The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-05-23
NEBRASKA IS
STORM SWEPT
Cyclone On Saturday Evening
Kills Three In the Country
Near Harrington and
CrOftOn.
MORE THAN SCORE INJURED
Property Damage Approximates
Quarter Million Dollars
Many Miraculous
Escapes.

Crofton. Neb., May 20..-A typical
cyclone, a real twister, visited this
section Of the country Saturday even
ing between 6 and z o'clock, killing two
persons injuring a number of others
and destroying property valued at
$3.50, 600.
The dead:
MRS. AUGUST FREDERICKSEN.
MRS. JOHN RUPIEPER.
The injured:
John Rupicper and daughter. seri-
4ously.
August Fredericksen and two daugh-
ters. seriously.
John Spinne, seriously.
Hired man Of the Rupieper place,
seriously.
Shortly after s o'cloek o cloud came
up from the southwest and obscured
the sun. 1t shortly became very dark
n the air was very close. Finally
there approached from the southwest
the real Storm, the twister. 1t covered
a cpace ranging from a few hundred
yards to about two miles wide and
practically destroyed everything in it's
path for several miles.
D%ownpour Follows Blow.
Following the passage Of the cyclone
there was a terrific d%ownpour Of rain
II hail, much damage to growing
crops being caused by tho hail.
From scores Of farms there are re-
ports of horses, cattle n hogs being
killed, but II has not been possible
to make any list of such losses.
Some of the more conspicuous losses
in this immediate vicinity are as fol-
lows:
William Mulligan's house ard barn
completely destroyed. Though they set
close together, the wreckage of the
harm WAS sent in ono 6irnctinn ard
that OF the house in the other.
Rudolph Cobils house was sunroofed,
his barn totally destroyed and some Of
his stock was killed.
August Fredericksen's house and
barn and other buildings were COM
pletely destroyed. Mrs Fredericksen
was killed as she vas about to enter
the storm cellar with her babe in her
arms. The babe was found a few
minutes later close TO the body Of it's
mother and was only slightly injured.
Mr.. Fredericksen and his other chill
dren, attempting also to make their
way to the cellar, were separated by
the storm and were seriously injured,
though they probably will live.
Property Loss Heavy.
Herman Haege's house was badly
wrecked, while the BARN n other
buildings were completely destroyed.
Herman Lendleman's house and
az NSiS - W.
Bernard Juden's house and barn
were destroyed, but the horses which
were in the barn at the time the barn
was taken from over them, were left
uninjured.
- Conrad Juhles' house ard. barn were
destroyed. The same thing occurred
al the places of C. +. Walter, John
Reinforth, Henry Meyers, Frank
Schaeffer and John Rupieper.
The fact hat more lives were not
lost and more persons injured Is due to
the fact that many persons. noting the
custom of repairing to storm cellars or
caves, which are built in the ground a
short distance from the house.
Many Freaks Reported.
The storm performed the usua;
freaks Of a cyclone. Ali along its
course mud was plastered several
inches deep on trees and posts that
were not torn out by its fury.
The home Of a man by the rame OF
johnson was lifted up n completely
wrecked and the dead body of a large
bull was deposited in the cellar. The
animal had been in a pasture some dis
lance from the house before the storm.
At another place the members OF the
family started to go into the cellar
under the house. When they opened the
cellar door canned fruit and other
things in the cellar were blown up
through the doorway into the kitchen.
Al another place all Of the windows
were broken, but the house was other
wise not badly damaged. The freak
here was that the piano and other fur
niture appears to ave been lifted from
the floor temporarily while the storm
jerked the carpets and rugs out and
sent them scurrying through the win
dows. The piano was not badly dam
aged.