The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-29
SUFFERING IN NEBRASKA
TIE COLD WEATHER CATCHES TIE
PEOPLE WITHOUT FOOD Or FUEL
Narrowing Tales OF Destitution in siA
Coupt1es-The Cold Wave Reaches
the South at Last.

which swept over this state We1hesufF
night continued throughout yesterday, and
| increased IN severity last nieht. The tenn
perature fell g degrees in twcnty-tour
hours. Shows are reported from Alliance,
| Seward. Grccly Centre and in the Black
| HIS and in Montana. All trains are de-
| layed. The temperature was l. degrees
! below zero at Hastings yesterday morn
| ing. aud at l5 below at Chadron. Tcle-
| graphic adviccs last night indicated That
! loss oil life must have followed this biz
| zard A special correspondent of local
! paper. writing from the drought district
! last night. said: There is no doubt tndt
! this blizzard has caused great loss Of life.
| Thee people are entirely without fuel.
| IN some Of these counties there Is not
q tree or twig The people have no ami
! mails To carry them 10 places or safety,
| and iu Il day or 30 We shall hear OF
+ wrctched deaths from tnis cold
NARROWING REroRTs OF SUFFERING.
! ONEILL Neb., Dec. 2S.-fOr some
| time past stories of extreme dcstituuOn
have ONE from Boyd county and various
! parts Of Holt county but they have seem
| cd so improbable that the people here
| hardly credited them. Inquiry shows.
| however that the stories were not much
| exaggerated. The situation IN Boyd is
! bad. and ii the people there are not belp-
! cd soon they viii starve or freeze 20
| death. j. VI. Smith, who lives on what
| is called the three-mile strip, on the state
| line was m O'Ncil to-day, and he tells
| many narrowing stories OF the condition
| of the people in his part Of Boyd county.
| MIR. Smith came with committee OF the
| people Of the section. lie gathered con
| siderable -four and provisions to-day and
| forwarded tnem.
Robert L. Beattie, the staff correspond
| ent Of the World-Herad. has just return
| ed from two-weeKs trip into South
| western Nebraska, in order TO investigate
| the reports in circulation of the desutu-
| ton in that portion Of the state. the
| results of his search through several
counties may be thus summarized:
pEsr1TUTIoS IN FIVE COUNTIES.
In these counties, particularly Keith,
| Perkins. Chase, Hayes and Dundy. the
| destituuon is extreme. Almost tWo-thlrds
| Of the people in these counties are de-
| pendent upon chariy for existence. There
| is little or no fuel in the county. Coal
| chips are i'm many places their only iueI.
| The remarkably mild weather is all thdJ
| has prevented loss of lfe hy exposure.
| There is no money is the county treasu-
ries 10 help the destitute, because in hl-
teen counties OF the state almost no taxes
| have been colieCea since june. The SHIFT
lcsI have left the country, and only the
| farm owners remain. There Us almost no
water there. No crops were raised an an
last year, except in the occasional lrf'-
/ gated districts. and ditch irrigation i5 not
possibIc in some of these counties, be-
| cause there are no streams. Most OF the
| destitute i've i'm seed houses. There nave
been only three crops raised i'm nine years.
| UcArtrendiug cases of dtsututOn ana sul r.
/ Cerne are heard of i1 every township.
| The present cold wave VIII certainly
! cause death to a large number oil set
| tiers II DO continues ana no aid comes.
/ Fuel provisions and clothing are needed,
and the railroads will generally ship them
| free ir sent 10 the county commissioners
at the county seats OF She stricken coun-
ties.
TWO GIRLS rRoZES ALMOST TO Dr4TH.
SUELENN1LlE. IND, bee. 2,-Ees-
tcrIay evening William Ledvitt accom-
panied 10y Minnie Maple and susie
Mitchell started from their homes. Tour
miles south of ShelbyyilIc, 20 attend "a
party ten miles distant. After the party
they started home. but iu the storm that
was raging Le3vitt who Was uuacJuaint-
ed with the roads, missed his Way and
became lost. This morning at O'Clock
County Commissioner Henry Gilman. VINO
lives in the southern part Of the county
was awakened. Going % the door ne met
LcayItt. who was so cold he could hardly
explain what wa The matter FINALLY
Gilman was made 10 understand, and
they went out &c Leavt- buggy. BOT.
the young ladies were unable 10 spe"h
| aud were unconscious. iurN WetH ear
ried to the house and everything done ID
restore them 90 consciousness, bHt up O.
fe o'clock thi1 morning all efforts ha'
proved futile. Should they regain con
sciousucss amputat.on of their limbs wA
be necessary. All belong to prominent
families.
KX-MAYoR Ro"ERTsoN FROZEN TO DEATH
| FEEkSkILL y. Y. Dec. ->.-JameS III
) Robertson, "a brother. OF Senator Geors,
/ ". Robertson was found i'm the roa'
near tine Gospel mission. i'm the seventh
ward. early this morning, frozen To death
He WAS prominent citizen AMI MuyO
Of Teek>kiH for several terms.
He had been addicted 10 drink OF iat'
and it is supposed Dee was under The H
huence OF liquor last night y widow
, and three children survive hln.
SHOWING IL sourH cAEo1nA
GEORGETOWN, :. g., Dec. -. 1t com
/ mcuOea 10 snow here tins afternoon
| and continues to- snow and -It,i. Nt.
j. ! strong northwest winds blJNill. Il.
- . town is robed iu White to-nisht ana d
. | les GROWING colder
' l. COLI MBlA. :. g.. l'tt. l' iU...'
- showing here at daylight this mIuiu- nH
| 10y the time tWJ inches hal fallen tte
q ! weather cleared, and win "a brisk north
| west wind became rapidly colder, ."
! tonight Is such a one as mas been ,N-
Z / pelienced here but once iu twenty years.
4 | The mercury al midnight stands a' i- or
. grecs above zero. and is falling ..dluy.
SNOW IN ALABAMA.
s. BIRMINGHAM. Ala. be. Snow
r / began falling at G35 last evening and
/ continued three hours. The Thermometer
T. registers below freezing. q mIIuicnt an,
e wind was blowing q gale. The Indication,
e are that everything viii be frozen up fui
some days
{ HittMiNGHAM, Ala. Dec. 2S-Tha
p thermometer registered lG above zero
tonight. Indications are that it VII
.. be much colder IN The morning.
FLORIDA ORANGE CROP THREATENED.
JACKSONVILLE. FLA, Dec. 2S-The
| cold wave has struck Florida, and a So
| patches 20 the Tlmes-UniOn indicate that
| Ii Will prove a rcc0rd-hreaker. AT nearly
! all points in South Florida the thermome-
t ter is below freezing at II o'clock to-
, night. Great damage is feared TO the
I ! orange and vegetable crops. At II o'clock
|, ! at JackS0nEIl" the thermometer stood "a,
/ ~ above. II viii be several days before
81 the damdse 20 fruits and vegetables can
p | be estimated
POPULIsTS IN SESSION.