Victim of Lightning at Pageland Last Sunday Evening - Mr. Walter Robinson Also Struck While Standing by Mr. Sowell
Mr. G.R. Sowell of Pageland was instantly killed by lightning at 4:30 Sunday afternoon. He and Mr Walter Robinson of Monro and Mr J.Y. Doster of Pageland were standing in the house of the latter when the tragedy occurred. Mr. Sowell was leaning against one of the posts of the dining room door and Mr. Robinson was leaning on the other, while Mr Doster was standing in the room near by. All were looking out the widow at the rain fall. Mr. Sowell remarking that there was more water in the cotton rows than there had been this summer. These were his last words, for just then the bolt came and he never knew what struck him. Mr. Robinson was knocked down and remained unconscious for some time. Mr Doster was slightly stunned.
The bolt tore a great hole in the roof, tore up a bureau in another part of the house, knocked a lot of weatherboarding off and did other damage.
Mr. Sowell was 66 years old. He was a Confederate Soldier, and was well known in this section for many years. The body was buried yesterday. He is survived by his wife and seven children, all grown. he had just completed three brick buildings in Pageland and had several others there, besides large tracts of land in and near town. The railroad was run through his farm and the town was largely built upon it. He thus became a man of considerable wealth.
No one else was in the house. Just before going into the house they were standing on the piazza, and when a flash of lightning came, Mr. Sowell remarked that he had always been afraid of lightning and had better go in. In five minutes thereafter or less he was dead by the force that he had always dreaded.
The Monroe Journal (NC) Aug 22, 1911