Following is part of a letter written by Dr. G. C. Paxton, of Chambers, Nebraska, to his wife, on January 18, 1888

THIRTEEN HOURS IN A NEBRASKA BLIZZARD

'We have had severe blizzards every few days all winter, but on Thursday, the 12th inst., there was the worst storm that was ever known in this or any other country. On the 11th it snowed and was very blustery, but on the morning of the never-to-be-forgotten 12th, the wind was blowing a soft breeze, from the south, and every one said, 'We are going to have a January thaw,' but alas how untrue. In less than one minute, without warning, with no indication that death and destruction would follow that awful storm, with no premonition that an impending and horrible doom await them, the people were out attending to their stock, or at their respective avocations, when it came. The wind blow a terrible gale, the air was full of powdered snow and so cold that hundreds of cattle and live stock of all kinds froze to death. Such was the state at affairs when Lee and Crof Baker, a man by the name of Gorman, from Scotia, Neb., and myself, started to go from our store to Mr. Wry's, our boarding house.

The time was 1:30 o'clock p. m. when we started. We could not see five feet from us in any direction. We got probably within twenty feet of the house, got lost, shouted as loud as we could, but could hear nothing but that fearful wind. We were not clothed to be out half an hour. After trying to find the house we started with the wind which was blowing from the northwest. We were frightful looking human beings with ice hanging from our whiskers and clothes, our faces a sheet of ice, but we staggered on. We went through corn stalks, over cultivated farms, came to trees, went within a few yards of houses, shouted and screamed, but no echoing voice returned. By this time night was approaching, but still we traveled on, determined not to yield until we were forced to do so. We finally came to some cabbage and castor bean stalks and we knew we were close to a house. We shouted long and loud, and a dog heard us and barked, and we followed the dog who led us to a hog shed which we welcomed with open arms. More dead than alive, we crowded in among the hogs. There was not a dry thread on us when the ice melted. My toes were frozen as I didn't have very warm shoes and only cotton socks. I pulled my shoes off and my feet froze solid and I would have lost them only for Lee Baker, who told me to put them under his coat. I feel very grateful to him as he saved my life. He had no overshoes so he put his feet under a hog and kept them from freezing. We stayed with the hogs ten hours when the storm abated and Mr. Gorman ventured out and found the house. I could hardly walk when I started to go in. We were out altogether thirteen hours.

Oh! that was an awful night. We beat ourselves until we were sore to keep from going to sleep and freezing. I thought of you and the little ones more than once that night. What people were those where we stopped! They could not do enough for us. We stayed with them a day and a half, and John Dougherty and Mr. Chatterton took us home in a sleigh. We were only six miles from home, but we went much farther than that. These people were Germans and would not think of accepting anything for their kindness. This was our experience, and I wish ours had been the worst [?] case. Old Tom Keller was frozen to death that night. A man by the name of Glaze was found the next morning stark and stiff within ten feet of his door, and another man was found in a dooryard dead. Mrs. Crupee went out to look for her husband, who was lost in the storm; he came back in her absence and started after her, but did not find her, after getting lost and slaying out on the prairie all night. Dr. Lukens, a. young man who slept here with me since you left, started for his stable and has not been found. I need not go on. There were fifteen in this immediate vicinity whom I have heard of. Fifteen coffins were ordered from Ewing yesterday besides these. All along our trail cattle and sheep were scattered and frozen. One Mr. Graham lost 140 cattle, Mr Holcombe, 350 sheep, and others in proportion. There are as many as a thousand cattle lost in this valley, besides sheep, hogs and horses. The mail carrier to this place drove to within tell feet of the Shamrock stable, turned and went until his horses would go no further, unhitched and stayed by a sod wall all night, froze his feet so badly I may have to amputate his toes. Next morning both horses were found dead close to his sleigh. The weather is pleasant today, but we are looking for another storm.