Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-05-03
A GREAT CALAMITY.
Crush la the State Capitol Building atF,ichm ond,
Ns.-sixsy PrOminentCitix Killed
aud More than Ono Hun.
dred Injured.

RICHMOND, April 27.-The Court
of Appeals of Virginia was crowded
this morning, with eminent citizens,
many local politicians, and a great
many Of the public at large, drawn
there by curiosity, to hear a decis-
ion upon the mayoralty. Among
many prominent persons present
were ex-Gov. Henry Ill. Wells, ex-
Congressman Nelson, Judge Jno. A.
Meredith, Patrick I'll. Aylott, l.. Ii.
Chandler and others.
At IL o'clock the gallery of the
court room, which was crowded, fell
in. The floor followed and decended
thirty feet below, which was the
floor of the House of Delegates Of
Virginia, on which some few of the
members of u caucus were waiting.
There was a general crash of timbers
and falling of the inside wall.
The following persons are killed
Patrick Aylett; Capt Charters, Chief
of the Fire Brigade; Il. NJ. Schofield,
City Assessor and brother OF General
Schofeld; Dr.J b. Brook, Editor ofthe
Enquirer Julius A. Hobson, City Col
lcctor; S. Digger, member Of the
House of Delegates; Il. A. Brewis,
commission merchant Of Alexandria !;
Samuel Eaton, of Boston, former
theatrical manager; Powhattan Rob-
erts, Commissioners in Chancery Of
the Court of Common Pleas James
A. Blamire, of Berlin, Prussia S. Il.
Burnam, Of Syracuse, n. y; N. p.
Howard, lawyer; Ash Levy, mer-
chant J. w. ID. Bland, colored SEN
ator from Prince Edward and mer-
chant of Danville; Thomas II. Will
cox, ex-Confederate General Samuel
III. Hairston, wealthy land-holder
of Henry county Charles ]. Truman
of Washington. d. c.; Robert IL.
Maury, Jr., land agent; Edward
Ward, of England; William II. Davis
coal merchant John Robertson, COL
ored Baptist minister; Col. Pichignew
Wolfork I. III. Foley. Deputy U. S.
Marshal w. E. Randolph, of N. Y. f;
r. K. Bradshaw, grocer; and thirty
three others-among these latter, un-
named, one captain, one sergent and
nine privates of the police, on duty
in the building.
Among the wounded were ex-Gov.
Wells, ribs broken and otherwise in
ternally injured Maj. II. Kelleyson,
slightly; Mayor Chahoon, slightly
l.. I'll. Chandler, Judge John A. Mere
dith, James Nelson, John Howard,
Rush Burgess, Collector of the dis
trict VIM. G. Durham, agent Of the
Virginia and New York Steamship
line Hon. Thos. S. Bocock, ex-Speak-
er of the Confederate House of Rep
resentatives, leg amputated +; Gen. Nj.
d. Corse, ex-Major-General in the
Confederate army; Col.Geo w Brent,
of Alexandria Cap. Geo. w. Allen,
Port Warden, w. c. Elom, newsra-
per correspondent and broker Thos.
K. Baldwin, merchant from Newark,
N. j. 4; w. d. Chesterman, of the Pc
tersburgh Inder VIM. III. Sopper,
merchant Of Baltimore, and about
one nunQreu OLnerb.
Directly after the disaster the fire
alarm was used and the hook and
ladder companies of the city repaired
to the rescue. A Gordon of police
was drawn around the building, and
ladders were thrown up to the win
dows. For three hours the scene
was full of horror. Minute after
minute there appeared swung out
with rope tied around the body OF
some popular favorite who, after be.
ing swung on the shoulders of one Of
th" fire brigade, mangled and dead
were brought down tho ladder int
the green of the public park, where
it was instantly surrounded by two
or three thousand Of those who gath
cred to recognize the slain. The
park was filed with weeping womer
and anxious men till 2 O'clock, wher
the last victim was drawn from the
building. After this the police closed
the park, and refused admittance t.
anyone, the bodies of the dead hav
ing been sent out. All the stores il
the city were closed, placards put
upon the doors, "closed in eonse
quonce of the disaster ct the Capitol
no more business done during tn,
day"
To-day q meeting was held O
members of the press association
late military organizations, and O.
citizens generally. Tomorrow will
be obrerved as day of genera
mourning.
Up to 10 o'clock this evening, S;
victims of the disaster are dead ano
over 100 are wounded, several of the
latter fatally.