The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-20
KILLED BY
 LIGHTNING PRANK
Narrow Escapes Are Recorded
 in Selma Storm
PREACHERS H0LDlNSIlTUTE
Prominent Pastors Will Lecture On Bible Subjects for Benefit of Younger Men-southern
 Prosecutes Thieves.


 Prosecutes Thieves.
 Selma, June 19.-(Special)-A severe thunderstorm followed by heavy ram passed over this section yesterday after noon and the lightnings pranks did con siderable damage. several narrow escapes from fatal Injuries being reported.
 Two small faetoy houses near the Cav thon cotton mills were struck. the bolt seemingly going horizontally though the top of one house and striking the chim- ney of the next house. in which was Mrs. Bolton and family. the former being quite Ill The bolt appears to have gone down the side of the chimney, tearing away the ceiling with which the house was lined. The bed on which Mrs. Bol- ton lay had been pulled close to the fire place and the bolt split one of the posts right at her head She was severely shocked, but recovered in short while. A lamp that was on the mantelpiece was broken into thousand pieces and the clock was thrown into the center of the room. The bolt went through the flcor and shortly after the storm passed rooster that had taken slelter under the house was found dead
 The spire of the ri-st Baptist church. which has just lately been finished. was struck and about fifteen pieces of slate ripped off. The lightning struck on tls northwest side of the sppe then jumped to the east side of the square tower, which the spire surmounts and tore the framing from around a window, the glass not being harmed The damage done to the church was very slight.
 At Summerfeld. nine miles from the city, a tree was struck in the yard of J. N. Barker's residence MT. Barker being considerably shocked. but not seriously hurt
 Four telephone poles near Manila were struck by the lightning and practically demolished
 Prosecuting Car Robbers.
 The Southern railway is evidently de- termined to spare neither pains nor ex- pense to break up the perniclous practice of robbing cars in the company's yards near the coal shute in the eastern DOT ton of this city. The trial of w. s. Burke, a car inspector, in whose houss a large quantity of stolen gods were found, came off this morning before Jus tice Gayle. Three witnesses from New Orleans and one from Meridian were brought to the city to attend the trial. These were William Eichhorn and Adolph T. Estel of Smith Bros, cigar dealers, who testified as to certain cigars having been shipped to Selma firm that were found in Burke's house; Joseph P. Mora- gos of the New Orleans and Northeast ern railway. who testified as to the car being intact when it left him, and J. E. Watts of Meridian, transfer clerk, who testified as to the goods when they left Meridian.
 Burke's defense is that he left home Sunday giving his key to John Sample who is in the employ of the Southern railway, and was a witness in the case That he returned the next Sunday night and in the meantime the goods had been found in the loft of his house near the coal shute. Tho state proved that there was considerable dust on the goods as if icy had been there some time. The goods were taken from a car on May last. Justice Gayle decided that there was sufficient cause to believe the de- fendant guilty of receiving and conceal ing stolen property and bound him over in the sum of $500 to await the action of the grand jury.
 Death of Mrs. Dora Richards.
 Last night at her residence on Lauder dale street occurred the death of Mrs. Dora Richard, relict of Benjamin Rich ard She had been III for several months and her condition has been known to be critical for several days no hopes having been held out to her loved ones for her recovery. She Is survived by three chil- dren, Herman, Rudulph and Miss Helen. The funeral took place this afternoon at half after o'clock.
 colored Grand Lodge Masons. There will be several hundred proml- nent negroes of Alabama in Selma to- morrow attending the twenty-eghth an nual session of the grand lodge of Ma sons At the reques- of Mayor Atkins Judge George H. Craig will make the welcoming address on the part of the city and W. l.. Nixon on the part of the local lodges, the meeting taking place in the Hudson-Irby building on Franklin street, which has just been completed. The officers are:
 H. c. Benford. Huntsville, grand mas ter
 M. W. Howze Mobile. deputy grand master.
 w. H. Mumford, Selma. grand senior warden.
 A. S. Prince Birmingham. grand junior warden.
 H. c. Harris. Birmingham grand treaus- urer.
 H. c. Benford Huntsville. grand secre- tary.
 c. w. Allen, Mobile, endowment sec- retary and treasurer.
 H. c. Benford has been grand master four years and was grand secretary for six years. There are 199 warranted lodges and ffty-five lodges acting under dispen- sation in the state. There has been paid cut of the endowment found $23, 900 during the past year and there Is now on hand SIT ,000 Six years ago when c. w. Allen was elected to the position of secretary and treasurer this fund was depleted.
 Preachers Institute.
 The preachers institute of the Alabama conference of the Methodist church, south begun It's annual session in the Church Street Methodist church in this city al