Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-13
GRAND DISPLAY OF FALL AND WINTER STYLE
DIRK ONE.PRICE CLOTHING HOUSE
SHOCKED OUT OF. PROPERTY.

COruGr OF I1lf0 ana NIL
SHOCKED OUT OF PROPERTY.
Hoso Stray Electric Current Caused
Some odd D0in0s IN Front of a Ne,cart
Church.
Fenced off by a neat iron railing from
the most crowded portion of Market street,
says the New York Herald, stands the Cen
trail Methodist Church of Newark, N. J.,
Next door is the furniture store of James
Van Horn. Between the railing and the
furniture store the casual observer would
not be likely to perceive any particular
connection, but on Saturday evening there
was decided connection which, although
not visible to the material eye, made itself
manifest in the most startling and unmis-
taxable manner. Mr.. Van Horn is an en-
terprising man. Ergo, he had an electric
light hung over the door of his store
The wires conveying electricity to the
lamp hang down the side of the building
and run through several iron rings behind
the signboard. These rings are fastened
to an iron beam which rests on iron posts
and the latter join the fence in front of
appears that the covering of the wires by
some means was worn off at the iron rings
through which they pass and the electric
fluid passes into the iron beams and
thence to the fence. A few minutes after
the current was turned on Saturday
evening this innocent looking fence was
Converted into frst-class galvan ic bat
terry. Then an old gentleman came along.
~ nvrro- II DI
of Newark's most reputable citizens. For
moment he stopped in front of the
sacred ediice and leaned against the
inviting railing. The next instant he
uttered wild whoop and danced around
the pavement while his hat rolled into
eth gutter.
cts disgraceful for an old man like
that to be drunk said passer by.
"And III front of church, too" added
another.
''fn go and get policeman said a
butchers boy in white apron, as crowd
began to collect. The boy started off and
the old man tried to explain. Several
men seized the railing to test the truth of
his statement, and they, too, commenced
to jump and cavort around the pavement,
while the air became suggestive of sui
phur. just then the policeman arrived.
''Ah, what's this?' he exclaimed. "a
fight? And in the public street. Who
commenced this?"
''It vos the old gent" said the butchers
boy.
cit was the fence" explained the old
gentleman, indignantly.
"You've been drinking, SIR" said the
guardian of the peace, sternly. ssWhy
don't you keep sober? You ought to be
at home in the bosom of your family in
stead of gallvantin' around the streets as
drank as tom cat"
At this point a number of men whose
character could not be doubted interfered
and vouched for the truth of the aged
party's statement. The policeman gin
gerly touched the fence with his club, and
that self-same moment the club went
whirling around at the end of his electri-
fed arm, while the crowd scattered on all
sides to avoid contact with it.
'Eurekav
An operator of the Mutual Union Tele-
graph company, attracted by the crowd,
came forward and proved in few words
that the cause of all the tumult was the
electricity which had been grounded in the
fence. The crowd of at least 200 persons
patiently waited and enjoyed the fun as
each new arrival touched the charmed rail
ing and then quoted scripture in frag.
ments. There was loud laugh as each
member of the church choir passed through
the gate and then executed pas suel on
the sward inside. The current of electrici-
ty was turned off at 10 o'clock, and thus
much profanity was saved the pious city
of Newark. The wires will be fixed to-day.
The grounding of the same wire with q
wire of the Mutual Union Telegraph COM
pany few moments before caused a tele-
graph instrument in the Office of the COM
pany to partially melt and set fire to
q key