Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-08-13
A Funeral Struck by lightning

A Funeral Struck by Ligh tning
/ Ca plain Jacob johnson, a native of Den
mark, who for many years COMMANDED i;
vessel that sailed between Havana and
different European ports, settled down in
| Brooklyn several years ago and became an
inmate in the family Of Mr.. w. H. Drew
at 101 Park place. The Captain had no
other intimate friends in this country, and
from frequent conversation with him OH
the subject, Mr.. Drew judged that he
either had left none in his native country
OF that he wished to drop all communica-
tion with them.
! Last Saturday Captain johnson died
and on Monday afternoon at three O'Clock
| the funeral procession started from Mr..
Drew's house for the cemetery of the Ever
green's, Mr.. Drew and his family being the
only mourners. The few carriages had
| hardly started before the rain began to fall
and the ride to the cemetery was through
a drenching shower, binding flashes of
| lightning and crashing thunder adding to
the solemnity of the burial Of the stranger
! Dane
| When the cemetery was reached the
rain was pouring down in torrents, and
the little procession halted before the ceme-
| terry office, to wait for Il lull in the storm.
The hearse was the first vehicle, the car
riage containing Mr.. Drew and his family
was next, and four or five other carriages
| were behind Every flash of the lightning
seemed to strike on the hill, and the roar
and crash of the thunder was deafening.
A loud report frightened the horses attach
ed to the iearse, and they began to rear
and plunge. The horses of the first car
riage also were frightened, and it was all
the driver could do to hold them. The &C.
cupants OF the carriages were terribly
frightened, and began to get out as fast as
they could. Mr.. Drew's carriage was soon
emptied of all. but Mr.. Drew's daughter,
a young lady, who was just about to alight,
when two ,>alls of fire, seemingly two feet
in diameter. dropped just in front of the
horses heads, and burst with a report like
a cannon. At the same minute there was
a binding flash OF lightning, followed in
simultaneously by a crash of thunder that
made the cemetery hill tremble.
The horses attached to Mr.. Drew's car
riage sprang forward, running the pole
through the back of the hearse and throw
ing the coffin of the dead captain from its
mountaings. They began to plunge, and
the front Of the carriage was dashed against
the hearse and badly shatte1 ed. Miss
Drew, who sat on the inside front seat.
was thrown out and badly bruised. The
driver could not control the horses, and
they started to run, dragging the remnant
of the carriage up the main avenue of the
cemetery, and going nearly a mile before
they could be stopped. The driver was
also thrown from his seat and slightly in
jured. The same shock thats frightened
Mr.. DreW's horses struck one Of the horses
attached to the next carriage, and knocked
him down, but did not injure him.
After waiting for nearly an hour in the
office the storm abated, and the procession
started again for the grave. With tn
usual ceremonies, the coffin was lowered
into its water-soaked resting place. and
Captain Johnson's faithful friends went
honey. Y. Sm.
And now Stanley, the explorer, is lost,
Bismarck chews away at American plug
tobacco.
1t beats all how many hook agents es-
cape death,
1t is easier to avoid a fault than to ac-
quire perfection.
Alex. Stephens has got his weight up to
seyenty-six pounds.
The tongue cannot easily be chained
when once let loose.
| San Francisco consumes one-third more
liquor than Chicago.
The uses of adversely are to show you
! who your friends are.
To grow up to the skies we must be
| planted low in the dust.
| The Brooklyn ARGUS" figures the cost
of the Beecher scandal at $4,000.
Evil men speak that which they wish
rather than that which they know.
| A woman fascinates us quite as often by
what she overlooks as by what she sees.
The average young man is deluded into
thinking his sweetheart's hand is lemon.
Who were the first astrologers? The
stars, because they first studd ed the heavens
A new definition for an old maid is-a
woman that has been made for a long
time.
The women of Kentucky are demanding
stated incomes from the il husbands out
goes.
Peru has more dogs than any other
country Of it's size. Hence the Peruvian
bark.
An Iowa man has brought out six.
wheeled wagon. The invention is having
quite run,
Mrs, Darlington says that on Christmas
Day she allows Ike to ELL himself to
his rapaeity.''
A Philadelphia woman swcre that her
husbands conduct was enough to seirri.
gate an angel"