Mexia, Texas Tornado
April 24, 1904
Wrecked By Wind
Several Residences and Negro Cabins Demolished
By The Wind On Sunday.
Call For Physician
Family of A. C. SHANKS at Yell-dell Injured In
The Falling House.
Havoc Wrought in That Community, Second Cyclone
Within a Few Weeks in the Same Locality.
Special to the News.
Mexia, Tex, April 25 – About a dozen
residences and negro cabins were demolished by a
cyclone in Freestone County Sunday afternoon at
6 o’clock. The cloud was seen forming about 5:50
and moving in a northeasterly direction. About
one hour later a boy rode into town in the rain
after a physician to attend the family of
A. C. SHANKS,
whose house was demolished at Yeldell, six miles
northeast of Mexia.
This was the first place the cyclone struck. It
moved on down through the same community to Nip
and Tuck settlement, and there wrought havoc
with the residences of
DR. BATCHLER, GEORGE WOLF, R. M. BAKER
and several others whose names have not yet been
learned. It was in this settlement so many negro
cabins were destroyed.
W. E. BONNER
of Mexia and his daughter,
MISS LILLIAN were driving to
MR. BONNER’S farm in Freestone
County, saw the storm coming and drove to an old
barn for safety. The barn was blown away and MR.
BONNER’S buggy was blown through a wire fence,
but neither MR. BONNER nor his daughter was
hurt.
The cyclone was accompanied by a heavy rain.
This is the second cyclone in Limestone and
Freestone Counties within a few weeks’ time,
both of which did considerable damage to growing
crops, as well as destroying lives and property,
and will be much larder on the people on account
of last year’s clop failure and the rigid
economy being practiced by those whose property
is a clear loss.
Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX 26 Apr
1904
Woman Fatally Injured.
Houses Were Reduced to Kindling Wood at Mexia,
Texas, and One Woman Will Die.
Houston, Texas, April 25 – A tornado passed
through three miles east of Mexia, Texas, today,
demolishing the houses of
A. B. SHANKS, R. B. BAKER,
GEN. WOLF and DR. BACHELOR.
JENNIE SHANKS
was probably fatally injured and all of the
members of the SHANKS family were hurt.
ED BOONER and
his daughter were blown from a carriage and
seriously hurt.
The Grand Forks Daily Herald, Grand Forks,
ND 26 Apr 1904
Articles transcribed by Sue Yerby.
Thank you, Sue!
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