The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-30
DOES ELECTRICITY KILL?
Remarkable Case characterization After
Suffering a lightning Stroke.
From the quincy Daily Herald.

+ TON the quincy DallN EAEIdAQ-
This case came under the writer's Obser-
walton on June Il, 1863. 1t was near Stan
wood, Cedar county, Iowa. on a clear
and extremely warm day. Theodore Clo-
thier, a carpenter, % years Of age. was
riding along the road bestriding a saddle
less horse. In all the sky there was only
one cloud visible, and il a comparatively
small one. Two men in light wagon had
Just passed Clother when a tremendous
thunderclap was heard. Looking back,
they saw horse and rider prone on the
ground. The lightning struck ClOtnIer in
the right breast, passed down his body,
through the horse and into the ground.
The horse and rider were in
stantly killed" The rider tumbled over
backward and was apparently as thor
oughly killed as ever a lightning killed
They found his clothing on fire and ex-
tinguished 1t. The vest was found to
have been chaTred from the armhOle to
the lapel on the right side. The hair was
burned from his forehead. and his eye
brOws and eyelashes were burned OF.
From near the shoulder to below the ribs
was black SCARED flesh that rubbed of on
being touched; below was a wound as
large in dimensions as a mans hand. and
so deep that when the incinerated cuticle
was removed the Intervals organs were
exposed. From this point the lightning
shot TO rule carried in a pocket made
for it in the trousers hip. The rule had
brass tips that were melted by the heat
and We're found in the form of d hall in
the pocket His keys and the ring to
which they We're attached and
the nail set he carried in has pocket were
likewise melted into a solid mass, as were
the blades of his knife
While the two men were discussing
what was best to be done, a local char
acter living in the farmhouse near which
Clothier was killed, q veteran Of the war.
generally regarded as a harmless, we'll
meaning crank. approached and declared
the intention of bringing the man back to
life The group who had gathered were
not inclined to consider the cranks prop
osition seriously. and decided to remove
Clothier's remains to his house and aid in
preparing them for burial. But the fellow
was a determined character ana exhibited
such capacity for having his own way that
the crowd surrendered and let him have il.
He rolled the body over on it's left side
and as he did so the burned flesh from the
right side fell off. The people who had
congregated begged him to desist, but he
didn't.
III he's dead. guess it won't hurt him"
was his reply. and ne continued to rub
the body vigorously where it had not been
burned. He never let up, and in three
or four hours the dead man showed signs
of life. Water was sent for ana his face
was bathed. He was removed to q house
near by and turned over to three doctors
who had been summoned.
When restored to full consciousness he
was in such eXcruciating pain that he
had to be placed under the influence of Opt
ates. This course was continued for nearly
four days. He suffered greatly even after
that but his burns healed and he re-
covered his health.
He is now s. years old, and is proprietor
of a boarding house at DIN, Ia In two
senses he sim suffers from the effects
CT his experience when he was KILLED"
by lightning. Before the approach of an
electric storm, sometimes as long as four
days, he suddenly becomes drowsy, and
all efforts to awaken him are futile until
after the storm has passed and the cleo
trically-charged air has given way to
clearer atmosphere. His eyesight has
never been strong since and he is obliged
to wear a cap that come well down over
his forehead and is provided with a peak.
In talking with the writer recently Mr.
Clothier expressed the opeinion that had
he been covered with dirt as soon as ami
nation had been restored he would not
now be troubled with the sensations that
precede the arrival of a thunder storm.
He added that he believed his is the only
case of its kind on record, He is a Cana
dian by birth, but came to this country
when only7 years of age, his parents NOV
ing to New York state. He came west
as young man, and served during the
late war as a member of Company G.
Thirty-tirst Iowa Volunteers. ON the
close of the war he returned to Iowa, and
has resided there ever since.
The fash that struck him killed the
horse after it had passed down his body.
leaving sears-dark, red, angry scars-as
plain to-day as they We're twenty-five
years ago.
The course pursued in restoring him to
life was similar to that pursued with
artificial respiration as a basis Had this
not been resorted to there is no manner
of doubt that Mr.. Clothier's body would
have been lying in his grave for a quar-
ter of a century. He would not Have re-
turned to consciousness.
His case goes to prove that electricity
as death-dealing agency is not to be
depended upon 1t may be terrible in
its intensity and power, but by no means
is it certainly and instantaneously fatal
,,.s1.r e.