St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-08
CONVIGTS DID MOLLY.
Many of the Prisoners at
Baton Rouge Acted Like
Heroes.
Pardons Hay Follow for Some
Of the Leading
Workers.
Three Students Killed by
Lightning in a Maryland
College.
A Tale Of ShipWreck and SUI
fering--The Ravenna
Inquest.

BATON ROTGE, La, July Tine
damage by yesterdays cyclone is even
greater than at first supposed. In this
city the loss is estimated at not less
than 500. COO. The board Of control es-
Inmates the loss at the penitentiary
at 100000. Houses in the track OF
the storm are unrOofed, and in sew
eraI instances completely demolished.
The only persons known thus far to
have been injured are Mrs. Cotton and
Mrs. Young. The former is fatally in
jured. While in her brick house the
storm struck the building and it col
lapsed. The walls fell in on her and
almost completely buried the unfortu-
nate woman. She was rescued by her
neighbOrs but cannot recover.
At the prison, John FooSe. from ST.
Laudin Parish, serving a life sentence
for murder, who was injured, died to-
day. After the storm several of the
conYicts distinguished themselves by
heroic action and labor in behalf OF
their fellow oonvicts, notably eX-Judge
Thomas j. Ford and William j. Buck
ley, serving twenty years sentence
for the murder of Capt. Murphy.
Louis Clare, serving a life sentence for
the murder of Pat MealeY; Edward De-
witt, who was sentenced seven weeks
ago to two years at hard labor for rails
ing an insurance policy from $500 to
81, 400, and appropriating the commits
sion on the additional premium. and who
served from 1861 to 1865 as surgeon in
the army opposed to Lee, rendered
valuable assistance. Before the sur
geons from Baton Rouge arrived Dewitt
had set seven broken legs and num-
Der of fractured arms, and bandaged
almost innumerable cuts. He seemed
TO throw his whole soul into it, and no
doubt to his efforts is due the fact
that more of the unfortunate beings
are alive than would have been
had it been necessary to wait for regu-
lar practitioners. 1t is understood the
board of control will take some action
looking to clemency for number OF
eOnvicts who yesterday showed them
selves worthy of a better fate.
BATON ROUGE, La, July THE
rain that came with the cyclone yester-
day is still pouring. There is in the
whole country no gloomier city to-day
than IS Baton Rouge. a pathway 200
yards wide diagonally across the town
Is Uttered with the wreck of houses, etc.,
that were blown down. Many are home
less but are being cared for by their
more fortunate neighbOTS. The fact
that the rain continues adds much to
the damage, as in those houses which
were simply UnroofeG, furniture is
almost a total loss. The rain has soaked
everything and has washed in the grit
that went with the clouds of dust raised
BY the destruction of the buildings.
At The penitentiary the buildings left
standing are all more or less wrecked,
the only building not unrOofed being
the old machinery hall, in which were
the WOunded-seyeral of them at the
point of death. Ten were almost in
stantly killed. John Fahey, of st.
Landry, died shortly after midnight,
making the eleventh victim. He had
been horribly mangled. The immediate
cause of death was hemorrhage. caused
by the broken ends of several ribs hav-
ing penetrated his lungs and stomach.
Nellie O'Neil, one of the West Baton
Rouge parish bulldOzerS, sent up for
the killing of a negro, and his accom-
plice, Alex. Terrell. are both at the
point of death. Both are badly injured
about the chest and abdomen. 1t is
probable that both of these men will be
dead ere shutdown. There are four
others in much the same condition.
Dewitt, convict, who is an eX-army
surgeon, is doing noble work. not bav-
ing left the wounded since the accident.
In the woman's department there was
no loss of life. but the building is al
most a total wreck. The best of order
prevails among the convicts.
The tug Smoky City, which was
caught in the river about a mile from
the city, passed up to-day. At the time
of the accident she had in tow six emp
ties bound up the river. Capt. Mcclure
said that he had on board at the time
crew of forty-two. A dozen or more
were badly injured, and not man es-
capped without bruises. One negro was
blown overheard and drowned. One
deck hand was severely hurt and sent
by train to New Orleans. The captain
estimates his loss at $4,000, and there
is no insurance. The loss to property
in the city will amount to fully $500
There is but one storm insurance policy
on any of it, and that amounts to but
little. Reports from the country show
that for fourteen or fifteen miles across
the river a swathy full 400 yards wide
was cut. Not a stalk of corn, bit of
fence or building remains standing.
The storm is still raging, and it will be
impossible to get anything like an ac
curate account OF the damage within the
next twenty-four hours.
GLOsTER, Miss, July About s
O'clock this morning a cyclone passed
through the country, three miles from
here. 1t came from the southwest. and
was half a mile wide. Many houses
were destroyed. A negro woman and
her child were killed, and several other
a.