St. Paul daily globe., 1891-12-28

lessee OF the house then displayed
most creditable presence of mind. Step
ping on the stage lie shouted to the au-
dience, beseeching them to remain
seated, and soemnly assured them that
there was
No Real Danger
if they would do so. AT this juncture,
many others of the men present also
showed that they retained presence of
mind, by forcibly striving to restrain
the mad rush OF the crowd for the doors,
but their brave efforts proved of no
avail. The occupants of the pit, and,
indeed, all spectators whose seats were
in the better parts of the, house, sue
ceeded III escaping safely 10 the
streets. 1t was sudden bend
in the gallery staircase which
caused the fearful jam in the exit. PeO-
pie who had fallen and were lying in
heaps here, screaming and groanlng,
were trampled upon. At last so many
OF the struggling people had fallen that
all passage for exit was effectually
blocked by mass of writhing human
beings. and those still remaining on
their feet were forced to seek other
means of escape. The occasion was
made dOubly memorable by several acts
of heroism. One man who had Occu-
pied gallery seat, jumped from the
gallery railing to the balcony below and
slid thence to the stage, all the time
holding to child
BY His Teeth.
Other men rescued several women by
similar means. The police sought med
ical aid, and assisted in eXtricating the
victims from the staircase-a matter of
n nGf ri (lnn oh ff.ar
calling out piteOusly, Save me, save
me-" died before it could be reached.
The cOrpses were lad in an adjoining
building, and the injured were taken to
hospitals and other institutions. The
news of the cataStrOpheESpreadr rapidly,
and soon thousands of frantic people
were rushing TO the scene to ascertain the
fate of relatives or friends. Within a
few hours all of the dead were identi-
fed. All were between the ages of
thirteen and sixteen. The names of the
dead are Casely, Robson (2), Gregg, Car
len, Watson, Bainbridge, Murray, Wad-
dington and Forster. The audience
numbered 1,200 persons. The company
members escaped in their costumes, and
when they returned they found that
their dressing rooms had been robbed of
their ordinary clothing. The lessee of
the theater announces that he will give
the proceeds of the performance to the
bereayed, and will close the theater
pending an inquiry.
How 1t All Happened.
The statement is made that during the
performance two youths seated insthe
balcony insisted on smoking. They
were warned to deSist several times.
They finally desisted, but relit taeir
pipes soon afterward. The smoke of
their pipes was seen issuing from the
balcony, and a woman, being frightened
at the sight, screamed fire. A man
sitting near her Immediately gagged
her with his hand, but the
mischief was done The gallery
was occupied by 500 spectators, mostly
boys. The check taker, Forster, rushed
to open the door, which had been
fastened. The struggle which ensued
was awful. Men thrust aside the weak
er lads, who were trampled to death.
Two men were badly injured by jump
ing from windows. The lessee Of the
theater says that the alarm of fire orig
mated from the act of boy in dropping
lighted match into crevice filled with
waste paper and other rubbish in his
search for a lost penny.
The girl Robson died from fright in
the pit. All of the Others killed were
occupants of the gallery.