The Elbert County tribune., 1907-04-18
FREAK OF LIGHTNING
BOLT STRIPS CLOTHING FROM
MAN IN MOUNTAINS.
Cloud Settles Down on Him and He
Loses onsciousness-lies Ap.
parently Dead for Hours and
Finally Fully Receivers.

Kalamazoo, Mich.-To have been
struck on the head by bolt of light
ming without the slightest warning of
a storm; to have had the clothes torn
from his body and scattered in shreds
around for distance of several yards;
to have lain, apparently dead. for
hours. his body half burned over by
the living flame, and, finally. to have
recovered. with only a permanent in.
jury to the iris of his eyes-such was
the curious experience of p. ID. Keim,
formerly small Chicago grocer and
now in business in this city. In proof
of this strangest story ever related of
an accident with lightning Mr.. Keim
displayes the scars. the clothing and
photograph taken Immediately after
the occurrence.
Mr.. Keim was visiting with his son
at North Park. Colo, last fall and had
started out hunting ON the mountain
side one afternoon with his son Clyde
and neighbor when the accident hap
pened. The neighbor was walking
about 20 PAGES in the rear of the IA
ther and son, who were not more than
ten PAGES apart. The country was al
most clear of trees, at an altitude of
$500 feet, in district where because
of the position of the mountains clouds
were seldom known. THE sun was
shining" said Mr.. Keim, "and only up
in the middle of the sky was there a
bit of cloud. AS we went on this cloud
sailed down toward us and then sud
denly there came blank in my mind.
What happened was told to me by
my son and my neighbor. The latter
heard peal of thunder and was en-
veloped in a flash of lightning that left
him all numb and speechless. He
looked toward us and saw my son and
myself fall as though some terrific
force had thrown us to the ground A
blush light seemed to flash out from
where / fell and then a big pun of
smudge went up from me.
1T was perhaps two or three min
utes before he could move foot. but
finally he started toward me and as he
did so my son, who had struggled to
his knees, began to crawl toward me
on his hands and knees, pulling at the
sage brush to help him along. He waf
so badly shocked that he could not
rise to his feet When they reached
my side they saw a sight that no man
ever witnessed before. / was lying on
| my face. with my clothes torn in
shreds in a dozen places, my shoes
ripped to pieces and hole burned
through the back of my cap to show
where the bolt had struck. My whole
body was limp. as though / were dead,
and they thought that this was the
case.
Two hours of hard work revived
me to consciousness and they found
that | was so paralyzed as to be al
most helpless. My son was paralyzed
on one side for some time, but the
neighbor was only shocked temporar-
lily. But my condition was such that
! was sick for weeks and from part OF
the injury / still suffer. The lightning
had struck the back of my head, run
down over my shoulder. arm, back and
side, down my legs and out at my
heels, burning over half of my body in
its course. My eyelashes and mustache
were burst and / was perfectly limp
all over.
"Curiously enough, the iris OF my
right eye was affected. Although
never knew at the time what was hap
pening, my eyelids had closed In time
, to save my sight, but the force OF the