Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-01-21
DOES elgorRIcIrY kllLr
A Remarkable Case OF ueAuscitation After
Suffering n Lightning Stroke.

Suffering N Lightning Stroke.
This case cnmo under tho writer's oh.
seryntion on tho 18th OF Juno, 1869 1t
was near Stanwood, Cedar county, Ia, on
clear and extremely warm day. Thoo-
doro Clothier, carpenter 20 years OF age
was riding along tho road bostridlng
saddleless horse. In all the sky there was
only one cloud visible, and II compare
lively small ono. Two mon In light
wagon had Just passed Clothier when
tremendous thundorclap was heard. Look
ing back, thgy saw horse and rider promo
on tho ground Tho lightning struck
Clothior In tho right breast, passed down
his body, through tho horse and into tho
ground. Tho horse and rider were Instant
ly KILLED" The rider tunbled over back
ward and was apparently as thoroughly
killed os ever lightning killed man was
when tho two men reached him They
found his clothing on fire and oxtlnguishcd
IL. The vest was found to havo been
chsrrcd from the armholo to the lapel on
tho right sldo. Tho hair was burned from
his forehead, and his eyebrows and eve
lashes wero burned of. From near the
shoulder TO below the ribs was black scar.
rcd 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 incnoratod cutiolc was removed the
internal organs were exposed. From this
point tho lightning shot TO u rule carried
in pocket made for IL in tho trousers
hip. The rule had brass tips that were
melted by tho heat and wcru found In tho
form OF ball in tho pocket. His keys and
tho ring to which they were attached and
the nailset he carried In the pocket were
likewise melted into solid mass, as wero
the blades OF his knife
While tho two men were discussing
what was best to be done local character
living IN tho farmhouse near which Cloth
Ter was killed, aycternn of the war, gem
orally regarded as % harmless, well mean
Ing crank, approached and declared the in
tontion of bringing tho man back to lifo,
The group who had gathered wero not In
cliued to consider the crank's proposition
seriously and decided to remove Clothier's
remains to his house and mid In preparing
them for burial but the follow was do.
terminud character and exhibited such ca
pacity for having his own way that tho
crowd surrendered and lot him haye IT,
Ho rolled the body over ON its left side,
and as no did 80 tho burned tosh from the
right side fell OH, The people who hnd
congregatod begged him to desist, but he
didn't
"If he's dead, i guess II won't hurt him"
was his roply, and he continued to rub tho
body vigorously where 1t had not been
burned He never lot up, and in three or
four hours the dead man showed signs Of
life. Water wns sent for and his face was
bathed, Ho was removed to u 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 ho had
to be placed under the Influence of opiates
This course was continued for nearly four
days. He suffered greatly even after that
but his burns healed, and ho recovered his
honlth.
He is now 55 years old and is proprietor
OF n boarding house ut Olin, Ia In two
senses he still suffers from the effects OF
his experience when ho was KILLED" by
lightning. Before the approach OF an cleo
trio storm, sometimes us long as four days
hesuddenly becomes drowsy, and all efforts
to awaken him nro futile until after tho
storm has passed and tho electrically
charged air has given way TO clearer ut
mosphero. His oyesight has never been
strong since, and he is Obliged TO wear
cap Tint comes well down over his forehead
and Is provided with peak.
In talking with the wrltor recently Mir
Clothior expressed tho opinion that bud he
been covered with dirt as soon ns hnima-
tion Ind been restored no would not bio
troubled with tho sensations that procedo
tho arrival of thunder storm Iio added
that lo believes HE is the only cnso OF its
kind ON record. He Is u Canadian by birth.
but came to this country whom only 2 years
of age, his parents moving to New York
state Ho came west MS young man and
served during tho lnte war as n member Of
Company g. Thirty,f first Iowa volunteers.
On the close of tho war he returned to
Iowa and has resided there ever since
! Tho fash that struck him killed the
horse nftcr ~ had passed down his body,
leaving soHrs-dark red, angry aoars-as
plain today MS thoy were 90 years ago.
The course pursued In restoring him TO
| life was very similar to that pursued with
artificial respiration us basis, Had this
not been rosortod to thoro is no manner OF
doubt that MIR. Clothier's body would have
/ been lying In its grave for n quarter of u
| century. He would not havo returned to
consciousness,
His case goes to provo that electricity as
death dealing agency Is not to DO depend
ed upon ID may DO terrible in IT'S inton
sity and power, but by no means is 1t Ger.
tainly and instantanoously lutal--or neoes'
sariiy fatal at all Quincy Herald.