Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-21
A CANNIBAL SCARE
In q Colored School Caused by the
Actions of q Visitor.
WILD PANIC AMONG 1,5U0 PUPILS,
Which Soon Spread throughout the
Whole City of Charleston.
THREE OF THE CHILDREN INJURED
SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE prspArcz.t

SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DrsPArcH.I
/ CHARLESTON, S. c., March 20.-The en-
tire colored population of Charleston was
thrown into excitement to-day by panic
among the colored children of the Morris
street school. 1t is the largest colored school
in the United States, having nearly !, 500
pupils. 1t was about 1890 o'clock when a
wiry-built, bright-looking,' copper-colored
man, dressed in the fantastic costume of an
East Indian, walked into one OF the class
rooms of the primary departments and be-
gan to make speech to the children.
He told them that he was reformed can
nibal and used to eat human beings, and
his general appearance bore out his asser-
ton. The colored people have lately been
on their perennial scare about the medical
students and were easily frightened. The
children laughed at the speaker at first, but
he ran at one OF the girls with outstretehed
arms and she fled, shrieking that the man
was going to eat her.
A Panic in Short Order.
Swiftly the panic spread, and in mo-
ment the entire school was in an uproar.
They rushed heller skelter out of the class
room, down the stairs, out in the yard, and
thence pell NELL through the gates and
over the fences into the streets.
The excitement spread through the pri.
mary to the intermediate departments,
and within three minutes after the
first shrek of the frightened girl rang
through the building there was not child
in it. Soon the colOred population for
squares around were attracted BY the chill
dren's screams. The street in front of the
building was packed with negroes. every
body was yelling at the top of his voice, ard
for awhile it seemed as though pandemo-
mum had been let loose.
News of the panic spread as if by magic
throughout the city, and by the time it had
reached the lower portion of the city had
been magnifed into a terrible accident.
The building was said to have caved in and
hundreds of lives been lost. A platoon
of policemen arrived on the scene, but were
utterly powerless to keep the crowd awsy.
Any Amount of Excitement.
Others scaled the fences shrieking for
their children, and the confusion became
worse and worse. After a long battle the
police managed to clear space enough to
allow the children to come out and matters
were finally quieted. Only three out of
1 800 pupils were injured, and none fatally.
The man who caused the panic was arrested,
and had to be escorted to the police station
under strong guard.
He says he is Fiji Islander, 70 years old
and was once a cannibal. He gives the
name of John Charven, and says he dined
once with Mr.. Blaine at his home in Maine.
He is now an a lecturing tour, and was to
have lectured tonight in one OF the large
negro churches.
He claims to be British subject and says
he will demand satisfaction for his treatment
here. When he went to the school he
was dressed in crimson damask, and his
finge. nails were several inches long. He
has filed teeth. He denies that he wanted
to frighten the children.