, 1885-01-17
A Kentucky Farmer Struck Dead
eINgrH bu 20 MeteOfic Stone.

neWS that a man has been killed Dy u merry
stone ont OF a clear Sky.
Julius Robbie, a farmer living near
Somerset, started for that town yesterday
morning. His wife ran to the door to
call him back for some forgotten object.
He turned his face toward his wife and had
hardly taken a step before the woman was
blinded by a vivid fash. more piercing and
spreading than the widest lightning. She
covered her face with her hands and
thought she had lost her sight for ever.
simultaneously with the fash a rushing
sound of siidescribable power closed the
w0man's ears. The sound ended in a
terrific explosion which shook the earth
and ratified out the windows of the cottage.
Tile wife fell on the doorstep in terror, ana
when the nearest neighbour ran up the
road a few minutes later he found her
inSenSibie.
The neighbour, Jesse f. Williams, found
asight Of destruction at the end of the
lane. The earth was smoking and the
smell was similar to that of all iron
foundry. A big hole was the open grave
Of a mangled man. Williams knew the
object before him must he Robbie, but he
would never have been able to recognize
his old friend from boyhood.
Robbie had been killed instantly,
his heal having been crushed in. His
clothing was torn and burned and his body
WAS Streaked with burning streams OF
molten iron or detached stones of White
heat. His limbs We're clarred and bent
ont Of all shape. The meteor must have
burst or his head.
The meteor buried itself deep in the
quivcriug earth, and sent S~plinterS OF IT.
self in all directions. Some of these pieces
are as lnrg. as IL peek measure.
When tho widow WnS InSuSrit1tp0 she
became almost insane from the shock to
.lpr senses ut the awful fate Of her
husband. Her TWO children were fright,
Cued into Mysteries.
Mr.. Williams wa about three hundred
yards from Robblr'S ousc when he saw the
aGrulite descend. He describes the noise
it made us the roaring of Il dozen lOcOmO-
tireS blowing off steam. SO swiftly did it
drop that the r~uSllin. sound, the flash and
the explosion were almost Simultaneous. Mr..
Williams WAS almost thrown down BY the
shock. He says that the meteor is buried
deep ont of sight, but that The hole made is
big enough. TO hold four or five tons of coal.
Somerset is the countr, seat of Pulaski
County, in the southeastern part of Ken
lucky. 1t is on HE line OF the Cincinnati,
Southern railroad. 1t is but IL small place,
aud Mr.. Robbie was well known in the
country around.
Nobody i'll the vicinity OF the place
where the aGroli;e lies knows whether it
is of the order of iron or of stone, but the
scientists of this city are greatly aroused
by the strange visitor from the skies, and
the State geologiSt with members of the
faculty Of the Tennessee Agricultural Col.
lege and Of the East Tennessee University
have already started for Somerset.
The fall OF the meteor and the killing of
81 man in its path is the first authenticated
story Of its kind in American history.
Pul ask County is thoroughly alarmed by
the fiery messenger, and some Of the
more ignorant are getting ready to leave
the country, which is a fertile undulating
Strip of land on the South fork of the
Cumberland River. TIL only thing here
toforc that has ever startled the country
from its quietude is the whistle of the
locomotive.
Many persons are visiting Somerset to
see the hole in the ground. Every piece
of the meteor remaining OIL the surface
has been picked up and carried away as
mementOes. and the body of the monster
itself will have to be unearthed by the
scientists. The only other case of human
life being destroyed by n meteor happened
i'll Saxouy over one thousand years g
and the faculty of the local colleges intend
to make q thorough investigation of the
a6rolite now buried in Somerset. Pieces
r. FL 49,. - ..ll ,~I~.1I r. Mt