This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Death Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/RV.2ADI/268 Message Board Post: Several people have expressed interest in the tornado which struck near Swifton on 10 Apr 1929. Below are two articles from the local weekly (Tuckerman Record.) The Tuckerman Record ceased publication in 1989, so permission to reprint this article was not sought. ------------- Tuckerman, AR, Tuckerman Record, Friday, April 19, 1929, pages 1 and 4 [Articles on tornado of Wednesday, April 10, 1929] SURVIVORS TELL OF STORM'S TERROR Fine Courage Shown, Residents Preparing to Start Over Again Residents of the storm riddled sections accepted their misfortune bravely. "I never had much, but what little I had I got by hard work," said Thad Hamilton, who with his family miraculously escaped death. "I've lost everything, but I can work again and get it back. One thing is certain," he continued. "I'm going to live a better life." His was the feeling of most of the victims. "We'll get going and start all over again," seemed to be the unanimous spirit of the people. The twister went through timber places as though nothing was in the way, tearing up or breaking off hugh trees and laying everything flat that happened to be in its path. The Arkansas Power & Light Company's line was blown down and the nearby towns were in darkness. A small dwelling was stook upright and undamaged amidst what had been a grove of large trees, which were strewn in every direction. How the house missed destruction was a mystery, for across the lane were the remains of a barn. Only a short distance away was the foundation on which the home of Mrs. Will Goatcher had stood. She and her five children were huddled in a corner when the storm struck. The house was demolished and Mrs. Goatcher was injured slightly. The children escaped with minor bruises. Arthur Smith and his wife deserted their home when they saw the storm coming and started for a neighbor's storm cellar. They were running across a field when the hail started falling and fearing that their four children might be beaten to death, they took shelter in a chicken house. "We no sooner got inside and held on to each other," said Mr. Smith, "when the chicken house was lifted from around us, leaving us standing unprotected in the rain, hail and wind. One of our little boys became frightened and let go. The wind blew him over but he was only scratched." Their home was scattered about them. Only the pillars of the home of W. T. Watts remained. The ground was swept clean. Mrs. Russel Long, a sister of Mrs. Watts, and her daughter, Vina, living 50 yards away, had hurried to the Watts' home for protection; and were entering when the storm caught the dwelling and carried it with its occupants through the air for 75 yards, before dropping them in a drainage ditch. Rescue workers found the bodies of Mrs. Long and her daughter, and Howard Watts in the ditch. The others, Mr. and Mrs. Watts and their little daughter, Lola May Watts, were injured. Had Mrs. Long and her daughter remained at home, they might have suffered the same fate, as their home was demolished. In the wreckage of their home was found a dead white rooster plucked of all feathers. Several calves and hogs, also dead, were strewn across the field. The home of T. A. Victory in the Sneed community was reduced to kindling. Victory, his wife, four children and Mr. and Mrs. Jess Steward, neighbors who were on a visit, saw the storm coming and sought shelter in their barn. They had almost reached the barn, when with a roar, their home was torn into bits and scattered about them. The barn also disappeared. Mr. Steward was thrown through a wire fence. Mr. and Mrs. Victory suffered bruises and cuts, while one of their children, Morris Victory, six, suffered a fracture to his right arm. The others escaped with minor bruises. A wagon, or rather half of a farm wagon, took the place of their home. The source of the wagon was not determined. The home of Mrs. Ada O'Banion in the Pleasant Valley community was wrecked. Mrs. O'Banion and her children being safe in a storm cellar. Mrs. Dovie Hudgins, her sister-in-law, Mrs. Randall Hudgens, Mrs. T. E. Hudgens and Edgar Hudgens were injured slightly. The home of Thad Hamilton was wrecked. Mr. Hamilton seeing the storm coming, said he pushed two beds together and with his wife and five children, crawled underneath. The house crumbled before the twister and the beds were covered with falling debris. The sturdy iron frames of the beds bent, but held the weight off the family so that no one was injured. The new bungalow home of Mr. and Mrs. Jess Moran was demolished. Both were injured severely, while Thurlow Hudgens, who sought refuge there, was killed. He was the husband of Mrs. T. E. Hudgens, who was also injured and taken to the Newport Sanitarium. Across a drainage ditch stood the home of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Young, who with their two children were absent attending a funeral at Swifton. Their home was reduced to bits. The storm also wrecked a smoke house in which Mr. Young had eight pieces of meat, which were deposited on a featherbed carried out of their home. The meat was unsoiled. At the home of Charles Defries, Mr. and Mrs. Defries and eight children were at home. Members of the family were scattered for 200 yards. Mr. Defries met instant death, as did Grace, aged six; Ruth, four and Jack, two. Mrs. Defries had grabbed the three children to protect them but the storm tore them from her grasp and scattered them so that two were not found for many hours. Little Jimmie Defries, 12, proved himself a hero. Rescuers say that he called to his mother and when she replied that she was unable to arise, he shouted through the darkness that everything was alright. Jimmie crawled to his mother, despite an ugly wound in the back and head, and attempted to lift her. "I'm not able to sit up, son," replied the mother to Jimmie's comforting remarks. So Jimmie called to his little brother to help, but they were unable to lift their mother, so they waited for rescuers. The Pleasant Valley or Possum Trot school house, a large modern building, was torn down. The large trees that shaded the play ground were splintered. Mr. and Mrs. Cleo Nicholson, aged 25 and 23 respectively, were killed clasped in each other's arms when their home was destroyed. Mr. Nicholson held a book in one hand. It seemed that each tried to protect the other. Nicholson was the teacher at the Pleasant Valley school, and there was much sorrowing among the pupils when they learned their teacher had been killed. J. M. Swink and family obtained refuge under a bridge and escaped injury. Several other houses were destroyed, but no one was injured. At Diaz the home of Finnis Massey was demolished, as was the Presbyterian church adjoining it. Mr. and Mrs. Massey were injured about the faces, both suffering many cuts and bruises. An adopted son escaped injury. Several other houses in Diaz were damaged slightly, but a mile away the storm struck with full fury at the home of Mrs. J. R. Wagster. Mrs. Wagster suffered lacerations to her head, while her daughter, Irene, sustained cuts on her head. A black funnel-shaped cloud was visible at various places in the county. A. A. Cheek, station agent at Swifton, said he saw the cloud approaching. "I first saw the black cloud hugging closely to the ground," Mr. Cheek said. "It appeared as if it was traveling very slowly. The air was filled with timber, trees and rubbish. The sight was awful. When it appeared to be almost on us, the cloud shifted off to the left and almost immediately it picked up speed. From then on it traveled with lightning rapidity." Engineers Aid Workers Twenty-three engineers in the employ of the government, stationed at Newport on detail of river work, were of valuable assistance. They hurried to the storm section and swinging axes soon opened the highways and roads so that ambulances from Newport could pass. Three ambulances brought the injured to Swifton where many were placed in the Hotel Harvey. Soon the hotel filled up and trips to Newport hospitals became necessary. From 2 a.m. to late Thursday, the ambulance crews kept up a din with their sirens. Early Thursday morning embalmers began preparing the bodies for burial. Swifton residents have had unusually hard luck this year. Influenza spread there during the winter and during a ten-day period there were ten funerals at one church. These deaths did not include those in the rural communities. [End of article] 23 STORM VICTIMS BURIED SATURDAY Swifton Community Attends Funerals in Surrounding Cemeteries Many sad scenes were enacted at Swifton Friday when funerals were held for the 23 victims of the tornado which swept the Possum Trot and Sneeds communities late Wednesday afternoon of last week. All business houses of Swifton were closed as the bodies of the victims were removed from the temporary morgue in an empty store building. The remains of Charles Defries and his three children, Jack, aged 22 months; Ruth, 11 months, and Grace, six years, were buried Friday morning at the Swifton cemetery. Mrs. Defries and four other children were in the Newport Sanitarium receiving treatment for injuries. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Butler and their 14-year-old daughter were buried at Arnold cemetery east of Swifton. Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Bullard and son, Joe, aged 11 and daughter, Miss Leona, 18, were taken to Clover Bend for burial. Mr. and Mrs. John Loy were buried at Swifton cemetery. Mr. Loy was killed instantly by the storm and Mrs. Loy died from injuries at the Newport Sanitarium Thursday night. Other members of the Loy family were injured seriously and were in the hospital. Mrs. Esther Riley and son, Buster, aged 4, and daughter, Ruth, 6, were buried at Whitlow cemetery near Swifton. The two children died instantly and Mrs. Riley died Wednesday night at the home of Pete Lawrence on whose farm she lived. Funeral service for Mr. and Mrs. Cleo Nicholson were held at the Methodist church at Swifton Friday afternoon at 2:00 o'clock and burial was at Swifton cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholson died clasped in each other's arms. Mr. Nicholson was the teacher of the Possum Trot school. Mrs. Russel Long and daughter, Miss Vina, and Howard Watts were buried at Haynes cemetery northeast of Swifton. Thurlow Hudgens was buried at the Swifton cemetery. Mrs. Hudgens and a sister-in-law were in the Newport hospital. Mrs. A. J. Rowlett was buried at Broom cemetery, near Strangers Home. There was 23 killed by the storm instead of 24 as reported in last week's issue. When we went to press last Thursday it was impossible for us to get an exact report from all sections where the storm struck. [Article continues with reports of a pneumonia outbreak and relief efforts by the Red Cross.]