The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-05-05
Terrible Catastrophe in Vir.
ginia.
Richmond, April n.

hiSHiioHu, APii -.
A large crowd assembled this
morning in tho upper portion Of tho
capitol building, where the Supreme
Court of Appeals is located, to hear
the decision in the Mayoralty case.
At about III O'Clock tho floor gave
away beneath the dense weight, pre-
cipitating tho crowd to the floor be-
meath, which was that of the House
delegates. 1t is hard to ascertain at
present the extent OF injuries so
great is the excitement, but some arc
Killed and large number injured
Many escaped the terrible fall ny
jumping into tho windows when the
floor gave way.
LATER-It is impossible to asccr-
tain the oxtent of the injuries at this
hour. Among the killed arc +. IL.
Aylctt, distinguished lawyer, DIR.
j. b. Brook, reporter of the Enquirer,
and Cross Of tho Examiner, Sam'l
Eaton, clerk to Mayor Cahoon, Capt.
Archters, chief Of fire department,
N. II. Howard, lawyer, Mr.. Ashley,
merchant, Chas. Watson, Danville
R.R. Schotield, brother of General
Schofleld, II. II. Maury, Jr., Senator
| Bland (colored, and Powhatan Rob
erts.
1t is supposed that twenty mem
| bcrs of the State Legislature were
| killed and wounded. The Judges Of
the Court Of Appeals all escaped un-
hurt. Ex-Governor Wells was badly
injured. s. III. Chandler, counsel for
Cahoon in the Mayoralty case, was
injured James Mason, counsel for
Ellison, was also badly hurt. About
two hundred persons were hurt by
the accident. The greatest excite
ment prevails. Hundreds ofpersons
are on the Capitol square weeping
and wailing as the dead and dying
are brought from the building. Gov
crnor Walker escaped unhurt, though
he was on the court room floor at
the time,
LATEsr--Fitty seven persons were
killed, including many prominent
citizens of this and other portions of
, the State, Dr.. j B Brook, editor OF
the Enquirer, E NJ Schofeld, City
Assessor and brother to General
SchofielI, S w Bland, colored Sena
. tor, Thomas H. Wilcox, ex-Confede.
rate General r FL Maury, jr., Colonel
Richigrow, and Voolfolk, are among
the number.
| Among the wounded are eS-Gov
ernor Wells, ribs broken and other
e wise injured internally; Major Ellison
and Major Cahoon, both slightly
Hon Thomas S Bocoek, ex-Spcakcl
Of the House of Representatives, leg
= amputated; Judge Mereditch, Genera
!, M E Cross, ex.Major General Of thu
/, Confederate army; w d Chesterman
! Of Petersburg, Indiana, altogether
about one hundred and twenty
wounded.
Directly after the disaster, the hool
and ladder accompanies of the city cam,
to the rescue. A corps CT polio was
drawn around the building. Ladders
were thrown up to the windows, and
for three hours the scene was full o.
horror. Minute after minute there
appeared, swung out by rope ticd
around the middle of the body, some
popular favorite, who after being
swung on the shoulders Of the fire
brigado--manglcd and dead--were
brought down the ladder and placed
in tho green Of the public park, when
it was instantly surrounded by two
or three thousand persons, who were
gathered to recognize their untortu
nate relatives and friends. The park
was filled with weeping women and
anxious mon until o'clock, when
the. last victim was drawn from the
buiivarus,.- sftvr tl.;- %i.e r.>l;ee Dl>s.s-
cd the park and refused admittance
to any one. All the stores in the city
: arc closed. No moro business vii
;, DO done during the day. 70. night
y meetings will be held by the members
: of the Press Association, late military
= organization and citizens generally
= Tomorrow will be observed as day
= of general mourning.
. Later from the Richmond Cat
s astrophe.
}, Richmond, April %.
y Apparently the calamity is mucl
S greater than yet reported. Th'
o Humber killed will reach over sixty
: and the wounded are known to b.
S over 200. The scenes of despair ant
anguish in the vicinity of the Cour
: House are beyond description
] Dark mourning covers the whole city
d Both branches Of the General As
2 sembly held a session at Exchang'
s Hotel, merely meeting and adjourn
!? ing until today at Il o'clock, I,
s avoid any interruption in proceed
8 ings.
tt 1t is believed the Capitol will now
e be abandoned as public institution
1t was built in 1892.
y. The burning of the theatre in 1871
f when large number of persons
|, including many ladies perisned, i
a the only disaster in the history o
! this city that affords the slightes
r parallel to the terrible calamity O
y this long to be remembered day.
Q Washington, April %.
J. Aprivate telegram from Richmond
says that tho court was about to de
liver their opinion in favor of Ellison
ono of the Judges dissenting, rs th,
floor fell.
Richmond, April 20.
a LATEsr.-It appears the larger
I number of deaths occurred among
/ those standing under the gallery
i DR.. Brock was just within reach O.
! it, sitting at his table. When taker
/ from the ruins he was breathing. BIZ,
died in q few minutes.
, The scene at the Capitol Square
p cannot be described. In severa
instances wives came upon the bodies
of their husbands. One of them il
SO shocked tina. it is scarcely Hoped
!. she can live through the day. An
other is insane with little hopes Of
recovery. A member of the LcgisIa
ture who was rescued from the ruins
and who was but little hurt, says he
believes many diei from suffocation
, and that he thinks heshould if he had
, not been rescued when he was
While lying in the ruins
, | he heard cries m alI sIdas Some