About
midnight, in gloomy darkness, the storm broke upon us, hurricane
like winds twisting the trees in its fury, and breaking off
near the ground the great black oak tree under which our tents
and also the tents of our friend Alford were stretched. The
body of the tree fell across our ten in which were four young
children, and the top of the tree fell on the Alford tent, killing
the old man and his oldest son instantly, and fatally injuring
the younger son and their hired man, a Mr. Cameron, who both
died the next day…. The great concussion and falling tent
poles left three of our children badly hurt, but none fatally
so, but no one can imagine a darker scene than came upon us.