Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-08-30
Struck by Lightning.

Lightning has struck round about Lancaster.
Within a few days we think we have heard of
| a dozen barns and four or five houses that
were struck Thos. FarrelPs building was
struck ami he was damaged 10 the amount OF
$I36. A dart shot over Herman Desh's prop
erty and his damage is $751;. Louis Wetter's
frame received injury to the amount of $40.
John Boerner, OF Liberty, is damaged to the
amount of Silt. The lightning took one
OF his horses. 1t struck the habitation of Ed.
Walker, inhicting a loss of $8l. Both the
house and the new barn owned by Jos. Bailey
were struck and the injury, uninsured, is es-
| timated at $276. John Sense is another suf>
ferer to the amount of SILT land A. S. Gleason
| is damaged about $50. We hear of other
cases but the names of the sufferers are not
reported. All this has happened within about
| week. After the long dry spell we have
had our people were unprepared for anything
like this. Indeed it was not supposed that
any part of Grant County lay in latitude or
longitude liable to be so cut up by lightning.
Green and La Fayette were badly slashed
over not long ago but we supposed that the
teachings of Franklin, Morse,a land others had
taught our people how to put up lightning
rods and save themselves from the forky tongued
| blazers.
But the way our friends were struck was
this: Six or eight men came here with three
or four top bugges and lightning-rod wagon
| It takes that many men in these hard times to
nut up lightning-rod. 1t takes all of them
but one, and they must ride in fine style with
spotted dogs in their buggies, to tell man that
he wants rghtning.rod. They find man
who has building with no lghtning-rod and
they lay siege to him. If he is man who
drinks thew dlink freely and become happy
with him. If he isa religious man they talk
piety. If he is a hard>to-come-at sort of man,
they happen at his house justat night-fall and
press him into keeping them all night. But we
cannot tell all their snares. A man agrees
with them to have lightning rod put up for
$50. $40, or even $40. He thinks it is very
cheap and when they have agreed upon the
price they have him sign an order for the
lightning. Then they send man around TO
nut up the rod and when done the captain of
the gang goes to settle. He presents the order
containing the struck. mans signature and it is
found to call for great many feet Of rod at
81 cents per foot The bills against the gen
tlemen what we have given above are their
damage bv lightning. FarrelPS contract was
$50 Desh's was SO /; Boerner's was $50 ;
| Bailey's was 500; Senses was $40. 1--WE omit
cents.) When a man contracts to have job
done for $40 and then finds he has signed an
agreement to SILT for it, or contracts on $50
| and finds he has signed paper ca Hing for
| S276. the man sometimes wishes he had been
struck by lightning These fellows have been
| travelling over the country at these swindles
for some time. 1t as time they were broken
| nm or hung up. Their success is astonishing
They, especially their chief, have the air and
the ribe of swindlers and their very appear
| ance should be a warning. Their chief would
| pass in contour and gait for the captain of
company of banditti, in the eye of
any man capable of Judging OF men and man.
ners. A man is hardly excusable for being
imposed upon by such looking fellows. But
| thew are doing develish sight of mischief and
the people should unite in self protection.
| We trust the men swindled will at once unite
and test the legality of the doings OF those
men. in more ways than one. There IS no
| doubt but they can be reached. Other peo-
pie sh ould also be on guard. Look out not
only for swind lers bu; for other depredators.
| Lancaster is Just as liable TO a raid by James
| es and Younger brothers as a MINI esota town.
AS TO lightning rods everybody ought to know
| by this time that your own hardware men
can put them up cheaper and better than
| strangers will do il for you.