The San Angelo press. (San Angelo, Tex.) 1897-1907, 1902-03-05
Robert Lee, Texas, March I, 1902.

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instant, the town of Robert Lee
was visited by the fiercest lorna.
do ever known in Coke county.
The wind was high all day, often
enveloping the town in sand, but
at about 5.45 p. m. the hardest
gust came, which was the worst
ever known in this section.
At about the hour mentioned,
people were unable to walk in
any direction, and there was so
much sand in the air that many
people resorted to lamp lighting
in their homes. All small or in.
secure houses were blown of
their foundations, ard many were
blown to pieces. Some were so
badly scattered that the owners
were unable to find half the lum.
her after several days search.
Just after the great catastro.
phe, the manhood and woman
hood of Robert Lee and Coke
county began to assert itself in
no uncertain terms. Even dur
ing the continued high wind,
help was at hand and obtained at
once. The town turned out zen
masse" in order 10 help Judge
Graham's stricken family and to
prevent the fire from spreading.
The greatest calamity of all
was the burning to death of Miss
Mamie Graham, which was the
cause OF the greatest excitement
and more conflicting reports and
rumors than anything else. The
facts are about as follows:
Miss Mamie had just returned
from the High School, through
storm of sand, when the wind
became harder than ever. She
went into the kitchen to put out
the fire, which she did. On &C
count of the intense darkness
some one Of the family lit a lamp
and a moment later the house
was lifted off its foundation and
turned over. Mrs. Graham and
her baby were both sick, but moi
considered dangerous. The
Judge was at the court house,
some four blocks away, and had
started home Immediately after
the worst of the gust of wind had
past. Mrs. Graham and the
smaller children, with some diff
ticulty, broke open a window and
got outside, at about the time
that they discovered that the
house was all ablaze. Mrs. Ora
ham was unable TO keep her feet
in the fierce wind and was rolled
over and over again, bruising hel
very seriously, all the time hold
ing and shielding the baby. One
of the children took refuge at H
HI. Pearce's residence, almost in
line with the wind from her own
burning home, and only about
100 feet distant. The wife and
other members that escaped,
found themselves near the M. r..
parsonage, in about one minute,
where help was secured, and il
was two blocks away, and out.
side of the fire radius of the large
burning building. Judge Ora
ham and Mr.. Don Green were
the first to arrive at the over
turned and burning building, and
Mr.. Green immortalized himself
by going recklessly into the
burning building through the
flames, and to the then MORALLY
burnt girl, pulling the burning
debris off her and dragging hel
out against a wind that was a
that time blowing people down
who were approaching to assist
On being exhumed from the
burning furniture and clothing
it was found that Miss Mamie
was badly burned about the face
and that nearly all the flesh was
burned from off her right arm
and from off both lower limbs
while her body was burned int
a horrible mass. The wonder O.
the thing was that she still lived
and was entirely rational, recog