Lightning Kills Frank A. Hilton
Last Friday evening, Frank A. Hilton, the 19 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. A. Hilton residing about five miles north of town was struck and instantly killed by lightning.
Frank had just returned home from town when a storm came up very rapidly from the northwest and he was standing in the barn door watching it, when the lightning struck the flue on the house and followed an electric light wire to the barn, a switch was located on the wall near Frank’s shoulder and it is thought that it jumped from this switch into his body causing instant death.
The Hiltons are farming some land several miles from the home farm and when the storm came up, Mr. Hilton drove the car over to the other place to help one of the other boys take care of the horses thus leaving Mrs. Hilton, Frank and a younger brother at home alone. It is reported that Mrs. Hilton was standing near a window looking towards the barn when the lightning struck and saw Frank fall. She and the younger son went down there and found him lying on his back. They tried to phone for a doctor but the telephone was burned out and they were unable to get anyone so the little boy ran over to Mr. Dawson’s, a neighbor living about a mile south and summoned aid.
