, 1877-03-17

NEW YoKK, March S.-There was panic IN the
church OF st. Francis Xavier, sixteenth street near
Sixtb avenue tonight caused by wOiE1n faintlnS
,,5 ,res of fire a rush Of women from o-e OF the
galleries made, and IN the tumnlt @hleh shsue
six women and one boy were traInpisd under loUt
anl killed. The audience was Composer ehIfeIS U
women ana children, II being women We IN ieht
1fe ruIhsr of persOns injured could not be ascef-
taipel Father L4ngaeke WIS preaching On LrIi anu
the terrors of the damned, aud the preacher WAS
picturr, the toymeujs OF purgatory a Young woman
n the c,rnsr gallery overcome by her feelings, fam
ted and gavs utteruce 10 hysterlcl scream start
hing the worshppers and causing them TO spring 10
their feet Tie next moment SOIllv reckless person
cried fire and this gave to the panic tather
Iapyacke inpore the people to keep their seats as
,h ysns no cause Tor ailarIn- Father Merrlck, the
PASTOR heard the screams and rushed INTO the sane
tuary He called upon the congregation TO keep
tier SEATS rs there no nTe- The cOngrtsdtIln
WAS dismissed and the organ began to pay The
women IN the main bOiy the church and gallery
plsSel out IN orderly manner, but the people Oc-
cupyiU, that PTiion Of the gallery where the eii-
motion had begun and centeTed, rushed toward the
exit from the gallery, and almost erazed with fear,
pushed AMI fought their way INTO the narrow star
way leading Sixteenth street The stairway Is but
tour feet WIDE and within three four steps Ut the
bottom makes sharp turn, before II reaches the
ves;Ibule.
The crowd of maadeued women rushed down the
stairs, and would probably ali have reached the
street III safety, but t the bend IN the stairway an
aged and very stout woman fell htallunI down The
stairs Before she could regain her feet frantic
crowd pressed toward the ve~tIbuls and came up
on tine PROSTATE form, and those in the foremost
ranks fell upon her. In moment the passage Way
was ctOked and Of the widest coniusion AMI
aud most intense excitement ensued- The crowd IN
the rear pTeseI with In. most irresistible fOrce
and nv hing could be done 10 stop their advance The
craZed women fought their way toward the chokei-
up stairway, trimpng upon those wEo hal fallen IN
f. ont AMI crushed the hte thrm Ihey sore..u-
ed and fought like uauIt's = and ,veIy tfTt 10 hU.t
them back that the stairway cOali be cleared Vas
u no avail
Fatller Whyte and several other pr' sts wLo were
in the church paIuIS al the time the panic occurred,
rushed round the front OF the church and assisted
by patrOlmsn by main dragged out some uf the
women who were lyIns, th= stars \ number OF
women tIeu got out alive and only slightly IL
iured In the struggle for il e, they were Almost de-
nudel of their clothing As the priests and police
aided by humber OF cliIz@us, usie their way up the
Staircase they found lying the steps four other
women and Il small hoy. These were token out To
the open air, but life was eXtenct- one woman, Ann
FOrles, was Lrough: out alive and apparently not
much injured. She walked, with the assistance oi
the police to a drug store SINth avenue, near
Sixteenth street, where she expired in a lew mo-
menIs The toies Of the dead nentIti-d As fol
lows: Mary Casey, OF 229 West Eighteenth street ;
ANN. Sp-nc,.r ami AicIiael spencer, OF 50 Ninth
avenue; Mary Cougblan. 2O2 West Twenty fifth
street; Elza Ma-teTson, 4US seventh avenue, and
Ann FORBES, 81 :, est Niuteenth street.