Individual Details

Death

KILLED BY LIGHTNING

Ben H. Behrends Struck by a Thunderbolt, In The Field Last Tuesday.

Ben H. Behrends was instantly killed by lightning last Tuesday morning while engaged in building fence on the August Lund farm in Scotch Grove township where he was a tenant. It seems that Mr. Behrends was working in an open field, and was not near any trees at the time the accident happened. A few moments before the accident he had been talking to Tobias Henrichs, who was engaged in discing in an adjoining field. Shortly after talking with Mr. Henrichs, Mr. Behrends walked back to the point where he was unrolling some barb wire preparatory to making fence.
The lightning struck him on the back of the head. His hat was torn in shreds. A gash about an inch long was made in his skull. The bolt divided, one portion of it hitting his lip, which bled profusely. The other half of the bolt passed across his chest and abdomen, and went thence into his left leg. His underwear, trousers, shoes and stockings on this leg were torn into shreds by the action of the lightning. The shoe was completely ripped to pieces, and little was left of it except the sole. The hair on one side of Mr. Behrends' head was badly burned.
At first it was thought that the lightning had struck the barb wire, and thereafter jumped to Mr. Behrend's body. This was disproved when his body was examined. He wore a pair of gloves which were not burned by the lightning. The accident seemed very unusual in that the bolt struck Mr. Behrends, rather than the barbed wire nearby.
Mr. Henrichs, who was in the ad joining field saw Mr. Behrends fall, immediately after being hit. Mr. Henrichs said that Behrends apparently died without knowing what had occurred. Henrichs immediately called for help, and a group of the neighbors were soon on the scene of the accident. Dr. T. M. Redmond was called from Monticello, and pronounced life extinct. The accident happened at nine minutes to eleven. This was determined by the fact, that the man's watch which was found some distance from his body, was stopped at that time.
There were two severe flashes of lightning Tuesday morning. The second one was apparently stronger than the first, and it was the bolt from this flash, which killed Mr. Behrends. He is the son of Mrs. Henry Behrends of Monticello. He was 31 years of age, October 29, 1923. Mr. Behrends was married to Miss Mabel Lund, June 8, 1921. He served in the World war in the 88th Division. He was first sent to Camp Gordon, July, 1918, and thereafter embarked for England in the following September. He was ready to go over the top, October 30, 1918, when orders came to hold for a while and the armistice followed, which cut off active warfare. Mr. Behrends served in the army of occupation in Germany until September, 1919. He was discharged shortly after that date. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his mother, Mrs. Henry Behrends, two sisters, Mrs. Henry Peters and Miss Anna Behrends, and two brothers, William and Alva Behrends. The funeral services will be held at the family home at one o'clock tomorrow afternoon and final services thereafter at St Matthew's Evangelical L u t h e r a n church in Monticello. Both services will be conducted by Rev. S. M. Ide. Burial will be had at Oakwood cemetery.