Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-30
\ CRACKER TORNADO.
Tho Playful Georgia Twislcr Cut Series
Of TINciV TaDFra,


of IdNciy raprrs.
Colonel Richard Malcolm Johnston, tlso
writer ctSouihern plantation sketches; tells
some wonderful stories about Georgia
weather He admits that he would not be-
leve them himself were II not for his I'M
bounded faith in everything Georgian in
general and his personal knowledge and
unlimited confidence In the yeracity Of the
men who told him the stories In particular
II heard them, " he said, while on avisib
TO my old home IN Hancock county, Ga,
some years ago, aud / know that they are
true. We had big storm down there
about 10 years ago The folks called it .
hurricane; the weather men said IL was
tornado. But. hurricane or tnrnHdo II cut
some queer old capers. Colonel Humber
over In Putnam county saw the Storm com.
ing up aud knew it was going to be big
one. There We're number OF ladies az his
house, and of course his first thought was
for them, 30 he got them all safely in thelr
rooms and went down into the large hail
which ran through his house and shut the
door.
Now, Colonel Humber Is big man
weighs about 90 pounds. When he got
down stairs he fonnd tue storm was blow
Ing through his hallway, and before he
knew what had happened It had picked
him up, Carried him out on his lawn and
laid him down-uor roughly, hut gently.
Al the same time IL took heavy stone and
brick chimney on the house and laid II on
top Of him TO keep him In place II didn't
throw the chimney on him, but laid 10
down with 50 little force that only his les
was broken. In moment or two another
gust came along, picked up the chimney
Il Ia a 90 d.
crawlpd back iu,o the house.
That same storm went little farther
ontili it came 10 d barn IN which were two
horses, two mules aud two cows These
were in separate compartments with n
whirl the roof Of the barn was taken oil "a
cleWt Hs whistle aud carried away, and
while the stool; was wondering what had
happened u section OF the storm went In
the top Of that barn, lifted those horses aud
mules and cows high mp IN the air and set
them down again without hurting one Oh
them. But The queer part of the proceed
ing was that when IL had those animals IN
the air the tornado changed their position
50 that when 10 set them on their feet the
mules were where the cows had been, tho
COWS were IN the horses apartments aud
the horst, were occupying thcnules' stalls.
but that storm hadn't finished cutting
mp is caper, 10 struck q house In the same
COUNTY aud made its way into lady =
chamber \ bdrcau was standing against
tile wall, hayiug un liza lot Of such tiHpA
and iriuAG, as ladies' usually haye-cus.
mctigs, bottles, and 80 on. a bandhox Wi;h
u few lncrs inside was sJauimg By is side.
The Wind ,ook that bureau, mbvsi IL to
another part OF The room, hut didn't distgrh
the sandbOX. 1t went into another lady's
room, picked up trunk filled with cloth.
ing, carried It out Of a window aud wHfted
it over inlO Hancock couuty-niy own
county -Hld deposited 1t in II field 4nmiles
away from The house from which It had
hCcn taken. 10 was louud there uubrokcn
tie next day and returned To The owner,
Whusc initials were stenCiltl un lis end.
am glad however, remarked the genial
colonel as he Niprd his forehead, THAT tla
storm Gidut carry thay truul. more tHGu
4umiles couldn't have believed another
mile
Georgia Is great state, he continued,
but even such stuflus as that do not ocpur
often 10 prove that such queer things do
happen, there 10 a section OF Telegraph
pole in the museum OF thc statcuniyers!ty.
This pole has light cypress Single stick
INK through il, about half Of it projecting
from each side That shingls was picked
mp In storm and blown clear through he
telegraph pole and lefr sticking there -
Baltimore san.