The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-15
STRANGE FREAKS OF LIGHTNING
Melted Bible Clasps and Glued Man
to His Chair.
(From the Lewiston Journals

III
William B. Remick, who was one of
Union Rivers heaviest lumber opera
tors few years ago, and is now a resi-
dent of Mariaville. witnessed a startling
natural phenomenon a short time ago
while returning from the head of
Floods Pond to the settlement. He saw
thunderstorm gather In a clear sky,
and watched it roll on ahead Of him
with eNer-increasing force and destruc-
tiyeness until it swept nearly all of
Hancock county and left a score of fires
in its wake.
Some of the freaks of the lightning
We're marvellous. At Hanscome's in
Marlaville, two families occupied the
mouse, In the front part was an aged
gentleman seated in an armchair read
ing the Bible. A ball of fire rolled lazily
INTO the window danced along the win
dow ledge a second or two and then
rolled into the old gentleman's lap and
across the open Bible in his hands. He
experienced no shock whatever except
a binding sensation, but the metal
clasps of the book were melted and ran
to the floor, while across the pages If
the book was stamped indelfbly a min
lature photograph of large apple tree
that stood in the dooryard close by the
window. Some minutes after it had
passed the old man made an effort 10
rise, but was firmly held to his chair
by some mysterious force. After an
hour or more of effort on the part of
members OF the household, with liberal
pathing OF Vingar and other remedies
the chair finally loosened it's hold and
ne was able to rise. There was no iii
effect felt by him. -
The bali of fire, after dropping from
the book, had struck the floor and
bounded to the ceiling, passing through
the cracks in the top of the partition
into the apartments Of the Hanscornes
where young Mrs. Hanscomes was
seated with her baby in her arms. II
came toward her from the ceiling a
swaying ball, rocking back an forth.
until II struck her full in the face and
disappeared. Eight of Mrs. Hanscomes'
front teeth disappeared with ii and
We're never found. Her chair was
tipped forward, with her in it, and she
was found unconscious. her head and
feet resting in the floor still retain
ing her position in the chair as if II
were upright, instead of resting upon
her. The baby was clasped closely to
her bosom, uninjured. and growing, as
II greatly delighted by the event. 1t
was several hours before Mrs. Hans
comes arms could be made to unfold
and release the baby and before the
cha1r could be removed from her. When
she recovered consciousness she vom-
tied large quantity of black matter.
like charcoal, which gave out q strong
odor of sulphur, and it was long time
before she fully recovered from the
shock
On the wall where the electric mass
passed from one apartment to the other.
were streaks of sooty blackness. as if
blown through by a strong blast. The
marks could not be washed off, and still
works through the coat of whitewash
put on to cover it.
One of the strangest freaks was the
striking of a hennery and the killing
of several hens. Some of the hens
rested on the roosts, as if asleep others
were standing upon the ground in an
attitude of listening. Previous to this
a hen was supposed 20 be lightning
proof. her feathers forming the pro-
tective armor.