Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-03-21
CYLONE IN TEXAS.
A Large Family Almost Exter-
minated.

LoNev1Ew, Tex, March 1S.-A
cyclone swept over this place at
3 o'clock this morning, accom-
panied by hailstones of immense
size. The greatest fury was six
miles east of here, where it struck
the large country house of John
Cain lately occupied by large
family of negroes. The house
was in an ancient grove of oaks,
twenty in number. Every one OF
them we're torn up and piled up
in terrible confusion with dead
fowls, dogs and COWS, and five
dead, and eight badly wounded
negroes. Old man Alexander
Lester was found fifty yards away
entirely nude ard dead. His wife
Sarah, was pinned under a tree,
mangled and dead. Alexander
Lester, ,'Jr., was mangled, and is
dead. Robert Lester, nine years
old, was found near tree without
mark of violence, dead. Jasper
Collins was pinned under a large
oak, snuggly covered, his head
crushed and his limbs broken,
dead. Beside him, crawled pain
fully out, his young wife, Mollie
with all ugly hole in the centre of
her forehead. She will recover.
Sissy Lester, infant was found in
q fallen't tree top with legs and arms
crushed, dead. Silas johnson,
who was visiting, was bruised
from head to foot, but no bones
broken, will recover. Frank Dizer,
also visiting, leg broken below the
knee, may recover. Dock Sim
mons, who was in bed with
Alexander Lester, Jr., had his
head bruised and will die. Odessa
Lester, four years of age, leg and
both arms broken, will die. She
was found many yards away in
the fields. Arthur Lester SIX
years old, leg broken in two places
above and below the knee and
otherwise badly blaised, and will
die. Willie Lester five years
old, slightly hurt. Says he woke
up long ways from home in a
field, suffering from hail and rain.
Mr.. Ben Hope, a white man near
by brought assistance Immediately
and the dead and the dying wtre
taken to a one-room house belong
ing to E. C. Edwards, a son-in-
law, where they were laid in bed
in strange confusion, dead, un-
counscious, suffering, side by side
the correspondent often mistak-
ing living for the dead. Drs. Hall
and Wilson were attending the
worst hurt, while the wounded
who were able, hobbled, painfully
bleeding about the yard, in the
rain bemoaning the fate of their
relatives andssfrieads.
Half mile south of this house,
the house of Mr.. Davis white
man, was completely demolished,
but with the exception of a few
painful bruises, all escaped death.
John Buffett's iwagon, near by,
was blown away and much OF 1t
has not been found yet. The
grainery of Nick Harris, two miles
east was unroofed. The house
af Sallie Jones, colored was wreck
ed and her four-year-old daughter,
Lorilla, was perhaps fatally
wounded by hail stones, A pas
senger train passed just as the
cyclone swept by, narrowly escap-
ing it.
All previous accounts of i'm
mense hail stones and wind
dwindle into insignifcance. Many
of these blocks of ice weighed
fourteen to eighteen ounces, while
others found as late as 9 o'clock,
after a warm rain and warm wealth
er, were larger than a goose egg.
Two of these missiles passed
through the roof of G. E. Thornton's
residence, making a hole like a
cannon ball, while fowls roosting
in the trees were killed by the
hundreds. A cow belonging to
Frank Lawson was killed, and
stock bear many marks from these
ice stones. About 800 window
lights wore broken in this place.
Farm fences and fruit trees were
prostrated for miles aroud.
The active Prohibitlonlsts
bovon,t hean saving ANYTHING, but