Wallace Christian Church

LULU WASSON BELLIS

Source: Grace Newnum Obituary Scrapbook

Lulu Wasson Bellis, only child of Howard and Mary Wasson was born near 
Rockville, Parke County, Ind August 30, 1878. Later she came with her 
parents to the vicinity of Wallace this county. She was married to Johnnie 
Bellis of Wallace May 23, 1894. To this union one child, Charles was born 
who with his father and grandparents survive to mourn her loss together 
with a host of relatives and friends. She early became a member of the 
Freedom Christian Church and later when she moved with her husband 
to Wallace she became a member of the Christian congregation there. 
She has been a devout christian throughout her entire life, and was 
actively engaged in preparing an entertainment for church when she 
received the fatal bolt of lightning which came so near causing the death 
of so many years. All that medical aid could do was cone to revive her 
but without avail as the stroke had been instantly fatal. Her death coming 
so sudden was a terrible shock to her family and parents and the 
sympathy of the entire community goes out to them.


Source: Covington Republican August 24, 1906

An Awful Calamity Horrible Accident Happens In Village Of Wallace 
Lightening’s Peculiar and Dreadful Work Bolt Descends on Church and 
Kills Mrs. John Bellis

One of the most peculiar, sad and tragic accidents occurred about 
2 o’clock Friday afternoon in the pretty little village of Wallace that has 
ever befallen our duty to chronicle, and that community is shocked as it 
never was before. Not that there have not been more horrible calamities 
befallen them but the peculiar nature of Friday afternoon’s tragic event 
will never efface itself from the memories of they who were witnesses. 
It was about three o’clock that a message was received at this office that 
the Christian church in Wallace had been struck by lightening and that it 
was impossible to ascertain how many of a party of ladies who were in 
the church had been killed. We hastily secured a verification in part of the 
report, and were soon upon the scene where we secured the following 
facts; The Ladies’ Aid Society were arranging to give an entertainment in 
the near future, and in accordance with previous arrangements a meeting 
was held in the church Friday afternoon to practice a broom brigade drill 
which they intended to give. They had hardly begun the practice when a 
severe electrical and rain storm came up, and although they were badly 
frightened they continued the drill. There were in the party Mrs. Ira 
Wilkinson, Mrs. Dee Shoaf, Miss Ura Shoaf, Mrs. Clint Wilkinson, Ada 
Lowe, Mrs. Clifford Cole, Maggie Bowman, Misses Inez and Annis Starns, 
Miss Ella Wooley, Mrs. Edgar Shoaf, Mrs. Austin Fine, Mrs. John Bellis and 
Miss Maud Shoaf a visitor. The party being lead by one of their number 
was marching around the pulpit in threes when suddenly a terrific crash 
came, a noise so deafening, the building was filled with bluish flames, 
timbers and window glasses were hurled in all directions and every 
member of their party was thrown prostrate to the floor. As some of 
them who were less shocked than others arose, they said they could hear 
nothing, but in the mist could see their friends lying as if dead. Soon they 
who partially revived began calling for help and Dee Shoaf, Lee Philpott 
and Ira Wilkinson arrived quickly on the scene, as they were confident 
that lightening had struck in that vicinity and feared it was the church. 
The feeling of the men cannot be described as all that was dear to them 
was in the building and it seemed that all had been killed; they rushed 
inside and found several of the ladies able to stand up. Some of them 
were so dazed they did not know what they were doing and ran 
screaming outside into the heavy rain. Mrs. Philpott was found sitting on 
the edge of the pulpit. She was severely shocked, her right shoe and the 
foot of her stocking had been torn from her foot and it was some time 
before she revived. Mrs. Ura Shoaf had received a severe shock. She was 
thrown quite a distance. Her dress caught fire and a heavy piece of 
timber off of the window casing had struck her in the head, but she soon 
revived. Mrs. John Bellis was thrown clear off the platform falling beside 
the seat. She gave a gasp after they reached her and she was dead. Mrs. 
Philpott and Miss Shoaf were marching locked arms and while they 
escaped with severe shocks it is a wonder they were not killed also. The 
lightening struck in the cone of the roof at the rear end. It seemed to be 
forked as it evidently hit on two places. The roof and ceiling are 
supported with iron rods reaching from one to the other and one bolt 
struck directly on a rod. This rod evidently carried the bolt of lightening 
to the ceiling where it tore a large hole in the plastering and descended 
to a spot directly over which the pulpit when in place stands and that was 
where poor Mrs. Bellis was standing, when the fatal bolt descended and 
in an instant took the spark of life from her. The other bolt must have 
jumped to the side of the building and ran down between the weather 
boarding and plaster going into the ground, although part of one of them 
tore the facing off of the windows, broke three large panes of glass out 
of the east and two out of the west side windows, threw the timber and 
glass all over the rostrum and followed a wire in which was used a 
curtain for the entertainers across the room from one window to the 
other. It simply melted the wire into fragments and the particles that fell 
on the fine pulpit carpet were so hot that they burned holes in it. It was 
but a few moments after the horrible accident had occurred before there 
was the wildest confusion in the village. The rain was falling in torrents 
but people were running in all directions, while the women who had 
passed through the awful affair were shocked and excited until they 
could not restrain their screams. Both Drs. Wert and Caplinger arrived 
promptly on the scene, and they worked with Mrs. Bellis for over an 
hour, but they could do nothing for her–she was past their medical skills 
while many were looking after they who were in the church, others ran 
for ladders, and soon Eston Wilkinson was on top of the church with two 
fire extinguishers, and it was good that he was prompt as the church was 
afire; the extinguishers worked well and he soon had the fire out. An 
examination of the body of Mrs. Bellis did not show any marks except a 
red one on the right temple and one over the heart, it being the theory 
that the bolt entered at the temple and passed out of the body and the 
remnant striking Mrs. Philpott’s shoe. As soon as it was seen that life was 
extinct her remains were taken to the residence of Dee Shoaf, as her 
husband was in the country, and kept there until his arrival when they 
were taken to her home. A peculiar incident in connection when the 
storm came up, many of the ladies wanted to go to Mr. Shoaf’s residence 
which is across the street until it subsided, as they said it was dangerous 
to be in a church during a storm. Mrs. Bellis objected to going as she said 
that she was afraid of the telephone wires, the exchange being in Mr. 
Shoaf’s residence. The scene at the church when The News visited it in 
company with the sorrow stricken citizens almost beggars description. 
The edifice is a beautiful structure and is the pride of the good people of 
the county and the awful calamity is the much more keenly felt under the 
circumstances in which it occurred. It would be impossible to give a 
reasonable description of the scene of the few horrible seconds when the 
tongues of lightening were spitting in all directions; the debris glass and 
timbers falling all around them as they fell prostrate on the rostrum 
where they have to worship. No pen is able to describe that scene. None 
but they who passed through it can ever understand the horrors it caused 
or why the poor unfortunate woman should be chosen to meet such a 
tragic death. She was marching at the time arm in arm with Mrs. Lee 
Philpott and Ura Shoaf and as will be noticed they were the greatest 
suffers, though we are glad to say with no serious results. Mrs. Lula 
Bellis, wife of John Bellis and daughter of Howard Watson, was 28 years 
of age. She leaves besides her husband a son, aged 10. She was a good 
Christian, loved and respected by everyone, and her death in any manner 
would be sadly mourned. As it is in the county is bowed in grief as it 
never was before. All the other ladies are greatly shocked, some of them 
suffered almost nervous prostration and it will be some time before they 
are fully recovered while time can never efface the horrible memories of 
the dreadful calamity that befell their village on Friday afternoon, 
Aug. 17, 1906 .


From Michael Bowman (as is above article about the church fire) -- 
definition and origin of a “broom brigade drill” “From the day it reopened 
after the Civil War, in 1867, the University of Minnesota enrolled women 
in its classes. Only the third state college to admit women, the sexes 
shared classrooms and college experiences. Men at the University could 
play football, join the debate club, and enjoy the liberties of youth; 
women at the U were given "a room of their own," in the form of a 
ladies' lounge in Old Main, that was strictly off-limits to men. Of course 
the ladies are entitled to the advantages of military drill and we are glad 
that they have made known their wishes to the faculty. A 'broom brigade' 
will doubtless add materially to the value of the University as an 
educational center." The "broom brigade" made its first public appearance 
in March 1889 and was quickly adopted by groups of women across the 
nation. I find it hard to believe two things: 1. I cannot visualize my 
Grandmother performing close order military drill. 2. That in the 16 years 
that I knew my Grandmother, she never talked about this event nor did I 
ever think to ask her. I had heard of a woman being killed in the church.