Show IT Tornado ornado Hits Without Waln Warning r Killing illing 15 in Kansas Town OBERLIN Ran Kan April 30 30 P A lP-A A. A midnight twi erl swooped small community com corn down without warning at the edge of this farming Wednesday night killing 15 persons person and injuring 1 12 Only six homes were hit by the thed d devastating wind which follow followed d the course couse or of Sappo creek through a draw a quarter mile east of Oberlin Nothing remained of two homes those those of Dale Paddock and Gus Gu's Leinwetter where Leinwetter where all the occupants occupants occupants pants were killed Bodi Bodies s of Leinwetter his wife a son Stanley 12 a d daughter Naomi 7 7 and year old Mardell Leipner spending the night with the family were strewn over a quarter mile area The same was true at the Paddock Paddock Paddock Pad Pad- dock home where the young farm farm- er er and his wife a year old son Elvin and Leon 17 brother of Mrs Paddock died Gail a sister was was' in ina ina ina a hospital at McCook Neb no not expected to survive Three were killed at the Beneda home home Mrs James Beneda eneda Jr her sister Aileen and Duane Harold 18 spending the night with Frank Beneda 23 who was injured Beneda Beneda Beneda Be- Be neda and his elderly parents Mr and Mrs James Beneda Sr also were taken to the hospital at McCook Mc Mc- Cook At the Roy Nw Nicholson olson home a Continued on 0 Pate Page Four Column Four Your I TORNADO KILLS S 15 INJURES 12 Continued Continue from Page One year old daughter Norma and Mrs Frank Urban 65 moth mother r of Mrs Nicholson were killed Mr and Mrs Nicholson were in the McCook hospital Five Injured 5 Five members of the Fred Euhus Euhus Eu- Eu Euhus hus family were injured He and his wife Donna 8 two other small children and year old Joe Leavitt Leavitt Leav- Leav Leavitt itt itt- farm hand Undertakers said bodies of the victims were clad in shreds of night clothing indicating the blow struck without warning All AIL were badly torn and mutilated The tragedy was discovered by Oberlin residents who heard the roar of wind above a terrific hailstorm hail hall hailstorm storm which smashed window windowpanes windowpanes windowpanes panes and battered roofs in the town of 1600 population county seat of Decatur county The path of th the storm appeared to be about yards wide It apparently skipped through an mile eight-mile area and dissipated north of Cedar dar Bluff near the Nebraska Nebraska Ne Ne- braska line Found in Creek The body of the th Paddock child was not found until daybreak daybreak- in the meandering creek The injured filled the tiny Oberlin Oberlin Ober Ober- lin hospital and the Methodist church was converted into a hospital hospital hospital hos hos- pital until ambulances came from near-by near Norton and McCook to move the injured to the Nebraska town Three physicians McCook McCook Mc Mc- Cook to aid in first aid work among the less seriously hurt Families in Oberlin made room for the homeless News of the disaster began to leak out from the small community only at daybreak when the full force of ot the blow became known A single telephone circuit into the Oberlin exchange was running running run run- ning hours behind with calls from communities in nearby Nebraska and Colorado The sparsely-populated sparsely region is dotted with wheat farms |