Misc: Montgomery Struck by Tornado , Grant Parish, Louisiana Source: The Colfax Chronicle, January 6, 1939 Submitted to USGENWEB by: Gaytha Thompson 540 May Drive Madison, Tn 37115 LaFamTree@aol.com ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** MONTGOMERY STRUCK BY TORNADO TWO PERSONS KILLED PROPERTY LOSSES RUN INTO THOUSANDS STORM SWEEPS DOWN MAIN BUSINESS SECTION DOING HEAVY DAMAGE TORRENTIAL RAINFALL DURING STORM ADDS TO DAMAGE Two are dead and one is injured as a result of a pre spring tornado which destroyed about six houses and wrecked most of the business section of Montgomery Tuesday night at 8:30 o'clock. R. R. Metcalf aged 33 was instantly killed and his wife aged 26 died later while being taken to a hospital in Alexandria by Mrs. Fred Lagrone and their 2 year old son, Wille Metcalf, sustained a broken leg and severe bruises about the body. A number of stores in the business district were wrecked and their merchandise damaged as the storm swept down the north side of the main street for about two blocks. The loss of property is estimated in the thousands of dollars. The storm almost completely destroyed the town, lighting plant and demolished the residence of Ross Metcalf, foreman for the Lagrone sawmill while the three members of the family was asleep. The Metcalf home was situated approximately a quarter of a mile from Mont on the Winnfield Highway. Metcalf's body with a broken neck was suspended on the roof of the home of Mrs. Mollie Goffe next door. Mrs Metcalfs body was driven into a large nail of the front porch of the Goule residence and she later died of head injures. The baby was picked up int he backyard. The Goule house was badly damaged but the occupant was uninjured. Montgomery was in complete darkness and the water service was cut off for several hours after the storm. All telephone wires was down and the news of the cyclone was not known until residents drove to the nearby towns of Colfax and Natchitoches. David Wi?et was the first to bring the news to Colfax. The twister struck the main street of the town with terrific suddenness destroying about six houses and damaging forty or more. The business section was struck the hardest, particularity every store was damaged. The bus station was down, the rear part of the Tip Top Tavern was swept away, the roofs were blown off at Gilcrease's store and Monty's Cafe and the front of the buildings of Kilpatricks and S&T Cafe and Milam's were damaged. The light plant was damaged considerably. Mr. Duke of the local Red Cross chapter announced Wednesday morning that the disaster chairman of Grant Parish had already been notified and relief work and aid was being administered to the sufferers. Relief workers and many volunteer workers had started immediately rehabing the stricken area. The tornado was confined to an area about fifty yards wide and a quarter of a mile long. It struck before 9:00 o'clock and the weather was rainy and bad which accounted for the few causalities since most of the business houses were closed and the clerks and proprietors were at their homes. After taking stock of the damage it was reviled that the Metcalf home was the only on in which death struck. Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf were injured fatally. The child is being treated at the Baptist Hospital in Alexandria and is reported doing nicely. Funeral services for Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf, we understood, were to be held Thursday afternoon at Mt. Zion Cemetery with interment in the Cemetery there. Witnesses of the storm say it came out of the south west with a terrific roar that sounded like a freight train. The storm was over almost as quickly as it began. But torrential rain accompanied it and continued after the storm had passed.