Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-13
THE SHATTERED CAPSTONE.
W . the Bolt from without or Within.
o the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:

10 the EQlfOr or THE EVENING STAR:
WASHINGTON. ID. c., June TO- 1885.
Among the many surmises as To- the modus
operandi OF this particular Thuader-bolt dts
good old term, none of the distinguished cleo
tricians seem to remember that the regular
work of ghtningrods Is to convey electricity TO
the clouds, OF an opposite kind from that con-
tanned in them for the time thereby establish
ing an equiiibri um. and prcrenting thunder
bolts; whereas their equalzing the positive of
the clouds and the negative of the earth, or vice
versa by receiving charges from the clouds and
conveying them TO the earth is tie exception,
only the more noticed ny reason of its spectacu-
lar effect / have not observed that anybody
saw thunder-boIt strike the monument and
il anybody claims that he did, / would like TO
pUt MN ON his affidavit to whether ne saw
II come down TO or go up from the shaft. / sub
mix that our monument has saved us
many thunder stroke, wnich-ip,u f;lctO
has not been recorded. as do ali tfhp
hish structures artificial natural,
ais" railroads. out OF this postulate ma
turaiiy Jumps my theory OF the casualty, which
l. chat the cap>tone was broken b. the light
ming going out through il, and not by its going
~ through IL. IL any reader wants 10 know
whether lightning does most brealSage at the
surface Of a body from which il leaves it, let
him hunt IN the record % any tree, man. horse
or house struck by il, and ne MAY be satisfied
My good friend, DR.. Thomas Taylor gives an
Illustration Of this in the effect ON the roof of
his dwelling. mentioned in tO-day'S interview
With your reporter L am able 10 give rnelo-
dramatic testimony tn the principle involved
@his9fiS This season the 1S.s9. a nOuSp
on the north side Of (old) I'd street, tolC)
Georgetown. about iat presently the eighth east
a Georgetown college. from the north window
tTe;ir), saw two clouds. from the east and west
meet In the zenith. exchanging q lacing of Iicht
ming exceeding In fiercenc>s and symmetry
any artillery Play ! have since wit
baI Of red fire a. large Is a barrel-head.
In seeming. Issue from the line Oh contact sim
ultaneou>iy seemed To- hear the crack OF a rifle
Ia She chamber adjoining the one stood in
not louder than IL in forest and some distance,
OH. Turning my look that way saw dead
nurse. on whose breast sat my infant sister
tnow ihe wife and mother OF journalists in Bal
tHncfv and New York cttiesj d3ndling fnadver-
tcHtIS VITA tie dead ne9TeSS garments -EN-
tend j beyond the nurse. in tandem across th.
IpNr towards the south, ( saw my great amt
apparently dead, bun afterwards reSu.cft,rcd
D my mothers prOnptand well directed meas
tivS booked around and saw the debris OF &,
" .eeNed piano-f1F:e; garments on the floor and
SAINTS ri Etii-hIrlied nails on which the latter
H'l huL2- went INTO the front room and saw
i.ti- q! the south face 'front.' OF the ho!I>. gone
an t-S roof on fire. Then SAW this fire extin-
Lii!~iietH ~ rain appearing To- fail in sheets Nv
.ather aud my uncIc-beiug in Virginia-Saw
IN bail Of lire issue from the laced clouds heard
ti4t crack - Oh rifle. and babe goodbye to
Ie9rSe'Owu College. That large ball oil II re- or
rather the slzInut> OF force il stood for had en-
tered through a keyhoIe o. th, -b.,tt al :, dorr
Knob, tr'tver>In- tle nerves of the right arms of
tNo women without thus diverted from
tLe ralidi leaving "a mark on the skin,
tiid n making its exit from the house
jump iilg on, "a, DR.. Taylor puts it, hid carried
away hall the front. and set the shingles afIre
IL
iiar behavior OF lightning by applying the priE-
clPIe tnht operates the saline way through other
4otcts, l. e. greater aggregate OF molecules re-
SlSjhS at point OF entry than at point OF exit
nave "A Eu'l picked up on the battlefield of
hsti f'inw nici shows plainly which side the bull
lettnlered and which IL went OUT from: albeit the
bdiet tilcd Eaif the roof. since describing the
thunder stroke above doubt the identity OF
tiie pTiaciple aS operative through electricity
On the one hand and pTojecIile force or any
o'ileF klnd OF motion OF the other hand. 1 am
ttF- ashamed 10 leave the decision to better
men, fo- electricity X III big "A subject no man
can know "a great deal about il unless he makes
~ lne business OF life, and as to any one man S
kAo| iEg II all. why it's like that pill that was
so large ~ topk az least three men 10 swallow
~ Whhle- But little as | know OH the subject,
seem 10 myself 10 have demonstrated my
tnecfy until u attract the lightning OF some
otAer boAnerses, and furnishes u guide To the
IecOiiaifuctlon of the roof OF the monument. This
reminds me 10 say that whereas Prof. Menden-
haii assumes thatthere not sufficient eollec-
tINepoiht' toacceommodaie''the at attraction of the
INTERIOR lightning rod, my theory respectfully
assumes the converse, VIZ that there was not
sunsieht exit point 10 acco immediate the up
VIII charge of the interior lightning rod. And
asalh-a IL had been a downward charge, the
tn.eIlpr surface OF the capstone would have
Deen oFoAeh- GEO. 5. KING, NJ. ID.
----->o>-
ON TRIAL FOR KILLING HIS WIVES Sc.
DUCER-The trial OF Major f T. Johnson of In
ffnr