July 29, 1857
The little daughter of Jacob Barton, of Hummelstown, near Harrisburg, Pa., was killed last Sunday, by the breaking of a swingrope. Her father was swinging her at the time.
Married on the 21st inst., by the Rev. C. S. Haman, Mr. John Z. Shellenberger, of Lebanon, to Miss Anna Mary Long, of Cornwall township.
Married on the 14th inst., by Emanuel B. Salem, J. P., Mr. Samuel Lehman, (widower) to Mrs. Polly Buffington, (widow) both of East Hanover, Dauphin county.
Died on the 18th inst., in this Borough, Joseph Zimmerman Rauch, son of John B. and Sarah Rauch, aged 9 months and 20 days.
Died on the 17th inst., in Palmyra, John, son of Peter and Catharine Schwanger, aged 6 years, 8 months and 3 days.
Died on Sunday morning, the 26th inst., in the city of Reading, Rev. John N. Hoffman, formerly Pastor of Salem’s Lutheran Congregation of this borough, aged about 54 years. The funeral will take place on Thursday (to-morrow) morning at 10 o’clock.
The cornerstone of a new Lutheran Church will be laid at Myerstown on the 16th of August. The location is on the site of the old one (which has been torn down) at the west end of the town. from a description of the plan of the new house of worship we infer that it will be a fine building and an ornament to the place. It will be “Philadelphia style”, of brick, 50 by 77 feet. The steeple will be 150 feet high.
During the thunder storm, on Sunday night the 5th inst., a young man named Andrew Cook, employed in the Foundry at Chambersburg, was riding in an open buggy, and when opposite the new Jail, a vivid flash of lightning followed instantly by a frightful peal of thunder seemed to produce effects upon the young man and horse of a most singular character.
The horse was stunned and unable to move and the young man after urging him to go on for some time, but to no purpose, left him and proceeded to walk to his residence, a distance of several hundred yards. He felt no bodily injury from the effect of the lightning, but represents himself as being confused in his mind. He reached the door of the house where he fell and was carried in and put to bed, and such restoratives applied as the case seemed to demand. On the following morning, in attempting to get out of bed, he found himself powerless, his legs being completely paralyzed. In this condition he has remained ever since though his physician has some hope that he will ultimately recover the use of his limbs. The horse, though somewhat stiffened, was able to be used the next day. What renders this case somewhat remarkable is the circumstance of the young man being able to walk a considerable distance, after receiving the charge of electricity, and that such extensive injury would follow without any feeling of suffering, or any of the usual appearance of being struck by lightning.
SOURCE: Lebanon Advertiser Contributed by Shirley Pierce