The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-26
UTTER MISERY IS
 FOUND IN PURWS Relief Parties Are Mortified By
 Conditions In Town DEAD AND DYING ALL ROUND Thirty-four Dead Bodies Are Reported, While Outside of the Town Others
 Are Heard From-Property
 Loss Over s3oo, 1000.
DEAD AND DYING ALL ROUND

New Orleans, April 25.-The most utter misery of every sort was found today at Purvis, Miss, by relief parties. Despite the fact that the 25O0 inhabitants which this little town boasted yesterday morn ing there remained only about 900 today, still there were not sufficient accommo- dations in the wrecked village for even the wounded Old negro mammies and little black children lay wounded and helpless under the broiling southern sum- rays. Some had broken bones, some were partly crushed and others had been wounded by sticks and splinters. These unfortunates were lucky if they had q blanket or sterm- wrecked couch upon which to rest. There was not enough shelter in the town to protect them from the sun and many of the walls which re- mained standing had no roofs, and by queer freak of the tornado, many of the trees which had not been uprooted had been snapped off a few feet above the ground. A grove was mutilated so that it appeared as if giant scythe had swept through the grove about 20 feet above the ground.
 The greater part of Purvis' popula- ton today were refugees in Hattiesburg and Lumberton, Miss about 150 of them being badly injured. Of those who re- mained in town many appeared distracted and told. remarkable stories of the num- Der of their fellow townspeople who had been killed. Some graYely asserted that third of the population was dead.
 Many hurried funerals were held today and a count of the visible dead revealed only 34. 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 ap- parently enough to unbalance the reason ing powers of some of its witnesses. h. stead of entering the town at one side and passing out at the other the storm Nhstled and seesawed about, once or twice, judging from the lay of the debris today the wind yeered so much as nearly to double on its train The result was terrible for the inhabitants, many of whom were caught and either injured or killed after they had apparently escaped. Scores sought safety in running, and the story is told of a young woman who ran away from the storm it struck one street corner, but who was killed as she reached the next corner. where some timbers fell | on her.
 l The usual freaks were played by the
 
 | from a house to nearby building. i Twenty-seven prisoners were in the little 1 town jail The roof was lifted off the | jail, leaving rain and debris bea ting in
 upon the exposed prisoners, but so terror l stricken were they that not one gained ! his freedom. One of the prisoners was 1 seriously injured The wreckage which remained on the site of a lumber mill near l town consisted quite largely of splinters | from the size of toothpicks up to small l sticks. The total money loss at Purvis
 was today estimated at .s20O,00O. These 1 figures were obtained from dozens of l business men, each of whom calculated l his individual loss. Fhe state tonight is 1 furnishing tents, neighboring towns sup l plies and with martial law the town is 1 practically safe from footing. Merchan- l disc, still retaining a market value, was l scattered about the town and surround : ing country.