AN ELECTRIC SCARE.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1215, 3 January 1883, Page 2

AN ELECTRIC SCARE.

A curious scene was witnessed the other day in Newark, United States. It seems that a certain storekeeper had an electric light hung over the door of his shop. The wire conveying the electricity to the lamp hung outside the huilding, and was connected in a roundabout fashion with some iron posts, to which was attached a fence. Unfortunately, the covering of the wires was worn away, and the electric fluid passed into the fence. A wellknown citizen passing by happened to lean against the fence, unaware that it had become a battery, and in a moment he " uttered a wild wild whoop and danced round the pavement," while his hat rolled into the gutter. These unusual vagaries attracted the attention of the passers by. One, in spite of explanations, declared it was " disgraceful to see an old man drunk in the streets," and another ran off for a policeman. Meanwhile, some of the crowd seized the fence to test the truth of the story, which they found only too true. The policeman arrived amidst a scene of confusion, and thought the affair was a fight. At this point a number of men whose character could not be doubted interfered, and vouched for the truth of the citizen's statement. The policeman gingerly touched the fence with his club, and ' ' that self-same moment the club went whirling around at the end of his electrified arm," while the crowd scattered on all sides to avoid contact wit/h-dt. Fortunately, an electrician ,who happened to be about explained the-^ys^ery, and the current was ii&ne<fesfs!?r''