Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-26

How a stray electric curleut caused
some odd doings in front of Newark
church.
Fenced cif by a neat iron railing from
the most Croyue:! portion of Market
street. says The -tcW Or'l Herald, stands
the Central .iicti,0j;st C.iurch of New
ark, \. j. Mex, Gaor is the furniture
store OF James Van iio.n. .;etwe,-,, the
raining and iulnil,lrc Store the observer
would not be likely 10 perceive any par
tlcuiar connection, but on Saturday even.
Ing there WAS decided connection
winch, although not visible to the mater
lai eye, made itself manifest in the most
startling and unmistakable manner. Mr..
Van Horn is an enterprising man. ERGO.
he had an electric light hung over the
door of his store. The wires CONVEYING
electricity to the lamp hung down the
the side Of the building and ran through
several iron rings behind the signboarl.
These rings are fastened to an iron beam
which rests on iron posts and the latter
joins the fence in front of the quiet look
ing Methodist Church. 1t 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 10
the fence. A few minutes after the cur
rent was turned on Saturday evening
this innocent looking fence was convert.
Cd into first class galvanic battery.
linen an Old gentleman came along. lie
was venerable looking man and one of
Newark most reputable citizens. For
moment he stopped in front of the sa-
cred edifice and leaned against the invit-
ing railing. The next instant he uttered
wild whoOp and danced around the
pavement while his hat rolled into the
gutter.
Its disgraceful for an old man like
that to be drunk" said passcr bv.
And In front of church, too" added
another
III go and get Il policeman" said a
butchers boy in white apron, as a
crowd began 10 collect. The boy started
Oft and the Old man tried TO explain.
Several men seized the raillng to lis; the
truth OF his statement, and the. too.
commenced 10 jump uuL cavort around
the pavement, = ..iic tie air became sur
gestlvc OF sulijl.us. just ii.en the police.
man arrived.
"Ah, what's this?" he exclaimed. "a
tight? And in public street," Who COM
menced this?"
ut vos the old gent" said the butchers
boy.
1T was the fence" explained the old
gentleman, Indignantly.
You've been drinking, sir" said the
guardian of the peace sternly, why
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
drunk as 4 tom cat"
At this point number of men whose
character could not be doubted interfered
and vouched foIthe truth of the aged
party's statement. The policeman GIN
gRrly touched the fence with lis club.
and that self-same moment the club went
whirling around at the end of his clectri
fed arm, while the crowd sea. tered on all
sides to avoid contact with it.
"Eureka!'
An operator of the Mutual Union Tele
graph company, attracted by the crowd,
came forward and proved ir few words
that the cause of all the tumult was the
electricity which had been grounded in
the fence: The crowd OF at least 300
persons patiently waited aad enjoved
the Jun as each new arrival touched the
charmed railing and then quoted scrip
ture in fragments. There was ID loud
laugh by each member of tie church