Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-04-26
(By Associated Press)

NEW ORLEANS, LA, April % =
Probably half thousand lives lost. II
hundred or more persons fatally in
jnred and many times this nlmb2,
pailfully hurt. together with a proper
~ loss running up In the millions. is
The record. so far, of II series OF tor
nadoes that originated in the West
two days ago. sweeping across Texas.
Oklahoma. Arkansas. Louisiana. Nils
sissippi Tennessee. Alabama ana
Georgia last night. and it left death,
degolation ana want in rs wake, Sc
riously interrupting communication
between cities in the South ana broush,
about chaotic condition in many
smaller cities.
mississippi bore the print Of The
storms.
Reports from that state place the
loss OF life by far the greatest OF Any
section through which the storm pass
ed.
Estimates of those who lost their
lives as a result of tornadoes in Mis-
sissippi places the death list near 800
with thousand or more injured.
In Texas. Louisiana. Alabama ana
Georgia. the death lists are also large
with loss OF life in Arkansas anu
Tennessee.
Authentic information is in many
instances lacking. owing to the Grip
pied facilities for communications aud
the lack of time to form anythin., like
an accurate estimate of the damas.'.
Martial Law in Some Places.
In half dozen communities mar
tla law has ben declared. so terrible
was the destruction and so helpless
are the stricken people left by the
disaster. Serious disorders nave oc-
cured in several places. including
Amite. La. Looting and other crimes
have been reported, but these instanc-
IS have been on the whole rare.
Several places have issued special
appeals for aid; and in Mississippi
Governor Noel has been asked 10 pro
vide tents for the homeless In regions
d. solatcd.
The most utter misery OF every sort
was found today at Purvis. Miss. by
relief parties. Despite the fact tina.
of the 1000 inhabitants this little
town boosted yesterday morning, there
remained only about 900 today. stiil
there were not sufficient accommodate
ton In the wrecked village for even
the wounded
Old negro mammies and little blac''
children lay wounded and helpless, I'M
der the broiling sun rays. The great
er mart of Purvis' POPULATION today
were refugees in Hattiesburg and
Lumberton, Miss, about $50 of them
being badly injured.
or those who. II manned in town many
appeared. distracted and told remark
able stories OF the number Of their
fellow townspcop,e who had been kill.
cd.
Some gravely asserted that third
of the population was dead. Many
hurried funerals were held today and
count of the visible dead revealed
only "a. about half of them negroes.
Many other negroes were reported
killed in the vicinity of Purvis. The
manner in which the tornado acted
at this village was APPARENTLY enough
to unbalance the reasoning powers of
some of its witnesses.
Storm Seesawed Through Town.
Instead Of entering the town at one
side and passing out at the othar. the
storm whitfield and seesawed about.
Once or twice judging from the lay
of the debris today the wind veered
so much as nearly to double on It's
tracks. The result was terrible for
the inhabitants. many OF whom were
caught and either injured or killed,
apparently after they had escaped,
Scores sought safety in running and
the story is told of a young woman