Bellevue, Tex., April 26 ---The town of Bellevue was completely destroyed by a cyclone at 6 o'clock  this evening, and what little was left was set on fire from chemicals from a wrecked drug store and at midnight is burning fiercely.
       Thirteen people are known to have lost their lives and others may be found later.  Fifteen injured have been counted up to this time and have been carried into the country by kindly hands for attention, as nothing remains of the town but three buildings.
        Every animal in the town was killed--horses, cattle, live stock of every sort--and the scene tonight is a terrible one, lighted up by the flames of homes and business houses.
        The dead:  R.L. Russell, Mrs. R.L. Russell and Five Children, R. Carr, Mrs. R. Carr, Tom Blount, caught  beneath building, burned to death;  W.W. Bell of Henrietta; Two Children of Mr. Greer.
         The injured include the two daughters of Nee Smith of Bowie, Mrs. Gault, Mr. Greer, and his family and Mr. McCraw.  Others will probably be reported later.

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 Dallas Times Herald  April 27, 1906  p. 2

Special to The Times Herald.
    Fort Worth, Tex., April 27.---Dispatches from Bellevue, the cyclone swept community, indicate that there are only four houses left standing in the entire town.
    Even the food stuff which was in the stores has been swept away or so badly damaged that it is unfit for use.
  This morning the homeless inhabitants are suffering for food and shelter.  Many have lost all that they had in the world and an appeal is being made by the local relief committee from the state at large.
    Requests have been made of the adjutant general's office for two hundred and fifty tents.
    The Fort Worth and Denver railroad has sent a large number of tents from Wichita Falls, and in addition a donation of $500 has been sent from the general offices in Fort Worth to the relief committee.
    It is estimated that six hundred people are now without homes in Bellevue.  The reports are that thirteen are dead and four or five are seriously injured.
    The merchants and flour mills of Fort Worth have dispatched a carload of flour to the stricken city.
    Sydney Webb, chairman of the relief committee now in charge at Bellevue, has sent out an appeal for food, clothing and money
    It is stated that there are able-bodied men in sufficient numbers at present to handle the situation and the principal need at present is food and clothing.
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 DESCRIPTION OF BELLEVUE

Special to The Times Herald.
    Fort Worth, April 27.----The town of Bellevue is strictly speaking, situated in the open and undulating table lands stretch away on all sides.  The formation could not be termed hilly nor could it be designated as level.  It might be accurately described as a rolling prairie  with patches of trees liberally sprinkled throughout the town.
  The Fort Worth and Denver City railroad cuts the town almost in halve.  (rest missing)

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Fire Completes the Wreck.

    The whole business section of the town and all stocks of merchants were destroyed.  The ruins soon took fire and were entirely consumed.  Ard Carr was caught in a building, mashed in death, and his body is said to have been cremated.  The cyclone was a mile wide and traveled over the earth for a distance of eight miles, leveling everything in its path, ruining crops and destroying all farm houses and barns on the way.  The section  is thickly settled  and it will be tomorrow, before there are complete reports of the dead.   The fact that so few people were killed is accounted for by the fact that practically every house was equipped with a storm cellar and the people ran to them as soon as they saw the cyclone approaching.  Those who had no storm cellars or who could not reach them were the ones who suffered.  This section is subject to severe storms and last winter many lives were lost in the same neighborhood by a cyclone.  Out of the Russell family one child escaped.  It was badly injured.  Dee Smith, whose daughters were hurt at Bellevue, is principal of the school at Bowie.
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List of Losses.

     Fort Worth and Denver depot.
    Wright & Cole, dry goods.
    Farmers' Exchange Bank.
    Milton & Spivey, hardware.
    W.C. Hodges, feed and grain..also postoffice and telephone exchange.
    Scheann''s meat market.
    Manning & Milton, dry goods and groceries.
    Jim Simmons, groceries.
    W.H. May, confectionery.
    Dr. Burton, drug store.
    McConnell & Nichols, groceries.
    Bellevue Times.
    Lion & Matthews, lumber.
    Bellevue hotel.

Dallas Morning News  April 28, 1906

BELLEVUE, TEX., April 27--Thirteen persons were killed, ten were injured and property estimated to have been worth anywhere from $200,000 to $300,000 was destroyed by the cyclone which struck this city yesterday evening about 6 o'clock.

For many minutes previous to the terrific blow a grim portent of disaster was visible  on the horizon and most of the inhabitants had time to seek the shelter of storm cellars.  Then, like a demon on a mission of vengeance, the whirling atmosphere shot across the town, leaving behind nothing but debris and the dead and the maimed.

The destruction could hardly have been more complete.  Although many of the structures were very substantial, being of brick and stone, not one escaped demolition; and fire which sprang up amid the ruins soon destroyed the debris.  Today Bellevue can not boast of a single store or house.  The cyclone made a clean sweep and the path it left can be traced far beyond the corporate limits as plainly as if it were a well traveled country road.

The inhabitants were left destitute, but daylight had not come before special relief trains began to reach here from the surrounding towns.  They brought food, clothing and money.  The Mayor of Henrietta notified the merchants of his place that he must have contributions, and he brought drays and took what he wanted, saying he would stand responsible for the cost.  The supplies were loaded on a special train and hurried to this place.  But along with what the Mayor secured the merchants themselves sent as much more and applauded the Mayor for his act.

During the cyclone one man was struck in the side by; a piece of flying scantling.  It required the united efforts of three strong men to pull it from his body.

This afternoon a young mother with despair written on every feature appeared.  Little ones toddled at her heels and she held in her arms a tow-month-old babe.  The babe's head was bruised and battered and in the chest was a cruel wound made by a piece of scantling.

Bellevue, Tex., April 17 - The total property loss during last night's cyclone will  approximate $200,000, according to the most conservative estimates.  Other statements made by well-posted citizens place the losses at twice that amount.

Many of the wrecked and burned buildings were insured, but it is hard to obtain the exact figures.

Thirteen coffins were sent to Bellevue from Henrietta this morning.  The victims of last night's disaster were buried at 4 o'clock this afternoon.

The casualty list, which was revised five times this afternoon by The News correspondent is as follows:

Dead.

Mrs. R.L. Russell and five children, the youngest an infant and the elder 9 years old.
Two children of Bid Greer reported dead.
John Warren and 4 year old son.
W.T. Mount, 80 years old.
Fred Mount, 30 years old, crushed beneath building and badly burned.

W.W. Bell, Public Weigher at Henrietta, and a candidate for County Treasurer.  Mr. Bell was struck in the side by a piece of flying scantling and it required the united efforts of three men to pull it out of the body.

Injured.

A.T. Cook, age 89, reported to be dying.
Mrs. John Karr, badly crushed, and expected to die.
Orda Karr, both lower limbs crushed and broken; expected to die.
Miss Mollie Mount, bruised and crushed; may die.
John Karr, badly bruised.
Willie Karr, bruised; not serious.
Bonnie Williamson, crushed; not serious.
John Lippincott, arm broken.
Mrs. Dr. Gault, bruised; not serious.
Mrs. Bid Greer, hip crushed.
A corrected estimate of losses sustained by merchants given as follows:

Wright & Cole, dry goods and groceries........................................................  $5000
Melton & Spivey Hardware Co.....................................................................  $1400
Farmers and Merchants Bank, all destroyed but vault, which contained the funds.
H.W. May, confectionery................................................ $700
J.R. Hannon, restaurant and barber shop ....................... ..$700
J.A. Simmons, groceries.................................................$1250
Manning & Melton, dry goods and groceries...............$ 15,000
J.M. Chanault, butcher..................................................    $300
M. Spradling, dry goods and groceries ......................... $ 2000
Dr. W.A. Barton, drugs................................................ $ 1500
McConnell & Nichols, groceries................................... $ 1250
Lyon & Matthew, lumber............................................. $ 4500
Bellevue Hotel............................................................... $1500
Goss livery stable.......................................................... $2500
J.K. Gault & Son, furniture...........................................  $4000
L.H. Crenshaw, restaurant...........................................  $  300
Sam Johnson, blacksmith..............................................  $ 500
Postoffice.....................................................................  $ 700
Hann's blacksmith shop...............................................  $  400
W.C. Hodges, grain and feed and telephone exchange $  5000
A large amount of insurance was carried.

  The Fort Worth and Denver Railway had six freight cars and the depot destroyed at a loss of $8600.
Nothing was left of the depot, except some car seats, which were found a quarter of a mile away.  The metallic water tank was not damaged.  One mile of telegraph and telephone wires were blown down.

  One of the fields near the city contained about 100 dead horses this morning which had been removed from town.  Many of these had been maimed and were shot to put them out of misery.  All lives stock and fowls in the town was killed except a few chickens and one or two horses.  One horse had a sharp stick driven into his head by the force of the wind.  Fowls had their feathers stripped off as if they had been plucked by hand.  Nails were driven an inch into trees by the wind.  Wagon wheels had their spokes and hubs blown out.

Special in The Times Herald.

  Bellevue, Tex., April 29 --One more death has been added to the list of tornado victims and the end is not yet.  Miss Mollie Mount, whose funeral occurred yesterday, was the last victim of the catastrophe but the probability is that Mrs. John Carr, Grandpa and Baby Greer are dangerously hurt and will die.  They are being cared for in tents.  Others who are badly hurt are G.B. Wadsworth, J.W. Lippincott, Ard Carr and Mrs. J.K. Gault.

  The former site of the town looks like a military camp.  The people will be greatly in need of money and supplies for the next week.