Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-05-05
FEARFUL DISASTER.
The Court House ut Richmond, Va,
Fa]IsFifty-ejgbtE Killed and One Hun
idred and Seventeen Wounded.


RICHMOND. Va, April 27.-The Court
ofAppeals of Virginia, was crowded this
morning with eminent citizens, MANY
local politicians aud great many of The
public at large, drawn there by coriosity
to hear the discussion upon the question
of Mayoralty. Among the many promi-
nent persons present were Ex-Governor
Wells, ex Congressman Nelson, Judge
Jno. A Meredith, Patrick II. Aylett,
L. Ii. Chandler and others. At ii
o'clock the gallerirs of the Court Room.
which were crowded, fell in; the floor
followed and descended thirty feet to
the floor below, which was the floor of
the House of Delegates of Virginia, on
which some few of the members of the
caucus were waiting. There was q
general crash of tinbers and falling of
the inside wall. The following persons
killed. Patrick II. Aylett, Capt.
Charters, Chief of the Fire Brigade;
E. NJ. Schofield, City Assessor and
brother Gen. SchotieId; DR.. J. B.
Brook, Editor of the Enquirer; Julius
\. Hobson, City Collector; S. Dugger,
Member of the House of Delgates; It. A.
Brewis, Commission Merchant of Alex
andria; Samuel Eaton, of Boston, former
Roberts, Commissioner of the Court of
Comm on Plea; James A. Blamire,
of Berlin, Prussia; S. f.. Burnan1, OF
Syracus, New York; n. p. Howard,
Ash Levy, Merchant; J. w. D. Bland,
colored Senator from Prince Edward;
and merchant OF Danville, Thomas Fl.
Wilcox eX Confederate General; Sanl.
II. Hairstone, Il weIthy land holder of
Henry county; Charles J. Gruman, of
Washington, ID. c.; Robt. II. Maury, Jr.,
land agent; Edward Ward, of England;
w. H. .Divis, coal merchant:John Robert
son, colored Baptist minister; Col.
Pitchignew, of Norfolk; T. H. Foley,
Duputy United States Marshal; w. E
Randolph, of New York; r. Z. Brad
shaw, grocer, and SO others;among them
one captain, one sergeant and nine pri-
Yates ofthe police on duty in the build
ing.
Among the wounded were eX- Gov.
Wells, ribs broken, and otherwise in
ternally injured; Maj. H. Kelleyson,
slightly; Mayor Calhoun, slightly; l..
II. Chandler, Judge John A. Meredith,
James Neeson, John Howard, Rush
Burgess, Collector of the district; Will
liam G. Durham, agent of the Virginia
and New York steamship Lucea; Hon.
Thomas S. Bocock, eX-Speakcr of the
United States House of Representatives,
leg amputated; General NJ. D. Corse,
eX-Major General of the Confederate
army; Colonel George w. Brent, of
Alexandria; Captain George W. Allen,
Port Warden; w. G. Elom, newspaper
correspondent and broker; Thomas E.
Baldwin, merchant, from Newark, n.
j.; w. D. Chesterman, of the Peters
burg Index! William H. Sapper,
merchant, of Baltimore. and about one
hundred others.
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 thrown
up to the windows. For three hours
the scene was full of horror. Minute
after minute there appeared to swing
out, by rope tied around the middle,
the body ofsome popular favorite, who,
after being swung on the shoulders of
one of the fire brigade, were bought
down the ladder into the green of the
public park, where it was instantly
surrounded by tive thousand Or thee
thousand ofthose who gathered to re-
cognize the slain. The park was filled
with weaping women and anxious men,
until tv o O'Clock when the last victim
was draw from the building. After this
the police closed the prk and refused
admIttance to any one, the bodies OF
the dead having been sent out. All the
stores in the city were closed, and
placards put upon the doors, "Closed in
consequence of the disaster at the
Capital" No more business was done
during the day. Tonight. meetings
were held of members of the Press
Association. the military organizations
the bar and citizens generally. To NOR
row will be observed as day of general
morning.