The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-09-16
ELECTRIC BATTERY.
Kcntucky's Marvel. Who Discharges
Electricity and FOreteIls Storms.

In Spencer county, about thirty miles
from this city, lives one of the most mar
velous curiosities that has ever come with
ifk,she knowledge of science The marvel
is Everett Gilbert, son of DIR. Robert s.
Gilbert, who is known and honored through
out the State. A Commercial reporter
recently visited Waterford, where DIR. Gil
bert lives. Everett was found at work in
a field. He stands feet 2 inches, weighs
1875 pounds, and has muscles as brawny as
a smiths. He has singularly prepossess-
ing face, homely but honest and faithful
looking. His story as told by himself is
in substance as follows: During thun-
der storm four years ago | picked out my
pocket knife and, opening the blade, began
driving it into the chair round. Iremem-
ber distinctly that laid the little finger of
my left hand c,srelessly across the upright
knife, and that is about the last thing | do
remember. There came binding flash
from the cloud, and that was all I know.
[ awoke hours afterward with horrible
pains in every part of the body. | had
been powerfully shocked by the electric
discharge, and for weeks afterward | was
so sick as to be thought almost beyond re-
covery One night just before a heavy
thunder storm I happened to be home from
school and was sitting on the front steps.
1 was suddenly seized with the most vio-
lent spasms and had to be taken into the
house Then my father noticed that these
spasms and twitchings of the hands and
arms always came before thunderstorm,
and he began to experiment to relieve me.
He soon found that was surcharged with
electricity. He began to advise means to
draw the electricity off me, and has sue
ceeded in some degree. My efforts at first
were rude enough.
II remember one day that I was out
here in this very wheat field and under this
same shed we are standing under now. l
was suffering such horrible agonies that
thought perhaps if 1 would strip naked and
lie down in the mud the ground would act
as a conductor and free me f-o n my intol-
erable burden. l took my clothes off and
threw myself down. The effect was fright
ful. | never felt ANYTHING ike + before,
and hope that God may never make me
endure such an ordeal again. When laid
down on the moist earth, which made fine
conductor, the electricity left my body like
fash. 1t was like an imprisoned spirit
free, and felt as though red hot iron
had been passed down my side with incon-
ceivable rapidity. [ felt tearing off of
the flesh from the bones and for several
moments imagined that had been torn
asunder. The agony for an instant was
terrific. [ afterward went at it more deli,
cately, By taking off my shoes and stock
ings and wading in the mud found great
relief when overcharged. can foretel
thunder storms, and during the aurora bo
realis few months ago was awakened by
the electricity. Once I met a young frienc
of mine, delicate, white-faced young fel
low, and he 1elched out his hand to me
and I seized it heartily, and he cried out
"You burn me; let CO." L did so, and he
wrung his hands, saying he felt innumera
BILE darting, needle-like sensations pervad
ing his nerves" :"
Everett's bed is in a neat little room OF
the second floor and is between two win
dows Around one bed post, where he cal
lay his head upon it at any moment, is ;
heavy magnetised iron wire, which goe
down the outside of the house, and finds I
resting place in soft basin of mortar a
the bottom, whence it is conducted to tn
earth. Everett seized the wire in his fin
gers and it began to tremble all the wa,
down. ''There it goes now" said he. A
moment later the reporter placed his han'
below and there was a very apparent dis
charge of electricity. He afterward seize'
Gilbert by both his hands and a circuit wa
established. In moment the electricity
in weak form, however, began to circu
late, tinkling every nerve. can odd Gil
cumstance," said young Gilbert, "is tina
whenever [ am surcharged my mouth be
gins to taste of sulphur. l can feel it il
everything | eat, and sometimes for day
together | cannot eat enough to sustain me
Whenever I get excited or hot I also begi
to have my mouth filled with this strang
taste. Do you see the tips of my fingers
Well, they were burned by the electricit
passing through. When I was first al
ficted in this strange way the ends of m
fingers were nearly scorched off, but no7
the skin has hardened ''-LouisUille Com
mercidL
Nervous Twitching.
|
| Many ool-children are afflicted wit