Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1858-06-11
A village Destroyed.

stantly, ono less than was stated by tele-
graph, and ten moro il was supposed were
mortally wounded. OF these latter, two
died dcxt day, three on Monday evening,
making nineteen in all.
Among the dead arc Mr.. John Hand,
his son, about ten years Of age, and babe,
tho latter Of whom is supposed to have been
drowned. The whole family appear to
havo been whrled with tho fragments of
their dwelling quite up into the air and dc
posted considerable distance from where
the house stood near slough. Mr.. Hand
was carried about fifteen rods, and in his
terrible flight received frightful wound in
his side from timber. He survived till
the next morning. Mrs. Hand had her in
fant in her arms when she struck the
ground, but the conclusion compelled her
let go her hold upon it, and it was tossed
some distance into the slough, where she
heard its cry, but owing TO her severe inju-
ries, was unable TO attempt its rescue
There she remained all night, her person
partly in the water, and in the course of its
dreary watches tho dead body of her infant
drifted to the shore, and she had it in her
arms when discovered in the morning.
Another family named McWiliams, suf-
fcred terribly. Miss Mary Ann McWillams,
about twenty-five; her sister Harriet, aged
about sixteen, and her brother Thomas,
about fourteen, are among tho dead, and
the poor old mother, eighty years of age
the only remaining member of the family,
except some older children who were living
Mt dstance-was very badly injured,-
The boy Thomas was not ct first conscious
Of having received any hurt, and rescued the
body of his older sister from the ruins soon
after tho catastrophe, but he was so badly
injured internally that ho died the next
morning.
! w. E. Thompson, his wife and child, Mrs.
Brazlcton, and her two children, son and
: daughter, Martin Wentworth, Levina Lacey,
Hiram johnson, and child, and two other
persons whose names were unknown to iu-
fornant, made up tho list of the fourteen
instantly killed, comprised in special dis
: patch to us from Monmouth last evening
These embrace all the names of tho dead
which VIC have been able to obtain.
As near as can be ascertained in the con-
fusion which prevailed, about fifty persons
were very seriously and many more slight.
ly injured. Among the injured was Mr.
Samuel Johnson, who has ono leg and three
\ ribs broken.
r Mrs. Ormand, both arms broken, Mrs
{" Sherwood cut and bruised badly, splinter
driven through her thigh. Mrs Finlay
s Mrs. Thompson, and Patrick Shaw, stran
ger, who was picked up in tho road aftcl
Il the STORM was over, were all badly injured
; The only physicians Of tho place were
: Drs. Hawley and Yoko. The former was
with his wife, among tho more seriously in.
d jjured, and the latter, Dr.. Y, was badly hurt
e Both were thus incapacitatcd from render
b ing any assistance to their unfortunate fel
: low citizens, and, as the nearest available
s ,s medical aid was only procured from Mon
mouth after the delays noted elsewhere.
of As soon as tho first shock Of the calami
s ty had passed, and its extent began to b
y y realized, special mcssenger-Mr. Newt
N liams, a brother of the voting lady and tn
in boy who wero killed-was dispatched t
of Monmouth for assistance, where he arrive
s' about o'clock on Monday morning. Th
sad news spread rapidly, and tho who
town was soon astir. Drs. Hamilton, Owe
: steel, McDill and Young, at once volu,
teered their services, and by six o'cloc
ss:: they, accompanied by six teams and abol
he he fifty men on horseback, they proceeded
ne ne the scene Of disaster which they reache
!, !, about ten a. m. The wounded, mcantm
he had been conveyed to neighboring farm
ne houses by tho uninjurcd, and there ii
IT. physicians hastcned to minister to their r.
,yy lief. -.7'F N Q 5'pa
of Tho village was farming communit'
.: and one of the older settlements Of this
ed section, Tho larger share of the structure,
il somc sixty or seventy in number, that cor
Ut stituted the village were ranged on singl
i'd straight street, running in direction allnos
% cast and west, being the main county roa
re running to Mississippi and Burlington
Between the village and the stream was
belt Of timber of oak and walnut, consistin
IN oflarge trees. This timber occupied the ii
n tcrmediato space Of half a milo betwec
q. the village and the stream, extending clos
Il to the vicinity of the village. The surfas
rs Is level prairie thence, extending to MOI
. mouth, twelve miles, dcad level, and in
,s clear day tho Ellison timber can be sec
fe skirting the horizon from Monmouth. /
I. this belt Of timber tho FIST traces of th
i desolating tornado appeared. Sunday Wa
y showcry throughout tho day. AS the a
4 ternoon waned tho sky TO the south-we,
I. had most threatening appearance.
Al heavy bank Of clouds of inky bIacknc:
d seemed to rest upon the very surface Of tn
n prairie; "they seemed to sweep the YER
tv prairie" Mr.. McWilliams noted tho al
Il proach Of the storm from his farmhous
"a about mile north Of the street.
N He saw two threateningly black cloud
:. meet apparently about mile west of th
,e village, with tho widest cominotion, an
Dt move on towards tho village The utmo
ofI alarm filled tho minds OF his own famil
l. and those in adjacent farm houses.
y The tornado struck tho village about hal
past five O'Clock, and during its continuan,
" no rain fell. The houses wero frame stru
ot lures. There was large tavern stand, ar
ls three stores those of Samuel johnson, j
G, seph Knowles and another. The appea
e anes Of the dwellings and structures aft,
d the passage Of the whirlwind is described b
a. one eyewitness "as if one should tear
pieces and scatter q lumber yard" c
roofs and walls, and tho various structures
IN there was seen in many instances scarcely