The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-05-01
SEEING A TRAGEDY.


seem to me to be all much of a much
ness, while the people in one are about
the same aS the people in another. A
piece of some kind was being perform
ed !; but, after listening for few min
utes, my memory took me back to the
old scene when | went to see COM
edy which turned out to be the most
fearful tragedy / ever looked upon.
1t was an exceedingly full night at
the theatre, and though we reached
the doors in pretty good time, we were
after great many more, and had to
go slowly up the great corkscrew stair
case, crowded with good-tempered
people, laughing and pushing their
way p. Twice over 1 felt disposed
to give it up; but thought the child
would be so disappointed, and | kept
on, taking her upon my back at last,
when the crowding was worse, and at
hurrying up the endless steps.
There was a regular sea of heads be-
| fore me when | stood at last looking
for favorable spot; and soon finding
that taking a seat meant seeing moth
ing of the performance, continued to
/ wedge my way along between two
rows of seats occupied by people loud
in their protestatiOns that there was
no room, till | found standing place
| in front of one of the stout supports of
the upper gallery-a pillar that have
: always thought of since as the saving
of my life.
/ am not going to discuss whether
theatres are good or bad places, but |
| know that night the greatest enjoy
mcnt | had was in watching my little
| girls animated countenance as her
eyes rested upon the handsome chan
delier, now upon the boxes full of we'll
dressed people, then half dancing with
delight at the strains of the orchestra !;
! while her delight bordered almost up
on excitement when the curtain drew
up and a snowy piece was performed
Hundreds must have been turned
from the doors that night, for except
ing in the principal parts of the house
there was not standing room, while
| the house we had been wedged in till
there was not a vacant spot to be seen,
while between the acts the men and
women, with their baskets of apples
and oranges, came forcing their way
through, and always terribly angry
with me as Istood leaning against my
pillar, for being in their way.
All at once I turned all of cold
shiver, and then the blood seemed to
run back to my heart, while my hands
were wet with perspiration for quite
plainly had smelt that unmistakable
odor of burning wood looked about
me; all was as it should be people
were eating, drinking and laughing,
the curtain was down, and the Orches-
ira sending out its lively strains.
Fancy" thought to myself and
leaned back against my pillar once
more, resting my hands upon my
child's shoulders, as we stood there,
exactly opposite the center of the stage
and consequently as far from tile doors
as possible, while the reco lection of
that tremendous cOrkscrcw staircase
made me shudder again; and, fancy
or no fancy, l took hold of the child's
arm, meaning to force myself through
the crowd and get out.
Once Ineally started, but hesitated,
thinking how disappointed she would
be to leave when the best part of the
performance was to come; twice / was
minutes just long enough to enable
me to reach the staircase and begin
running down. Just five minutes;
and then, smelling the fire once more,
grasped the child's arm, said, "Come
along" and had made two steps, when
| saw | was too late, and dashed back
to where / had stood minute before,
by the pillar.
won't call it presence of mind, for
fear of being considered vain but
felt sure that, if wished to save my
child's life, my place was by that pill
lar in the center, for l knew the peo-
pie would rush right and. left towards
the doors at the first alarm.
And now, what made me start
back? Why, the sight of several
people hurrying toward the door; of
one here and another there starting
up and looking anXiously around, as
if aware of coming danger; OF people
whispering together, and anxious
faces beginning to show among those
which smiled. Then came IL dead
pause !; the band had ceased paying,
and the musicians were hurrying out
through the door beneath the stage, !
upsetting their music-stands as they |
went. Still people did not move, but
seemed wondering, till right at the
top above the curtain there was faint |
flash of light, and tiny wreath of
of faint blue smoke, when shrek,
which rang through the whole place,
was heard-the most horrible, despair |
ing cry / ever heard-a cry which |
ac ed like shock to every soul |
prs mt, and unlocked their voices
for, before the eye had seen another
flash, the whole audience was afOOt, |
shrieking, yelling and swaying back
ward and forward in a way most hor-
rible, and never to be forgotten. |
Boxes and doors crashed as men flung |
them open, and the hurrying crowd
in the passage dashed them t. again,
making the people shrek more than
ever, as they fancied themselves
fastened in.
First one and then another man
rushed from behind the curtain upon
the stage, moving his arms and
speaking; but they might as well have
shouted to a storm, as the cry Of
"F'ire!" rang through the house and
people tore toward the doors. Sslf,
self, self, seemed to be the only
Thought, as men clambered into the
upper gallery, or dropped down into
ours. Scores climbed down into the
boxes; hundreds dashed frantically
along, trampling others under foot,
and even clambering over the heads
of the dense, wedged-in throng, try
ing to reach the doors but all hinder
ing one another.
1t would have been a madman's
act but | wanted to run too, and be
one Of the surging crowd-to be in
action at time when ones blood ran
cold to hear the horrible grOans and
shrieks of the frightened mob, wedged
into a mass, from which now and
then "A horrid cry rose from poor
wretch beaten down and trampled
under foot. / closed my eyes for
moment, but l could see plainly |
enough the horrors that were going \
ON upon the staircase and yet | had
TO fight hard against not only self, but
the mob that swayed backward aud
forward past me, some making. for
one door. and some for another, perhaps
only TO return again shrieking with /
horror: while more than one, in
climbing over the rails in front Of the