Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-04-15
FRIGHTFUL SCENE IN CHURCH.
The Crowd Panic Strieken-Three
Women Killed and Many Injured.

Inc crowd Panic SJrlck
Women Killed and Many Injured.
That an intense alarm was occasioned in
St. Mary's Catholic Church, Chicago, on
Friday evening, resulting in a general
rush, and the death of three persons, has
already been announced in our dispatches.
The Tribune, of Saturday, gives the follow
ing details:
All were listening with reverential 81
lence. The teaeJrde were being sung on
this the last day. The officiating priests,
Fathers Tanning, Noman, Butler and Hal
ligan, were saying the third nocturn, when
| suddenly, from some almost inexplicable
cause, a panic seized hold Of the entire
congregation. Whether it originated in
falling abntment, breaking seat, or a cry
Of fire, il not absolutely certain, but it is
too sadly true that all, with one impulse,
sprang from their seats in the gallery, and
in the body Of the church, and made one
frantic, desperate rush for the door.
THE STAMPEDE.
They sprung from the narrow and incon-
venient pews and rushed along the crowded
aises, forgetful of all, animated only by
the blind desire for self-preservation, and
poured out into the yestibule. Those who
were in the galleries, nearly all timid and
nervous women, fled down the sharp,
pitched stairs, which led directly into the
vestibule, and not into the body of the
church, and thus added to the confusion
that was already prevailing there.
To preserve quiet the doors of the church,
which open inward had been closed
Against them the crowd threw itself seek
ing safety, and yet no bl,Ad az not 20 zee
that il could not he possibly obtained in
that way. For a few moments everything
was blind and terrible confusion.
The people in the vestibnle were pressed
till many of them were nearly sufiocated,
| while some had fallen, or had been pushed
| down the gallery stairs and trampled to
death beneath the feet of those who came
after them There were shrieks and cries
and stitled groans, and agOnizing appeals
for aid.
The aid finally came, though too late for
some. The crowd recovered from the
alarm and passed ont into the street. Some
person, hearing the cries, or noticing the
rush from the church, struck an alarm of
fire. Several minutes passed, however, be-
of any attention being paid to the victims.
Some of the women, as they emerged
| from the structure, ran fFantically from the
| scene, and in their blind hurry rushed
wildly against each other, and over one
| another, and in a few minutes Wabash
avenue and the intersecting streets in that
neighborhood presented scene of hurry
and confusion and panic, that completely
beggars description. Some would cry,
ooh, my head is broke" Others, 81 can't
sc e, I've lost my eyes," Others exhausted
and breathless, would break down in the
middle of the streets, and under the inn
preston that their last moment had ar
rived would lie PROSTATE, and frequently
seem insensible, until some person by pick
| ing them up, and with words of encourage
ment, treasured them they were more
| scared than hurt. Others had no sooner
reached the outside of the enclosure which
serves as a protection to the front entrance,
| than they fell on their knees, and as the
| tide OF humanity came upon them, they
were actually forced along the street in that
| position.