Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1899-03-25
SWEPT BY A CYCLONE.
Great Destruction Wrought in Three
Southern States.
Heavy Loss of Life Is RepOrted-Ten
Members of n Family of Eleven
Are Killed-Vast Amount Of
Property Destroyed.

cial to the Commercial Appeal from
Birmingham, Ala, says: Additional de-
tails of Saturday nights cyclone near
Edwardsville were received here late
Sunday night. The following is a list
of the dead, so far as known:
Lewis Coffee, aged 55, tax assessor of
Gsebourne county, and the following men,
bers of his fanny: Mrs Coffee, aged 46,
Leila, aged %; James, aged 20; Lula, aged
IS; Jacob, aged 10; Deveroe, aged s; Dollie,
aged 10; Grover, aged 6; John, aged 4; un-
known woman, near Holm.
The wounded number IA.
Fury of the Storm.
| The path of the storm was about 200
yards wide and it traversed the coun-
try for IL miles, beginning in the north
ern part of Clebourne county, near Iron
City. and moved southwark. Those who
saw it say that there was an immense
funnel-shaped cloud, and that it bound
ed along like a rubber ball, rising at in
tervals and leaping for several hundred
yards without doing any damage. Then
when it descended it would pick up
houses and crush them to pieces, up
root trees or twist them off level with
the ground and sweep all before it.
Lewis Coffee's residence, strong
double log house situated on little
hill, was in the path of the storm. 1t
was swept away and the timbers scat
tered for mile. Ten of its IL occu
pants were instantly killed. Except the
body of the baby, which was found un-
der the ruins of the chimney, the
corpses of the victims were carried
half mile, and nine of them were
found heaped together. Every body
had been stripped of it's clothing. One
was twisted around stump, and two
others were headless. Beside the body
of the father lay Bessie Coffee, the only
member of the family not instantly
killed. She was conscious, and her
arms were around her fathers neck.
She is unable to talk, and will die.
In the same neighborhood the resi-
dences of j. w. Wilder, j. II. Cason, An
drew Stiepan and Ben Stansell were
wrecked and all their occupants in
jured. Near Hehin a white woman,
whose name cannot be learned, was
killed, and five persons in the same fam
lily hurt. 1t is estimated that about so
buildings were destroyed; between 20
and 25 persons were injured, and over
score of farms devastated.
The storm lost its force just south ot
Hefiin, near which place dozen build
ings were wrecked. The path of the
cyclone presents a terrible scene o1
; havoc. Timbers of wrecked houses are
scattered in every direction. Some
were carried high into the air, and 9th
ers were driven deep into the ground
or through trees. Many head of cattle
were killed. One dead COW was found
with shingle driven through hel
back. But for the fact that the country
over which the storm passed is sparsely
settled the loss of life would have beer
much greater. There were many mar
velous escapes. j. II. Carson and wife
S were blown through a window as theil
Y house was falling, and after the storm
, found themselves in a field hundred
e yards away, both badly hurt. TIL,
. funeral of the Coffee family occurred
Y Sunday afternoon and was largely at
!. tended. Ten bodies, some of then
: mangled beyond recognition, wer,
= buried in one grave.
In Mississippi.
S Hickory Flat, Miss, March 2O.-A tor
|. nado struck this place Saturday, doing
: considerable damage to buildings ant
g other property. The school building
= and two churches were demolished ant
25 dwellings blown down or unroofed
l. Several persons received painful in
, juries. A family living west of her
i; lost its dwelling and a young woman
e was killed. Trees were torn up by tn
II roots, twisted off like reeds, and al
g fencing in the path of the cyclone lev
h eled to the ground. On some farms nea
= here hardly building was left stand
l. ing.
Is In Arkansas.
s. Little Rock, Ark, March 20.-A tor
nado passed through portions of JET
L l.