hy a stroke of Lightning. 101 



introduced me to Mr. Leffers himself, who is still living on 

 the eastern coast of this state, and has attained the age of 

 eighty-four years. As was anticipated, the marvellous cir- 

 cumstances reported of the case have dwindled away to a 

 small compass ; but enough, perhaps, remains to render 

 the case somewhat interesting to those who cultivate the 

 study of medical electricity. 



I beg leave to give the facts in the language of Mr. Lef- 

 fers himself, only premising, that I have received the most 

 ample and satisfactory testimonials of his perfect integrity, 

 particularly from the Rev. Mr. Arendell of Beaufort, who 

 characterizes his life " as affording a model of every vir- 

 tue." The presumption, also, that the facts, as related by 

 himself, may be relied on, is strengthened by the simpli- 

 city of his narrative, divested as it is of all those marvel- 

 lous appendages, with which common report had amplified 

 and embellished the story. The account is as follows. 



"In the summer of 1806, waking after a night of quiet 

 rest, I felt an unusual numbness in the left side of my face. 

 I was not alarmed, thinking it might be occasioned by lying 

 too long on that side; but on rising, I felt the effects more 

 painfully — I could not throw the spittle from my mouth 5 

 and found great difficulty in speaking ; my eyehd was per- 

 manently fixed, while the eye remained open, and I was 

 unable to close it. These symptoms made me apprehen- 

 sive of having received a stroke of the palsy. After 

 some time, the disorder abated in other parts, and centered 

 in the eye, which, remaining uncovered both by day and 

 night, was exposed to constant injury. 



" Such was my situation until the 10th of August follow- 

 ing, when, as I was walking my floor during a thunder- 

 storm, I was struck down by lightning. After lying sense- 

 less fifteen or twenty minutes, (as it appeared,) I revived so 

 far as to be sensible of my situation, and to perceive the 

 objects around me. I recovered the use of my senses and 

 of my limbs, by degrees, during the remainder of the day 

 and night, and felt so well the next day, that J was inchned 

 lo give to a distant friend, an account of what had happen- 

 ed. I expected my letter would be short and imperfect 

 through want of eye-sight ; but was most agreeably sur- 

 prised to find myself able to write a long letter without the 



