The record-union., 1899-03-20

BIRMINGHAM (Ala.), March 49,
Additional details of last nights torna-
do near Edwardsville were received
late tonight. The following is a list
of the dead and wounded so far as
known:
Dead: Lewis Coffee, aged 80, Tax
Assessor of Cleburne County, and the
following members of his family: Mrs.
Coffee, aged 46; Leila, aged -; James,
aged 20; Lula, aged Is; Jacob, aged 13;
Dollie, aged 10; Deveroe, aged s; Girl
yer, aged 6; John, aged 4. Unknown
woman near Hefiin
Wounded: Bessie Coffee, aged II,
daughter of Lewis Coffee, will die; Mrs.
Runnells, aged 75, will die; Myrline
Stanzell, aged 3, will probably die; Mrs.
]. H. Cason, Tom Runnells, Wood
Stanzell, Andrew Steipan, all seriously
hurt; Mary Steipan, Lizzie Runnells, j.
H. Cason, Georgia StanZeIl, Gainesville
Stanzell, Joseph Stanzell, Coleman
Stanzell, all badly bruised.
Several others were more or less seri-
ously injured, but their names are not
known.
The path of the storm was about 200
yards wide, and it traversad the country
for twelve miles. beginning in the
northern part Of Cleburne County, near
Iron City, and moving southwark.
There was an immense funnel-shaped
cloud that bounded along like a rubber
ball, rising at intervals and leaping for
several hundred yards without doing
any damage. Then, when it descended,
it would pick up houses and brush them
to pieces, uproot trees or twist them
off the ground and sweep all before it.
Lewis Coffee's residence, a strong
double log house situated on little hill,
was swept away and the timbers scat
tered for a mile. Ten of its eleven oc-
cupants were instantly killed. Except
the body of the baby, which was found
under the ruins of the chimney, the
corpses of the victims were carried half
a mile and nine of them were found
heaped together. Every body had been
stripped of it's clothing. One was twist
ed around stump and two others were
headless. Besides the body of the father
lay Bessie Coffee the only member of
the family not instantly killed. She was
unconscious and her arms were around
her dead fathers neck. She is unable
to talk and will die
In the same neighborhood the resi-
dences of j. w. Wilder, J. H Cason,
Andrew Steipan and Ben Stanzell were
wrecked and all their occupants injured.
Near Hefiin a white woman, whose
name cannot be learned, was killed and
five persons in the same family hurt.
1t is estimated that about fifty build
ings were destroyed, between twenty
and twenty-five were injured, and, over
a score of farms devastated The storm
lost its force just south of Hefiin, near
which place a dozen buildings were
wrecked.
The path of the cyclone presents a
terrible scene of havoc Timbers of
wrecked houses are scattered in every
direction. Some were carried high into
the air and others were driven deep
into the ground or through trees Many
head OF cattle were killed. One dead
COW was found with a shingle driven
through her back. But for the fact
that the country over which the storm
passed is sparsely settled, the loss of
life would have been much greater.
There were many marvellous escapes.
J. H. Cason and his wife were blown
through a window as their house was
falling, and after the storm found
themselves in field hundred yards
away, both badly hurt.