The Washington herald., 1907-07-21

Two young men-Walter Sousa. 1907 G
street southeast, nephew Of John Philip
Sousa, and Harry A. Candee. rs Massa-
chusetts avenue northeast-were electro
cuted at 6:45 last night in the drug
store Of Lewis Flemer. 7O1 Maryland
avenue. when 24O0 volts Of alternating
current flashed through their bodies
sousa. who was an empIoye Of the
Potomac Electric Company. was attempt
ing 10 discover the defect IN an electric
window lamp. which was connected with
a grounded circuit in nearby conduit.
when he fell dead stlu clutching the
wire. Candee, the head clerk in the
store. was standing near at the time
and caught the man in his arms, only
10 drop fatally shocked to the floor. He
died an hour later at the Casualty Hos
pitaL
No investigation Of the cause Of the
accident has been made as yet. but It Is
said that the high and low tension wires.
which ran near each other In the con
duit. became crossed, and that the fatal
current from the high tension wires
was communicated 10 the metal bracket
Of the lamp.
New Lamp Out of Order.
The window lamp was a new one. hay
ing been installed on Friday. When an
attempt was made 10 light ii last night
it failed TO work and affected all the
other lights in the store. one Of the
clerks. Lee Speyer, in touching the wire
had got a slight shock, and the Potomac
Electric Company was Immediately noti-
fed. Sousa and his brother-in-law.
Claude Berger, were sent TO remedy the
difficulty. They were told, on entering
the store, to be careful of the wire. bur
Sousa paid no heed and refused TO put
on his rubber gloves.
The lamp had been placed inside a jar
Of red water IN the show window near
the soda fountain, and Sousa followed
Mr. Candee 10 it. He grasped the wire
in his right hand, and FOR moment the
light flashed red through the water. then
with a gasp Sousa fell
Candee was standing behind the soda
/ fountain at the time. and rushed forward
to catch the man in his arms. He did
not notice that the dead mans hand
stiu clung 10 the wire, and in a second
both men lay silent on the floor.
! There were no customers in the store at
/ the time. but Sousa's assistant saw the
men fall and Immediately rushed 10 them.
Cashier Mad. HystericaI.
With the live wire dangling near his
head, he opened the shirt collar OF his
/ friend and began to rub his temples and
his hands, but there was not even the
hutter Of an eyelid to denote that life
was left The cashier, Miss Emma Her
man, became hysterical and had to be
/ led from the store
Another clerk, George. S. Webb, heard
/ a slight sound as the men fell, but he
/ thought nothing of it until lie heard Miss
/ Herman scream. He was soon at the
diving Candee's side. but could be OF no
use. as the shock had been too great.
/ Sousa died instantly. as was denoted by
/ his blackened face. while Candee was
past help Immediately after the current
struck him. bis neck and temples becOm-
/ ing purple The Casualty Hospital am
/ bulance was summoned and both men
were taken there. The physicians used
| every known means 70 restore Candee
until his death. which occurred at 7,45
/ An immense crowd. attracted by the
ambulance, surrounded the store and
/ questioned the frightened clerks, until
| policemen from the Ninth precinct ar
rived and closed the store. Miss Her
/ mans screams were heard for blocks, and
/ her distress had a serious effect on Miss
Mary Hahn, who lives near by. and who
! is Convalescing from an attack OF pneu-
monia BY order Of Capt Falvey. a pO-
/ liceman was sent 10 guard the store until
/ the arrival Of the coroner this morning.
/ The bodies of the two men were taken
TO their homes by aDdertakers.
MIR. Candee an Cid EmpIOye.
! Mr.. Candee has been in the employ of
Mr.. Flemer for more than ten years. He
entered the store as a youth, and i'm
mediately attracted his employer who
furnished him funds 10 complete his edu-
cation and offered him a home Mr.
Candee was graduated four years ago
from the National College of Pharmacy.
in this city. He was practically the man
ager Of the store. and his pleasant man
ner had made him popular in the neigh
! bOrhOod. Two years ago he married Miss
/ Mary Brennan, and has one child. a boy,
fourteen months old. Two physicians, DR..
Beale and DR.. Leech, who were in the
| store shortly after the accident, spoke
highly of Mr.. Candies qualifications,
| Walter Sousa was twenty-five years
old, and had been with the Potomac Elec-
| tTic Company for five years, starting IN
a minor capacity. For the past three
years he has been acting as trouble
finder" and was considered one Of tie
most efficient men in tho company He
was married only six months ago to Miss
Amelia Berger His father. George Sousa,
brother of the famous musical director
and composer. is employed in the Library
Of Congress. Two brothers, George Sousa
and Arthur Sousa, and three sisters also
survive him.
The conduit from which the current Is
thought to have come is located on the
corner Of Seventh and Maryland avenue.
and the general opinion is that the wires
are grounded there Lee 5. Speyer, an
other clerk in the store, was In a high
state of nervousness last night, for he
had sustained momentary shock earlier
In the day Mrs Candee was prostrated
by the news and required the attention OF
physician last night.