The Copiah Signal
Hazlehurst, Mississippi
 
April 27, 1883  
Last Sunday morning a wind storm struck the towns of Beauregard and Wesson and continued but slightly abated fury until afternoon. About three o'clock a dull heavy roar seemed to fill the air with but an instants warning, all was midnight darkness. Three seconds it had passed and left rain and desolation. Those who saw the cyclone say it seemed like a dense volume of smoke.
 
In Beauregard, Dr. Lampkins residence was razed to the ground; he was not injured but his wife and little son were painfully wounded-the latter dangerously so. In the house at the time were John S. Terrell, D. Jones, his wife and two sons, all dead. Mr. George Holloway was fatally wounded. Ham Moody and his wife were out walking and ran to a box car, the car was thrown a hundred yards. Mr. Moody was dangerously wounded. Seven negroes were in the car playing cards-three were killed. Mr. J.W. Ross and wife were painfully injured and their little baby is so badly crushed it cannot live. Miss Eula Benton was found dead. Miss Georgianna B. Mitchell, of New York, had her brains crushed. Caleb Ellis, colored, had his skull split open. Mrs. H.F. Carter was seriously wounded and her baby was blown from her arms.
 
We copy below a correct list of the dead. At the house of W.C. Loving, J.A. Williams and William Sanford, dead. At the house of J.L. Crawford, dead, William Parker, Louis Parker, child and Julia Schrett, 10 years old.
 
There were twenty-four houses down in Wesson, occupied entirely by the Mississippi Mills operatives. Many of the houses contained as many as fourteen or fifteen people. Below is a list of the dead. Miss Sallie Ford, Mrs. Wilkerson and son, William Blackburn's child, Ram Benion, Nathan Loftin's child, four nephews of J.T. Gibson, Mrs. Duncan's child, Mrs. Cancey and child-total killed 13. Anna Clauding, nurse of S. Lowenburg, died tonight. Mr. Blackburn's face so mangled that it was unrecognizable, his little child was killed outright. Mrs. Beard is suffering from concussion of the brain. She is expected to die.Joe Williams is insensible and is not likely to recover. Four of Mr. Turner Gibson's nephews were killed on the spot. Mrs. Finch has been unconscious since her injuries; she will hardly live 48 hours. Mrs. Allen has a six inch incised wound across the abdomen and another on the scalp equally large. She is now in a precarious condition.
 
At Georgetown on Pearl River most of the people were assembled in the Methodist Church. Three colored people were killed and ten injured. John Crawford, wife, daughter, son, grandchild and one servant were killed instantly and so crushed and mangled as to be scarcely recognizable. Mrs. Ryan's children were also killed, as also were those of Mr. John Beasley. Mrs. Fowles three sons and one daughter were instantly killed when Mrs. Fowles was carried by the wind 150 yards and thrown into a tree and died from her injuries. On the opposite side of the river, James Bass and family of 10 persons were seriously injured, only one killed.
 
At Tillman Station a Mr. Beggett was killed. At Caledonia, Mr. Jack Stephenson was instantly killed. At Red Lick there were several lives lost.
 
At Starkville, two negroes were killed. Twelve persons were killed at Aberdeen.
 
At Beauregard, the body of Mrs. Carter's child, eight months old, was found 500 steps from the house. Miss Walker, who has been blind for years, has the scalp torn up over her entire cranium. Mrs. Keating, a lady 75 years old, is frightfully wounded, her husband was killed.
 
A correct list of the killed: Misses Mary Mickle, a sister of Capt. White's wife; Georgianna Mitchell, M. Benton, daughter of the tax collector of Claiborne County; Annie Clossing, of New Orleans; Ermira Terrell; her sister not before reported; Mrs. Luther Jones; Mrs. Huber, who leaves four orphan children; Mrs. Westerfield, Capt. Wies wife, James A. Williams; John S. Terrell; Wm. Sanford; Wm. Parker; R. Keating; Rev. Theophilus Green, Baptist minister; Dr. Luther Jones; Lewis Parker; Milton Story; George White; Earnest Bahr; Dr. Jones' two children;H.F. Carter's child; the child of Mrs. Schrett; the child of John W. Bass, and the following named colored people-Jerry Smith, Joseph Hunt, Caleb Ellis, Melissa Burtis' child and J. Easterling's child.
 
A large party took shelter in Mr. John N. Crawford's house on the Hazlehurst and Rockport Rd., and all were killed, as follows: John N. Crawford and wife, Celia A. Crawford, Jennie Crawford, Mrs. Julia Read and baby, Mr. Frank Moore and wife, Willie Read. Mr. Reed and baby and Mrs. Moore and baby are mortally wounded and will die. Mr. Hennington will die.
 
May 4, 1883
 
The Cyclone - reports still being received. At Mr. Nash's, little Mary Beasley, daughter of John Beasley, was killed, skull being crushed.
 
 
  The American Citizen
Canton, Mississippi
 
April 28, 1883  
On Sunday last the towns of Wesson and Beauregard were visited by a cyclone. At Wesson the damage to life and property was apparently confined to one particular portion of town, Peach Orchard Street. The houses on this entire street were completely destroyed and the inmates buried beneath the ruins.
 
The town of Beauregard was totally destroyed. There was not a single house left standing. The dead and wounded were taken to Wesson.
 
The following is an authentic list of the dead found at Beauregard up to the present time: Miss Mary Mikell, George White, Mrs. Huber, M. Story, J. Terrell, J.A. Williams, Miss Georgia Mitchell, Miss Eula Benton, Lewis and Wm. Parker, Rev. T. Green, Wm. T. Keeting, Dr. and Mrs. Luther Jones, Wood and Johnnie Jones, William Sanford, Miss Annie Claussing, E. Bahr, George Holloway, three colored men, Jerry Smith, Caleb Ellis and Joe Hunt, three colored women and three colored children, names unknown, a child of Mr. Foote Carter, and a child of Mrs. Swett.
 
The following is a list of the dead at Wesson: Mrs. Saunders and son, Miss Sallie Ford, two little sons of Ed. Allen, Mrs. Causey and her daughter Bettie, Mrs. Wilkinson, Z. Loftin, S. Briston, and two little boys.
 
 

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