Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-12
THE FATAL FLASH.
Terrible Work Of Li0htsst,sO at Candy
-Four Persons Killed Outright and Others

Terrible York Of lightning at CanDu-
-Four Persons Killed Outright and Others
Injured.
Marshall, Lyon county, Messenger, Aug. S. |
Editor Messenger: Having been called to
Candy to conduct the funeral services of the
four persons who were killed near that place
by single stroke of lightning during the
storm of last Sunday afternoon, will give
your readers the particulars Of that direful
calamity.
MIR. E. P. Lesuer, proprietor of the LeSuer
house, Candy, with his wife and five children,
and nine year old step-daughter of Mr.. VIM.
Drlcken, of Fountain City, D. T., and VIM.
Date OF Candy, nine persons in all, were out
riding IN an open. two.seated buggy. As
the rain began to fall they drove rapidly
towards home the two men occupying the
front seat with three little boys, aged six, FIVE
and three years respectively, in the bottom of
the buggy in front, with buffalo skin over
their heads; while Mrs. LeSuer, with child
two months old in her lap, and Miss Dricken,
sat on the back seat, and little girl, two years
old, sat between them.
Mrs. LeSuer had raised large parasol which
was metallic ribbed and metallic tipped, and
was leaning forward for tho better protection
OF her child, SO that the ribs of her paras0l
rested on the shoulders of the men in front.
The fatal flash. apparently from behind, first
struck the parasol, shivering it to atoms and
INSTANTLY killing all on the back seat, and also
a large dog which was running beneath the
buggy. The lightning passed from the parasol
to tho shoulders of the men and thence
down their bodies, seriously burning and
stunning them SO that they both fell
from the buggy when it had gone about eight
rods, and then struck the off horse, causing
him to fall dead at distance of fifteen rods
from where the dog was found. The three
little boys were unhurt, except that the young.
est had spot of hair burned from his head,
where 1t rested against the leg of Mr.. Date.
The two older boys, the oldest being six
years, made their way to Candy, a distance of
the storm had ceased. and from them the guests
at the hotel obtained their first intimation of
what had happened by means of the follow
ing dialogue: Where is your father? hes
dead. Where are the horses? They re
dead. Where is your mother? She's
dead. They're all dead. Acting upon this
startling information they FASTENED out along
taken and found, first, the buggy containing
the lifeless bodies of Mrs. LeSuer, Miss Drick-
en- and the little girl. One horse had fallen
dead in his tracks, and the other had fallen
over him. little further on they
found Mr.. Lesuer lying, beside the road
further on the ifeless form Of the infant and
the dead dog were found. The youngest boy
was found wandering as if lost upon the open
prairie. Mr.. Date. from whom I gathered a
part of the above facts had so far recovered
consciousness that he was able to dag himself
to a neighboring house, but could not tell what
had happened when he got there.
We buried the dead Tuesday afternoon, the
citizens of Candy by their general attendance
and serious demeanor attesting the profound
impression which this awful event had made
upon their minds. MIR. LeSuer is rapidly
recovering, SO that his physicians express
strong hopes that he will soon be out of dan
| ger, but at the time of the funeral his con-
dition was too critical to admit of his being
told of the death of his wife and children. and
| while we laid them away in the grave he was
unconscious of the terrible loss he had sus.
| tanned.
Miss Dricken was child of unusual prom.
| Use, and her mother is almost overwhelmed
with grief at her untimely death.
| Marshall, Aug. 9Th.
G. 81. RICHARDSON.