CEDAR COUNTY, NEBRASKA - THREE LIVES TAKEN STORM LAST SATURDAY PROVES MOST DISASTEROUS ==================================================================== NEGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the NEGenWeb Archives by Carol Tramp Permission granted by: Rob Dump, Editor, Cedar County News ====================================================================== CEDAR COUNTY NEWS MAY 23, 1918 THREE LIVES TAKEN STORM LAST SATURDAY PROVES MOST DISASTEROUS IN THE HISTORY OF THE COUNTY RED CROSS TO THE RESCUE CEDAR COUNTY NEWS EXTRA EDITION BRINGS FIRST NEWS OF DEVASTATION TO COUNTY READERS DEAD MRS. AUGUST FREDERICKSON, 33 MRS. JOHN RUPIPER, SR. 70, JOHN RUPIPER, 72 SERIOUSLY INJURED John Spinner, 21, grandson of Mr. and Mrs. John Rupiper, Sr. leg crushed. Now in Omaha Hospital. Mrs. Gustav Bahr, leg crushed and flesh wounds, taken to Omaha today. Bahr boy, internallly hurt, taken to Omaha today. Elizabeth Rupiper, 26, ribs broken and internally injured. At the F. Schieffer home. Agnes and Minnie Rupiper, 24, and 22, at St. Johns Hospital, Fordyce, internal injuries and nervous shock. John Schmeckpepper, many small open wounds. Three lives and a quarter of a million dollars loss was the toll taken last Saturday evening by the worst tornado in the history of Cedar county, a detailed review of which was given in the Cedar County News extra editions mailed Monday night and which brought the first accurate reports of the disaster to the community. Next to the discussion of the storm itself was the credit given to this newspaper for the enterprise shown in giving our readers the news while it is news. Reports in the city papers were grossly exaggerated some of them stating that 14 had been killed and many injured. The Omaha Red Cross sent a physician and four boxes of supplies to Crofton, Monday evening. Officials of Hartington, Crofton, and Wausa, divided the territory and men from different communities turned out to assist those who had lost their buildings and property to arrange shelter for their stock. About 75 men from Hartington spent today in this work. Men from other towns have been doing likewise all week as far as weather permitted. The most pathetic incident of the castatrophe was the double funeral at Constance Wednesday morning of Mr. and Mrs. Rupiper. Rev. Father Brietkopf conducted the service. The church was not large enough to enable one third of the crowd to secure admission. Chairman J.C. Robinson, of the county Red Cross and F.W. Barnhart chairman of the big drive on this week spent Monday making a personal investigation of the needs of the devasted district. Those who are not employed or who can spare a day or two's time could perform no better work than to go to the places of those who suffered in the storm and assist them in straightening out what property the storm left them.