Friday’s Statesville Morning Ledger says that tragedy staled into a humble home on the outskirts of Statesville late Thursday afternoon and snatched away in death a young mother, leaving her three months old babe at her breast unscathed.
A sudden stroke of lightning killed Mrs. Lois Bass, wife of Burkett Bass, during the severe electrical and rain storm Thursday afternoon and in its rash act left the child in her arms untouched.
The Bass family of three lived in a little cottage in the new ‘Sherrill addition about 3 ½ miles from Statesville on the Taylorsville road. Happy and content there yesterday morning, sorrow reigned before darkness in the evening.
Just as the young father was returning from his daily task yesterday afternoon, a storm was brewing; frightened by the heavy hanging clouds in which death lingered to claim her, his wife had already called in a neighbor, Mrs. A.F. Wilson. Mr. Wilson reached home about the same time and went to the Bass residence.
Mr. and Mrs. Bass with the Wilsons were seated in the front room of their home when the sudden crash came. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson had been called in the latter said because Mrs. Bass feared the storm. All four were in the midst of a conversation when the flash snuffed out the life of one of the four persons, shocked the other three and left the child unharmed.
Mr. Bass was knocked to the floor and as soon as the others recovered from the shock they first turned their attention to him. It was a few seconds before they noticed that Mrs. Bass was still seated motionless. It was about this time that the child fell to the floor and was recovered by Mrs. Wilson. Mr. Wilson came to Statesville immediately for a physician.
Dr. L.O. Gibson rushed to the home. Upon examination he pronounced Mrs. Bass dead. Her husband had practically recovered from the shock of the lightning. Examination of the baby by the physician failed to reveal any injuries suffered I either from the stroke or in falling to the floor.
The lightning struck the roof of the little home near the eve on the south side. For a distance of 10 feet it ploughed its way to the metal comb and traveled down this to the flue on into the room where the four people were. Mrs. Wilson stated that Mrs. Bass was nearer the fireplace than the others. A papered wooden screen before the fireplace was shattered near the top, apparently where the lightning had left the boards and jumped to the body of its victim.
Shingles were torn from the roof in a strip about five inches wide from near the edge of the eve to the comb where it connected with the metal. A brick pillar beneath the house was also shattered, and it is believe by those who viewed the house that the lightning first struck the pillar and then went up the side wall. There were no burned marks on the body of Mrs. Bass. No blaze whatever was called by the stroke.
Mr. Wilson said that the stroke came suddenly and blinded him. He caught himself as he half fell from the chair in which he was seated and immediately went to Mr. Bass when he heard him groan. According to his statement, Mrs. Bass did not utter a sound and it was several seconds before he or his wife discovered that she had been struck.
Mr. Bass had just gone home from Statesville, where he is employed by the city. Wilson also reached his home about the same time. Mrs. Wilson had already gone to the Bass home and called Mr. Wilson to come down there, since Mrs. Bass was afraid of the storm, which was just beginning to reach its height.
From the front page of The Mooresville Enterprise, Thursday, September 17, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn93064798/1925-09-17/ed-1/seq-1/
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