Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2024 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== Saginaw Evening News Tuesday, 26 May 1896 ONE HUNDRED KILLED Many Michigan Families Are in Mourning Today. WORK OF THE TERRIBLE WIND Number of the Killed May Never be Known TOWNS WIPED FROM EARTH Eastern Michigan in Some Places a Scene of the Wildest Desolation - Many Counties Suffer Pontiac, May 26. - The villages of Thomas, Metamora, and Oakwood were almost wiped off the earth by a cyclone last night. It was a regular western twister, coming from the southwest, and bounded along like a great rubber ball, striking the ground and doing great devastation, then leap- ing into the air, allowing a tract of earth to escape only to descend further on and continue its deadly work. The following names of the dead at Thomas have been reported by their neighbors, who escaped with their lives but lost their homes; JOHN POORITT, Mrs. JOSEPH BIRD, JOHN MILKEY, E. E. TORRANCE, Mrs. HENRY QUICK, ABRAM QUICK and two children, Mrs. ALICE MITCHELL and two children. A partial list of the dead and injured in Brandon and Groveland townships is as follows: Dead - DANIEL THOMPSON and son, WILLIAM MITCHELL, Mrs. MITCHELL and two children, JOHN PORRITT, JOHN MILKEY, Mrs. T. G. HEATON, two children of MR. HOWE. Badly injured: WILLIAM KITCHEN and wife and brother. MRS. KITCHEN, not expected to recover. OSCAR GRANGER, LOUIS PORRITT and wife, ARCHIE WOODRUFF, T. D. EATON and wife. A telphone report from Clarkson, Oakland county, reports that some half dozen people have been killed, several in- jured and many houses have been blown down. ---------------------------------------------------------- 2nd article in this paper lists: The following are known to be killed in this county: Near Ortonville - W. J. MITCHELL, wife and two children, DANIEL THOMPSON and son, ABRAM QUICK, wife and two children, MRS. HENRY QUICK, MRS. JOHN WILKINS, JOHN PORRITT, MRS. JOSEPH PORRITT, JOHN MILKEY, T. E. GLEASON, MRS. T. D. EATON, ABE KITCHELL, MRS. WILLIAM KITCHEN, EDWIN FIFIELD, two children of MR. HOWE. At Oakwood - MRS. SUSAN STEWART, MRS. E. A. WOLVERTON, MRS. WILLIAM DAVIDSON and daughter IDA, child of ALFRED FIFIELD, ED. FIFIELD, ED. HOWE is fatally injured. At Thomas - CHARLES HICKS and son, reported dead. At North Oxford - MRS. OSCAR SLATE, THOMAS BISHOP, a farm laborer, name unknown, JOSEPH SMILEY and son. Injured at North Oxford - FRANK LAIDLAW, wife and child; MRS. LAIDLAW seriously hurt. Injured at Thomas - MRS. C. A. HICKS, frightfully crushed; MRS. SID COPEMAN, will not live; ELVORY HICKS, badly crushed; T. P. KNAPP, head badly bruised; WILLIAM ALTHOUSE, internal injuries; GEORGE HIBLER, both legs broken; WILLIAM CARR, fearfully bruised, injured internally; CHARLES BRADLEY, injured about head; A. M. KIDDER, arm badly shattered. Injured at Oakwood - AL FIFIELD, both legs broken, his daughter JESSIE badly injured; MRS. E. A. HOWE and one or two children; HARVEY FRANCIS, internal injuries, cannot live; MYRON JOHNSON, leg broken. Near Ortonville - between twenty and twenty-five were more or less seriously injured. The following are dead in addition to those heretofore reported: MRS. AUK SLATER, ANDREW PETTIBONE, MRS. SLATE, FRANK LAIDLAW'S infant son, THOMAS BISHOP, JOS. SMILEY, JR., JOS. SMILEY, SR., TOM BENNETT, MRS. ANDREW PETTIBONE and child, in critical condition. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 3rd article in this paper: Dryden, May 26 - The cyclone struck here, demolishing many buildings and killing much stock. Among the victims is Mrs. THOMPSON BENNETT. Her house was blown away and her body, nude and mangled, found several rods off. BENNETT was at the barn milking when it was blown away. He is alive but severely injured. It is reported that many others are injured or killed. ===========================================================================