TWO KILLED BY LIGHTNING

ELECTRIC BOLT FATAL TO NELS MATZEN AND H. THOMPSON

DEATH TO BOTH IS INSTANTANEOUS

KILLED LAST FRIDAY WHILE STACKING GRAIN - - TEAM RUNS AWAY, BREAKING LITTLE GIRL’S ARM

Herman, Nebraska, August 13 - -

Last Friday evening just after the down-pour of rain, the information was phoned from Herman that two young men engaged in stacking grain north of that village had been killed by lightning. E. W. Burdic was down from Herman Saturday and said that the account of the calamity sent to the Omaha Bee, appearing in Saturday morning’s issue of that paper was substantially correct in all details. Following is the Bee’s account in full: ( introduction printed by the Enterprise )

“While working on the farm of Ray Triplett, one mile west of town, stacking wheat, Herman Thompson and Nels Matzen were struck by lightning and instantly killed. The team attached to the wagon used in hauling the grain ran away and Anna Triplett, 9 years of age, who was on the vehicle, was thrown off and her left arm dislocated.

The weather had been clear all afternoon and just before 5 o’clock a small cloud came up from the west, scattering a few drops of rain. Thompson and Matzen, the young men working for Triplett, had driven from the field with a load of bundles and were half through unloading onto the stack when the shower came. The rain was so light that they did not stop work. There was one flash of lightning and from what can be learned, the bolt struck and instantly killed Matzen, who was on the stack, and instantly seemed to spread in a sheet of flame, killing Thompson.

The flash and the thunder that followed frightened the horses and they dashed off through the field, overturning the wagon. On the wagon besides Thompson, were three children of Mr. Triplett’s. None except Anna was injured, though all were thrown to the ground and buried beneath the load of grain.” - - - Omaha World-Herald