Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-10-10
\ FREAK OF LIGHTNING.
silver Plating Transferred From a sword
toa Cats Body.

A correspondent of Rutland. VI. has
come in possession of the facts regarding
a freak of lightning, probably more re.
markabe than any hitherto recorded.
which occurred near the small village Of
New Salem, at the foot Of the Helderburg
mountains, on the fourth of July. One OF
the oldest residents Of that locality is
Aren't 5. Van nyok, who occupies an
ancestral mansion u mile or so west of the
village, N the large parlor of the Van
Dyck mansion there are displayed many
quaint and curious relics of the olden
time. whichshaye been handed down in the
Van Dyck family from generation to gen.
Grafton Among the collection was a
notable sword with revolutionary his.
tory. The scabbard was heavily plated
with silver, and hung on the wall near a
window. On the night of July heavy
thunderstorm prevailed among the
Heidelberg mountains and the flashes
OF lightning were lucesSant and vivid.
Some time between ~ and o'clock on the
morning of the Fourth the occupants of
tie Van Dlck mansion were awakened
from sound slumber by a terrible crash
which caused the whole building 10
trembIe, All were momentarily stunned
but Mr. Van Dyck quickly recovered his
senses aud. realizing that lightning had
struck either the mansion itself or some
object in close proximity to it, hastily
arose and started to investigate. He was
/ loiue' by his son and they began a search
That the lightning had ignited nothing
they soon found out. Nor were
signs Of damage any where apparent All
the outbmldlngs were intact, and as far
as they could ascertain the mansion had
not been damaged They went through
| all the rooms but found nothing until
! they entered the parlor in which the relics
/ were kept. They noticed a strong smell
that was unlike anything they had ever
smeled before 1t was a sicllish nauseat-
| ing smell They entered and looked
around the room, Suddenly the younger
/ Van Dyck uttered an exclamation of sur
/ prise and pointed to an old-fashioned sofa
| that stood against the wall near a window
| Upon it lay what was apparently the sill
| yer image of a cat curled up IN an ex-
ceedingly natural pose. As far rs the
shape and posture of the animal were
concerned, it might have been n live cat
4 Each glittering hair was separate and
distinct, and each silyery bristle of
of the whiskers described a graceful curve
as IN life. The claws, the tail, the ears,
the nostrils, were perfect in every detail.
Father and son looked at each other in
much establishment. Suddenly and al.
most simultaneously their eyes turned
toward the sword which hung upon the
wall justaboye the sofa and there they
aaw that the sword had been stripped of
all Of its silver. The hilt was gone and
the scabbard was but a strip of blackened
steel Like a flash the explanation Of the
silver cat came to them. The family cat
bad been electropated 10y lightning,
Further investigation showed that this ex-
PLANTATION was in fact the correct one. In
one of the panes of glass in the window
was found a round hole about the size of a
half dollar whore the lightning had evil
IDENTIFY entered. There was a charred
streak across the glass where the electrical
luid had made its way TO the sword, down
which it had passed to the cat, clrryi ny
with it the silver, which it deposited upon
the animal OF course the cat was in
SANITY killed, and Therefore remained il
the position in which it was quietly sleep
ing when the flash came. 10 is thought
that the plating on the cats body will pre-
vent decay, and that probably it may be
retained among the collection of curiostes,
which is more remarkable than all. Local
scientists are puzzled by the occurrence,
and one of their members Of the Albany
institute is investigating the case and will
prepare a paper on it-FXchange.