The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-13
''HANG Him, HANG him. +"
Colonel AinsWorth Called a Murder.
u By Excited Clerks.
A WILD SCENE AT THE INQUEST
ON THE RECENT DISASTER.

ON THE RECENT DISASTER.
One Clerk, whose Brother Perished in the
Ii1-Fated Building, Called the Colonel
a Murderer to His Face-CooI Hands
Finally Gained the Men-strange sto-
ries of Dead Line-The Clerks Abb
ject Fear of Colonel Ainsworth.
WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE inquest
over the bodies of the victims of the
Ford's Theatre disaster commenced to-
day in Wizards Hall. Colonel Aims
worth, chief of record and pension divis-
ion, who has been put on the defensive,
by implied accusations that he was re-
sponsible for the presence of the clerks
in the old bnilding, was present. About
100 persons were present, most Of them
clerks of the record and pension di-
vision. DR.. shaffer, deputy coroner of
the district, conducted the inquest which
was held over the remains of J. A. Chap
in, whose body was selected for the pur-
pose. Benjamin Reiss, clerk
employed in the old theatre building,
was the first witness. He had been ex-
cused, he said, at 8 on the morning of the
disaster and was not present when the
building fell. He had not seen any area
roped off as dangerous inside the old
theatre. For several years he had heard
it rumored that the building, particular
lar the rear wall, which did not fall, was
unsafe. He had heard no talk about the
dangerous condition of the building
within month. A day
or two before the accident
ing. He was there while the excavation
was going on.
Charles Troutman, clerk in the old
theatre whose desk was on the third
floor, described the fall of the floors and
his escape. He said he knew instinct
lively that the excavation caused the acci-
dent. The witness knew of no protest
sent by the employees in the buildings to
the authorities about the dangerous con-
dition of the building. To his knowledge
no orders were issued about insecurity of
the building, except an unofficial warning
not to walk over the roped off space.
He saw no underpinning of the first
floor. He had heard the roped off space
called the dead line.'' The day before
the accident he had seen Colonel Aims
worth examining the roped off space
minutely. He thought he went down
stairs to see the excavation. Colonel
Ainsworth came nearly every day while
ployes of the building had told him it
was shell and a death trap
Smith Thompson, the clerk in the
theatre building, who made a bitter
speech denouncing Col. Ainsworth at the
relief meeting Friday, testified that when
the accident occurred he was at his desk
at work on the second floor to the rear of
the light well, a part of the building
which did not fall. He said there was
no fire escape On the building and only
one door for entrance and exit. He
hooked his umbrella to window sill
and lowered himself by it to ladder
which some one below him held, and
thus escaped from the building.
The witness said: Servants or mes
sengers of Col. Ainsworth were sta
toned on the stairways and notified us
with bated breath that it was Col. Aims
worth's orders that we go up and down
stairs on tiptoe. The building was
known to all the clerks as a death trap,
but bread and butter depended upon
working there, so what could we do?''
One juror asked the clerk what was
the feeling of the clerks in the thea tire
toward Col. Ainsworth.
"That of abject fear" answered Mr..
Thompson impressively. A burst of
hand clapping followed. 1t came from
portion of the room where most of the
clerks were sitting. DR.. Shaeffer
looked astonished and Col. Ainsworth
grew red. DIR. Shaeffer lectured the Of
tenders, after which the hearing pro-
ceeded.
{. Mr.. Warner asked if there was such
feeling OF fear that the clerks were
afraid to make suggestion as to the dam
gerous condition of the building.
HEmphatically there was,'' was the an
swer. Mr.. Thompson said the feeling
extended to Jacob French, Col. Aims
worth right bower, and o. B. Brown,
chief clerk of the building.
A letter to the coroner from Secretary
Lamont was read. It stated that no
employe of the department would en-
danger his position in any way on ac-
count of any testimony given before the
coroner's jury IN this case.
David H.eP. Brown, a third floor
clerk, testified that since January 6,
J 1893, he had heard the building was un
safe. He had been instructed to go
carefully up and down stairs in the thea
tre building nearly every day by mes
senger called Sargent Mr.. Brown
said there was much feeling about the
insecurity Of the building, and a great
many clerks would have protested if
they had the courage to do so against
being kept in the old theatre.
'What had the clerks to apprehend?''
was asked.
Discharge" said Mr.. Brown.
The witness said that ever since the
work of of excavating began he had
heard talk of the unsafe condition of
the building. He thought the building
overcrowded.
Albert y. Crosby, third floor clerk,
was called. While he was being EXAM
ined man walked slowly to place be-
hind Col. Ainsworth's chair and said
something in such loud voice that it
brought warning "sh-h'' from some of
those present. The man stepped forward,
standing behind and directly over Col.
Ainsworth and cried in a voice trembling
with passion, "You murdered my brother.
I'd like to know yvhat RIGHT Won have to