The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-08-06


from the Twenty street ferry
1t is probable that the company will issue
notice that all employees who do not ap'
pear for work to morrow morning will be
discharged, and their places filled with new
men.
At last accounts there had been no further
rioting.
CHARLEsToN's sENsELEss PANIC
a Further Acco unit of the Bass Drum
Incident.
CHAIR EsToN, Aug. 5.-Very little has
been talked about in the streets of Charles
ton since Friday last beside the democratic
mass meeting and the extraordinary and
inexplicable panic that took place during
its progress, mention of which has been
made in the MORNING News. The thing
turns out to have been much more serious
than anyone seems to have had any idea of
1t appears almost increduous thar 5000
white men" unterrified democrats ~
should be thrown into an indesc irable
panic by the accidental and innocent kick
bestow ed upon bass drum; but such was
the case.
Some years ago a stampede occurred at
the Same place, but on that occasion the
meeting was composed of cnlOrcd people,
and there was something to cause n panic.
1t was occasioned by the clatter of a dozen
or more dray mules on the Belgian block
roa dway. The colored folks thought that
the K. X. cavalry was charging them and
fcattered, which was natural under the cir
cunstances, seeing as their speaker Ind
been saying some very hard things about
the white people.
BUT THIS PANIC ON FRIDAY NIGHT
can find no excuse, no justification, no rea-
son. IL was most horrible and frightful
thing. In the twinkling Of an eye 5000
white and black men became utterly
demoralized for no cause whatever, and
broke into frightful frantic race from
danger which had no existence save in their
imagination. Men, women and children
were thrown down and trampled under foot,
the weakest went to the ground and the
strongest, with blanched faces, fought and
scrambled and tore their way onward
where they knew not-but still onward
One gentleman admitted yesterday that iA
ran to his home a half mile distant frups
the corner of Broad and Meeting streets,
without his hat and with his coat torn into
sareds. He ran every step of the way.
What was he running fromi He didn't
know. lie was simply overcome with a
fear of something, he knew not what He
s1id that he earthquake was prominent in
his mind, and that when the stampede
came he remembered looking up at st
distinct in his mind that the steeple was
leaning over at an angle of A. What sug-
gested the earthquake to himf He didn't
know. He thought he heard rumbling
sound, and he believed he heard some one
out "a shake" The same gentleman is a
man of undoubted courage ordinarily
1T is RELATED OF A PROMINENT POLITICIAN
that he was seen hugging one of the pillars
Of st. MichaePs church praying vehem-
81 Al -h.s l.
piled that the cathedral the is u Catholic)
was too far off and he accordingly sought
church that was nearest to tire Catholic
church as a sanctuary. This may be joke
but dozen men ratify the truth of the
story.
The correspondent of the MORNING NEWS
was sitting on the Broad street fence of
Washington square, near the City hall, and
had an opportunity of seeing the stampede
without being crushed by the "maddening
crowd He recalls hearing a sound which
was evidently caused by some one hitting
the base drum of the band stationed in
front of the city hall porch. In moment
the crowd, which was densely packed in
the street, swayed and broke like huge
billow Oh the seashore. There was a roar
as of the sea laundering on the rocky
shore, aud the next moment the shouts
screams, curses, yells and the tramp of
thousands of feet. Leaping to the curbing
of marble that surrounds the square and
grasping the iron railing, a terrible scene
presented itself.
STRUGGLING TO GET OUT.
Men with their faces blanched with fear
struggled tiercely and idly to make their
way out OF the crowd; tie air was filed
with flying hats and walking canes The
negro women and boys, who are always to
be found on the outskirts of such meetings,
and who were most of them squatting on
the curbstones of the sidewalk, were thrown
down and trampled upon by the crowd.
Nobody thought of stopping To inquire
what was the matter. The entire mas OF
people were simply pushing, struggling,
fighting, running IN all directions Tho
man who bcats the base drum on the band
the source of the trouble-was seen TO seize
his drum, raise it above his head and make
a dash down Broad street Near the Broad
street gate to the park he stumbled over II
woman or boy lying on the gro md and fell
on and rolled over his drum. This added to
the panic; the sound was again suggestive OF
the much dreaded subterranean rumble, and
the panic increased.
KNOCKED DOWN BY THE CROWD.
Over on the south side Of the street some
gentlemen were standing with some ladies,
These last were thrown down aud some of
them badly bruised. Twoo of the ladies' ha 4
their dresses actually torn TO pieces At
least twenty persons were seriously injured
As was stated in these dispatches, the
panic was actually repeated within an hour
with almost the identical scenes although
by this time most of the women had left
and the crowd had thinned out consider
ably.
There was good deal Of loose talk on the
street yesterday about this singular event.
and good deal was said as to who is re-
sponsible for it. Some people profess to
think that the panic was deliberately
planned. and some even go so far as to say
that Sheriff Ferguson was the man who
caused it. But it will be readily seen that
no one man could, even if he desired to dc
SO, have created such q stampede. There
was some talk about pistol being drawn,
but this is not true, and even if it we're true,
why should single pistol, or even a dozen
pistols, put 5000 "unterrifod democrats
into a state of mortal fright and demoraliza-
tionl Pistols will not account for the panic
and, as a matter of fact no pistols were
drawn by any one
WHEN THE DRUM WENT OFF.
1t is true that there were some words be-
tween Sheriff Ferguson and Lieut.. Heidi,
of the police force, but there we're no
pistols drawn. The words occurred, ac-
cording TO Lieut.. Heidt's statement, in this
way: The sheriff was. as they used 10 say
IN 10 'tarrogating de speaker" Lieut..
Heidt m him md slsatl ~ 10 a.