From the:
THE BROOKHAVEN LEADER
B.T. HOBBS, EDITOR
THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1883
AFTER THE STORM
STILL COUNTING THE COST
It is beginning to look as if there will
be no end to the record of death and sorrow and destruction begotten of
the last storm. We could
fill three papers like THE LEADER with matters pertaining to this subject
and then there would be much of interest left untold.
WESSON AND BEAUREGARD
The following named persons of the Wesson
and Beauregard wounded have died from their injuries since our last paper;
I. Turnbough, Victoria Marshall, colored, Mrs. Finch,
Wm. Blackburn, a little son of J. T. Gibson,
and Mrs. Beard; making a total of 52 deaths
at both places to date.
There are a number of wounded who
are not yet out of danger and who are liable to die at any
time. Among these are Miss Mary Shields; Charles
Lane, two miles east of Beauregard; Mrs. Wm. Parker;
and Mrs. H. Moody. Mrs. Parker has been removed to McComb
City, and gangrene having set in, she had to undergo a second amputation
of her arm. Mrs. Moody's condition is very critical.
The editor of THE LEADER called to see her Tuesday afternoon,
and in addition to her dangerous wounds, found her shivering in the
clutches of a chill. Her husband, Mr. H.
Moody, is improving in body, but serious fears are
entertained that his mind is permanently destroyed, owing to
the awful bruises received upon the head. A great many
of the wounded at both places have been removed to neighboring towns,
and those remaining have been comfortably provided
for by the committees in charge of such
work. As if to multiply the afflictions of
the wounded, a number have been attacked by measles, erysipelis or gangrene.
To witness the sufferings of some of these people would move the stoniest
heart. Too much praise cannot be awarded the physicians of
Beauregard and Wesson, as well as many who have gone there from other places.
They have done a self-sacrificing, generous and heroic work.
Messrs. Bridewell, Rea and Cotton,
of the Relief committee at Beauregard, and their faithful assistants,
have done a grand work for the suffering
fellow-citizens--a service for which they should
be held in everlasting remembrance. A branch of the
Red Cross Society has been organized at Wesson,
with Capt. Oliver as President, and John Mangum
as Secretary, which is doing a like noble
work for the relief of the sufferers.
Many of the home and visiting ladies at
both places have worked like angels of mercy.
Up to date the case contributions received
at Beauregard amount to $2,250 and about the same amount has
been received at Wesson. The generous-hearted from every quarter
have responded nobly. When the work
is all done and the
smoke and excitement clears away, we hope to present
to our readers a full list of the contributions
and how distributed.
Careful, competent and reliable men now estimate that $550,000 will not cover the damage at Beauregard. The assessment of the town, only a few days before the storm shows the value of real estate alone there to have been assessed at $400,000. The damage in Wesson is computed at $20,000, and $100,000 for the county is regarded at liberal.
Some of the businessmen of Beauregard will rebuild, while others willmove away. Much demoralization exists and many can not tell yet what they will do. Only temporary shanties have been erected yet. We would like to see Beauregard now consolidate with Wesson and thus help to make that town a flourishing little city.
The mills at Wesson have started a force
of workmen rebuilding houses destroyed on Peach Orchard Street.
MORE ABOUT THE STORM SUFFERERS OF LINCOLN COUNTY
On learning that the destruction of the
cyclone was very great along its course through this county, a committee
of gentlemen composed of Messrs. R. R. Applewhite, M.
W. Nevels, Henry Towns, and Jos. G. Sessions, in order to ascertain
the number of those who had been damaged, and who really
needed outside assistance, began last Sunday morning at the Franklin
county line and followed the course of the storm to the Copiah
line, taking in every place that had been in the
slightest injured. The appended list of
names which they have
placed at our disposal for publication,
shows those whose places were struck by the storm.
We first give the names of those whom they found to
NEED IMMEDIATE RELIEF
Emanuel Middleton, wife and 4 children;
Delilah Smith, and 5 children; A. H. Smith, wife and 6 children;
Jas A. Smith, fractured ribs; John P. East, wife and 5 children;
J. J. East, wife and 5 children; Harry Smith and wife;
Thos. Batte East, needs but little; Isham Walker, wife and 6 children--he
has 2 helpless in family; Gilbert Smith and wife; Bailey Smith, wife and
2 children; Print Britt, wife and 2 children; Seaborn Smith, wife
and 8 children; Jeptha Britt; John H. Case, wife an 6 children; Wiley
Smith, wife and 6 children; Mrs. Ann Britt, a widow
who
has 6 children and is very
needy; A.M.C. Davis, wife and 2 children; J.J.
Davis, wife and 4 children; N. C. Barlow, wife and 5
children (Emma Estelle Barlow Britt was the fourth child
and would have been about 3½
years old); Jesse Case, wife and 1
child; L.H. White, wife and 9 children; Fred Wev, and Mr. Belcher.
Lewis H. White was very badly hurt about the head, and the doctors report
his mind dangerously affected. The follow- ing list embraces the names
of those whose property was injured, but who
CAN GET ALONG WITHOUT ASSISTANCE
Ervin Smith, Patterson Case,
Stephen Smith, W. R. Smith, Ben Bledsoe (Col.),
Allen Lofton, Dan Tucker,
Lewis Lyons, Elesbury
Britt, W.J. Callender, Perry R. Smith, A. C.
Arrington, Pleas Smith, Maybury Britt,
Elijah Smith, Marion Case, Hiram Allen,
John Ratcliff, Callie Davis, Rev. E. P. Douglass, John Allen, Sr., John
Allen, Jr., W. M. Crawford, and W.J. Thompson.
Many of the persons included
in the list of the needy are very destitute indeed, having
lost houses, bedding, clothing, provisions and everything which they
possessed. It is our understanding--and it seems nothing
more
than fair that they should receive their
pro rata of the funds sent by the benevolent from all quarters to
Beaure- gard and Wesson for distribution among the storm sufferers of these
places and the sections contiguous there to. We
have no doubt Judge Bridwell, of Beauregard, and the Red Cross
Society of Wesson will take the
same view of the case and govern themselves
accordingly. Brookhaven will extend considerable
assistance direct, but her ability to help is materially
lessened by the fact that many of our people had already
assisted Beauregard and Wesson to the extent of their ability before this
additional claim upon their bounty was known. Nevertheless,
this is a time when large charity is demanded,
and we hope every one will help these poor
people to the utmost extent of his means.
WHAT THE TORNADO DID IN FRANKLIN
McCall's Creek, Miss., April 26,1883
To the Editor of THE LEADER:¾
Last Sunday evening the storm passed through
this section of country, with all its fury and violence, demolish-
ing everything that lay in its path.
As far as we have learned, nine plantations were injured. On
four of these, not a house was left standing; but no one was seriously
hurt, except Mr. Ira Byrd and his daughter. The
first place it seems to have
struck, was Mr. Manten Lee's.
From there it took a northeasterly
direction, passing Mr. Ira Byrd's, Charlie Magee's (colored),
Mr. Bab Webb's, Mr. Isaac Ratcliff's, Mr. McIntyre's,
Mr. Porter's, Mr. Roan Byrd's and Mr. Thos. Byrd's.
Part of the roof of Mr. M. Lee's house was blown off,
and his field strewn with timber. Mr.Porter,
an independent farmer, suffered the greatest loss,
as nothing was left standing upon his place, except a few posts.
Even the sleepers and floor were blown up. His small stock
of goods was to the four winds,
and ribbon, cotton, etc., decked the neighboring
trees. He lost a horse, and after
the storm the poultry was found dead laying
around the premises. But strange, amid so
much destruction, his family had an almost miraculous
escape, as they were in the house at the time
and were blown up into one corner of the room.
Mr. Bab Webb and his
family were fortunately absent, or they could not
have escaped death, as their little cottage was partly blown
down and covered with timber. The storm had the
appearance of a cloud of black smoke and came with a
roaring, buzzing sound, accompanied by heavy rain and hail.
The uninjured farmers have nobly responded to the call for help,
from their unfortunate neighbors. Farming has been
at a stand still this week; every man and boy lending his assistance
in rebuilding the fallen houses, and clearing the fields of fallen
timber. The houses are about completed, but many
portions of the farms are so covered with heavy
timber, that at this busy season of
planting, it will be impossible to clear them. In many
places the crops will have to be replanted, and great
damage was done the fences, especially where the rails were
not new ones
H.A.C.
THE BROOKHAVEN LEADER
B.T. HOBBS, EDITOR
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1883
THE BEAUREGARD AND WESSON DEAD
Below we publish a revised
and correct list, as near as obtainable, of all persons who were
killed at Beaure- gard and Wesson on the day of storm, and who have died
since, from the effects of their wounds;
BEAUREGARD
Miss Eula Benton; Master Earnest
Bahr; Miss Anna Clossing, of New Orleans; H.F. Carter's
infant child, 8 months old; Rev. Theophilus Green
(Baptist Minister), Crystal Springs; Mrs. Huber, formerly
Mrs. Shields;
Dr. Luther Jones, dentist; Mrs. Luther
Jones; Master Willie Jones; Master Woodford Jones; Mr. Richard Keat- ing,
from Wesson; Miss Georgia Mitchell; Mr. Wm. Parker;
Maste r Lewis Parker; Tommy Ross; son of Mr.
John W. Ross; Master Milton Story, son
of Mr. S. A. Story; Mr. Wm. Sandifer; Mr. I. Turbough,
died at Brook- haven; Miss Irma Terrell; Mr. John S.
Terrell; Mrs. Capt. John F. White, George White, son
of Capt. Frank
White; James William,
son-in-law of W.C. Loving; Mrs. A. Westerfield, mother
of S.P. Bloom; Miss Mary
Mikell, Mrs. John F. White's
sister; Miss Mary Shields, daughter of Mrs.
Huber; Little Essie Swett, died at Summit after removal.
Total, 27; all white.
COLORED DEAD
Caleb Ellis; Joseph Hunt; Jere Smith; Victoria Marshall; child of Freeman Easterling; two children name unknown. Total 7.
WESSON
Miss Sallie Ford; Mrs.
Sanders (sister of J. T.Gibson); child of Mrs. Wilkinson;
a little daughter of Nathan
Lofton; two little boys of
Edward Allen; Mrs. Causey, and daughter;
Wm. Blackburn and son; child of N. L.
Duncan; son of J. T.
Gibson; Samuel Binion; Mrs. Emily Finch, wounded
in Beauregard and removed to Wesson; Mrs. Elizabeth
Beard. Total-10; all white.
THE WOUNDED AT WESSON AND BEAUREGARD
Special to the Times-Democrat.
Wesson, May 2 -- Rev. H. F. Johnson,
of Brookhaven, has paid out, as agent of the Red Cross here, $200
to sufferers in Lincoln County. The Red Cross today
issued 100 rations for one week. Thompson
& Co., M.
Daniel & Co., C. A. Ray, L. 0. Bridewell
and I. Bloom & Co., will rebuild at Beauregard.
The wounded here
and at Beauregard are doing well, and
no further deaths are expected at Beauregard, except
that of Charles Lane. As a last resort the leg of J.T. Gibson's nephew
will be amputated next Thursday, but it is feared this will do no good.
Mrs. McMan has her jaws crushed, Erysipelas has set in and she is lying
here in a critical condi- tion, having taken only a few spoons full of
liquid nourishment since the 22nd.
Mr. Hamilton Mood was
reviewing the ruins at Beauregard with his elbow in a sling.
The physicians both at home and abroad had considered
his case hopeless, and his indomitable will,
iron constitution and great
nerve account for his
marvelous recovery. His mind is
now clear and active, and he related to the T. D. representative
many incidents connected with the cyclone. A buggy was
sent down and he was taken home
at once, he having visited the ruins
against the earnest remonstrations of his relatives.
Mrs. Moody is able to be up. Mrs. Dr. Pierce, hurt badly on
the arm, was taken 20 miles east of Brookhaven today.
The three orphans, George Shields and the half-sisters Eddie and Sarah Huber, were taken on the same train to Brookhaven, where Mrs. Whitworth, Dr. Martin and Mr. Maxwell will take charge of them. The little orphans mentioned above arrived safely Monday afternoon, and were taken charge of by the benevolent-hearted persons named as their protectors. They could not have fallen into better hands.
TWO STORM INCIDENTS
Mr. H. Shoafe, so badly hurt, and taken to Brookhaven, has recovered sufficiently to return here today. This gentleman was blown from Wesson to Beauregard, a distance of one mile ---
Wesson special to New 0rleans Times-Democrat, May lst.
Mr. Simpson--we forget his other name---was
taken up by the storm in West Lincoln, carried past Wesson and Beauregard
at the rate of a mile a minute and sloshed down into
the middle of Pearl River at Rockport. He
then swam down the
Pearl to Monticello, and crawled from that place
to Brookhaven, reaching here last Thursday just
too late for us to announce his arrival in our last paper.
He said that his house had been swept
away and carried beyond where he himself
was spilt from the laps of the storm and that he was a sufferer and
needed help. We believed him, and he was endorsed
by the editor of THE LEADER and several leading
citizens of Brookhaven with instructions
to draw on the Times-Democrat's Relief Fund
for $100. At last accounts, Mr. Simpson had sufficiently
recovered to walk a little, and was still improving.
THE DEATH ROLL
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1883
The roll of death is still being
occasionally called among the storm, victims. Since our last,
a little son of Mrs. Sanders, and the nephew of
Mr. J. T. Gibson, at Wesson, and Mr.
Charles Lane at Beauregard, have
answered the call. This
makes the total number of victims 55. Mrs. Wilkinson, a much-respected
old lady of
83 years died at Wesson last week of natural
decay. The Red Cross and Relief Committees
are trying to
close their work this week.
Article contributed by Lora Beth Wright
See also:
Victims of the Storm of 83