109 Years Ago
The July 1, 1915 Colorado Transcript described the untimely death of “William Smith, a well-known Golden man.” Mr. Smith and his wife had been standing at a window of their home in south Golden, watching a lightning storm. They then sat on the couch and began reading the Sunday paper.
Suddenly, there was a particularly bright flash of lightening. The house shook and Mr. Smith sank back, dead. His clothes were on fire and his right arm was badly burned. Lightning had struck him in the back of the neck, leaving a small red spot.
The lighting had made a 1 inch hold in the wall of the room in which Smith died. The entire house was badly damaged by the lightning bolt: every window was shattered, and a large piece of the concrete foundation was broken loose.
Mrs. Smith had been sitting with her arm around her husband’s shoulders when he was struck, but she was unscathed.
