The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-10-16
PANIC-STRIKEN
A Wild Scene Of Terror and Confusion 10
Court.
A Falling BoK Ia Overhead Disturbs tho
serenity Of the Common Pleas
Court and Causes u Ter
rible Panic,

A terrible, and ut the same time, very
lldricous panic occurred In the Common
Pleas Court room yesterday afternoon,
during the trial OF the Warthorst muir.
der case, which caused such q degree Of
Wild excitement and confusion AZ Ia sol.
dom witnessed.
Miss Lizzie haloney was on the wit
meas stand testifyiDg, when suddenly, at
u few minutes alter 4 O'Clock, a loud
noise 40 Of something dropping over
head disturbed the judicial serenity Of
the court, Mr., John McSweeney, OF
counsel for the State, was pacing medl-
tatlyely 10 aud fro In front of the
Judges ro9tr0m, and on hearing tho
strange noise overhead, stopped, threw
q wild glance upwards towards the cell
Ing, and imagining he saw II falling,
gave u h0arae shout OF alarm, ducked
hia head, and ran with the speed OF n
runaway horse out towards the front of
the Court House.
The room was crowded with apecta.
tors, aud these, with the Judge, jury,
attorneys, witnesses, reporters; and the
prisoner, WarthOrst, seeing the panic
stricken form Of Mr., McSweeney flying
out OF the room, all jumped TO their
feet, and with loud cries Of alarm, rushed
wildly for the different doors leading
from the room.
All was confusion and uproar, and
the scene NJ this moment, az Viewed by
q thoroughly scared DEMOCRAT reporter
from the northeast corner of the room
where no waa standing, mOmentaTily OK.
pecting TO see the roof OF the building
drop In, battles description.
Judge Pease, dropping HIS robe Of ju.
dicial gravity, shot like lightning for
the back door, followed by half u dozen
white faced lawyers, AIR, Day Oh Coun
sci for tho defence, turned n bare SON
mersanlt aud collidlng gith ME-, WArt,
horst, who had bea 6itaa Ing by the side
OF her husband, TIN ptlaOner, knocked
that lady pr0atratA and himself fell
full length over y chair, iir. Flood, the
stenographlc reporter, pitched headiong
9Nder the DEMOCRAT reporters table,
BACK OF the witness stand, and began
throwing out his arms aud kicking his
legs AZ II In the act Of swimming,
People standing outside In front of
lhe court House, were struck with
"h'hs'lhVhN Nv HOtlnH u VIONu OF DlTos
o ded men with blanched faces, come
rushing wildly down the stalrways ana
out into the street. Nothing more ter.
rlOle In the way Of u panic was ever
witnessed. AT length Prosecuting AZ.
torney Harter, seeing there was no linz
mediate danger, sprang into the middle
Of the room, and with q loud voice, call.
cd on The people to return, which they
soon did.
Just as Mr.. insolvency started on lilo
run, some one yelled earthquake" aud
this appalling cry had the effect Of nd.
ding greatly 10 the terror OF the scene.
After the Judge, jury, lawyers aud spec
tat0rs had returned TO the court room,
and II was found there was no danger
to DO apprehended, q good hearty laugh
was indulged In by all NJ the conucali.
ties OF the scene, The laugh was greatly
intensified, however, when u young man
In u straw hat and u rubber coat made
his appearance, aud announced the
cause OF the noise heard overhead TO have
been his falling over a box used by him
In painting, which stood over one of the
yentllators In the ceiling. When this
Information was impaired 10 Mr.. Me.
Sweeney, that gentleman muttered, che
ought to be- hung while some one else
said no should DO punished. Owing TO
The excited condition Of everybody,
Judge Poase adjourned court until this
morning,