St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-07
KILLED IN A PRISON,
Deadly Work by a Cyclone
at the Capital City Of
Louisiana.
Penitentiary Buildings in
Ruins and Ten Prison.
epS Dead.
Thirty-six Injured, Many Of
Whom Are Expected
to Die.
Much Damage Done, But No
Fatalities in the City
Itself.

BATON ROUGE, La, July Ga ter
ribe cyclone struck this city a little
after o'clock this morning, passing
from southwest to northeast. 1t entered
the city at the Garig brick yard, passed
up through Catfshtown, and struck the
hill just to the east of John JOhnston's
residence. Its path continued in a
northeasterly direction, crossing North
boulevard hundred yards to the east
of the governors mansion. 1t then
went north, striking the penitentiary
building and the j. A. Dougherty resi-
dence on North street, and then beyond
the city. The cyclone was 500 yards
wide and ricochetted along its course,
devastating as it went. In the city no
one was killed, though several persons
were seriously injured. At the state
penitentiary, which is partially wrecked,
ten convicts were killed and thirty-five
injured, five of these very dangerously.
The following is a
List of the Dead:
ISAAC McCLELLAND, Calcasiu-
j. A-WAGGoNER. Claiborne.
FRED CAGE, 0uachita.
JAMES VAN METER, Latchitches.
JOHN GIBSON, New Orleans.
WILLIAM WILLOW, New Orleans.
The above were all whites. Gibson
was one of the Mealey murderers.
These four were colored:
NATHAN CHANCEY, East Feliciana.
HENRY CALEsTINE, New Orleans.
BEAUREGARD HARDoN, RoSser.
EDWARD BUCKNER, Caddo.
The Wounded.
From New Orleans, all white-Louis Claire,
M. j. Finegan, Henry Mckay, James Molio,
John Duffy John O'Leary. Charles Summer
field, l.. H, Durley and James Vallare.
Colored from New Orleans-Jake Jones,
Samuel Jackson, Major White and William
Gibson.
Powell C.. NJ. Young, T. B. Stewart. Gus
Block, A L. Gurnetf, d. A. Campell, j. P.
Bolan, Phelix Richards, Marion Perkins,
Walter Douglass, John Foley Frank Aaron,
John Farland, Meiie O'Neal and Alexander
Ferrell, all white, and Oscar Phillips, Will
lam Perry, Henry Dorson, Borie Peterson,
Robert Comeaux, Harrison Allen and Will
lam Scott, colored. Total wounded, 81.
Of the number wounded six are ex-
pected to die, and the recovery of sew
eral of the others is extremely doubtful.
The total damage to the penitentiary
buildings is estimated at $4,000.
Death Was Sudden.
The convicts were at work in the
jeans pants factory, third story of the
north wing, when the storm strnck the
building and entirely demolished the
second and third stories. There were
others in the hospital in the second
story, and it is a miracle that any
escaped with their lives. John Rhodus.
one of the guards, was sitting III third
story window opening TO the south, when
HI INl
with bricks and other debris. He es-
capped uninjured. EX-Judge I. j. Ford
was in the cOmmissary on the first floor
when the building collapsed. lie says
he got near wall and stood still, NUT
tering a prayer, as he felt that his hour
had come. When the materials quit
falling he saw an opening, and escaped
on his hands and knees into the yard
uninjured. He Immediately went to
work to save and to assist others less
fortunate. In addition to the north
wing, the cell building was unrOofed
and partially destroyed. The women's
ward was also unroOfed. 1t is impos-
sible to form any estimate of the dam
age to the buildings, as all the property
is more or less injured. There were
forty prisoners at work i'll the pants
factory at the time of the crash, and of
that number
Six Were Killed
and twenty-five wounded and horribly
crushed. On the second story or cen
tral floCr was the hospital, where twenty
sick prisoners lay undergoing medical
treatment, of which number four were
killed and fourteen seriously, If not
fatally. injured. The fire alarmi was
sounded and the entire fire department
was summoned to the scene of the
dreadful catastrophe, and together with
the citizens and prison officials, aided
by the uninjured prisoners. worked Wig
orously for the rescue of the I'M
fortunate souls who lay, some dead and
others dying, confined under the great
heap of debris that was strewn over
every quarter of the premises. Scenes
of the greatest imaginable horror
greeted the eye of those engaged in the
reculng work. and the pitiful walls and
death groanS from the men buried out
OF sight by massive heaps of brick and
mortar could be heard arising from
every part of the wreck, lmploring
help, and altogether the scene was
heartrending. The storm was attended
by most violent rain. in which the res
cuers worked and toiled for several
hours, until both the living and dead
were extricated from the ruins.
In the City.
fifty houses at least were unroofed or
destroyed. j. 81. Young and members
of his family were seriously hurt by the
collapse of their house on st. Charles
street. Mrs. Cotton. son aud two daugh-
tiers, living in brick house on Main
street, opposite, were injured in the
falling of the building. Mrs. Cot
ton received a dangerous blow on
the back of the head, and also in
ternal injuries, while one of the girls
was cut on the leg. Mrs. Cotton, it is
thought, will recover. There were no
others seriously hurt. Shade trees on
many of the streets were uprOoted. A
visit to the capitol and other state build
ings showed them to be unharmed by
the winds, as was the business portion
of the town on Main and Ferd streets
unaffected by the mad storm. The
southern portion of the city, styled
"Catfsh Town." suffered great loss and
damage of property. In this section of
the city several persons were seriously
hurt and bruised by flying timbers from
falling houses and fences. The drug
store of B. A. Day was completely de-
molished and gutted of its contents, the
loss amounting to $1,000. Several of the
small groceries in this vicinity were de-
stroyed.X .XThe brickyard of Garry, Reddy
& Company was damaged, but the loss
is covered by insurance, which Is the
only storm policy held by those dam
aged. The damage throughout the city
cannot accurately be estimated at this
time, but it can be said that 1t is the
greatest loss this town has ever sGs-
tanned from Cyclone or from a fire.