Blalock Crouch, twenty three year old son of Judge S. D. Crouch, was struck by lightning and instantly killed, while plowing upon his father’s farm, a mile and a half west of Nashville, about 4 o’clock, possibly a little before, Friday afternoon.

Details of the tragedy were hard to get Saturday. It seems that Blalock and his brother Archie were plowing in the field, close together, when a small thundercloud came over from the southwest. A sudden keen flash and this young men and horses were knocked flat upon the ground. Archie remained unconscious, he doesn’t know how long. When he regained consciousness, he saw his brother Blalock lying upon the ground, not far away. He made his way to the house as soon as possible, and told his father and mother of the tragedy. Blalock’s team was killed by the shock, along with their master.

It was, in truth, a thunderbolt from a clear sky, falling upon the little community.

Blalock Crouch was twenty-three years old, handsome of person, and of a most sunny and lovable disposition. His parents were distracted to see their boy, stricken down in the very flower of his young manhood. The people in Nashville and vicinity, who had known him since he was a curly headed prattler, were dazed and stunned by the awful suddenness of the catastrophe.

It was just about a year ago, when the well known citizen, Willie Shapley was struck by lightning as he went to close the door of his hay barn, and his body was burned to a crisp. He lived three miles east of Nashville.

Last May, a young man was killed near Milo, between NeVada and Sheldon, by a bolt of lighting, as he drove a riding plow across the corn field.

Oliver Dumm, who lives in the north part of Nashville township, some three miles west and five miles north of the Crouch home, said Saturday, "We were threshing in our neighborhood, and saw this cloud, off in the west. We were about to quit once, but it didn’t come over to us. In a few minutes word came over the ‘phone that Blalock had been killed"

Blalock Crouch was named by his parents in honor of Rev. Blalock, the well known revivalist and minister of the Christian Church, who lived for many years in Lamar. His parents being both devout members of the Christian church, and admirers of Rev. Blalock, they named their third son in his honor.

THE OBITUARY

A thousand people attended the funeral of Blalock Crouch, at his father’s home east of Nashville, Sunday afternoon. Rev. Harry Cooke of Lamar delivered the funeral sermon. Vehicles and teams were jammed along the fence as closely as they could be packed, for half a mile. The services were conducted in the yard which was packed with people.

Blalock Crouch, who was killed by bolt of lightning, Friday afternoon, was twenty-four years old. He was to have been married in a few weeks to the youngest daughter of Mrs. Will Parker of Nashville. A death more tragic and heart breaking has never occurred in that little community.

The bolt of lighting tore the clothing almost from the young man’s body, but the skin was not broken at any point, and his fine handsome features, as he lay in his casket, were fair and natural as life.

Judge Crouch and his wife were preparing to drive to a neighbor’s when the keen clap of thunder came. For some reason they did not start for a few minutes, the Judge remarking that he hoped the boys would come on in from the field.

Presently, his younger son Archie came running up from the field. The moment his father saw him, he knew the boy was coming to tell of a tragedy. He drove to the field immediately, picked up his son, who was stone dead, put his lifeless form into the buggy and took it to the house.

Those who attended the funeral from Lamar were Rev. Harry Cook, Mrs. Alice Houston, Judge Allen, Miss Mellie Allen, Recorder Pahlow, Sheriff Evilsizer, and Walter Evans.

The casket was fairly backed with flowers. On very beautiful floral offering was sent by the young friends of the deceased in Pittsburg.

The first two are from the Lamar paper. I don’t know where this was from, Joplin or perhaps Pittsburg or who knows. I do know the woman who saved these three pieces of newspaper was Mrs. Parker’s youngest daughter. The three pieces were stitched together with pink thread. They are in much better shape than it appears here. I’m working from a scan of a photocopy. There is no particular indication that they were looked at often, but they had been stored somewhere with care. The younger Miss Parker did marry and had children. One of them was Wayne Peterson, who was my father’s best friend. After she died these clippings were found among her possessions and Wayne gave them to me.  In a really curious symmetry, Miss Parker’s other son now owns the old Crouch home place and that field where Blalock was killed.