The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-05-16
THE LOSS OF LIFE APPALLING.
SIXTY PEOPLE WE'RE KILLED AND
ONE HUNDRED WOUNDED AT
SHERMAN.
OTHER FATALITIES REPORTED.
At Howe Eight Were Killed and 1t
Is RumOred Forty Are Dead
Near Sherman.


town. The loss of life is appalling. The dead
are conseryatively estimated at between thirty
and forty. Many are fatally or seriously
injured At 6 o'clock this evening twelve
bodies are lying cold in death in the county
court house, and as many more are scattered
about across the desolated west end of the
city. No accurate estimate can as yet be
placed on the loss of life and property
The work of rescue and search for the miss
ing goes OIL. The business part of town is de-
serted, and the greatest excitement prevails
The Western Union Office is overfowed with
anxious ones sending messages and inquiring
the fate of other towns. Every available
wagon, buggy and horse is in use by searchers
and workers on the field of death. AS time
grows, later reports of greater loss of life and
property arrive. Many stories of miraculous
escapes are told.
The Sherman court house is insufficient to
hold the dead and wounded, and a vacant
building on the South square was utilized at
o'clock, fifteen colored people, dead or dying,
being placed there. Express drays, baggage
wagons and all kinds of vehicles continue to
provised morgue great excitement prevails,
and much difficulty is experienced in getting
the names Of the victims and accurate re-
ports.
The storm struck the town without warning
on the southwest corner of the city and
cleared path 100 yards wide along the west
end of the town. Houses, trees, fences and
pJror h 1iro
the cyclone. The negro part of the town suf-
fered the most severely. There are probably
thirty negroes killed Ten bodies have been
picked UP in Post Oak creek.
The flood of rain which attended the storm
was severe. The town is mass of mud and
floating debris. There is much difficulty in
finding the dead and injured. Capt T. F.
two children had miraculous escapes. Capt
B. Berges' residence was also leveled to the
ground, but fortunately the family was away
from home. Frank Ryan, manager of the
Sherman base ball team, had his house blown
from It's foundation and completely turned
around. His wife and two children escaped
serious injury.
Late tonight it is reported that forty people
have been killed south of town, in addition,
to the city's list of dead. Wagons are un-
loading the dead and injured every moment.
The list of killed, as far as reported by the
authorities at 10 p. M, is as follows
JIM ENGLISH, colored.
JOHN TAYLOR, white
KATY KING, colored
MRS. OTTO BALDINGER and two children.
MRS. I. L. BURNS and two children, John
2 Grover Il
JOHN AMES and wife and two children.
REV. ]. S. SHEARER.
MRS. LUKE MONTGOMERY and two chill
dren; another is missing.
WILLIAM HAMILTON, farmer.
MRS. GEORGE ANDERSON and infant
daughter.
MARY BELLE JENKINS.
D. L. PIERCE and son, Tom, aged a.
MRS. DAVE HERRING and two children.
An unknown lady and two little white
children, about and years of age, have
not been identified and are being held in
the morgue FOR Identification.
The list of colored people killed, so far as
learned up to 10 p. M, is as follows:
James Walker Mrs. Nora Nicholson and
two children Lucy Ballinger and daughter,
Charley Cox, son of Eliza Cox; Mary Lake
and three children, Letitia, John and Fatus
An incomplete list of the wounded follows:
Tom jenkins. his wife and five children.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Miller and two children.
A heavy silver of wood was driven through
the thigh of Granville Jenkins. Mr.. and Mrs.
Ed. Halsell and little son, with B. F. Wood
ard were in the cellar at the formers
residence, and were covered with debris. Mr..
and Mrs. Hasell, both painfully bruised about
the thighs, supposed to nave peen ploWn
through a window. Eliza Cox, hurt In the
bruised about the head Ben Cephus, colored,
his wife and son, Clarence, all have limbs
broken, and are in precarious condition. Let
tie and Lummie Burns badly hurt. Mrs. and
Mr.
arm broken Ike Shearer son of Rev Shear
er, who was killed, is badly bruised.
The greatest number of fatalities are re-
ported from the colored settlement along
Post Oak and Lincoln streets.
The number of missing is large, and In
cludes a great many children, and it is quite
probable that the most of them are dead. 1t
is very conservative to estimate that the list
of fatalities will reach sixty, while the in
jured will reach at least 100. Most of the
wrecked houses are small cottages.
F. W. Bostwick said: 81 was at John r.
vines house when heard the noise of the
approaching storm. Just as 1 looked out
I saw Capt Berges' house blown into the
air and then Mr.. Shearers house. The air
was filled with great trees and timbers and
every conceivable kind of articles. l was
fascinated petrifed for 1 saw it was COM
ing directly upon us, and that 1t could not
be long in reaching US. 1t was a black,
serpentine cloud, twisting, writhing in the
center, but at the bottom it seemed to be
moving steadily. I awoke from my slumber
and called out to the family who were in
the house and asked them not to run out
feared we would all be struck by flying
timbers. Then came an awful crash, a
sense of suffocation, and when it was over
the house was gone, and myself and family
u,ora Scattared about the ward and under the
debris. It was over in such short time
cannot give you an idea of how long it
was"
victims are horribly mangled, almost in ev-
cry instance.
Tonight, at the court house, public meet
ing raised about $S 600 for the immediate re-
lief of the sufferers, and the permanent re-
lief committee consisting of c. H. Smith, C.
b. Randall. C. B. Dorchester and Col. George
Murnhy will take donations Denison has
responded nobly and nurses and physicians
from that city are here rendering great as
sistance All railroads running into the
citv pIaced special trains at the disposal
nf the local authorities and brought help from
all neighboring cities.
Reports are that the storm killed many
nersons in the county west of Howe. A large
number of police and searching parties are
looking for missing people.
An unknown woman at the morgue has
been identified, as Mrs. l. L. Burles. Another
infant of the Baidinger family has been found
dead Charles Weddle, of Fairview. is dead.
with a piece of climber driven through his
body The family of John Hamilton have
the Hamilton boys, aged twenty years, will