Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-11-14

church we're invited to como forward. Just
then sound OF body falling to the floor
was heard, followed by a crashing, crackling
sound, and man who sat near the pulpit
jumped from his seat and said the floor was
sinking, and rushed for the door. The cry
was taken up by others aud change to
"TuE HOUSE Is FALLING"
In an instant tho entire congregation was
anic. stricken. aud then u terrible aud deadly
rush was made for the door. The stairways
were soon blocked, and the narrow, fatal door
way was filed by the ireuzied and struggling
crowd. Men, eager to escape from they knew
! OF what, began to jostlc and pull at each
other, and some, in their cagcrness to escape
became angry at what to them seemed the
snail like efforts Of the fleeing ones, and
fght sprung up just n the door, and this for
an instant checked the crowd aud proved the
dcl,h,knell Of eleven persons, and the wound
ing Of seventy,Gve or one hundred others
The gorge caused by the fight ut the doorway
rendered the crowd behind more frantic, and
these tumbled and jumped over the partitions
at the head OF the stairway, falling upon the
heads Of those below, and the weaker were
TRAMpLEp, AND TORS, AND MANGLEp,
beneath the heels aud bodies Of the stronger.
Women aud children, aud even strong men,
shouted aud screamed in agony, and a scene
Of terror and confusion and death, utterly in.
deseribablC, ensued.
The pastor tried in vain to quell the panic,
and lined out the hymn and began singing,
and was joined by some who remained close to
the pulpit, aud seeing no apparent change,
aud failing to understand the cause Of the
fright, had remained in their places. But
the effort, Of the pastor were of no avail
No human efforts could stay tho frightened
crowd.
The stairwuys were soon struggling mass
OF human beings The benches were broken
to fragments, and the strong doors and wood.
en- partitions at the bottom were broken as
though they had been glass.
Finding the stairwuys blocked, tho crowd
rushed to the windows aud broke the glass
with their naked hands and tore out the
sashes. On the south side OF the church the
laboratory Of DR.. j p. Barnum adjons the
windows, which IRE about fifteen or twenty
feet from the ground, and fully one hundred
persons saved themselves by jumping upon
the roof. Many jumped the entire distance
to the ground, but, stango to say, none Of
them WIRE seriously injured,
Dr.. Baruum aud his clerk, Mr.. Thomas
Fountain, rushed into the yard, and found
THE DOORWAY PILED Up WITH BODIEs,
eight or ten deep, and mnss Of crushed md
struggling human beings lying in front Of the
door, Policemen Emlow mud Martin were
near by and soon camC to tho spot, bu, with.
out effect A messenger was dispatched to
the enginG.house for assistance, hut the mes.
sage was misunderstood, and an alarm Of fire
was turned in aud soon the engines came
rushing to the scene, followed by the eager
crowd which usually attended fires. OF course
this but added to the general confusion, and
u scene Of terrible excitement ensued.
The hook aud ladder company, however,
soon threw their ladders up to the front win.
dOws, and the frantic people were passed
down the ladders. The pile of disabled
bodies was removed from in front OF the door,
aud the dead aud dying were diseDtaDgled
from the fatal vcstibule.
Three or four dead and wounded we found
outside the door. They had escaped from
the building only to be tramplcd and smoth'
cred to death outside. Those who had escaped
unhurt were freuzed 10 their efforts to return.
This one wished to rescue q child, another a
wife, another husband, and another sister
or brother. The eager, curious crowd also
pressed aud crowded and squeezed around the
doorway, and it required all the efforts Of the
police and few humane, Sclf.pOssessOd gen.
tlemcn to keep them Of.
Finally the mass was dscntAnglcd, and it
was found that
ELEVEN HAD BEEN KILLED
outright, three badly wounded, aud seventy
five or cue hundred slightly injured,