Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-12-13


Particulars of the Coroner's Inquest
The Verdict,
The Coroner's Jury in the case of the
Opera House disaster met at 7;30 yester-
day evening according to appointment,
at the office of DIR. Evans, the Coroner.
In addition to the testamony previously
taken and published in yesterday morn
ing's DEMOCRAT, the following was
adduced:
John Leber Sworn-Am a cashier for
Mr.. O'Donnell under the Opera House.
Was in the restaurant and heard the
noise, imagined the building was break
ing dowl-ran to the head of stairs saw
man gathering himself up in the middle
of the street, took him TO be Mr.. Parsons
the plumber, went toward the Opera
House steps, and was caught by some
one who called "pull me out" and
caught boy and pulled him out, then
couple of more men came and helped me
and we pulled two or three men out, the
crowd gathered and all began working. !
thought to work to the best advantage |
had better get up stairs the back way. Got
on the stage and called to the people to
come forward that there was no fire, but
that there was lot of people lying at foot
of stairs. When l told them that they
gathered back towards the stage. / got
down to head of front stairs soon a'ter.
Some asked me why they did not leave
the people go on down the stairs, they
did not know any one was lying down in
the stairs until told them. Then we got
some of them to come back up. We got
boy and woman out, they looked as if
they were dead-the woman was dressed
in black, didn't know her. The theatre
was packed-we could hardly get through.
No one got out except those we pulled
out, some may have got down the back
stairs. saw boy and a woman taken
down to the restaurant helped to take
them down. 1 saw DiDert's boy he was
alive but injured, DR.. Zimmerman at
tended to them. There was big crowd
around the Opera House when l came
down, the police were there trying to keep
the crowd back, l saw one man hit who
was trying to get to the house, he was in
toxicated. There was no one got out ex-
cept those we pulled out, they were
wedged in the stairway. The back stairs
are very narrow, one man can just about
ct
little offsets in it.. JOHN LEBER.
Winfield w. Evans, sworn-I am the
assistant of Mr.. John Henderson, under
taker. The following bodies were taken
to Mr.. Henderson's morgue after the dis
aster in Opera House: Miss Lizzie Clay
comb, John Miller, colored, Mrs. Wesley
Burns, Miss Clara Burns, Isaac Foler,
George Little Horner, Mrs. Nester, Eddie
Bigler, Mr., Fresholtz, George Slonicker.
WINFIELD w. EVANS.
James Dillon, sworn-I am waiter in
II. ODonnel's restaurant, soon as heard
the noise l ran up out of the restaurant
TO see what was the matter, saw several
puppy ~ AbS III lhC NtbOi way vi tilt CDtId
House, tried to get them out but could
not but with assistance of two others
managed to get two out, they were two
men. Three of us tried to pull one man
out but could not he was wedged in so
tight. His body was half out on the pave
ment, his legs were wedged in the crowd.
When we found we couldn't get any body
out in front we went through Mr.. Weir's
saloon to the back of house and there |
saw lady coming down the stairs with a
child in her arms, never was up the
back stairs ] took the child and led the
lady down to O'Donnel's restaurant Mr.
O'Donuell directed me to take the big
lamp out on the pavement so the people
could see. The light over the door had
been broken by man climbing over the
heads Of those lying down in the stairway.
I stopped there with the light until the
house was empty and The dead
were taken away. It was abont
fifteen minutes after The crush until lie
stairs were cleared. The people ! tried
TO pull ont were living aud crying for
help. but we ceuldn't pull them out
JAMES DuLoN.
james Clair. swup-I reside in Pitts
burgb was acting as usher on the bal
cony, last night at the show, after I had
everybody seated went down to
boz Office and stood there