Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1895-08-08

Is Not AFRAID ana ihkes III fhilosophic-
ally.
Charles Hines, farmer living near
Dutch Neck n j enjoys the honor OF
having been struck an even half dozen
times by lightning and he Is still on earth
and able TO tell the story The latest at
tack of lightning that Hines had was one
day last week when he was coming home
from Hightstown Oh horseback. He had
purchased a pork ham and a watermelon.
Rain was falling when he left Nights.
town About two miles from town there
was a large chestnut tree by the side OF
the road Hines had reached this tree and
was passing under II when there was
vivid flash of lightning, and that same In.
slant Hines found himself lying in the
gutter with no clothes on except his trou-
sers and shoes. The tricky fluid had strip
ped off his shirt, coat and hat. The horse
that Hines was on when the lightning
made connection with him lay on the op-
posite side of the road. To all appearances
1t was dead What became of his missing
clothes Hines never found out but he
found the watermelon and the pork ham
The pork ham was lodged in the tree as
good as when IL left the smokehouse and
about ten yards away, on the opposite side
of a stone wall, and barring a small hole
in one end of it, which looked as If IL had
been deftly plugged, was in good condition
Not thread of the bag that had held the
melon and ham was 20 be found Hines
was a little dizzy, but he got on his feet
and pulled himself together sufficiently to
get over TO where his horse lay The ami
Al NJ
on its feet The bride had been torn of
the horses head, and no trace Of it could
be found With the melon under one arm
and the ham under the other Hines walked
home driving his horse before him
The first time that lightning came in
contact with Hines was about 40 years ago
when he was Is years old AS boy he
was very fond OF fishing, and one day he
was out on q pond angling for perch. A
thunderstorm was brewing, but that fact
didn't cut any figure with the boy, who
kept right on looking for bites The perch
were taking the bait pretty briskly, and
when the rain began TO fall Hines contin-
ued to cast his line The boy sat with his
feet dangling over the stern of the boat,
thinking of nothing but the fun he was
having, when suddenly there was ripping
up of the water in front of him, and he
was twisted off the seat and dropped into
the pond. All that was left of the boat
when Hines came to the surface was few
scraps of boards The lightning had com,
pletely demolished the craft The boy was
none the worse for his experience, and he
went home as we'll off rs when he came, so
far as his physical condition was concerned.
A few years after that Hines was walk
fpo on tho raiIpnaH during thnDdar-
storm Ii was a pretty lively storm, and
Hines confesses TO having felt "a tritle skit-
fish, for he remembered his experience on
the lake He was counting off the ties at
"a pretty lively rate in the hope of getting
home when there came a binding fash OF
lightning, and Hines knew nothing for
some time. When he came To, he was
hanging over IA stone wall a good deal like
towel that had been washed and hung
out TO dry The spot from which he had
been removed by the electric shock was
several feet distant Hines never knew
whether he was thrown on the wall by the
lightning or had walked there while
suffering from the shock Hines managed
10 get home and into bed, where he staid 4
week before he was able TO get out That
was the closest call he ever had
When Hines was about 23 years old, he
was member OF the Baptist church. He
was regular attendant Sundays and wa,
an active worker in the Sunday school
One Sunday he sat in church listening 70
the preaching, unmindful Of the thunder
storm that was raging outside The min.
lister had reached An unusually interesting
point in his sermon when a bolt of light
ming came through the roof OF the build.
ing and as ii il had especial designs on
Hines, made straight for him and tore the
seat in which he sat into matchwood Not
content with removing the mans support
from under him the fluid ripped his shoe:
off his feet tore his trousers into ribbon:
and blistered his left leg In several spots
The congregation got terror stricken and
vacated the premises on the double quick
Hines began To get the impression that he
was a mark for lightning and for the first
time since his first experience with the
mysterious fluid got nervous BY this
time his record as a lightning catcher had
become known and he was made "a special
subject for prayer.
After this attack of lightning Hines was
able To tell ten hours before a storm broke
that 1t was coming by the peculiar sensa-
tion that he experienced in his left leg
He became a sort OF human barometer, and
he was OF considerable benefit to his farm
er neighbors especially during the haying
season
About five years after Hines was touched
up with lightning in the church he was
blowing one day behind horse that wa.
tribe nervous The man had made an
his mind To take little of the fire out oi
the beast before leaving the field, and
when il began To thunder lac paid no at.
tention 10 it In the middle of the field
was a big rock, and Hines was plowin
around it when bolt of lightning fell out
of the sky AID $. III The rock in two The
horse WAS instantly killed and the pillow
was warped and twisted until il looked
more like q corkscrew than a farming i'm.
PIGMENT. While this was going on Hines
was being glccfully rolled IN the dust Gu
this occasion the lightning was very con
sidcrate and did him nc bodily injury be-
yond spraining one Of his elbows Ii singcd
his hair took off his eyebrows and wiped
his whiskers out Of existence On that oc
casinn Hines wore watch and the chain
and certain parts OF the watch were melt,
ed He buried the remains OF the horse
where they lay and never attempted tc
pillow that hcld again
Hines neighbors are of the opinion that
he bears a charmed life bu, Hines takes a