The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-10-18
CAPERs OF A GEORGIA STORM.
A Sort of Kindly CarefuIness Charac-
termed All Its Franks.

Col Richard Malcolm Johnston. the
writer of southern plantation sketches,
tells some wonderful stories about
Georgia weather. He admits that he
would not believe them himself were il
not for his unbounded faith in everything
Georgian in general. and his personal
knowledge and unlimited confidence in
the Veracity OF the men who told him
the stories in particular.
I heard Them he said while on a
visit TO my old home in Hancock county.
Georgia, some years ago, and l know
that they are true We had a big storm
there about ten years ago; the folks
called II hurricane, the weather men
said IL was a tornado. But, hurricane
or tornado. II cut some queer old capers.
Col. Humber, over in Putnam county,
saw the storm coming up and knew IL
was going to be a big one. There were
a number Of ladies at his house and, OF
course, his first thought was for them,
so he got them all safely in their rooms
and went down into the large hall which
ran through his house and shut the door,
Now. Col. Humber is a big man-weighs
amout two hundred pounds. When he
got down stairs he found the storm was
blowing through his hallway and be
fore he knew what had happened IL had
picked him up, carried him out on the
lawn, and laid him down-not roughly.
but gently. At the same time It took a
heavy stone and brick chimney off the
house and laid it on top Of him TO keep
him in place. IL didn't throw the CHM
ney on him, but laid il down with so lit
tie force that only his leg was broken.
In moment or two another gust came
along, picked up the chimney. and car
ried IL off. and Col. Humber crawled back
into the house.
THAT same storm went a little fur
Their on till il came to a barn in which
were two horses, two mules and two
cows. These were in separate compart-
ments. With a whirl the roof of the
barn was taken off as clean a whistle
and carried away, and while the stock
was wondering what had haDpened a
that barn, lifted those horses and mules
and cows high up in the air and set
them down again without hurting one
of them. But the queer part OF the pro-
ceeding was that when IL had those ami
mails in the air the tornado changed their
position so that when IL set them on
their feet the mules were where the
cows had been. the cows were In the
horses apartments, and the horses were
occupying the mules stalls.
But that storm hadn't finished cut
ting up its capers. IT struck a house in
the same county and made its wav into
a lady's chamber a bureau was stand
ing against the wall, having on It a lot
OF such traps and trinkets as ladies
usually have-cosmetics, bottles and so
on. A bandbOX with a few laces inside
was standing by its side. The wind took
that bureau. moved il to another part
of the room, but didn't disturb the
bandbox 1t went into another lady's
room, picked up a trunk filled with
clothing, carried 1t out Of a window. and
waited it over into Hancock county
my own county-and deposited il in a
field forty miles away from the house
from which II had been taken. 1t was
found there Unbroken the next day and
returned to the owner, whose initials
were stenciIled on its end. I am glad
however" remarked the genial colonel.
as he wiped his forehead that the storm
didn't carry that trunk more than forty
miles I couldn't have believed another
mile"
Georgia IS a great state" he con-
tinued but even such storms as this do
not occur often. To prove that such
queer things do happen, there is a sec
ton OF a telegraph pole in the museum
of the state university. This pole has a
light cypress shingle sticking through it,
about half Of il projecting from each
side. That shingle was picked up In a.
storm and blown clear through the tele-
graph pole and left sticking there
Baltimore Sun.