The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-04-13
Panic in O Church.
TERRIBLE SCENE AT TRENToN-ruE KILLED
AND INJURED.
From the New York World |

at the loss of Father John p. Macken was
| shown by the hundreds that thrOnged the
St Johns Catholic Church this morning,
long before the hour announced for the
| they belonged to every class, represented
every denomination. AT 10, o'clock there
were fully 1000 people in the building I;
and looking over the sea of heads, not Il
spot, excepting Immediately around the
altar, could be seen where it was possible
that the smallest child could be wedged
in they were packed in the aisles like sar-
dimes, the pews were jammed, people sat
| in each others laps, while in many cases
men with goodIy-sized children held then,
in their arms, because there was no room
| elsew here for them.
for the opening of the services, and the
| multitudes continued swarming towards
| the church, even thOagh they met others
coming away, and knew that there was not
one chance in q thousand of placing a foot
within the door. Checked here, they con
tinued coDgregating on the outside pntil
the broad marble steps were covered, the
yard filled, the pavement thronged, and
| the street almost blockaded.
| At 1850 woman in the gallery on the
| south side sank upon her knees to utter O
prayer. AS her weight touched the kneel
I ing board it gave out a sharp crack, as if
it were splitting, when another woman in
scream. At the same instant a man leaned
| over and called out to those beneath to
hurry ont, as the galleries were giving
way. 4 scene of the most frightful des-
cripton then followed Women screamed,
men shouted, and.huudreds made frepzied
! down the galleries, tumbliug over each
other, all struggling in q wild, despairing
effort to get into the open air. Those with
cooler heads, who saw that there was not
the slightest danger, shouted to the crazy
hundreds to keep their seats, aud Father
Smith, with q voice that rose above the
din like that of a trumpet, told in few
| worda the innocent cause of the terrible
| fright, and besought them to calm them
selves and save the scores of lives that
were now imperled. But i5 was useless,
so far as hundreds were concerned. Con-
verging at the door, the crowds became
wedged fast, SO that for q few min ates they
were immovable as the solid pillars beside
| them. But the pressure in the rear became
tremendous, and the painting victims,
caught as it were between the upper and
neither grindstone, still furiously essayed
to free themselves, until q break was made
and out tue black line was driven headlODg,
the men, women, and children flying and
rolling hither and thither, as if driven by o
catapult.
On the outside the panic-stricken men
were struggling to get in. and the strife at
the cry of fire was raised, and the ringing
of bells brought the engines laundering
toward the spot, while the screams OF
women, the cries of children, and the fran
tic running to and fro of those who
had friends and relatives within doom
ed, as they believed, to the most awful of
deaths, helped to make perfect pendemon-
ium for the time.
Among the first driven cut of one of the
doors was a woman, who, unable to keep
her feet, pitched over the marble steps, and
the others came tumbliug over and up
on her. Faster and faster they poured out
and higher and higher they piled. Hercu-
lean men made desperate efforts to save
themselves from the writing mass, but ere
they could do SO they were buried out of
sight by those who rolled over upon them.
Two men caught friend by his arms and
pulled until they had to cease through fear
of dslocating Ills limbs, and those power
full men were unable to bulge him an inch.
Others swarmed through the windows,
and one woman was twice caught and re-
strained from leaping ont of an upper win
dow upon the pavement below.
BY and by the disintegra.ion of the
black, seething pile on the marble steps
began. AZ the very base of the pile was
dragged out woman, frightfully bruised
bleeding and senseless. "Dead !" gasped
The appalled, spectators, but brawny man,
in rubbing the blood from her face, felt the
CeTODDlDR at Inc temple, huu sue was nur-
riedy carried across the street, where
every attention was given her. A little
girl was taken from the pyramid of crazed
beings and laid upon a settee, white, gasp
inc aad dying. A boy had his arm broken,
and received such a conclusion of the
brain that he is likely to die. The mother
herself was also injured, but not danger
ously. These two children lay in the entry
of Father Smiths house, Immediately ad-
joining the church. Another little girl lay
unconscious in the shoe store of Mr..
Shields, near by, and was not recognized
until neon. when her Borrowing mother,
Mrs. Carlisle, carried her away to her
hone A second girl, named Maggy Null
lany, was also carried into Mr.. Shields
store. The wife of Mr.. Benjamin Stokes
was conveyed home, where her attending
ply stefan, pronounced her iuj urics of very
dangerous character. a few hours later
she died, nfter intense suffering. A very
old lady, Mrs. Bridget Clark, was badly
hurt, as were two sIsters named Dissair,
residing near by. Mrs. Richard Cook lies
in a critical condition from internal ipju
ries, and among the other sufferers ere
Mrs. Winifred Callen, Miss Julia Singer