The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-14
Seventeen Persons. All COlored, Except Mra
Lusk. Former Resident Of yincennes. Killed.
and More than One Hundred Injured.
YpsiIanti and Other Michigan Towns
damaged Many Thousand Dollars.
Long List Of Killed and Injured as Result Of
the Storm in Missouri - Twenty- Five
Horses Killed BY an Electric Bolt
HAVOC AT RoBINsoNvILLE.

Mississippi Town Wrecked and Burned and
Seventeen Persons Killed.
MEMPHIS. Tenn. April 13.-It Is hardly
possible to exsRgerstc the havoc made by
the tornado and fire &C Robinsonville,
Miss. yesterday. There are parts of two
houses and q water tank still standing
and everything else was razed TO the
ground and most of it burned. The mum,
Der of the killed. so far can be ascer
tanned. is seventeen-one white and six
teen colored. About ten more are injured
two 90 seriously that they arc expected "a
die.
Following 10 the list of killed: Mira
Emma Lusk. white, wife of the night tele-
graph operator; Rev. r. r. ShIpp, of Olivs
Branch. Miss; Isaac Chapman. Benjamin
Ray and mother, Annie Speight. en- infant:
three children of Manuel Murray, Jers
Taylors infant. William Warren. Maria
Smith. four unknown.
The wounded whites are: A. NJ. McCor.
mack and Holmes Heron, internally
and probably mortally; j. +. McNeely.
two ribs broken: Miss Ada SCOTT.
severe scalp wound; Mrs w. B. Morley,
two fngers mashed off: w. b. Morley.
bruised; r. r. Scott. scalp wounds; DR.. N.
Shaw. bruised: Mrs. G. M. Foster. right arm
broken; Oscar Kline, aged sevon. bruised;
Dr. s. V. Taylor's two children. bruised; X.
A McNeely. finger broken. Probably Q
hundred negroes received slight injuries.
but none will die.
One Of the curious features of the storm
was the experience of NE. j. l.. Elliston.
who had 3S-calibre revolver blown out OF
his pocket without suffering any injury.
A man named Mccormack, who was listen.
ing TO Elliston's story. was hit in the breast
by barrel OF -four that was flying through
the air and fatally injured.
Mrs. Emma Lusk. the only white person
killed outright, was the wife of the night
operator. She and her two children and
her husband. who was at home, were in the
house when the storm struck IL Mr. Lusk
and the children were rnhurt The latter
were carried some distance by the wind,
and they were naked when found. Isaac
Chapman was caught In the ruins of his
house and burnGt with three other negroes.
who are among the unknown. One of the
unknown dead is an old negress. Her body
was found In an open field to-day. where II
had apparently been borne away by the
wind. Tbs bodies. with the exception CT
Mrs. Lusk's. which has been prepared for
shipment 20 Vincennes. Ind. are distributed
about in negro cabins north of the town,
and will be buried together. The property
loss will reach S1O0000
The storm struck at 4:10 yesterday even
ing. Two clouds, one from the west and
one from the east. met and then began she
rotary motion peculiar to the tornado.
Everything the whirlwind touched gave
way. Trees. several feet in diameter,
were snapped like reeds and substantially
built houses were crushed like eGG-shells.
The path OF the storm was about four hum
dred yards wide and extended from the
river seven miles west of Robinsonville TO
the hills seven miles east.
A fire started from q stove in Chinese
laundry and bakershop and rapidly spread
through the town. Despite the fact that 10
rained all night and to-day. almost without
cessation. the ruins are still blazing. The
people Of the town passed q terrible night
The women and children were crowded IN
the houses left standing and the men stood
out in the rain. The women and children
were. sent away to-day and there are only
men around the ruins of the place.