Beckham County, OK - Deaths: Lovina Blurton, 1923 30 Aug 2007 Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell) ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************ BLURTON, LOVINA (11 Oct 1923, Elk City Newspaper, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK): On the night of October 2nd, in the north tier of townships of Roger Mills county there occurred the most disastrous wind, hail and rain within the memory of the oldest settlers. About 9:30 P.M., when the farmer folks were in bed or preparing for bed, with no warning but a roll of inky black clouds in the northwest, there was a downpour of rain and hail accompanied by a tornado of wind that surpasses all description. Men say it hailed thirty minutes. The family of Hugh Blurton, living on Carmel creek, a sand bottomed branch of the South Canadian, felt their house swept from its foundations though it was supposed to be above high water. The father, a blacksmith, was at Crawford, where he worked. In less time than it takes to tell the house was thrown on its side and the mother and six children in the icy water. Leroy, 16, carried out an infant, and three other small children. The hail was so terrible he feared it would kill them, so he ran in the smother of night and hail to cover them in a shock of feed. When he returned for his mother and nine year old sister whom he had left on the house, he found all gone. The roar of the water, wind and hail drowned his calls and their cries for help. The house it was learned afterwards floated down stream a quarter of a mile when it went to pieces throwing Mrs. Blurton and little Lovina into the torrent. The mother made very effort to reach a shore that the lightning sometimes revealed, but after being repeatedly knocked into the water she lost consciousness and was tossed into the fence and the limbs of an apple tree in the yard of Lonnie Bull, who later hearing her cries, rescued her. A family by the name of Isenhour cared for the children, but the little girl, Lovina, was gone. Although the next day and the next 100 people and more dug in the drifts of sand along Carmel creek and Canadian river the body was not found until Thursday afternoon near Camargo on the north side when two men seeking drift wood found the little body partly covered in hail and drift on a sand bar. Word was soon sent to the distracted parents and kind hearted friends and neighbors. The elements repenting of their rashness seemed to have handled the little body tenderly for it was said "she looked very natural" having been embalmed by an undertaker at Camargo. On Friday afternoon, October 5th, was laid to rest in Pie Flat cemetery the remains of Lovina, 9 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Blurton.