The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-25

In One of 200 Houses Only
Seven We're Left.
Most of the Killed and Injured
Are Negroes.
DYED IN HER BLOOD.
Red Cloth Used by Woman to
Flag a Train.
Many Struck by Flying Timbers
in Open Air.

=
in Open Air.
| New Orleans, April 25-The dead.
| more than 300 the injured. at least
| I,OOO; these were the grim facts which
| came to light in the early hours today
when a little of the wreckaee Of yes
| terday's tornado in Louisiana, Missis-
sippi and Alabama had been cleared
away. The tornadoes lasted altogether
about IL hours. striking promiscuousIy
one town after the other from before
daylight until midafternoon. Many
hours after they struck, trains bearing
nearly 200 injured came crawIine
cautiously out of the tornado districts,
leaving behind them one town. Purvis,
Miss. utterly demolished. five others
practically blown away and FIVE little
villages more or less in ruins. With
the wounded came the details of the
worst wind disasters In the history OF
the gulf states.
First of all it became known that
negroes comprised most Of the dead,
that the picturesque darby cabins.
been converted by the wind into whole
sale death traps 1t was In the falling
of these cabins which went down
without warning. that most Of the me-
:, crowded cabins also furnished most of
the badly injured.
The identified white dead early to-
! day numbered AZ. In addition, it was
reported that four whites had been
killed at McCallum, Miss. which would
bring the white death list up to 46.
!. The number Of negroes killed was be-
tween $50 and It's.
: The towns which suffered the worst
: damage in addition to. Purvis were
| Amite, La, Callum, McLaurine and
Winchester, Miss, and Albertville, Ala.
List OF Damaged Towns.
The following Is towns were more
or less damaged:
) Richland and Lamourie. La; VIM
gate, New Augusta. Columbus. Walls.
: Braxton, Belle Grove. Melton, Lorman,
Pine Ridge, Quitman's Landing. Fair
childs Creek and Wahalak. in Missis-
sippi. and Bergen. Ala.
Most Of these places are merely
collection of a few stores and dwellings
so that the property losses will not
reach very large figures. Amite. Ia.
, and Purvis, Miss, were the two worst
sufferers. There the damage which
will never be estimated in the aggre-
gate, was done to timber lands. to
plantations and to railroad properties
scattered through belt about 500
The destruction of Purvis, Miss.
occurred at about 10 minutes after 3
o'clock Friday afternoon and was all
over in few minutes time. OF 400
OWolIln8 houses, only seven were lerC
5 standing. The court house, the only
? other building in town to Withstand
the wind, was Immediately packed
with dead and injured and served an
: the only available hospital within
: many miles. C. W. Cromwell Of Jack
' son, Miss. In attempting to describe
the storm, said that all they could
! realize was that the air was full of
flying timbers. These timbers dealt
death to many persons who sought
safety in the open air. while the fall
Z ing of wallis was q still greater peril
? to those who remained indoors.
One child is said to have been
f kneeling in prayer, her uncle bending
but despite his care. timber which
did not touch him, killed the little
girl. School had been dismissed only
q moment before the tornado struck.
When the storm was over relief
t trains were sent out. One train was
stopped by woman waving red
cloth. When the engineer ran ahead
to see what she wanted, the woman
j tainted and the engineer found that
j the red color of the cloth was caused
= by blood. A search revealed her
h home near the railway and three
f members of her family were found
a dead and four injured.
: Wrapped Around q Tree.
e Natchez. Miss. April 25.-Two
: bodies both colored and badly man
SloQ, VlcllH1S OIL yeSttIQdy IOInaq0s
r were found between Giles Bend and
+ Pine Ridge this morning. bringing the
list of dead in this section to IL, Of
: which number, all are negroes but
9 two, of this number five died at local
q hospitals during the night. Several
. others of the injured are not expected
n to live. Three wagon loads of in
q jured negroes from Churchill neigh.
: borhood with three victims in each
v were received at the Natchez charity
r hospital this morning. These arrivals
. were reinforced by seven from
: Lucerne plantation in Concordia par
d ish La.
oil One a negro, who was brought from
Pine Ridge, was Is years old. He
was almost wrapped around tres
his left leg being broken in four
! places and his right arm broken. His
mother and two sisters were killed.
z His father is dying from fractured
skull and four of his brothers also
? fatally injured All of the physicians
! volunteered services and four white
Al volunteers are assisting in the hos
ii pitfalls.
Is Georgia Towns Wrecked.
y Atlanta, Ca. April 25.-Reports re-
If ceived here today say that a severe
e wind storm struck Griffin, Ga, during
l. the night, wreckfng part of the town,
ID killing five people and injuring at, least
id fifteen. The report declares that q