Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-05-05
TERRIBLE CALAMITY
a r r G n M O ND.
zoo PRISONS SAID TO BE KILLED AND
WOUNDEDi
Among Whsn we're 90 Members OF The
Legislature
RIcHMoD, APRIL II, 1870.
RIoHMoD, April u, 1870.


RIoHMoD, APRIL II, 1870.
A terrible calamity occurred here this
morning. The floor of the Court of Ap-
peals in the State Capital gave way, and
precipitated the hundreds therein assem-
bled, to hear the decision in the Mayoral-
ty case of Ellyson and Chahoon, upon
the conservative caucus then sitting in the
Hall ofthe House below.
1t is impossible at this hour to ascertain
the extent of the injuries.
Among the killed are Patrick Henry
Aylett, the distinguished lawyer, DR.. j
B. Brock, reporter of the Enquirer &
Examiner, Samuel Eaton, clerk of Mayor
Chahoon, VIM. A. Charters, Chief of
Fire Department, N. P. Howard, lawyer
A. Levy, merchant Charles Watson. of
Danville railroad, Hugh Hutcheson Lewis
N. Webb. Of this city. Schofeld, brother
of Gen. Schofeld, R. II. Maury, jr.,
Senator Bland ,colored Powhatan Roberts,
j. A. Hobson and Col Wilcox.
It is supposed that twenty members of
the Legislature are killed and wounded
The Judges of the Court of Appeals
all escaped unhurt. Ex-Gov. Wells was
badly injured. L. H Chandler counsel
for Chahoon in the Mayoralty case, was
injured. James Neeson and Judge
Meredith, counsel for Ellyson. were also
badly hurt.
About two hundred persons were hurt
by the accident The greatest excitement
prevails Hundreds of persons on the
Capitol Square are weeping and wailing
as the dead and dying are brought ont Of
! tie building.
Coy Walker escaped .unhurt, though
| be was ON the courtroom floor at the time
Henderson Bell had his left arm broken
Msssrs. Cochran and Hanger, delegate,
from Augusta, county, are safe.
Maj. John s. Calvert had leg broken
DIR. Campbell is among the wounded
THE CATAsTRoPHE.
The room of the Court of Appeals was
the scene Of this horrible occurrence. and
its many historic associations and re-
miniscences have eliminated in an affair
which beggars description, and which will
be remembered as long as Richmond is a
Ecity. AS is well known, the Mayoralty
controversy was abont to be decided, and
an immense concourse of anxious spec
tators and listeners had gathered to ascer-
tain the result. Members of the Legis.
lature, visitors to the city from all parts Of
our country, members of the bar, represen.
tatives of both police forces of the city
members of the press. and representative
of all classes and conditions of life, were
assembled.
The bells had just tolled the hour of II
and death-like silence reigued as Mr.
Starke, the clerk, entered and placed hi.
books on the table. Judge Joynes was il
his seat. Mr.. Starke. leaning over the rail
ing, was talking with him, while the res
of the Judges were in the conference
room not quite prepared to enter on thei
days duty. The counsel for Mayor
Ellyson, Messrs. Neeson and Meredith
had taken their seats, and were ready tc
proceed to business Ex-Governor Well.
and L. e. Chandler, ESQ, were also il
their places; and the reporters of thu
Enquirer. Dispatch, Wig and Stat,
Journal were at the desks set apart fol
their use aud accommodation. Thu
moments were spent in pleasant CONVEX
sation by the sPe ctators present. Variou.
were the speculations as to the final result
when, all at once, panel piece of ceiling
fell, and then the girder, which is rep,
resented by the line of partition between
the Clerks Office and the courtroom, gave
way with az awful crash, and precipitated
the spectators who were in the gallery
of the courtroom to the main floor, anc
the additional weight in one single mo.
ments time crushing the courtroom Inoc.
through. The mass of human beings
who were in attendance were sent, mingled
with the bricks, mortar, splinters, beams,
! iron bars, desks and chairs, to the focr Of
the House of Delegates, and in a second
more over fifty souls were launched into
eternity! The whole atmosphere was
thick with dense cloud of dust from the
plastering, and the human beings sent up
groan which will ring forever in the ears
upon which it fell. In moment few
survivors clinging to the windows and
fragments of hanging timber, and the
bare and torn walls, were all that remained
to mark the place where only a moment
before there was scene of life, vigor and
hope.
| SCENE ABOUT THE CAPITOL BUILDING.
| The scene about the Capitol building
just after the sad occurrence was one OF
| terror. The first notice that those who
were in the building had of the impending
evil was the premonitory rumbling as tn c
floor was settling. Then there came q
fearful crach, accompanied by a cry Of
human agony and terror which smote the
hearts of all who heard it. In a moment
the frighteul situation was realized. The
few who had been SO fortunate as to be
able to get iIto the windows shouted aloud
for help for those who had fallen, and
called for ladders. In a short time tie bells
were tolling, and, the hook and ladder
truck being brought upon the spot, the
ladders were put up to the windows, and
the work Ct humanity began. The build
ing dust within prevented any one from
seeing anything. and the rushing of per-
sons within the building and the cries of
the wounded was all that could be heard.
IN THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
Here was scene that fairly made ones
heart bleed. As the dust cleared away a
little > mass of timbers and rubbish of
every decription was described, and the
reflections of the numbers of human
beings crushed beneath its weight, dead
and dying, was sickening. Add to this
the cries and eroans of those Who voro