Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 July 1886 — A Fatal Flash. [ARTICLE]

A Fatal Flash.

At the beginning of the heavy thunder storm which came up from the north last Friday evening, at a little before six o’clock, the three children of Mr. and Mrs. M. E. Baylor, of this place, were standing in the back door, of their house, at the corner of Van Rensselaer and Harrison streets, holding the screen partly open, and looking out at the falling rain. The oldest boy* Claude, was partly leaning against the door casing, His sister, Maude had her hand upon his shoulder and upon her other side stood-the youngest boy, Eajl. In the front room, connected with the kitchen where the children were by an open door, was Mrs. Baylor, in the act of walking in to where her children stood. Just then, at about 20 minutes before six, came that deafening crash of thunder which startled so many of our people, but so few of whom imagined what dreadful consequences it had wrought. The lightning struck the comb of the Baylor house, divided in two parts, and ran down the roof in opposite directions. The portion which went towards the back of the house, passed over the eaves and entered the building near the top of the door in which the three children stood. It tore loose and split the clapboards on the outside, and upon the inside threw out a circular piece of plastering, about 18 inches in diameter, ran down the casing of the door against which Claude was leaning. He and Maude fell to the floor, but the little boy remained standing, but, for the time being, paralyzed by the shock. The portion of the discharge which passed down to the front of the house, passed over the eaves and entered the side of the building almost exactly opposite the place where the children were prostrated. This

part also tore loose the clapboards, and. threw' out a considerable section of plastering. It then passed directly through the room, in the form of a great ball of fire, and not more than a foot from Mrs. Baylor’s face, who had just entered the room from the hall door. It threw her to the floor, with great force, passed through the open door between the parlor and kitchen, of the house through the door-way in which the children had been standing, burning a large hole in the netting of the screen. Mrs. Baylor and her daughter arose immediately, the latter so badly dazed from the shock, she ran to the sheriff’s residence, half a block distant, without knowing what she did. Mrs. Baylor walked in to where Claude lay, and seeing such a smiling expression upon his face, her first thought was that he was unhurt, and she spoke and told him to rise. Upon lifting him up, however, she found that he was limp and unconscious, but she could not, at first, believe him to. be dead. Mr. Baylor, who had been engaged in the adjoining lot when the storm came up, and had taken refuge in the house just south of his residence, now being rebuilt by Mr. Leopold, and in company with Jas. Thompson, who was working upon the same building, fie came at once to the scene, anil. Mr. Thompson went in all haste for Dr. Hartsell. The latter arrived within five minutes after the stroke, but found no signs of life in tfie boy, as death, of course, had been instantaneous. The electric current had struck bis head and followed down to below the knee, which he was probably pressing against the door casing. A broad strip of the skin from the head to below the knee, was burned, and blistered as though scalded by hot water.

The girl Maude, in describing her sensations when the stroke came, says that the. whole air around . her seemed to be one blaze of fire. To Mrs. Baylor it seemed as though the whole upper story of the house had been crushed down by the dreadful crash, and for several hours slje firmly believed that the v.hole ceiling of the room in which she was prostrated, had fallen upon her,head, though it was nnliarm- ; ed. ,The~ Whole- bnuso -"was- ! filled with duet from the- plaster that was torn off, and a mighty odor of burning sulphur jin vadtd all tlie rooms. • ~ The boy Jo whom death came it: this pUnless but horrifying manner, wag 10 years old last Decf mbey. The fiineral was held Saturday, at the M. Id—church, aud attendnJ by a large company of sympatbiZ’ ing friends, - T