Cyclone In South Texas Results In One Death

Negro Woman Is Killed And Three White People Injured.

Town of Liberty Struck by Twister, Following Heavy Rain, and Considerable Damage Is Sustained.

Special To The News.
Liberty, Liberty County, Tex., Feb. 19.-A cyclone formed about 3:30 o’clock yesterday afternoon in the southwest portion of town and passed diagonally across the place, causing death and property destruction.

The Colored Methodist Church is a complete loss, value about $1,000. A residence and barn belonging to W.S. Swillet of Houston damaged about $300; barn and fencing of W.S. Jones about $100; a residence belonging to Mrs. Ella Duncan of Austin was blown from its foundation and otherwise damaged to the extent of $500.

The residence of B. Stulling, engineer for the Texas and New Orleans Railway, was demolished while he and his family were therein. Mr. Stulling was asleep at the time and was thrown from his bed, but was not injured. Mrs. Stulling had two ribs broken and it is feared that she is otherwise internally injured. Miss Georgia was badly bruised and cut. Margaree, the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stulling, was badly cut just above the knee by a flying window frame and it required four stitches to close the wound. The next object in the cyclone’s path was an old barn belonging to R.F. Cunningham, valued with contents at $50. From there the cyclone evidently rose, crossed the main street of town, passed over the building occupied by the Liberty Land and Abstract Company and tore away the upper works of a windmill one-half block distant. It was blown through the front part of a residence owned by B.M. O’Brien and occupied by W.T. Norman one-half block away and did other damage to Mr. Norman’s household goods besides tearing away all the fencing on two sides of his place. Damage to the two places about $150. The cyclone jumped about two blocks when it struck the house of a negro family. A negro woman was instantly killed, her neck being broken.

The storm struck another negro house about a block away, tearing it to pieces and the debris catching fire and burning up. In this house was a negro school teacher sick in bed, who barely escaped being crushed to death, being badly bruised and cut.

This is the first time in the history of this town (settled in 1832) property has been damaged and life lost as the result of a cyclone. The storm was preceded by a heavy rain for fifteen or twenty minutes.

Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX 20 Feb 1909
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Transcribed by June. Thanks June!