New Ulm review., 1921-06-01
I TWO YOUTHS
NEAR DEATH
EDMUND AND RUDOLPH RIEs
RENDERED UNCONSCIOUS
BY LIGHTNING.
BOLT ENTERED HOME ALONG
OLD TELEPHONE. WIRE
EARLY SUNDAY.

Edmund and Rudolph Ries, sons
OF Mr.. and Mrs. George Ries, re-
siding in the Haeberle residence at
the corner of Washington and Fifth
North Streets, had a miraculous
escape from instant death Sunday
morning at about o'clock, when a
bolt Of lightning, which had struck
| a telephone pole in the alley at
the south end of that block, followed
an old telephone wire leading into
the house and entered their bedroom.
Edmund is 13 and Rudolph is 6
years old. Both boys were stunned
and rendered temporarily unconscious
as result of the terrible force of
| the electrical charge, but soon re-
covered and, except for minor burns
sustained by Rudolph, are entirely
over the effects of their awful ex.
perience.
Bed Caught Fire.
The bed in which the two youths
were sleeping, stands near window.
within a foot or so from the ex-
posed ends of the old teleph one
wire. About three feet above this
wire are the ends of two wires,
formerly used to supply electricity to
a discarded wall lamp. 1t appears
that the bolt of lightning split, for
part of it went downward and ig-
nited the hair on Rudolph's fore
head, as well as the pillow on which
his head rested, and the quilt and
bed sheet, while the other part took
an upward course toward the ex-
posed electric light wire ends and
tore one side from the frame of a
picture which hung directly over
them.
Edmund's Narrow Escape.
Edmund, the older of the two
boys, had risen from bed short
time before, having been awakened
by his mother, who told him to get
up and close the window, as a
storm was coming up. Instead OF
going back to bed, he lay down
across the bed, and this probably
saved his life, for his pillow was
nearer the end of the wire than was
that of his younger brother, which
caught fire.
Lad Extinguishes Blaze.
The crash must have awakened
Edmund, for he got up and extin-
guished his brothers burning hair
and turned the burning pillow
around, smothering the fire. He
has no recollections of his actions,
however, and it is difficult to e1-
plain them, for shortly thereafter
Mrs. Ries heard both boys moan-
| ing and upon entering their room
found them lying prostrate on the
bed. The upper story OF the house
was filed with dense smoke and sui
phur fumes. The electric lights were
put out of commission, which added
considerably to the excitement. The
lads were soon revived, but all day
Hong experienced ringing sensation
in their ears and Rudolph was un-
able to raise his right arm or close
his right hand. The tips OF his
fingers were scorched, probably due
Ito an attempt to extinguish his
burning hair. A red stripe across
his neck would indicate that he was
slightly scorched when the lightning
crossed his pillow.
Picture is Unharmed.
j The picture hanging over the
ielectric wire ends, referred to above,
| was not damaged, except for the
| one side Of the frame being torn
away and splintered. The glass was
mot broken and the picture itself
was not scorched. In fact, the three
sides of the frame, the glass, the
picture and the thin boards on the
back remained intact. The frame
J. IS. of oak and the picture was glven
to Mrs. Ries many years ago by hel
mother. One piece of the splintered
side Of the picture was hurled q
! distance of some Is feet, through
!. the bedroom door and out into the
hall.
Water Font Partly Shattered.
!, The lower part Of holy water
} font, hanging on the wall near th'
picture, was torn away and shattered
! into thousand little bits, the small
! particles Of glass literally GOVERN,
the floor Of the bedroom and of /;
clothes closet, the door of whicl
was open about half foot.
! Two parallel stripes, about hal
e an inch wide, show where the light