The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1870-05-05
HORRIBLE DISASTER

and preC1pltates the Crowd to the
next Floor, Twenty Members Of
Legislature Killed or Wounded.
RIC HDIoND, April PA large crowd
collected in the upper portion of the cap
itol building, where the Supreme Court
of Appeals is located to hear the decision
in the Mayorality case. About llo'clock
a. m. the floor gave way beneath the dense
weight, precipitating the crowd to the floor
below, which was that of the House Of
Delegates. It is hard to ascertain at pres
ent the extent of injuries, SO great. is the
excitement, but some are killedSand q
large number severely injured. Many es-
capped the terrible fall by jumping into
the windows when the floor gave way.
the wounded are now being attended to.
mi LATER. II ...
A terrible calamity occurred here this
morning. The floor of the Court of Ap-
peals in the State Capitol, gave way and
precipitated the hundreds therein assem-
bled, to hear the decision, in the mayor
ality case of Ellyson and Cahoon, upon the
Conservative caucus then setting in the
Hall of the House of Delegates below.
1t is impossible to ascertain the extent
OF the injuries at this hour.
Among the killed are P. H. Aylett, a
distinguished lawyer, D. j. B. BocOck re-
porter of the Enquirer, and Examiner ;
Samuel Eaton, clerk of Mayor Cahoon (;
Capt. VIM. A. Chester, chief of the Fire
Department; N. P. Howard, lawyer; Ash
Levy, Richmond, merchant; Charles Was.
ton, of Danville; r. r, Hough, Hutchison;
Lewis N. Webb city ;ASchOfeld, brother
of General Schofeld r. H. Murray, Jr.,
Senator Bland, Col. Powhattan 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-Gov. Wells was bad :
ly injured. L, II. Chandler, counsel for
Cahoon, on the mayorality case was injur-
ed. James Mason and Judge Meredith,
counsel for Ellyson, were badly hurt.
About two hundred persons were hurt
by the accident. The greatest excitement
prevails. Hundreds of persons are on the
Capitol Square weeping and wailing as the
dead and dying are brought out of the
building.
Gov, Walker escaped unhurt, though on
the Court room floor at the time Of the
accident.
- = -.--
FURTHER PARTICULARS BY THE MIDNIGHT
DISPATCHES.
In addition to the particular before sent,
the following are given About II o'clock
the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia
was crowded with eminent citizens and
many local politicians, and a great many
of the public at large, who we're drawn
there by curiosity to hear the result of
the late hearing of the question of the
Mayorality of Richmond.
The friends of Messrs. Ellyson and Ca
hoon, who comprise the prominent Repub-
licans and Conservatives of the city, had
assembled to hear the decision which it
was expected would be given to-day.
Among the mary prominent were ex-Gov.
Wells, ex-Congressman Nelson, Judge
John A Meredith, Patrick ,Haylett,, ex-
U. S. District Attorney, L. H. Chandler
and others.
At Il o'clock the gallery of the Court
room, which was crowded, fell in, the floor
followed, and thereon 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 eau
Gus were waiting around. p
There was general crash Of all the tim
bers, and the falling of the inside wall, in
which were killed Patrick Haylett, Capt.
Chester Chief of Fire Brigade, i. NJ. Scho-
field, City Assessor and brother of Gen.
Schofeld, late Secretary of War; DR.. J.
B. Brock, editor of the Richmond Enquir,
er Julius A. Hobsop, City Collector; S.
Dugger, member of the House of Dele
gates; I. A. Brewis, commission merchant
of Alexandria; Samuel Eaton, Boston,
Massachusetts, and former theatrical man
ager Of the Boston theater Powhattan
Roberts, Commissioner in Chancery of the
Court of Common Please; Jas. A. Bla-
quere, of Berlin Prussia; s. E. Burnhan,
New York N. P. Howard,
lawyer; Ash Levy, merchant; ]. w. G,
Bland, colored; Simahon, from Prince Ed
ward J. Watson, merchant of Danyille;
Thos. w. Wilcox, Ex-C Confederate Gener-
al; SamuelA. Hointon, wealthy land hold
er of Henry county Chas. ] Grennan, of
Washington, D. O.;;9 Robert Fl. Maury, jr.
land agent Edward Wand. of England !;
VIM. H. Davis, coal merchant; John Rob.
ertson, colored Baptist minister: Col Pich-
egrew Woolford, j. P. Faley, Deputy u.
s. Harshall W.. E. Randolph, Of New
York r. Bradshaw, grocer; and thirty
three Others, amongst them one captain
one sergeant, and nine priyates Of the po-
lice, who were OIL, duty in the building.
Amongst the woundedwere ex-Gov. Wells,
ribs broken and otherwise internally in
jured Mayor H. K. Ellyson, slightly;
Mayor Geo. Cahoon, slightly /; i. II. Chan
dler, Judge Jno A.Meredith, Jas. Nelson,
Jno. Howard, Rush Burgess, Collector, of
tba D;otr;ot wv n D,roon oront W.