The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-04

Marvellous Powers OF Kentuckian-How
Thunder storms Affect Bim.

came acquainted with such a case some JllnS ago
in Spencer county kentucky. The mans name
is Everett Gilbert and his age is now about
twenty-six He says that about eight years ago
he went out on a very warm, sultry day III June
to work on his fathers farm. thunderstorm
coming up he, with others, took refuge IN
house not far away. Drawing his chair to the
door, he took out his pocketknife, opened it and
began sticking it into the top OF the chair
binding flash came from very dark cloud at
which he was looking and he fell to the floor,
and was insensible for several hours When
| consciousness returned he felt eNcruciatngPans
all through his body, and was in q critical con
dition for several weeks He gradually recov-
cred, though unable to work any more that
summer. The following winter he went TO
school in Taylorsville FIVE six miles from his
home He noticed that at certain times he was
| the subject of very peculiar sensations Ills
| father, physician. DR.. Robert > Gilbert, pre-
scribed remedies that failed to give relief
| One night Everett got home from school Just
before a severe thunder storm came up lie
was sitting on the front steps, when ne was
| suddenly seized with violent spasms. tie was
taken into the house His father observed that
| these spasms and twitching Of the hands and
arms always came on before a thunder storm,
| and soon found that his boy was surcharged
| with electricity. He tried various experiments
| to draw it off These were partially successful
! Everett says that one day under shed in a
wheat field during storm his bodily fortunes
! were fearfully severe 1t occurred to HIM that
| if he should strip himself naked and lie down IN
| the mud it might act as conductor, and give
him relief. He did so, and the effect was agoilz-
ing. The electricity left his body with such
| terrible shock that it seemed as II has SIDE had
| been torn open and the flesh was beng stripped
from the bones. The agony of a moment was
indescribable. 1t was like a red-hot iron pass
! ing down his side with uncomfortable rapidity
| He afterward proceeded with greater caution
and experieeced greater relief on such occasions
| by removing his shoes and stockings. and wading
| i'll the mud.
He said that one day on his return home from
| Louisville, in a buggy, a storm came mp, and his
| whole body seemed filed with electricity. The
pain became insupportable and he thought that
! he would try to discharge the fluid by using the
tire of a wheel as a conductor. Selling 1t eager
! ly with his hand he was thrown violently head
| foremost into the road where, after lying a few
| moments, he recovered He afterward touched
the wheel cautiously with his finger, and thus
was relieved.
One most singular fact is that only the left
| side of his body was affected. No matter how
heavily overeharged that side might be, the right
| side would not act as a conductor, and draw 1t
| off. He suffered pain only in the left side IN
Guiding also that side Of his head, IN which 1t
was often eXcruciating.
About six years ago the electricity seeming to
| have left him, he went to Texas, but was com
| PEELED to return in about two months. he says
| the air where he was Sulphur springs, Hopkins
| county, seemed all the time filled with electric
ity He could scarcely breathe in it, and felt
himself in an electrical condition wherever he
went. One day he met frend-a delicate
| young man-and they shook hands. The friend
| shouted: You burn me- let 60"
The young wrung his hand and said he
felt innumerable sensations like needle prcks
! darting through his body. Mr.. Gilbert told him
of his condition and at his young friends re
| quest rubbed his arm ard head, the latter say
| ing it did him much good He seemed to be. as
| probably many others are, negatively electrified,
| as it required but slight contact to produce
! shock. On leaving Texas he found that his
| right side affected well as the left, and
| has cnapond about auually- since
| He is sensible of the approach OF thunder
storm twenty -four hours before its occurrence
| and then suffers unutterabe misery-first
| numbness, particularly in his left side, followed
! by q most distressing feeling of dependency.
| These feelings increase with the approach OF the
| storm. He then discharges the electricity that
! is in him by conductor every few minutes, for
| if he delays doing it until the storm is actually
| on. it cannot be discharged as rapidly as 1t &C
| cumGlates and he suffers intense pains In his
head and body, which he describes rs sharp and
! darting, like needle points tipped with hire. The
| brain seems alive with these fiery little darts.
! the muscles jerk and witch, and those in the
arm contract into knots. He predicts rain
with infallible certainty. Sometimes PEG
pie are very incredulous, hut they
always find he is correct. He is
a very large man, fully six feet high, but he
| says the air was so full of electricity during tho
remarkably wet summer several years ago that
! in few weeks he reduced in weight from
| 2l5 pounds to l90.
/
! fails to awaken him. and, if he is lying with his
| head toward it, he must get up and put his feet
in that direction, for unless he does so the pains
! in his head are intolerable He can easier bear
| them in his feet. ii his left side happens to be
turned toward the storm he feels peculiar
! jarring sensation, and awakens Immediately
! He says that if he holds out his hand or points
! his finger toward storm cloud the electricity
| rushes from it to him.
The psychological effects are still more re
markabe, He has been going to school nearly
| all his life. Before he was struck by lightning
he was particularly bright in grammar and his
tory. He was quite familiar with the history of
| the world and well advanced in geography
| but was especially dull in arithmetic. Imme
dately after the shock he forget nearly all he
ever knew about grammar, geography, and his
| tory, and can now hardly name half the capitals
| of the States, but he is the wonder in his
| section of the country for his phenomenal
| skill in arithmetic. He says he could talk for
week about his wonderful gift in this depart
ment and then by means exhaust the sub
| iect. He says he does not reason out any of the
| questions or problems proposed to him. but that
! he simply feels them out, as he expresses it,
| solving them as by intuition. He never uses a
| slate or pencil, and works all examples that have
| boen presented to him in his brain Another
| curious fact is that the more fully charged with
| electricity he is the more readily are mathemat-
| ical questions suggested to his mind, and the
more easily are they solved. He has often been
tested with difficult problems, to which he has
! given correct solutions with astonishing rapidly
| On one occasion young lady gave him an ex-
ample to work, and told him she would give him
a week in which to solve it. He told her that if
] it could be done he would work it out that night
AS he started to go up. stairs he turned toward
her and said, ut cannot be worked"
She was astonished, and asked him how he
knew He replied Il cannot possibly tell YOU
but have felt my way to the answer in twenty
different ways, and am sure there can be no
answer given
He was correct. His instinct never fails him.
He can tell many stories Of people, who, having
heard of his wonderful faculty, could not believe
| that he possessed it to such degree. 1t is as
| impenetrable a mystery to himself rs to anyone
else, and he does not attempt to explain it. At
one time he began to write an arithmetic, but
/ hnfn l,nL fn,. L.,