The Sun.
London, England, 1870-07-28 00:00:00

THE THUNDERS fOl3l OF TUESDAY.

It appears that during the storm of Tuesday morning,
a woman named Mary Bulpin, aged 54, a widow, residing
in the Wandsworth-road, Peckham, was struck by the
lightning, and so hurt that but little hopes are entertained
of her recovery. It is stated that shortly after midnight
of Monday, in consequence of some difference with parties
in the house where she lived, the woman left her home,
accompanied by Thomas Hunter, aged 54, a salesman of
Covent Garden. They seem to have walked about for
the remainder of the night, and about seven o'clock made
their way on to Clapham Common. Near the Island Pond
they stopped. The storm coming on, they repaired to a
tree surrounded by a seat. The woman sat down, and the
man stood by her with his left foot upon the seat. In
the midst of the storm the lightning struck
them. The man describes the shock as some-
thing fearful. lie fell, and for some little
time remained insensible. On coming to himself, he
found the woman lying near him, with the whole of her
clothes on fire. She had been struck upon the face, the
lightninc, passing down her body. Two other persons were
likewise down, but sustained no injury beyond
the shock. They immediately came to the assistance
of the man and woman, and medical aid was procured.
Ultimately they were conveyed to St. Thomas's Hospital,
and attended by Mr. Thomas, the house surgeon, who
found the woman to have sustained such dreadful injuries
that some doubts are entertained as to her recovery. Her
hair is singed,and her face, neck,chest, legs and other parts
of her body fearfully burned. The lightning appears to
have been attracted by the steel stay busk
and crinoline, the former being completely fused
and the latter twisted and broke into small pieces. The
whole of her clothes were destroyed. The man was
found to be severely injured about the feet and legs. A
man named Henry Fisher was struck by lightning whilst
passing along Wimbledon Common, and remained some
time insensible. He is not, however, seriously injured.

Admiral Erskine will to-day ask the Attorney-
General whether a French or Prussian merchant ship,
now in a British port, if purchased bona fide by a British
subject, and duly registered, would he exempt from
liability to capture, as being indisputably British pro-
perty.

Another case of rattening has occurred at Sheffield.
Three grinders, who rented steam power in the grinding
wheel of Messrs. Marsden and Co., Bridge-street, Shef-
fiield, have had their wheel-bands stolen, it is supposed
because they were non-society men. The police have, as
yet, gained no clue to the ratteners.

HOSPITALITY ON THE WAY.—The correspondent
of the Standard describes the enthusiastic hospitality
displayed by the people to the troops on their way
between Strasburg and Wissemburg : Our train,
although allowed to take other passengers, was chiefly
filled wirh officers and soldiers, destined either for
Hagnenau or for the front. At every station the plat-
form was crowded with people. At Bischwillen, a
station only 15 _miles from Strasburg, there was a
dense crowd of men, women, and children. It was
just the dinner hour, and the workmen and workwomen
had all turned out from the cloth factories to greet the
passing train. But the greeting was not confined to mere
words or cheers. Men, boys, and even girls and young
women, came to the carriages with baskets on their arms
full of bread, of cooked meat, of hard boiled eggs, and of
sausages, while others carried round glasses and cans of
beer, and filled not only glasses for those who could drink,
but flasks for those who chose. I saw beer spilt and
wasted almost like water, and bottles being handed
about, which contained, unless I am very much
mistaken, stronger liquors than beer. In vain the
officers shouted out of their windows, begging
the people to desist from the further pursuit
of their well-meant hospitality. In vain, too, one or two
civilians, who were hot and thirsty, begged for a glass of
beer. The idea of feeding. the soldiers had gained posses-
sion of the people, and neither officer nor civilian could
gain his point. That similar enthusiasm exists through-
out the whole of South-Eastern France I have very good
reason to know. The aide-de-camp of the general of the
division which marched into Haguenau on this day as-
sured me that the entire march of the division from the
South of France had been like a triumphal procession.
The towns had all organised their societies for assisting the
troops, and, the municipal authorities and the chief gentle-
men vied with each other and with the ladies in proffering
hospitality to officers and men.