Year: 1873

Among the losses of life reported in
consequence of the late terrific storm
are the following: Hon. III. r. Wells, of
Preston, reports the loss of Minister
and family from Line Springs, Iowa,
visiting in Fillmore county. The min
lister, with his wife and two children,
undertook to reach home, and when
near home the horses gave out, and he
took one child and made his way to the
house, but in returning to the cutter,
where he had left his wife and remain
ing child, he was lost, and was found
the next day frozen to death. His wife
and child left in the cutter were also
found dead, but the one taken to the
house was found alive. A man had
been seen hanging around grove in
Fillmore county some days before the
storm. He was out during the fearful
storm of Tuesday night, but was found
and taken TO the county poor-farm,
where both hands and feet were ampu-
tated. He gave his name as Lee, is de-
lirious, and begs of Sheriff Martin not
to kill him. He is supposed to be
criminal wanted by Sheriff Martin, of
Winona county.


E. E. Payne, of Rochester, got caught
in the recent terrible storm while riding
in Dodge county, within few miles of
kasson, and lay out one whole day and
two nights before he could find a house.
He says he passed Mr.. Gaskill's before
dark, expecting to make Mr.. fuckers,
about mile further south, but when
about half way was so blinded by the
storm that l turned to take my back
track to Mr.. G.'s, which / had just pass
ed. My only guide was the wind, and
that changed TO west northwest, with
out my knowledge or consent, and af-
ter wandering, perhaps an hour, put
up for the night by turning my ponies
loose and my cutter up, and sat me
down to rest, within twenty rods of
Andrew Johnson's house. There Twas
all night, singing, praying, and work
ing to keep alive. At one time struck
my hands three hundred times, and at
another kicked my feet five hundred
times. At length day dawned-but no
abatement of the storm. 1 could not
see two rods after digging ont of where
1 was drifted under, and could hardly
stand, the wind blew so, was afraid
to leave, and returned to my snowy
nest and laid me down to die, if it was
Gods will. For hours I stood the storm
shivering, with clothes wet and frozen.
At last l repeated the verse:


'I can but perish if go,


am resolved to try,


For if 1 stay right here. know


/ shall most surely die"


81 started by holding on to the fence
until l found a sled track, which with
difficulty l followed until 1 found a
granary and stable, but could not find
a house. 1 stayed in the stable for
hours, waiting for some one to come,
but in vain, and again started out in
search of house; got lost and could
not find the stable again, until wander
ing perhaps an hour l again struck the
track, which 1 followed to the stable, to
find some ore had been there and fas-
tened the only door. As my only al
tentative, 1 found an open shed and
straw stack, and made my bed amid the
drifting snow, without any buffalo robe
and spent another long, long night
Thursday morning found me alive, and
the sky somewhat clear; so about eight
o'clock | found house within ten rods
of where had been several times the
day before on every side of it,"