Aberdeen Weekly News Friday, Jun 28, 1894
Nina Swift
DEATH BY LIGHTNING
Sad Loss of Life in the Country Northwest - Miss Swift Instantly Killed
The storm yesterday afternoon brought great sadness and desolation to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Swift, residents of the country twenty miles northwest of Aberdeen. In its early stages Miss Nina Swift, an accomplished and well educated young lady of 18 years, was instantly killed by a lightning strike.
Mr. Swift was in Aberdeen on business and his daughter, who had but just returned home from school work at Bath, undertook to care for the stock about the place. She went to a pasture in which a number of horses were running and parting the wires of the fence was about to enter when the bolt, presumably running along one of the wires, struck her near the lower part of the face and followed her right arm and hand to the ground. There were marks on her body near the mouth, right hand and on the arm.
When she was missed, a younger brother found her as related with life quite extinct. Drs. Duncan, of this city, and Gamble, of Westport, who were called, believe that death was instantaneous.
Miss Swift, who was a niece of John Fletcher of this city, and was pretty well known here, was a fine scholar and gave promise of making one of the best teachers in this part of the west. She had taught several terms with great success and always stood particularly well in her examinations. Her loss will, therefore, be heavily felt not only by her relatives but by hundreds of associates in school work. She was a graduate of the Madison, Wis., high schools and had acquired proficiency in studies and pursuits generally connected with higher institutions of learning. The funeral services will be held on Saturday.
~Transcribed by volunteer researcher, Kathy Smith