The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-10-06
DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.
Terrible Havoc Wrought By The Storm of
Last Evening. North and West
Of Emporia.
Four Persons Killed. A Number Wounded
and Hundreds of Dollars Worth
of PROPERTY DESTROYED,
The Wind, 10 Its Fury. Levels Houses and
Barns TO the Ground. Makes
Clean Sweep of Hay Stacks, 8
and Carries Destruc-
ton in Its Path.

Men heard with blauchcd faces an
with panied hearts Friday the IL
diligence that the storm cloud Ia
again burst with its swift destruction an
death in the vicinity of Emporia, and
that the gathering rain clouds of last
night which had seemed to us
the hearers ofihe kindliest Of heavens
blessings, had within but the distance
OF mile OF two from us, been the CEN
tiers Of devastating fury, and the mcssen-
ger 10 more than one 1ircside of loss, of
pain, and Of death. Those who noticed
lust night at dark, and their iiyid and
disturbed appearance when lit up by the
lurid lightning flashes, feared that this
display of heavens artillery portended q
battle Of contending elements; yetiew
were prepared for the sad news or home
less families, death and destruction of
property that filed their ears this morn
ing, and in spite of unwillingness TO be-
lieve, ere long became a convincing and
painful reality in the minds Of all.
THE FIRST NEWS.
The first intelligence of the disaster was
brought TO Emporia Thursday night by
Messrs. n. f. Ames and Calvin Severy,
who had cone from Che edge of ihestorm
Their statements, full Of serious portent
as they were, yet failed TO disclose the
terrible reality as it was revealed 10
those who promptly repaired tn the
scene of disaster, to render what aid was
in their power TO give. Messrs. Severy
and Ames brought the news that MIR.
French's house, old frey place, which
seems TO have been the center of whirl-
ing vortex, wasentirely demolished, and
that in the accumulated debris either
killed or wounded, were confined the
| bodies of several of the eleven persons
who were on the premises at the time
Drs. Hibben, Slower, Sherbourne and
others were notified and Immediately
started TO the place. 1t was also learned
that Mrs w. F. Ewing had her face Sc
vercly gashed, being thrown by the force
of the storm against a barbed wire fence
/ u hlSldilOC ~ lAiC va AAA
Ames' residence. The experience of
MEssRs. EWING AND sEvERY,
and the ladies who were with them
Mrs. Ewing and Miss Anna Goddard
was, to say the least, somewhat singular
This party, at the time the storm was
impending, were on their way TO Amer
icus, in response to invitations to at
tend wedding Mt that place. The We
hiclc occupied was Mr.. Barwick's larg,
two-seated carriage, which, just aftei
they had passed Mr.. Ames', was sudden
ly, though gently, overturned by thu
force of the storm. Messrs. Ewing ant
Severy directed their attention to pre-
venting the horses from being thrown
against the barbed-wire fence close Il
which they were, while the ladies ei
fected an exit from the rear of the Ear
riagc. All succeeded in getting on tn
side of the fence opposite to the win'
except Mrs. Ewing, who, thou h clingini
TO a post. was repeatedly dashed agains
the fence, her forehead being cut by til
wire quite painfully. Meanwhile boil
team and carriage and Messrs. Ewing
and Severy-a little distance off-seen
to have been lifted overtheience and roll
cd in a northeasterly direction toward
a ravinc some thirty or forty yards di:
tant, the carriage being completely de
molished IN the rapid transit. On tn
return of the gentlemen, as soon as tn
fury OF the storm had somewhat sui
sided and the situation could be under
stood by the aid of the lightning flashes
the party succeeded in reaching Nj
Amos and the two gentlemen, as abov
mentioned, started to Emporia on foo
running nearly all the distance. The
were overtaken soon after starting b
; Mr. French, then on his wa
; for and He detailed to theI
| the occurrences at his house, an
: having run from his place, he was to
much exhaustedto complete the journe
/. to Emporia but stopped at one of III
; residences along the road.
/ AT MIR. FRENCH's HOUSE,
go