The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1899-03-24
MORE CYCLONE VICTIMS.
Awful Tale of the Cyclone Which
Struck Near Edwardsvi1le,
Eastern Alabama.
FEARFUL FATE OF THE COFFEE FAMILY.
Ten COffins I'm a Row and the Only
Survivor Dving-The Cloud Was
FunneI-Shaped and Was Turn
ed by MOuntaIn-Side.

Birmingham, Ala, March 2O.-A spe-
cial from Edwardsville, Ala, tells a
horrible tale of the cyclone which
struck near that place Saturday
| Twelve persons are known to have
been killed, and something like twice
as many injured. Great forest trees
were picked up and blown about like
straws, and houses were torn into
| fragments.
The Dead.
Mr.. and Mrs. Lewis Coffee and
eight members of their family.
Unknown woman near Hof1in.
The wounded.
Bessie Coffee, aged 12; will die.
Mrs. Runnell, aged rs; will die.
Myrtiline Stausels, aged 5; will prob
ably die.
Mrs. j. H. Cason, internally in
jured.
Tom Runnell serious.
Wood Stausels, serious.
Andrew Steipan, badly bruised.
Mary Stiepan, badly bruised.
Lizzie Runnell, dangerously in
jured.
j. H. CaSOn, critical.
Georgia Stausels, serious.
Gainesville Stausels, badly wounded.
Tosh Stausels, severely hurt.
Coleman Stausels, badly bruised.
Several other persons were more or
less seriously injured, but their names
are not known.
1t is estimated that about fifty
building were destroyed, near Edwards
vile, between twenty and twenty-five
persons were injured, and over a score
of farms devastated. The storm lost
it's force just south of Hefin, near
which place a dozen buildings were
wrecked.
Except the body of the baby which
was found under the ruins of the
chimney, the cOrpses of the Coffee
family were carried half a mile, and
nine of them were found heaped to-
gether. Every body had been stripped
of it's clothing. One was twisted
around a stump, and two others were
headless. Beside the body of the fa-
ther lay Bessie Coffee, the only MEM
Der of the family not instantly killed.
She was unconscious, and her arms
were around her dead fathers neck.
Edwardsville is in the extreme east
ern part of Alabama. The cyclone did
its worst work along a strip about
four miles west of the town. The
greatest sufferers were Lewis Coffee
and his family. AS the clouds gath
cred all of the members of the family
ed og residence. Scarcely had
they closed the doors against the wind,
when the house was lifted into the
air. it was blown and bumbed along
the ground as though it were an
empty box car, and was finally torn
to pieces. Mrs. Coffee, his wife and
eight children were killed. The cloth
ing of the bodies were torn into
ShredS by the wind, and even socks
were blown from the feet of the I'M
fortunates. The path of the storm in
that section of the state appeared to
have been about a mile in width, and
to have widened for six or seven miles.
1t did not touch any towns, but played
havoc in the farming community
through which it passed.
Awful Funeral scene.
1t was an awful sight that was to be
seen this morning at the residence of
d s. Baber, at EdwardsviIle, Ala,
when the remains of Mr.. and Mrs.
Lewis Coffee and eight of their chill
dren-Leila, aged %; James, 20: Lulu,
IS; Jack, 13; DOllie. 10: Daveroe, s:
Grover. 6. and John, 4-victilns of last
nights cyclone. were being prepared
for burial. The bodies were incased in
neat coffins and placed in TWO rows in
the front room of the house. Many
were the people from all parts of the
county who came to see the dead. This
afternoon the funeral procession, con-
sisting of ten wagons, each bearing
box, and as many more carrying reIa-
tives and friends of the family, wended
its way to the Primitive Baptist church
and graveyard. two miles away. One
grave was prepared for all the bodies.
and into * they were placed side by
side.
The cyclone which struck near Ed
wardsville last night about o'clock
was funnel-shaped and had much
force. The home of Mr.. Coffee stood on
a little hill. The large log house was
picked up bodily and dashed 10 pieces,
while the inmates were hurled up and
down until life was extincr. finally 10
land at least 200 yards away When
help came all but one were dead. Bes-
sic, a daughter, aged -, is now near
deaths door. The baby was missing,
and it was first believed that the cy-
clone had carried it off. However. to-
day it was found covered by the CHM
ney.
The residence of J. W. Wilder was
next destroyed, but none OF the family
was at home at the time. Andrew Site |
pans home went down next. Mrs. Site
pan and her little baby were caught
beneath logs and both seriously in
iured. j. II. Cason's reside4lce was next
torn asmlder, and he and his wife, Mrs.
Runnel, his mother-in-law, and Tom |
my and Lizzie Runnell were I'll hurt. |
Turned by a Mountain.
The cyclone at this point broke |
against a mountain and went toward |
eight miles east of here,
where Hooper's big grist mill was
blown down.