIDGE ATTORNEY probable. Yet for the person making the claim, Thai food is wanted. Heck, if there is a han-
M O NT H LY LEGA L A DV IC E it is true. For them, the father or mother pos- kering for something exotic such as sushi, we
F O R R EA D ER S O F sesses a set of qualities so loved, that no one can descend to Sturbridge. Fried clams we
T H E S T UR B R ID GE T IM ES M AGA Z INE could replace them. have here.
Up on Long Hill, we yield to no one in our So, life is perfect on the banks of the
BANKRUPTCY capacity to be absurd, but we also aver that Quaboag River. Unfortunately, sooner or
West Brookfield is the worlds best town to live later, something will come along to upset the
T here are several different kinds of bank-
ruptcies. Most people looking to file a
personal bankruptcy figure a Chapter seven
in and as far as our humble existence goes, that
is an absolute fact.
reverie of living in an exurban idyll.
In 2000, in our neighboring town, a young
is better than a Chapter thirteen. In truth, I have no proof that my town is lady, Molly Bish, disappeared. The event af-
Most people declare Chapter seven be- anything special. Other venues have many of fected all of us in West Brookfield. The body
cause it is quick and easy. You file your peti- the same virtues and West Brookfield may pos- was recovered in 2003. It is doubtful that
tion and a few months later, your credit card sess certain inadequacies. Still, I love living anyone of us in either town has forgotten it,
debt is gone. Chapter thirteen however, here. or ever will.
makes you pay creditors all of your extra in- Our town has all the services one expects. Yet life goes on and though what hap-
come every month for up to five years. So The police force is competent and the fire de- pened is always with us, better days return.
why would anyone do a Chapter thirteen?
partment is staffed by civic minded volunteers. It has been a good summer. Weve had
First off, Chapter thirteen is the only op-
tion for keeping your house if you are be- The Merriam-Gilbert Library has the books our share of rain, but there have also been
hind on your mortgage. The money you pay we need or want, and if it doesnt, can get glorious days of sun. Gardens are full of veg-
every month can go toward paying the them. If we dont mention other departments, etables and flowers.
mortgage arrearages until you are current. its because there are not an overwhelming But all of a sudden, its getting dark.
In a Chapter seven, you dont have to pay number of complaints. There must be some, On August 9th, it was reported in several
anyone, but you lose your house if you are as nothing runs perfectly. Weve just never news outlets, including nationally, that two
behind on your mortgage. heard them. miniature Norwegian goats * only four
Secondly, you dont have to give up any Our Wednesday farmers market in summer months old were found killed. According to
of your valuable assets. As long as you pay
is a pleasure. After the market, there are con- The Worcester Telegram & Gazette: Their
enough to equal the value of the assets, you
get to keep them after the bankruptcy is
over. In a Chapter seven, the government
will liquidate anything you own that is not
deemed a necessity and will use the money
to pay your creditors. So if you want to keep
your fishing boat, you have to buy it back in
a Chapter thirteen.
The third reason you might have to de-
clare a Chapter thirteen is that you make
too much money. Unless you have some ex-
traordinary household expenses, you are not
allowed to declare Chapter seven bank-
ruptcy if your income is above the median
income for your household size.
Of course there is another reason to de-
clare Chapter thirteen. Some folks, as poor
as they might be, just want to do what they
figure is the right thing, which is to pay back
as much as they can, even if it is only pen-
nies on the dollar.

16 THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING

necks were broken, and theres no question it
was intentional, Sgt. Matthew Letendre said,
Sooner or later wrong. There is a breed of goats known as Nigerian
Dwarf , but a google search could find no minia-
adding that the animals were left in a place something will come ture Norwegian goats.
where the children in the family could have along to upset the
found them. reverie of living in an
The T&G also noted that the owner had exurban idyll.
found them two hours before the police were
notified and had attempted to conceal the scene
from the children. than just the thrill of the kill. The fact the posed
Masslive would report on August 10th that animals were all specifically baby goats feels rel-
the goats were found deliberately and grue- evant to me. Goats are of course often used in
somely posed outside the basement door of sacrifice and the devil is often pictured with
their Ridge Road family's home. This was in goat features.
an article with news of another killing of a goat Elise make sense and thats a problem. Who
in our neighboring town of North Brookfield. wants to think a resident of the area has such a
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had been reading a little too much H.P. Love- I asked her if she had an idea of the age and ) "/%$3"'5&%

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craft horror, but I decided to ask someone who she guessed teens. That too sounds reasonable %3&/
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has been looking into some strange occurrences. as an older person would have gone on to big- .6 BZ
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Elise Soper has been investigating the mys- ger and badder acts. mSTU
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decade have drowned in similar circumstances been no break as of yet. That the goats were
in the Boston area. Elise seems to be one of the not visible from the street is a factor that might
few noticing the obvious parallels. In the July, help the investigation.
2016 issue of this magazine, we looked into her On the off chance that someone from the
work. If you are interested in what too few are, greater Sturbridge region has any information, 'BMM
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you can visit her CryptidAntiquarian blog. you can call the officer at (508) 867-1405. 3FHJTUFS
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Elise answered me below. This is in no way comparable to the events (SPVQ
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Well, my thoughts are these: Killing animals of 2000-2003. Still, that someone among us is
in general is naturally often a precursor to killing capable of such a dark crime and may grow 1FSTPOBM
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humans. Posing the animals in such a manner into something worse is at best unpleasant to
indicates to me that the killer is looking for at- contemplate. 7PUFE

tention and the thrill of horrifying people rather *All news outlets might have gotten this #FTU
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THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGE TIMES MAGAZINE 17