The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-09
LlGHTNING'S WORK
TWO KILLED BY DEADLY BOLT AT
COLUMBUS.
BOTH FELL AT SAME INSTANT.
THOUGH SEPARATED BY SEVERAL
BLOCKS.

J. j. Willis Struck Down in Front OF
His Home by Bolt, Which Entered
at Temple and Seemed to Pass
Through Entire Body, Emerging
From Right FOOt-LOuis McLnne,
Holding to a Wire Clothes Line in
Phenix City Gets Fatal ShOck-M.
c. Cochran Badly Injured and IA
Mother and Infant Severely Shock
ed.
Columbus. Ca, June S.-Two people
were killed and a number were badly
shocked in an electrical storm which
visited Columbus a few minutes after
4 o'clock this afternoon. The dead are
John j. Willis OF Columbus, and Louis
McLane of Phenix City.
Mr.. Willis was about 55 years old
and was formerly Waterman at the
upper foot bridge. He was standing
in front of his residence, No. 1919 First
avenue, on the sidewalk talking with
a friend. NJ. c. Cochran, when sud
denly there was a loud peal of thun-
der, and almost simultaneously he was
struck by a bolt of lightning. The
noise was almost deafening, sounding
to those on the front porch like the
report of a cannon, and a man who
was looking at MIR. Willis when he was
killed said that he saw no fash, but
something like smoke in the wake OF
the lightning bolt Mr.. Willis was
killed instantly. the bolt entering his
right temple and going through his
and burying itself in the ground.
Mr.. Willis wore steel framed spec
tacles at the time. and these were
broken to pieces. On either side of his
temple, where the tiny steel frames
rested, the side pieces were driven in
to the flesh, cutting it as cleanly as il
a sharp knife had been driven in. There
was a small round hole in the right
temple and from it blacklist blood
flowed The neck and sides of the
breast were turned purple and the right
side of his body was in places almost
black: In going through the foot the
bolt split it near the toe.
The shoe was torn to shreds.
Practically all of Mr.. Willis
SlOtillhB was toilA AIOHl MN anu Acll III
rags on the sidewalk.
Mr.. Cochran, who was only a foot or
two away, was also badly shocked and
was carried home in a very serious
condition. One of his fingers was split
by the violent discharge of electricity.
simultaneously in Phenix City, few
blocks away, lightning killed Louis
McLane, young man about 20 years
old, who had been married only few
months. He was in the back yard of
his residence resting his hand on a
clothes wire when lightning struck the
wire He was killed instantly, but was
not mangled in any way. The charge
was such a powerful one that his heels
were literally driven into the ground.
creating two small holes in the firm
earth.
The bolt also did considerable dam
age to the house.
At another home in Phenix City a
mother, Mrs. Hut Moore, and her in
FAINT were badly shocked They were at
first reported killed, but will recover
The infant was in its mothers arms at
the time.
Mr.. Willis was the father of Police
man Ben Willis. and the father-in-law
of Ike Pearce, assistant chief of the
fire department.
There was considerable wind this
afternoon. The awning in front of
the Edge Shoe Company's store col
lapsed, smashing the fine plate glass
front.