The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-05-02
SPRINGDALE, Neb., APP


Fp. JOURNAL: As 4 have large
circle Of acquaintance in your vicini-
ty | would like to inform them
through your columns of one Of the
most perilous and destructive storms
that was ever known in Nebraska.
1t commenced raining the 10th inst,
turning to snow in the evening with
high wind from the north--snowing
and blowing for three nights and
days-the snow SO filling the air that
no object could be discerned at ten
feet distance.
A number of people perished and
one-quartcr of all the stock is esti-
mated to have been lost as,far as the
storm reached. Seven persons OF
my acquaintance perished by ventur-
ing out TO reach some near point for
assistance or TO be more comfortable.
One man, wife and daughter were
chilled to death attempting to make
a neighbor's house; one child two
years old survived the storm. When
found it was encircled by its dead
mothers arms and the sister, dead,
lying upon her lap, about half a nile
flDm home; the man some three
miles in an opposite direction from
the point he attempted to make. TO
all appearance he had wandered
about until his strength was ex-
hausted.
4 mother and two young ladies
being left alone, the roof blew off the
house; the children started out for
assistance, making no point they de-
sired. One died after being out in
the storm for forty-eight hours, the
OGher fell exhausted in sight of a
house and being seen by the inmates
was taken in and is doing VI She
tells heartrending tale of their suf-
ferings-her clothing being mostly
torn from her. The mother, starting
III pursuit of the girls, was found
dead a short distance from home.
The Indians, supposed to be Sioux.
had made raid in our neighborhood
six days before the storm commenced,
taking what stock they could get
handy and capturing eleven horses.
Fortunately l lost nothing. The
Indians showed no violence to. the
settlers until pursued by party Of
the settlement on whom when over
taken they opened fire. The pursuing
party retreated a mile to a ravine
and returned their shots for about
an hour, knocking one Indian from
his horse, upon which the rest retreat
ed. The supposed wounded Indian
lay for a moment upon the ground,
then got up and mounting his pony
rode off at a slow walk until he over
took the rest of his party, which had
halted half mile off. They went off
together, the settlers returning home.
The soldiers were ordered out to pro-
tect the settlers
Sixty cavalrymen were caught out
in the storm; fortunately they struck
a house where they could all get in
by standing up. They suffered in
tensely though none of them perish
ed but they lost heavily in stock
twenty-seven horses and four mules.
MANY of the settlers lost all their
stock and there are few but have lost
some by not being prepared for the
storm or not looking after their stock
in time.
Stock will always 60 with the wind
III these storms unless they be OBJ
structed; many were found in the
Loup and Platte rivers. One man
on Wood river lost two hundred
head, another ole hundred and thir-
ty-two; one on Loup, near me, lost
thirty-nine ponies and sixteen head
of horned cattle. / lost no stock by
the storm.
The spring is later by one month