On September 22, 1905, residents of Phillisburg, Kansas were terrified by the appearance of a powerful tornado. There was no warning before the storm hit the tiny town. Inside the Caswell farmhouse, a frightened elderly couple and their visitors—their young daughter-in-law and grandson—saw the twister and simultaneously realized it was too late to get away.
The senior Mrs. Caswell seized her 8-month-old grandson but seconds later, he was torn from her arms. The old farmhouse was lifted from its foundation, tossed in the air like a frisbee, and flung 200 yards away.
In the silence that followed the storm, groans were heard coming from the debris. Amazingly, everyone had survived, though the elder and younger Mrs Caswells were seriously injured. Mr. Caswell sustained moderate injuries. “And seated upon a section of the floor, the only portion of a handsome country residence which the twister had not crushed into kindling wood, little Karl was found by neighbors after the passing of the storm….Baby Karl was without the slightest injury.”
I was inspired to look for a story like Karl’s after watching a documentary about the Joplin, Missouri F5 tornado in 2011. The documentary mentioned “the butterfly people” briefly and said that people in Joplin use the butterfly as a symbol of renewal. Apparently, soon after the tornado, a number of parents reported that their children had told them about seeing beautiful winged “Butterfly People” who protected them during the fiercely destructive twister.
Image from the USDA
Who knows? Certainly something protected the children of Joplin, just as something protected blessed baby Karl in 1905.
old spirituals 
Butterflies have symbolic meaning to many. Their metamorphosis from a caterpillar to butterfly is a rebirth; it instills hope and bravery. In a way, seeing a butterfly is a message that forces are watching over you, making certain that you will endure a life changing event and ensures a positive outcome.
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I love that! Yellow butterflies have been one of my good luck symbols for a long time. People dismiss the children’s stories of butterfly people but I don’t.
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I love the idea of fragile butterflies protecting the children. Karl’s guardian angel was definitely on the job that day.
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He sure was. If the wind was strong enough to rip him away from his grandmother and throw him 200 feet, there’s no terrestrial explanation for his survival.
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I agree with Ruby. Little ones have guardian angels and their angels are always in the presence of God. That just shows how precious little ones are! When my husband and I visited the site of the Oklahoma Bombing several years ago, we went into the Children’s Garden. We were so touched and brought to tears when a beautiful butterfly settled on my husband’s shoulder. It seemed to be a symbol of comfort that the little ones that were killed are in the arms of the Lord. I’ve been to the 9/11 Memorial, but it didn’t affect me in the same way as Oklahoma.
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You hope they never knew what happened. The Oklahoma bombing was especially horrible, with that daycare on the ground floor. I haven’t ever gone to one of those sites. I don’t know if I could handle it.
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