The teachers of the Melissa school seeing the cyclone approaching had all the children to congregate downstairs where they remained while the cyclone was destroying the little town. The children were screaming to the top of their voices, while the teachers also crying were going among them endeavoring to quiet the pupils. Fortunately none of the children were killed, despite the fact that the cyclone tore a portion of the roof away and caved in a part of the building.
One of the teachers ran to close the west door in the hall down stairs. The wind blew him through the hall, he crawled back into the building and finally made his way to the door the second time, and succeeded in closing the door and putting a brace against it.
Ruby Loftice, an attractive young Miss left the building to make her way to a storm cellar near by but seeing she was to be caught in the swirl of the funnel, she quickly grabbed a tree and although she was roughly treated she held tight and went through the ordeal uninjured.
The teachers of the school were: Prof. G. C. Hester of Melissa, Miss Katherine Thompson, McKinney, Mary Lou Graves, Melissa, Miss Jessie Walker, McKinney, Miss Ester Farmer, Frisco, Miss Jessie Davis, Melissa
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