The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-11-22
Thc Panic In the African Church at
Louisville.

Ahc IuHlC Ill INC african ChurCh at
Louisville.
Those who desired the prayers of
the church were invited to comc for
ward. Just then sound rs of
body falling to the floor was heard :,
followed by crashing, orackling
s,"nd, and a man who sat near tho
pulpit jumped from his seat, and said
the floor was sinking, and rushed for
the door. Tho cry was taken up by
others and changed to.
"THE HOUSE IS FALLING"
In IN instant the entire congrega.
tlon was panic stricken, and then
terrible and deadly rush was made
for the door. The stairways were
soon blocked, and the narrow, fatal
doorway was filed by the frcnzied
and struggling crowd Men, enger to
escape from they knew not what, bo-
gan to jostle and pull ut each othor
and some, in their cagerness to escape
became angry at what to them seemod
tho snail.likc efforts Of the tlcoing ones,
and fight sprung up just in tho door
and this for an instant checked tho
crowd and proved the death knoll Of
eleven persons, and tho iwounding of
Sevcntylvc or one hundred others.
The gorge caused by the fight at door.
way rendered the crowd behind more
frantic, anIithcsc stumbled and jump
ed over tno partitions ut the heads of
those below, and the weaker were
TRAMrLED, AND TORN. AND M,NGLED.
beneath the heels and bodies Of the
stronger. Womcnland children, and
oven strong mon, shouted and scream
ed in agony, and scene Of terror and
, confusion. and death, utterly indie.
scribablc, onsucd.
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 tho pull.
pit, and seeing no apparent change,
and failing to understand the cause
Of the fright, had remained in their
places. But tho ciF,rts Of tho pastor
were Of no avail No human efforts
could stay the frightened crowd.
The stairways were soon strug
Cling mass of human boings. Tho
benches were broken to fragments,
and the strong doors and wooden
partitions at tho bottom wore brokon
rs though they had been glass.
Finding the stairways blocked, tho
crowd rushed to the windows and
broke the glass with their naked
hands and tore out tho ssshcs. On
, the south side of the church tho la
boratory Of DR.. j. y. BArnum ad.
joins the windows, which are about
fifteen or twenty feet from the ground
and fully one hundred persons saved
themselves by jumping upon the roof.
Many jumped tho entire distance to
the ground, but, strange to say, mono
of them were seriously injured.
DR.. Barnum and his clerk, Mr..
Thomas Fountain, rushed into tho
yard, and found
THE DOORWAY FILED w WITH BODIES,
eight or ten deep, and mass of
crushed and struggling human beings
lying in front Of the door. Policemen
, f,mlow and Martin wcro II ,ar by and
soon came to tho spot, and all cn-
dcayorcd to separate the crowd, but
without effect. a messenger was dis
patch to the engine house for assist
aacc, but the message was misundcr-
! stood, and an alarm Of fro was turned
in, and soon the engines camo rushing
to the sccno, followed by tho eager
crowd which usually attend fires. Of
course this but added to tho general
confusion, and scene of terrible cx.
citemcnt cn,ucd.
The hook and ladder company, how
ever, soon threw their ladders up to
the front windows, and tho frantic
people wore passed down the ladders.
The pile Of disabled bodies was re-
moved from in front Of tho tho door
and tho dead and dying wors Olsen.
tangled from tho fatal vcstibule
Three or four dead and wounded
were found outside tho door. They
had escaped from the building only
to bo tramplcd and smothered to doath
outside. Those who had escaped un.
hurt were fricDzicd in thoir efforts to
return. This one wished to rescue
q child, another n wife, another q
husband and another sister or broth.
or. The cagCr, curious crowd also
pressed and crowded and squoezcd
around the doorway, and 1t required
All the efforts'of tho police and fcw
humano, self~posscsscd gentlemen TO
keep them of;
Finally the mass was discntanglcd,
: and it was found that
ELEYEA HAD BEEN KILLED
outright, three badly wounded, and
|, seycnty.Gvc or ono hundred slightly
p. injured.
We hovc beard Of strange reasons
,, for suicide, but that assigned by a
young man who destroyed himself tho