Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-03-14
A Panic and Stampede ut st. Francis
Xavier Church, New York.

New YoRK, March 8.-At the time
OF the alarm last evening in St. Francis
Xavier Church, which resulted SO dis
astrously, Father Longlake was preach
ing on Hell and the Horrors of the
Damned" and perfect stiffness pre-
vailed. Suddenly, as the preacher was
picturing the torments of purgatory,
young woman in the northern corner
of the west gallery, overcome by her
feelings, tainted and gave uttrance to
a hysterlcal scream, startling worship
pers and causing them to start to their
feet. The next minute some reckless
person cried fire, and this gave rise to
the panic. Father Langlake, who was
nearing the end Of his sermon, stopped
and implored the people to keep their
seats as there was no cause for alarm,
Father Morrick, the pastor, heard
screams, and rushing into the sanctuary
be called upon the congregation to
keep their seats, as there was no fire,
and no cause for alarm.
The Sexton also endeavored to stop
the panic. These efforts were par
TALLY successful. Father Langlake
retired to the vestry room, and in few
moments returned, at,ired in his cape
and uttered the benediction, dismissing
the congregation, and the organ began
to play. The women in the main body
of the church and in the east gallery
passed out in an orderly manner, and
not single person III the portions of
the church last named was injured.
The people occupying that portion of
the gallery where the commotion had
begun and centered, listened to neither
priest, pastor, sexton, benediction or
organ. They rushed toward the exit
gallery, and, almost crazed with fear,
pushed and fought their way into the
narrow stairway leading to Sixteenth
street. The stairway is but four feet
wide, and within three or four steps of
the bottom makes sharp turn before
it reaches the vestibule. The crowd
of maddened women rushed down the
stairs, and would probably have reach
ed the street in safety, but at the bend
in the stairway an aged and very stout
woman, in her eagerness to reach
place of safety, fell headlong down the
stairs. Before she could regain her
feet the frantic crowd pressed on
toward the vestibule, came upon her
PROSTATE form, and those in the fore
most ranks fell upon her. In mo-
ment the passage was choked, and
scene of the widest confusion and In
tense excitement ensued. The crowd
in fear pressed on with almost ire
sistable force, and nothing could be
done to stop their way toward the
choked up stairway, trampIing upon
those who had fallen in front and
crushing life out of them. They
screamed and fought like maniacs, and
every effort to hold them back SO that
the stairway could be cleared was of no
avail.
Father Whyte and several other
priests who were in the church parlors
at the time the panic occurred, rushed
around to the front of the church. and,
assisted by patrolmen, by main force,
dragged out some of the women who
were lying on the stairs A number
of women were then got out alive, and
only slightly injured. In the struggle
for life they were almost denuded of
clothing.
AS the priests and police, aided by
number Of citizens made their way
up the stair case they found lying on
the steps four other women and
small boy, who were taken out to the
open air, but life was extinct. One
woman, Ann Forbes, was brought out
alive and apparently not much injured
she walked with the assistance Of the
policeman to drug store on Sixth
Avenue near Sixteenth street, where
she expired in few minutes.