Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-19
rERRoRs or elo BLIZZARD IN.
pELlsLY STAMPED ON MIND
OF HARDIN COUNTY MAN.
WORST WINTER STORM
CAME WITHour>wARNlNo
William .NWlstsssil Tells Of Experiences
Of Father on That Msmerahis %.
oasion-o Guided Home BY Team Of
oxsn-Aands Frozen 60 Tails Of Ami.
mals-Lsfs Cripple For Life.

stamped on the memory OF William
Whtteseu. q pioneer Of this part OF
Iowa. Atho but . lad s or years
old, ah the time, he can never forget
k&he experiences Of his folks on that
memorable day when. almost from a
olear slky, came one Of the worst
STORMS in the history Of Iowa and re-
suited in q death toll Of several lives
among the pioneers Of the northern
part Of the state.
At that time, the Whitesen family
resided near Rockford In Floyd county
and its members were enduring the
privations Of family Of lowe from
tiersmen. The day Of this terrible
atorm dawned bright and warm. much
las some of the remarkable days Of the
present January. The forecast seemed
SO promising that the head Of the
Whtesell family decided to go to
OwenS Grove for a load Of wood and
| to get a sack Of flour that friend had
promised the Whitesells II they would
come after It. Yalking his cattle. the
senior Whitesell sat out upon his jour-
ney with every promise that the day
would be balmy one and ideal for
such q trip. !,
! Storm Brsal<s Without Warning.
J Arriving at his destination. Mr..
Whitesell loaded his wood and tying
the coveted sack Of flour on the top
Of the load, he started on his slow
Journey homewards. Suddenly and
with apparently little warning the
storm broke and when within two
miles Of home. the driver realized that
hope of reaching there Lay in the in
stinct Of his faithful yoke Of oxen.
Blinded by the storm. he was lost so
far as directions were concerned. and
so he uncoupled the oxen from his load
and grasping the tails Of the cattle, set
forth in the storm trusting in God and
hoping that the cattle might land him
safely in some harbor II not at home.
| At home. q lonely vigil was kept far
into the night while prayers for the
safety of the husband and father came
mutely from those who hoped against
hope and trusted that their loved one
might be saved from the fury Of the
! elements. Hour after hour passed, but
no tidings came. In the window Of
the humble home on the Iowa prairie.
a light was kept burning. hoping that
1t might prove a5beacon to guide home
their kindred or prove guide for some
fother belated traveller.
Guided Home by Oxen.
About midnight, the clanking Of the
yoke was heard, but those who had
waited thru the long and weary hours
for the return of one near and dear
were yet filed with misgivings. for
they felt that while the cattle might
have wandered home, there was no as
surance that their driver had returned.
In q few moments, a faint call was
heard and the wife and mother, with a
| man who had taken refuge from the
storm in the Whitesell home, hurried
to the door and were overjoyed when
the weak voice of the elder Whitesell
called to them to bring butcher knife
and cut him loose. It was found that
the snow and sleet had frozen his
hands to the tails Of the oxen and It
was necessary to amputate a portion
Of the tails to release the almost ex-
hausted man. He was carried to the
house and his boots and clothing cut
from him for they were frozen SO stiff
that this was the only way they could
be removed.
10 Crippled For Life.
When the storm had subsidized and it
was possible to get q physician from
Mason City, 1t was found that Mr..
Whiteselrs hands were badly frozen
and had turned black. At first am
putation at the wrists was thought i'm
perative but later It was found I'M
necessary altho the akin later pealed
from his hands and left him more or
less crippled the rest Of his life.
These tragic incidents were so im-
pressed on the boys mind that he re-
calls the details Of that awful night
with minute accuracy. It was in this
storm that three men were frozen to
death near Mason City. Later, the
junior Whitesell came to Hardin coun-
ty and here shared many Of the pri-
vations Of the early settlers, and while
ne recalls many bad Iowa storms, none
left the impression on his mind like
the tragic hours of that terrible night
In January. 1856.