The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-06-03
TORE OFF SHOES.
Lightning Strikes C. C. Gillian,
Fruit Farmer.
Was In His House When the
Bolt Fell.
nR0ppEn tn FLOOR
DROPPED TO FLOOR.
When He Arose He Had No
Shoes on His Feet.
Story of the Miraculous Escape
Told by Himself.

c. c. Gillian, a fruit farmer living
just over Calhoun bluffs on the Meri-
den road, was struck by lightning at
o'clock Friday afternoon and the queer
est thing about the accident is that Mr..
Gillian is alive and was able to come
to Topeka today. The lightning tore
his shoes from his feet and left him
shoeless in the middle of the floor.
Mr. Gillian lives with his wife in
two-room cottage on his little farm.
When the storm came up he went into
the house and stood near the stove
talking to his wife, who was about six
feet away There was a crash and
the next thing Mr. Gillian knew he
was sprawling in the middle of the
floor. He got up and staggered out of
the house and again fell. He shouted
for help and neighbOrs who heard the
noise came running to his rescue Mr..
Gillian then noticed for the first time
that he had no shoes left on his feet.
When he tried to walk he found that
his feet were sore, but there was no
other evidence of injury except a buzz
ing sound in his ears. He went into
the house with the neighbors and on
the floor where he fell were his shoes.
They had been literally torn to pieces.
Mr.. Gilliam's feet show long blisters,
but there are no other burns on his
body. One heel is burned and the in
step of the other foot shows deep
seam, but Mr.. Gillian is able to hob
BILE around and today he brought what
was left of his shoes to Topeka to il
luStrate what a narrow escape he had.
Mrs. Gillian was not so badly shock
ed. A large patch of plastering fell on
her, but she was not knocked down.
The stove was torn to pieces, and Mr..
Gillian took a new stove home with
him. He also took material to repair
his house, which was badly racked by
the force of the electrical shock
Mr.. Gillian said today: L had just
gone into the house and was talking to
my wite. when L heard two distinct
crashes and the next thing I knew L
was lying the floor. l got up and
there was a terrible buzzing in my ears.
l saw my wife era wiling out from under
some paper which had fallen on her,
and we both ran out of the house.
When I got on the damp ground 1 fell
down again and then began to shout
for help. The neighbors came at once
and we went back into the house, and
there 1 found my shoes where they had
been torn off my feet.
I could hardly walk because of the
burns on my feet. but 1 was all right
everywhere else except for the buzzing
in my ears.
Our house is pretty we'll torn up. The
chimney was knocked off clean L think
the roof can be patched up with
bunch of shingles. Two of the joists
under the floor were broken.
Il don't understand how 1 came out
of this alive, but l wouldn't like to go
through the same thing again"
Mr.. Gillian is a member ot the Mod
ern Woodmen and the members of his
lodge took up a subscription today to
help him repair the damage done to his
house. He is an Englishman, but has
lived in Kansas 20 years. He was en-
ployed on the street force for several
years. He traded his property in Low
man Hill for a fruit farm on Calhoun
bluffs a year two ago.