The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-08-26

said MS leg was asleep and could not
walk, from which, however, he soon re-
covered. The stocks of both guns were
torn to atoms, the ak was disrobed and
hurled in his rear, where it fell, and the
floor was shattered and driven through.
The current came through the roof, di-
rectly over his head, splitting and dis
placing several shingles, and making an
opening nea two feet square. Several
boards from the gable were torn of, and,
more wonderful still, a large piece was
driven through n of the pIanks under
his bed, the latter escaping entirely.
Subsequent to this In q thunder storm il
Sutherford county, Tenn, one McWill
lam was killed by lightning, four others
were struck senseless and four were
knocked down, and still later, at Floyd,
Va, Elizabeth Bishop, aged about Il
years, was found dead in George Bish.
ops field, near the Floyd and Mont
gomery line. She was found in sight oil
the house. She was buried, and subse
quently disinterred and an inquest held
over her body. The jury returned &
verdict of murder, though it was gener
ally believed in the neighborhood that
she was struck by lightaingand killed.
JULYs r. VICTIMS.
In July the mortality and Injuries from
lightning strokes increased. On the
Fourth Alexander McMullen of Column
bus, Ohio, was strucd In the back of the
head. The bolt passed around his body
and down his right leg, stunning and
burning him severely. On the 9TH the
lightning tore the siding from the house
of s. M. Etter, at Bloomington, Ill,
and severely shocked the inmates, and
at Downs, ILL.,, on the same day, the
valuable stallion, Modoc, was killed by
an electric discharge. On the same day,
also, at Curran, ILL.,, John Davis, Jr.,
aged about 26 years, while attending to
some stock in a field near his house, was
struck by lightning and instantly killed.
At Vermillion, Iowa, a Mr.. Comes was
struck, but finally recovered from the
effect of the shock. In Kansas, a Mr..
Weatherill had the contract for carrying
the mail from Hays City to Kirwin, via
Stockton, and was driving the coach
when the accident occurred. 1t appears
that while riding over the divide a storm
came up, when a thunder-bolt struck
him, killing him instantly. He fell
from the coach, but the team went to the
crossing of Bone creek and stopped at a
farm house. The inmates, seeing no
driver, went back and found Mr..
Weatherill dead. In the same State,
later, a Mr.. Crosby and wife living two
miles east of Uniontown, in this county,
were struck by lightning. They were
standing in the center of the room when
the lightning struck the house, and came
down the c~himney-fue, tearing it and
the stoye-pipe to pieces and striking Mr.
and Mrs. Crosby on the leg below the
knee, coming out at the feet, lacerating
them In a fearful and painful manner.
Mrs. Crosby was also struck on the left
arm, and SO badly injured as not yet to
be able to use it. Their little son was
standing in the corner of the room, and
had the hair of his head and his eye
brows considerably scorched.
AsAD OCCURRENCE.
One of the saddest cases of death from
lightning reported is that of an Iowa man
whose regard for others led him into
danger. The lightning in this instance
from q clear sky. On the afternoon
of July Is a Mr.. J. Fl. Boyer, the Post
master and, blacksmith of Sloan, a small
station on the Sioux City and Pacific
railroad, near the southern line of Wood
bury county, Iowa, was struck and killed
by lightning. At about 5 o'clock in the
at which time not q cloud OBJ
scured the sky overhead or stood between
the sun and and the town, a terrible fash
OF lightning, followed by a deafening
peal of thunder, struck the wires of the
telegraph Office and set it on fire. I'M
mediately after the stroke John 81.
Boyer, who was at his shop at the time,
ran out into the street toward the depot,
where some boys had been playing. He
approached them rapidly, and said !:
why, boys, I thought some of you
were struck. I was quite frightened on
account of you" He evidently had it
IN his mind that the terrible shock might
have frightened his family as he started
his home Immediately. When
about fifty yards of the house,
from the front window of which his wife
anxiously watching his approach,
another vivid fash of lightning dazzled
eyes of all, and ere the thunder had
ceased rolling the naked body of the
man was seer to be living
prone upon the ground. A number of
people, anon them his wife, rushed to
the spot, and SO horrible was the situa-
lion that it was not until he had been
carried to his house that a full ~apprecia-
ion was had of the terrible death which
nature had inflicted upon him. An ex-
animation of the body, from which every
of clothing had been instantly
torn, showed that the subtle and terribly
fatal fluid had struck him on the top of
MS head, whence, though the skull was
left apparently intact, the hair had been
burned off for a space the size of a silver
Thence the fluid had run down
'he side of the face as was shown by a
cut track to the shoulder, and
hence to the heart where it apparently
mad spread all over the body. The ter
able power of the fluid was shown by
presence on the spot where the IN
.ortunate mans body had been picked
Up, of a hole eight feet deep by actual
measurement. The clothing of the de-
leased was found to have been shredded.
md when first discovered was on fire,
while the silver watch he carried had
1een driven into the ground, and when
fitted up it was found that the works
lad been fused into a lump of shapeless
METAL.
A FUNERAL STRUCK.
The account of q funeral struck by
lightning has already attracted attention
the newspapers. The accident oc-
cured in Brooklyn. The funeral pro-
session of a sea Captain was on its way
o the cemetery in a storm, and one Of
he carriages was just depositing its in
mates when two balls of fire seemingly
'wo feet in diameter dropped Just in
ront of the horses heads and burst with
! report like a cannon. At the same
lime there was a binding flash of light
mig, followed instantaneously by a crash
II thunder that made the cemetery hill
remble.
The horses attached to the carriage
orange forward, running the pole
trough the back of the hearse and
hrowing the coffin of the dead captain
rom its mountings. They began to
and the front carriage was
laShed apainst the baarca oDd boJlr