The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-02-17
CAPERS OF A GEORGIA STORM
A Sort of Kindly Carefulness Character
lied All Its Franks.


A Sort of Kindly Carefulness Character.
lied 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
it not for his unbounded faith in every
thing Georgian in general, and his per-
sonal knowledge and unlimited con-
fdence in the veracity of the men who
told him the stories in particular.
Il heard them," he said, while on a
visit to my old home in Hancock coun-
ty, Georgia, some years ago, and |
know that they are true. We had a
big, storm down there about ten years
ago: the folks called il hurricane,
the weather men said it was tornado.
But. hurricane or tornado. it cut some
queer old capers. Col. Humber, over
in Putnam county. saw the storm COM
ing up and knew it was going to be
big one. There were number OF la
dies 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 big man
weighs about two hundred pounds.
When he got down stairs he found the
storm was blowing through his hall
way, and before he knew what had
happened it had picked him up, carried
him out on his lawn, and laid him down
not roughly. but gently. At the same
time il took a heavy stone and brick
chimney off the house and laid il on
top of him 10 keep him in place II
didn't throw the chimney on him, but
laid il down with SO little force that
only his leg was broken. In momen.
or two another gust came along, picked
up the chimney and carried il off, and
Col. Humber crawled back into the
house.
That same storm went q little
further on till it came TO a barn in
which were two horses, two mules,
and two COWS. These were in separate
compartments. With whirl the roof
of the barn was taken of as clean a.
whistle and carried away, and while
the stock was wondering what had
happened, section Of the storm went
in the top Of that barn. lifted those
horses and mules and cows high up in
the air and set them down again with
out hurting one OF them. Bat the
queer part Of the proceeding was that
when II had those animals in the air
the tornado changed their position sc
that when il set them on their feet the
mules were where the cows had been.
the cows were in the horses apart
ments. and the horses were occupying
the mules stalls
But that storm hadn't finished cut
ting up its capers. II struck honse
in the same county and made is way
into lady's cham Der. A bureau was
standing against the wall. having on !
il a lot OF sueh traps and trixets a. la
dies usually hsye-cosmefis. bottles I
and 50 on. 4 baudbox with q few
laces inside was standing Dy its SIDE /
20 another part of the room, bat didn't /
disturb the band box I: wen; iato an /
other iady's room, picked mp trunk 1
filed with clothing. carried IL out Of |
window, and waited IL over into Han /
cock counfy-rny own county-and de- 1
posted 1t IN field forty miles away /
from the house from which Il had 1
been taken. II was found there
unbroken the next asy and i
returned TO the owner. whose initials 1
were stenciled on its end zrn glad. /
remarked the genial colonel. /