The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-08-10
YEARS AGO

Items Taken from the Files of The
Reporter Published a Quarter
of q Century AGO.
Sunday morning about half past
eleven O'Clock heavy cloud which
Rad been gathering rapidly in the
western sky, burst upon Leon with
all it's fury. Those who had cellars
Or caves took refuge in them, and
those who had none waited with bat
ed breath, expecting to be blown
blown away every minute. 1t was the
worst storm which has ever visited
Decatur county. For an hour and a
half the wind blew at terrific rate.
Trees fell in every direction, avn
ings were torn from store buildings,
and chimneys blown down. The roof
of the opera house was torn Off, and
; rain poured down in torrents. North
of Leon about five miles heavy hail
fell which riddled the growing corn.
Stacks were blown to pieces, and
scattered over the fields, fences blown
down and outbuildings blown away.
Many houses and barns were moved
from their foundations. The storm
was worst northwest of Leon, while
the northeast port of the county es-
capped with small damage.
At Davis City the campmeeting was
in progress, it being estimated that
eight thousand people were in at
tendance. When the storm COM
menced sthe morning services were
being held and the large tent was
crowded. The huge trees in the
park groaned and crashed to the
ground. Two large trees standing
beside the tent fell across it, but the
roots of the trees were noticed when
they commenced pulling up and the
alarm was given, SO that all escaped
from under the tent. One immense
tree fell and struck team belonging
to B. W. Garrett, Of Decatur, killing
one horse and injuring the other.
Mr.. Garrett and some ladies were
sitting in his buggy just few feet
from the horses but were not injur
ed. A number of buggies and wag
ons were demolished by falling trees
and it seems miracle that no one
was injured. A child of Mr.. and Mrs.
Cummings was scratched on the face
by falling branch but not seriously
injured People took refuge in the
open fields nearby, and were drench-
ed to the skin.
Here in Leon there was much
badly wrenched and several Chin
neys blown down. The electric light
poles and wires were torn down by
falling trees and while lights were
fixed up for stores by Monday even
ing it will take days to get the lines
repaired. The court house park look
ed like an African forest, and the
new M. E. parsonage was moved
from the foundation. The south end
of John Holden's house was blown
down and the west end of his barn
blown in. Many of the streets in
Leon were completely blocked by
fallen trees. Jenkins brick yard was
badly damaged, the sheds being
blown down and many thousand
bricks wet. One of Loten Gassett's
new houses on south Main street was
blown down. John Sells house south
west of Leon was blown about fifteen
feet away, breaking every dish in the
house as we'll as stoves and furni-
ture. Spence Akers' barn over by
Grand River was among those demol-
ished The barn on the Yankee Rob-
erts farm over on Grand River, the
largest barn in southern Iowa, was
demolished clear to the basement.
The following marriage licenses
were issued the past week:
Mahlon G. Moore 19 to Minnie O..
Farver 26.
A. G. Wilson "a to Winnie L..
Clark IS.
VIM. Greenland "a to May Hazen
20.
Harrison Orfield 80 to Nettie We'll
lington 18.
Calvin Adair "a to Rebecca Adair
Is.
Last Friday afternoon Jimmie
Hurst had been helping raise T. H.
Schenck's barn, and when he went to
bed in the evening and dropped to
sleep he continued working at it.
About o'clock in the morning he
arose in his sleep and climbed up the
side of a large wardrobe standing in
the room, pulling it over on him and
breaking his right arm near the
shoulder. His cries brought his par
ents to the room, although he was
still asleep when they discovered him.
1t will be some time before he can as
sist at another barn raising, either
awake or sleeping.
Dan Hurley, of Woodland town.
ship, while cutting hoop poles in the
timber made mislick with his axe
and the blade struck him on the
ankle, cutting the foot open from
the instep to the toes, and the axe
protrnded from the bottom of his
foot He had to walk over a mile
before he reached his home and al
most b]ed to death. The bones were
sp]intered and several arteries sever
ed
j. Hoffhines returned from Mason
City Saturday. His PAGER, Blue Sign,
took third money in the 2:4O race,
time 1926. The purse was $1,000.
G. B. Daugherty drove Deacon a
winner in the 2:20 pace, winning the
first, second and fifth heats. This
was also $1,000 purse.