Jackson County IL Archives News.....ON THE WINGS OF THE TORNADO April 1, 1925 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Karima Allison quest@insightbb.com July 9, 2006, 10:05 pm Murphysboro Daily Independent April 1, 1925 Mrs. J. M. MITCHELL of 402 North Eleventh street, has received a number of interesting newspaper clippings taken from the Sullivan, Ind., newspapers relative to the tornado. The following were taken from the collection: John W. HAWKINS who lives four miles northeast of Sullivan found a Certificate of Award in the meshes of a wire fence, which has been lodged there after being carried by the storm wind that followed the tornado from Murphysboro, Ill. HAWKINS young son found a sales ticket from the Murphysboro Bread and Meat Market. The Certificate of Award reads as follows: This Certifies that Glen Dale McCORD, a pupil of the Public Schools of Jackson County, Illinois, is awarded this certificate for One Perfect Spelling Lesson given at Murphysboro, Illinois, this 10th day of May, 1923. Signed Addie BAUDY, Otto F. AKEN, County Superintendent of Public Schools. Claude PHILLIPS of near Graysville found a receipt for $5.25 to R. F. BAKER and signed by John BERGEN. Also a check on the City National Bank of Murphysboro for $55.00 to DANIEL Grocer Co. Fred ALSOP of south of Sullivan was walking across the golf course of the Sullivan Country Club and found a cancelled pay check dated November, 1918, which was carried here by the winds from Murphysboro, Ill. The check was signed by R. A. NEGGEMAN, endorsed by Kate PILLETT and written to Ross DAILY for $6.04. It was a City National Bank check. Parts of newspapers and other bits of paper were found. "Statement, Murphysboro, Illinois," this is the heading on a scrap of paper picked up by Jess WILSON on his farm one mile west of Sullivan, Saturday morning. The statement is issued to J. C. SILL to the Gartside Coal Company. The paper must have been carried by the Wednesday tornado from the devastated torn of Murphysboro and deposited on the Sullivan County farm. Additional Comments: Widely considered the most devastating and powerful tornado in American history, the Great Tri-State Tornado ripped through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925. In its 219-mile-long wake it left four completely destroyed towns, six severely damaged ones, 15,000 destroyed homes, and 2,000 injured. Most significantly, 695 people were killed, a record for a single tornado. Transcribed by Mary Riseling from her grandfather, Dr. C. E. Riseling's collection of old newspapers. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/jackson/newspapers/onthewin32nnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 3.0 Kb