Washington Weekly Republican (Washington, Kansas)
18 Apr 1873, Fri
Page 3
THE STORM
TERRIBLE SUFFERING
Eight person Perish.
It becomes our duty this week to chronicle one of those sad events which calls forth the sympathies, even from the most callous hearts. During the storm of Monday and Tuesday, the most violent ever known in Kansas, the dwelling house of Mr. Bennett, living one and a half miles south of Prairie Home, Republic county, was blown down, and his family and that of a neighbor, exposed to the unrelenting fury of the storm for thirteen hours. The building was stone, and on Tuesday morning about four o'clock the roof blew off and the north end of the house was blown in. Mr. Bennett immediately started to a neighbor's for assistance, but for some cause or other was unable to procure it. He returned home and got his family into the house, but it seems their clothing was buried in the debris of the fallen building and he could get no protection for them. He again started for assistance and did not return until five o'clock in the evening. On his return in the evening, he was accompanied by the stage agent and some passengers who were snowed up at the Prairie Home station, but assistance came too late - seven of the nine whom he had left there in the morning had already perished.
After Mr. Bennett had left the second time the women became frightened and left the house to take refuge in the barn, Mrs. Bennett was found on the south side of the corn crib entirely buried in the snow, while three of the children had been overcome with the storm a short distance from the house. Mrs. Crane was found sitting by the side of the wagon with her child in her arms with a blanket wrapped around them both.
The dead bodies and the two surviving children, a boy aged twelve and a girl aged five were taken to a house about one and a half miles distant where the boy died about ten o'clock. Mrs. Crane, one of the victims, had her house burned by a prairie fire on Saturday and was stopping temporarily at the house of Mr. Bennett.
Contributor: Mel Davis (49103460)
If you read the attached story that was scanned from the Homeland Horizons book prepared by the Republic County Bicentennial Historical Committe 1975-1976 it tells one version of the tragedy that befell this family.
18 Apr 1873, Fri
Page 3
THE STORM
TERRIBLE SUFFERING
Eight person Perish.
It becomes our duty this week to chronicle one of those sad events which calls forth the sympathies, even from the most callous hearts. During the storm of Monday and Tuesday, the most violent ever known in Kansas, the dwelling house of Mr. Bennett, living one and a half miles south of Prairie Home, Republic county, was blown down, and his family and that of a neighbor, exposed to the unrelenting fury of the storm for thirteen hours. The building was stone, and on Tuesday morning about four o'clock the roof blew off and the north end of the house was blown in. Mr. Bennett immediately started to a neighbor's for assistance, but for some cause or other was unable to procure it. He returned home and got his family into the house, but it seems their clothing was buried in the debris of the fallen building and he could get no protection for them. He again started for assistance and did not return until five o'clock in the evening. On his return in the evening, he was accompanied by the stage agent and some passengers who were snowed up at the Prairie Home station, but assistance came too late - seven of the nine whom he had left there in the morning had already perished.
After Mr. Bennett had left the second time the women became frightened and left the house to take refuge in the barn, Mrs. Bennett was found on the south side of the corn crib entirely buried in the snow, while three of the children had been overcome with the storm a short distance from the house. Mrs. Crane was found sitting by the side of the wagon with her child in her arms with a blanket wrapped around them both.
The dead bodies and the two surviving children, a boy aged twelve and a girl aged five were taken to a house about one and a half miles distant where the boy died about ten o'clock. Mrs. Crane, one of the victims, had her house burned by a prairie fire on Saturday and was stopping temporarily at the house of Mr. Bennett.
Contributor: Mel Davis (49103460)
If you read the attached story that was scanned from the Homeland Horizons book prepared by the Republic County Bicentennial Historical Committe 1975-1976 it tells one version of the tragedy that befell this family.
Washington Weekly Republican (Washington, Kansas)
18 Apr 1873, Fri
Page 3
THE STORM
TERRIBLE SUFFERING
Eight person Perish.
It becomes our duty this week to chronicle one of those sad events which calls forth the sympathies, even from the most callous hearts. During the storm of Monday and Tuesday, the most violent ever known in Kansas, the dwelling house of Mr. Bennett, living one and a half miles south of Prairie Home, Republic county, was blown down, and his family and that of a neighbor, exposed to the unrelenting fury of the storm for thirteen hours. The building was stone, and on Tuesday morning about four o'clock the roof blew off and the north end of the house was blown in. Mr. Bennett immediately started to a neighbor's for assistance, but for some cause or other was unable to procure it. He returned home and got his family into the house, but it seems their clothing was buried in the debris of the fallen building and he could get no protection for them. He again started for assistance and did not return until five o'clock in the evening. On his return in the evening, he was accompanied by the stage agent and some passengers who were snowed up at the Prairie Home station, but assistance came too late - seven of the nine whom he had left there in the morning had already perished.
After Mr. Bennett had left the second time the women became frightened and left the house to take refuge in the barn, Mrs. Bennett was found on the south side of the corn crib entirely buried in the snow, while three of the children had been overcome with the storm a short distance from the house. Mrs. Crane was found sitting by the side of the wagon with her child in her arms with a blanket wrapped around them both.
The dead bodies and the two surviving children, a boy aged twelve and a girl aged five were taken to a house about one and a half miles distant where the boy died about ten o'clock. Mrs. Crane, one of the victims, had her house burned by a prairie fire on Saturday and was stopping temporarily at the house of Mr. Bennett.
Contributor: Mel Davis (49103460)
If you read the attached story that was scanned from the Homeland Horizons book prepared by the Republic County Bicentennial Historical Committe 1975-1976 it tells one version of the tragedy that befell this family.
18 Apr 1873, Fri
Page 3
THE STORM
TERRIBLE SUFFERING
Eight person Perish.
It becomes our duty this week to chronicle one of those sad events which calls forth the sympathies, even from the most callous hearts. During the storm of Monday and Tuesday, the most violent ever known in Kansas, the dwelling house of Mr. Bennett, living one and a half miles south of Prairie Home, Republic county, was blown down, and his family and that of a neighbor, exposed to the unrelenting fury of the storm for thirteen hours. The building was stone, and on Tuesday morning about four o'clock the roof blew off and the north end of the house was blown in. Mr. Bennett immediately started to a neighbor's for assistance, but for some cause or other was unable to procure it. He returned home and got his family into the house, but it seems their clothing was buried in the debris of the fallen building and he could get no protection for them. He again started for assistance and did not return until five o'clock in the evening. On his return in the evening, he was accompanied by the stage agent and some passengers who were snowed up at the Prairie Home station, but assistance came too late - seven of the nine whom he had left there in the morning had already perished.
After Mr. Bennett had left the second time the women became frightened and left the house to take refuge in the barn, Mrs. Bennett was found on the south side of the corn crib entirely buried in the snow, while three of the children had been overcome with the storm a short distance from the house. Mrs. Crane was found sitting by the side of the wagon with her child in her arms with a blanket wrapped around them both.
The dead bodies and the two surviving children, a boy aged twelve and a girl aged five were taken to a house about one and a half miles distant where the boy died about ten o'clock. Mrs. Crane, one of the victims, had her house burned by a prairie fire on Saturday and was stopping temporarily at the house of Mr. Bennett.
Contributor: Mel Davis (49103460)
If you read the attached story that was scanned from the Homeland Horizons book prepared by the Republic County Bicentennial Historical Committe 1975-1976 it tells one version of the tragedy that befell this family.
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