The Republican journal., 1870-05-05
SECOND DESPATCH,

SECOND DESPATCH
| A terrible calamity occurred here this morn
ing. The floor of the Court OF Appeals inthe
state capitol gave way and precipitated the
| hundreds gathered there to hear the decision
| in the mayOrality case of Ellison and Cahoon
upon the conservative caucus then sitting in
the hail Of the House of Delegates below. 1t
is impossible to ascertain the extent of the in
iuries at this hour. Among the killed are =.
II. Aylett, a distinguished lawyer; Dir. } Is.
Brock, reporter of the Enquirer and Exam-
ner; Samuel Eaton, clerk to Mayor Cahoon !;
Capt. William A. Charles, chief Of the fire
department; n r. Howard, lawyer; Asa
| Levy, Richmond merchant; Chas Watson,
of the Danvile railroad Hugh IIutchison and
Lewis N. Webb of this city; VIM. Schofeld,
brother of Gen Schofeld; r. H. Maury, Jr.
Senator Bland, (colored) and p. Roberts 1t
is supposed that twenty members of the State
Legislature are killed and wounded. The
Judges of the Court of Appeals all escaped
unhurt. Ex-Governor Wells was badly in
iured. l.. II. Chandler, counsel for Cahoon
on the mayorality case, was injured. j. Ma
son and Judge Meredith, counsel for Ellison.
were also badly hurt. About POO persons
were hlrt by the accident. The greatest ex-
element prevails. Hundreds Of persons are
in the Capitol Square weeping and wailing
DO NV Nttttt 'liit
building. Governor Walker escaped unhurt,
though on the court room floor at the time
Directly after the disaster occurred the fire
alarm was used to give notice, and the book
and ladder companies of the city repaired at
once 10 the spot. For three hours the scene
was full of horror. Minute after minute
there appeared, swung out by 4 rope, tied
around the middle Off the body, some popular
! favoritc, who, after being swung on the top
of the shoulders Of one of the fire brigade
mangled and dead, We're brought down the
ladder into the green of the public park
where it was instantly surrounded by two or
three Thousand of those who had gathered to
recognize the slain. The park was filed
with weeping women and anxious men until
two O'Clock when the last victim was drawn
from the building. After this the police
closed the park and refused admittance to
any one. The bodies of the dead having
been sent out, all the stores in the city were
closed and pacards put upon the doors
"Closed in consequence of the disaster at the
Capital" No more business was done dur
ing the day.
Tonight meetings have been held of mem
bers of the Press Association, members oft
late military organizations, members of the
bar and of citizens generally.
| Tomorrow will be observed rs Il ,av of
| general mourning.
| Patrick Henry Aylctt was formerly the
Confederate States District Attorney, and
| since one of the editors of the Examiner and
Enquirer. He was great grandson of Pat
rick Henry. Edwin M. Schofield is the
youngest brother of Maj or General Schofel1,
and was a U. S. army officer during the war,
and was appointed by the military comman-
der assessor of RichmOnd. Samuel A. Eaton,
formerly of Boston, was an old member of
the Boston press, and for some time attached
TO the Herald of that city He has been
Mayors clerk since the war.
The court was about to deliver its opinion
in favor of Ellison, one Of the Judges dis
senting, when the floor tell
"A Richmond correspondent states that at
the time ct the catastrophe il is estimated
that moi more than three hundred persons
were in the court room but these filled II 10
IFS utmost capacity. large number of the
legal fraternity and members of the press
were seated in the room Immediately in front
of the bench and the gallery The opposito
end was filled with leading citizens. and the
centre of the small room was thronued NV i,
crowd, both seated and standing A renort
as OF a smothered gun under the floor was
heard, followed Immediately by another
similar report, and everybody started from
their seats and looked towards the centre OF
the room, from whence these Ominous sounds
seemed to issue. There came q cracking
sound, as of small timbers breaking, and then
the floor was felt giving way in the centre OF
thereon. simultaneously everybody jumpe,
10 their feet, for all felt that danger was i'm
minent, and self-preservation is the first law
of nature. But it was too late. Down wen
the floor with terrific crash, with its living
: breathing and frightened human freight
f dragging with it the gallery and its living
mass, and down they went a distance 0