Talbot County GaArchives Obituaries.....Thruston Reader June 16 1905
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Carla Miles cmhistory@mchsi.com August 10, 2003, 11:37 pm

The Talbotton New Era, June 22, 1905

The Talbotton New Era
Thursday, June 22, 1905
Page 7

A Shocking Death

Young Man Killed By Lightning On Friday Afternoon At Miller’s Camp.  Was 
Talking Over The Telephone

One of the most shocking incidents that has occurred in Talbot County for many 
years, happened at the Miller Railroad camp two miles south of Talbotton on 
last Friday afternoon about two o’clock.

Mr. Thruston Reader, a young man twenty-four years of age, in charge of the 
commissary at the camp, was standing at the telephone talking to the central 
office.  The ground in the tent was a little damp and he stood with the 
receiver to his ear and the other hand on the head of an iron bedstead.  While 
in this position, lightning struck the telephone wire somewhere near the camp 
and he was killed in the twinkling of an eye.  A loud report was heard by those 
near the commissary and when they entered, they found Mr. Reader had fallen his 
full length backward on the ground.  At the time of the accident, the 
blacksmith of the camp was the only person in the tent with Mr. Reader.  It 
seems that death was almost instantaneous.  After being struck, he opened his 
eyes one time but was unable to utter a sound.  Doctors were telephoned for at 
once but when they arrived at the camp, they saw that Mr. Reader was dead.

The circumstances of the case render the death of the saddest and most 
deplorable that has ever occurred here.  Mr. Reader was from Silverton, 
Colorado, and came here about a month ago to accept a position with Miller 
Bros.  He had been attending a dental college and would have completed his 
course in another term.  He was here working until the time came for him to 
return to college.

He had only been married for about a year and his young wife was at the camp at 
the time of his death.  She was prostrated with grief by the terrible calamity 
and those who witnessed her suffering will never forget the heartrending scene.

Mr. Reader was a model man and was lived by every man in the camp.  A veil of 
gloom and sadness was thrown over the entire force by his shocking death.

The remains were brought to Talbotton on Saturday morning and shipped to some 
point in Virginia where his mother is buried.  The only relatives of the 
deceased here at the time of his death was his wife and his Uncle, Mr. 
Thruston, one of the resident engineers of the Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic 
Railroad.

*Note - Mr. Reader's first name throughout this article was listed as 
Thruston.  His name may actually be Thurston and be misspelled in the article.

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