Woodrufk Emmty News.
VOL. VII.
McCRORY, ARKANSAS, THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 1909.
NO 17.
WIND AND FIRE WORK TERRIDLE HAVOC
1
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A BRINKLEY STREET SCENE THE MORNING AFTER THE STORM.
-LJ
Brinkley Practically Wiped Out of
Existence by Tornado.
Brinkley.—The cyclone that nearly
destroyed this city last week has pass_
ed into history, leaving all Arkansas
engaged in the noble work of reliev
ing the distress of the sufferers. The
injured have been cared for and the
immense amount of building material
supplied by other cities is being
used. The ruins and debris have been
cleared away and the city will soon
assume a more cheerful aspect.
An estimate of $2,250,000 has been
placed on the storm loss in Brinkley
after a careful canvass by a number
STREET SCENE NEAR DEPOT AT BRINKLEY.
oC business men who are in touch
with local values. The actual prop
erty loss is close to 12,000,000. they
declare, and the loss to business and
laud values will run up into the hun
dreds of dollars. Thirty-five people
were killed and 200 injured.
The repair work on the light plant
has brought out the story of the break
ing of the steam pipes there on the
night of the tornado. The wind in
crushing in the building wrenched a
number of the steam pipes in twain
and the steam rushing from the boil
er, which was carrying a full load at
the time, escaped with a noise that
penetrated that of the tornado.
“It sounded like 5,000 engines ex
hausting at the same time,” said one
man telling of the incident. "I could
not conceive what it was at the time.
It was an awful roaring, rushing
sound, and seemed like another and
greater tornado coming.”
The injuries of between 150 and 175
wounded are being dressed each day
by the corps of physicians and nurses
in charge of Dr. E. D. McKnight. A
considerable number are dressed at
the emergency hospital, at Main and
f’ypress streets, and the others are
visited at their homes by the physi
cians. The city is divided into dis
tricts and each physician has been s
assigned a district. There are now j
two negro physicians assisting in the ^
work. All of the physicians from out
of the city have returned home, the
last of them going Saturday night.
The negro physicians are proving val
uable among the many negro injured. £
Many of the tricks performed by '
the storm in driving splinters through 1
trees and blowing cisterns away *
amaze the beholders. A weird trick *
of the kind as played at the home
of E. H. f merce on South Main u
strpojf. i windows were \blown <
c oi :ng sides of the room t
and a spoonholder picked from the
center of a table and smashed on the
wall. Two of the spoons in the
holder were bent double. The table
was set for supper, but not another
dish was molested.
Stories of miraculous escapes are
told by the dozens in Brinkley, and in
fact few who escaped owe their lives
to anything but a miracle. The two
children of Mrs. Belle Darden were
saved by a marvel from the weight
of the heavy ceiling which killed their
mother. Mrs. Darden, her 10-year-old
—•— -—-—
A BRINKLEY STORE WHERE TWO WERE KILLED.
on and five-year-old daughter were
a the room together when the house
ras ripped to kindling by the torna
o. The mother was felled and crusli
d to death by the falling ceiling, but
he children were thrown to the floor
nd a broken table held the crushing
weight from them. After the storm
he boy crawled from the ruins and
elped rescue his sister and recover
he body of his mother.
Picking a child’s play house from
porch in the south part of Brinkley,
arrying it half a mile through the air
nd dropping it upright and un
scratched in a garden on the north
side of the city, the storm perform
ed a trick not far short of magic.
The play house, a reproduction in
miniature of a modern residence, was
the property of Dennie Rogers, daugh
ter of James Rogers of South New
Orleans avenue. It was on the front
porch when the storm arose and it
sailed away in the air at tile first gust.
The next day it was found daintily
set on a level spot in the garden at
the home of James Shultz on New
York avenue, in the north part of
the city. Not a glass in the play
thing was demolished nor a curve of
the delicate gingerbread work was
broken.
The wind performed a mysterious
trick at the home of H. L. D. Whitson
on Cedar street. Before the storm a
flower stand of considerable size was
in a conservatory on the second floor
of the residence. The door between
the conservatory and an adjoining bed
room was locked. The tornado un
roofed and badly twisted the house.
The next day the flower stand was
found upright, flowers silghtly dam
aged, in the bed room with the door
still locked. The stand had been lift
ed front the conservatory and drop
ped into the bed room after the build
ing had been unroofed.
The entire front was blown from a
building on the east side of New
Orleans avenue, occupied by T. C.
Simmons, and a row of crockery four
feet tall which was slacked against
the wrall was left intact. Not a jar
was moved from the stack, balanced
as it was on the extreme edge of the
wrecked floor, while the building
about was torn and strained. The
front was ripped into kindling by the
wind and scattered in the street.
Louis Stovall, the two-year-old
daughter of Henry Stovall and a sis
ter ot Henry stovaii, jr.. wuo was
killed in the Foote shoe store, went
through a shower of bricks untouch
ed. The baby was lying in a cradle
when a brick chimney fell about, her,
filling the cradle. A brother picked
the cradle up, expecting to find the
child dead, but she was found without
a bruise or scratch. Thirty-two bricks
were taken from the cradle.
At the home of C. C. Weathington
a piece of three-quarter inch board,
of the kind used for ceilings, was
driven through the outer wall and a
closet, three walls in all, and pitched
into the room.
STRUCK GAS AT
RUSSELLVILLE
Drilling Will be Continued Until
Stronger Flow is Secured.
Russellville.—A good flow of gas
has been found in the gas well at this
place at a depth of 2,150 feet. The
flow is many times stronger than that
in the old well and burns to the height
of six feet or over. It also has a
great pressure back of it.
Drilling is still going on and it is
thought that the desired quantity with
which to accomodate the town will
soon be found. Unlike the old well, the
new one has no stream of artesian
water, therefore, the flow of gas is
much stronger, as it does not have to
force itself through over 1,000 feet of
water before it comes to the surface.
The abandoned well has a flow of gas
which burns to the height of about
one foot when lighted. It is said that
the flow in the new well is 100 per
cent greater than that in the old. Of
course, it is meant by this that that
estimation includes pressure as well
as the height to which it burns.
SHOT IN BRAIN; STILL LIVES.
Shotgun Accidenta'ly Discharged, Boy
Gets The Load.
Grady.—A negro boy 12 years with
a bullet in his brain and his head full
of shot, is not only living, but shows
prospects of entire recovery, in Mos
cow, a station near Grady. Three
weeks ago a couple of negro boys of
the same age were fooling with a
shotgun, which was accidentally dis
charged. One of the boys got almost
the entire contents in his face and
head. Two or three shots penetrated
the skull and entered the brain, where
they are still lodged. One shot en
tered the right eve, destroying the
sight.
A score or more lodged in different
parts of the head and face. Dr. M.
C. John, who is attending the patient,
is confident that he will completely
recover.
CONWAY WILL HAVE FAIR.
Association Will Elect Officers Within
a Few Days.
Conway.—Sufficient stock has now
been subscribed to assure the organi
ation of the Faulkner County Fair
association and the stockholders will
meet to elect officers within a few
days. On account of the fact that no
one was permitted to subscribe for
more than four shares, it has re
quired a canvass of several days to
place the stock, but the promoters of
the county fair now state positively
that it will be held next fall.
Several other towns in the state
proposing to have fairs are being
communicated with in order to have
no conflict in dates and to form a
circuit for concessions and horses to
follow before going to the state fair at
Hot Springs.
WILL GO TO SEE WICKERSHAM.
District Attorney W. G, Whipple Will
Confer as to Railroad Case.
Little Rock.—District Attorney Wm.
G. Whipple will leave Little Rock in a
few days for Washington for a confer
ence March 13 wilh Attorney General
George Wickersham and the Interstate
Commerce Commission relative to the
prosecution of the Missouri Pacific
Iron .Mountain railroad under indict
ment in Federal court here charged
with giving rebates to T. H. Bunch.
The conference is thought to have
a big significance, as the policy of the
Taft administration relative to the
railroads in Arkansas will probably be
outlined there. It has a more direct
bearing on the indictments resting
the railroads in the Federal court
now, however.
Gets Next Convention.
Conway.—Conway is rejoicing ovei
the news from Fort Smith that the
next state convention of the Wood
men of the World and the Woodman
Circle will be held here the second
week in March. 1911.
There seems to be no question as
to the town's ability to entertain the
delegates, although on account of its
central location. 1,000 are expected to
attend. Several years ago Conway
took care of the State Baptist Conven
tion. with more than 1,200 delegates
in attendance.
Packet Company Formed
Little Rock.—The White and Ar
kansas River Packet Company with
headquarters at McGehee, filed arti
cles of incorporation with the secre
tary of state this week. The capital
stock of the company is placed at
$10,000, of which $1,000 has been
subscribed. The incorporators are:
S. L. Howell, T. H. Huddleston. Os
car Lowler, Isaac Bankston and B. B.
Aldredge. The company proposes to
operate bonds on the Mississippi,
White and Arkansas rivers for the
transportation of freight and passen*
gers for a period of 90 years.
WILLIAM STANLEY DROWNED.
Cut Harness From Mules in Mid
stream, But Lost His Life.
Hot Springs.—After he had cut the
harness on his team of mules at mid
stream in the swollen waters of the
Middle Fork of the Saline river, and
thus permitting the animals to have
a chance of escape, William H. Stan
ley of the Hot Springs Mercantile
Company, remained on his wagon and
was drowned in the storm of Monday
afternoon.
Attention was called to the incident
when a mule with freshly cut harness
hanging about it was discovered on
the banks of the stream. Farmers
gathered and investigated the case,
and after five hours of work the body
of Stanley was recovered.
He had attempted to drive across
the swollen stream and found himself
in distress at midstream. It was then
that he cut the harness from the
team and gave them a chance to get
out when he knew they would not be
able to pull through with the wagon
and himself. One mule and the
wagon were lost in the stream.
ONE KILLED OVER DOG.
Garrett Toppled Over on Cement
Pavement and Expired in 30
Minutes.
Hot Springs—William Garrett of
Portland, Ore, lies a corpse in his
apartments at the Goddard Hats, his
wife is prostrated with grief and Hen
ry English is in jail under a man
slaughter charge as a result of the
heated controversy of but an instant.
Garrett and his wife were returning
to their apartments from supper when
a small terrier pet owned by them
grabbed the trouser leg of Harry Eng
lish, a local hotel keeper.
English kicked the terrier free, and
Mrs. Garrett became angered at the
kick the dog received and spoke an
grily. English retorted in an ugly
tone and William Garrett answered
with a threat.
English struck Garrett in the mouth,
i Garrett toppled over, but his head hit
squarely on the cement pavement and
concussion of the brain caused his
death 30 minutes later.
The men had never 3een each oth
er before.
PROBING DEATH MYSTERY.
Body is Exhumed and Stomach to Be
Examined by Chemist.
New Lewisville.—The sudden death
of Miss Effie Kitchens, a highly re
spected young lady living near Stamps,
has caused the greatest sensation that
community has ever experienced. She
was the daughter of James Kitchens,
an influential farmer, was well edu
cated, handsome and a general favor
ite in that community.
It is understood that two parties
are under surveillance, but as yet no
arrests have been made. The general
opinion is that one or two things has
happened, namely, that she was either
foully murdered or was a suicide, with
the preponderance of weight to the
murder theory.
The body was exhumed and the
stomach sent to Kraus at Memphis
for examination, and the coroner’s ver
dict was withheld until the analysis
can be made, and his report as to
whether the stomach contained poison
will enter largely Into the verdict of
the jury.
IMPROVEMENTS AT WARREN.
Canning Factory, Paper Mill and Car
negie Library Among Probabilities.
Warren.—Arrangements are being
made with the farmers of Bradley
county to erect one of the largest
canning factories in the Southwest.
The plans will be not only to can
the vegetable product, but the pre
serving department will take care of
the fruits and berries which are raised
in this county and Southeast Arkan
sas. The factory will cost about $10,
000 and will be run on (he co-opera
tive plan.
Preparations are being made to ac
cept a proposition in regard to build
ing and operating a paper mill to
manufacture paper from the pine tim
ber waste which necessarily accumu
lates from the lumber plant.
As this waste of material necessary
to manufacture the paper is right at
the door of the paper mill proposed,
the experts who have looked the field
over pronounce the prospects the best
they ever inspected.
Negroes Rob a Train.
Texarkana.—A Cotton Belt freight
train was robbed about two miles out
of Texarkana by a couple of negroes
while the train was in motion. The
train crew discovered the theft when
they arrived at Bassett, and immedi
ately reported the matter to the di
vision superintendent. J. B. Vande
weghe and John Vaughan started to
the river and came upon the negroes
by the railway train with a box of
men's clothing and other merchan
dise, but when they approached the
negroes ran off and the stuff waa
brought to Texarkana.
HIS OPINION IS
NOT NECESSARY
Attorney General Holds Penitentiary
Superintendent’s Opinion is Valu
able, but Not Really Necessary.
Little Rock.—The question as to
whether the Penitentiary Board has
authority to grant the parole of a
convict without the recommendation
of the superintendent of the peni
lentiary was decided by Attorney (Jen.
eral Hal L. Norwood in an opinion
to the effect that the board has tlie
power.
In his opinion. Mr. Norwood holds
that in the matter of the parole of a
prisoner the superintendent is only re
quired to advise with the board and
give his opinion as to the fitness of
the prisoner for parole, "and, if it
was the intention of the act for the
opinion of the superintendent to be
conclusive in the matter of paroling
a prisoner, the act would not have
provided thai. the judge, prosecuting
attorney and other officers shall fur
nish information to the board when
called upon.
“My conclusions are,’’ says the at
torney general, "that the opinion of
the superintendent is merely advisory
with the board in the matter of pa
roling a prisoner and while the in
dividual members of the board would,
no doubt, attach ^considerable im
portance to the superintendent's opin
ion, it was not intended by the act.
for his opinion to be absolutely con
clusive in the matter. If the “leg
islature had intended that no prison
er should be paroled unless it met
with the approval of the superintend
ent, it would not have required the
board to meet to consider the advis
ability of paroling a convict and of
getting advice and information from
other officers as to the record, etc.,
of the prisoner, but would have plac
ed the whole matter in the hands of
the superintendent of the peniten
tiary.”
NEGRO HAD A YOUNG STORE.
Officers Are Unable to Learn Where
He Got His Stock.
Pine Bluff.—Several hundred dol
lars worth of dry goods, men’s fur
nishings. shotguns, Winchester rifles,
revolvers, art squares and clothing
has been recovered by Constable
Frank Stewart of this city from a ne
gro rooming house at No. 410 East
Third avenue in this city, but the
officers are unable to find the owners
of the stolen goods, which are very
valuable, or learn anything regarding
the loss of the valuables. Sam Jones,
a negro who was arrested several
several days ago on suspicion, by Con
stable Stewart, was the custodian ot
the little "general merchandise store"
before his arrest. He is in the county
jail and efforts to get him to tell
something regarding his possessions
have failed. He declares that he is
innocent.
The negro said he got the stuff in
Argenta, but Constable Joe Inda, who
came here to look at the fellow, says
he is not wanted in Argenta and that
no goods of the kind in Jones’ posses
sion had been stolen there.
BLOODHOUNDS CATCH NEGRO.
Jumps in Lake to Escape Dogs and
Surrenders When Officers Arrive.
Pine Bluff.—Deputy Sheriff Tom
Meeks and A. P. ('order have just re
turned from Altheimer, Ark., where
they, with the aid of the Jefferson
county bloodhounds, captured Doc
Griffin, a negro, who is wanted there
on a grand larceny charge. The ne
gro was jailed here.
Griffin, to escape the bloodhounds,
jumped into Brush lake and remained
in the water until the officers arrived
and called the dogs off. They then
compelled Griffin to surrender.
RAPID RISE IN BLACK RIVER.
The Water Reaches Barns and Resi
dences of Many.
Black Rock.—The most rapid rise
in Black river ever known here has
occurred within the past 30 hours,
flooding the entire lowlands. The loss
to the farmers will be hard to esti
mate, as the waters have reached in
many instances to the floors of their
houses and barns. Considerable loss
of stock has been reported, hogs es
pecially, and the loss to property will
reach in the thousands of dollars
Conway Wants Woodmen.
Conway.—Conway will make an
effort to secure the next meeting of
the Woodmen of the World of Ar
kansas, an invitation having been
drawn up by Secretary G. L. Bahned
of the Board of Trade ’for presentation
to the head camp, now in session at
Fort Smith. Delegates from this
county will endeavor to get the invi
tation accepted.
An appropriation will be made by
Congress to maintain navigation on
Saline river from its mouth as far
up stream as Turtle Bar.