National Republican., 1874-07-02
BURIAL OFMR AND MRS 8HREVB
KILLED BY Observation-Disclosures
SCIENTIFIC FACT.

SCIENTIFIC FACT.
FAIRFAX COUNTY
SUNDAY EVENING, June 3, ls74.
The spacious audieuce-room OF the Southern
Methodist church at Falls Church was thronged
this morning, not only by citizens Of that VII
lage but from neighborng hamlsts and farms,
to attend the funeral obsequies of the Rev. Mr..
Shreeve and wife, who were killed by lightning
last Thursday evening some hundreds Of miles
south Of this place. The remains were brought
up by the cars in metalic collins yesterday,
and taken to the residence Of Mr.. ShreeYe's
father and grandfather, near Falls Church.
The scene in the church was most impress
siVe, and the remarks of the Rev. Mr.. Ball and
Of Rev. Mr.. Crenshaw, the pastor of the
church-one a near relative and the other sn
intimate friend of their deceased brother-were
OF the most touching character. The deceased
seem to have been most estimable persons, snd
to have had the love of all who knsw them;
and the closing words Of Mr.. Ball, almost
stifed by his own emotions-"tbeY were lovely
in their lives, and IN their death they were not
diYided"-met response in the mOisLened eyes
of all who heard him.
There are circumstances of 3 remarkable
character in the death of these young persons,
and also Of romantic interest in their welded
life. Wounded while soldier in the CCnfed-
crate army, near Petersburg, Mr. Shreeye met
with the young girl, to whom, as soon as the
war was over, he was married. For six years
he was devoted and successful preacher Of
the Southern Methodist Church, and last Sab
bath preached with even more than usual zeal
and ferYor, as If possessed by presentinent that
he was utteTing his last words for his Master
on earth.
On the afternoon of Thursday he returned to
his home with his wife from visit to neigh
Dor, but before the evening meal sat down with
his family, for their evening dcvotions, in front
Of window. The younger children, however,
were soon sent to an adjoining hoOm with the
servant, for the sake of quiet, aud only Mr..
shreeYe, his wife, his brother ard their eldest
child, daughter, remained. There had been
observed a gathering Of clouds, followed BY
few drops of rain and the muttering of thunder,
when suddenly came fash, and the four, in
mates of the room, who wers Just about pros
tratiDg themselves in prayer to God, were
prostrated on the floor, two Of them to breathe
no more, and one who received 2some burns
afterwards, but has not vet entirely recovered,
and seems to have now no knowledge whatever
of the event. The little girl was alone un-
harmed, and from her is derived al that Is
known Of the sad occurrence.
An extraordinary fact Of scientific charsc-
ter Is related in connection with this event. A
pane Of glass in the window was completely
perforated in two places by the lightning, and
glass has always been held to be perfect non
conductor of electricity and impenetrable BY it.
That thunder storm Of Thursday, s5th inst,
seems to had very broad range, and to have
been unusually fatal in its effects. It seems to
have extended all over this section, and The
REPUBLICAN reports that the lightning struck
man ct Circleville, Ohio, woman at Hun
tington, West Virginia, two young men at
Kalamooza, Michigan, the postmaster at Ms-
rion, Indiana, and three persons at Fort Wayne,
Indiana. P.