St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-13
BLAME Their Chief.
Sensational Scene at the In
quest in the Washing
ton Disaster.
Threatening Demonstration
By Spectators Against
Col. Ainsworth.
A Demand That He Be Ar
rested and Held With
out Bail.
After the Adjournment Clerks
Hold An An'Indignation
Meeting.

WASHINGTON, June 12.-There was a
startling and sensational scene i'll the
inquest in the Ford'S theater disaster
after the recess today. Charles +. Banes
denounced Col. Ainsworth, chief Of the
record and pension division, as intimi-
dating witnesses, and Immediately there
was most threatening demonstration
against the colonel. The testimony was
proceeding quietly. when the dramatic
scene occurred suddenly and without
warning. Mr.. Baues walked forward,
and. when close to Col. Ainsworth,
shook his fist in his face, and in voice
trembling with passion, cried out:
You murdered my brother. and you
have no right to sit here and intimidate
witnesses"
There was de ad pause. Then Mr..
Warner, one Of the jurors, said that ow
ing to the evident feeling displayed he
thought it only right that any one who
might be implicated in this matter
should be asked to withdraw. Intense
excitement followed. Mr.. Perry, coun-
sci for Col. Ainsworth, got on his feet,
but howls and shouts from all sides
drowned his voice. In vain he appealed
to be heard. Excited men were
Shaking Their Fists,
and cries of murderer" etc., arose.
Mr.. Warner sprang on a chair and ap-
pealed for quiet and peace, One man
yelled, "kill him." another chang him."
and general movement was made to-
wards Col. Ainsworth, who remained
calm but pale.
Mr.. Warner. standing on the chair,
appealed again and again for peace,
while Lieut.. Amiss, of the police force,
took his station by Col. Ainsworth's
chair. One excited man jumped in
front of the coroner and yelled:
There will be no peace until Aims
worth is put under arrest and held with
out bail"
Finally Mr.. Warner made himself
heard, and succeeded in quieting the
storm which threatened another chapter
to the horror aid Coroner Schaeffer
Immediately adjourned the hearing un-
til tomorrow, AS soon as the inquest
adjourned Col. Answorth went out and
got into carriage and drove away. He
was followed by angry cries and impre-
cations.
The inquest was held over the re-
mains of j. A. Chapin, whose body had
been selected for that purpose. Benja-
min ReisS, a clerk employed in the old
theater building, was the first witness
called. He had been excused at 9
O'Clock OH the morning of the disaster
on account of business, and was not
present
When the Building Fell.
He had not seen any area roped off as
dangerous inside the old theater. For
several years he had heard it rumored
that the building, particularly the rear
wall (Which did rot falD, was unsafe.
Charles Troutman, a clerk in the old
theater, whose desk was on the first
floor, described the fall of the floor and
his escape. The witness knew of no
protest having been sent by the en-
ployeS In the building to the authorities
about the dangerous condition of the
building. He had been warned by J.W.
Webb, in charge of the first floor, not to
approach an area on that floor, which
had been roped off while the excavation
was going on. Mr.. Webb had given
him this warning eight OF ten days be-
fore the accident. To his knowledge
no order had been issued about
the insecurity of the building,
except an official warning not to walk
over the roped off space. He saw no
under-pinning Of the first floor. He
had heard the IOped off space called
'the dead line."> The day before the
accident he had seen Col. Ainsworth
examining the roped off space minutely,
and thought he went down stairs to see
the excavation. Col. Ainsworth came
nearly every day while the excavation
was going on. The old employees of the
building had told him it was a shell and
@ death-trap.
Smith Thompson, clerk IN the
theater building, who made bitter
speech denouncing Col. AinsWOrth at
the relief meeting on Friday, was the
next witness.
Had you ever heard any warning
about the Stairway" asked the deputy
coroner.
Clerks Feared AinsWOrth.
"Frequently, frequently" said the
witness. Servants or messengers of
Col. AinsWOrth who were stationed on
the stairway notified us with bated
breath that it was Col. Ainsworth's
orders that employees should go easily, |
on tiptoe, up and down the stairs"
In Mr.. Thompson's testimony there |
was strange scene, illustrating bitter |
feeling against Col. AinsWorth. A |
majority of the spectators present at the |
inquest were clerks who we're employed |
in the old theater building. Mr.. Warner, |
one of the jurors, asked the witness |
what was the feeling of the clerks in |
the theater building toward their supe- |
riOr officer Col AinSwOrth
"That of abject fear" answered Mr.. |
Thompson, impressively. A slight buzz |
and shifting of chairs followed; then a |
slight clapping Of hands.
Mr.. Warner said he had asked the |
question because there seemed to be |
belief that the feeling existing between |
Col. AinSWorth and every man in the |
Office was such that had they made a |
suggestion as to the safety of the build |
ing, it would have jeopardized their po-
sitlonS. MIR. Warner asked if there was |
such feeling of fear that the clerks
were afraid to make suggestions as to |
the dangerous condition Of the build |
ing?
at was, Mr.. Warner, emphatically, it
was" aaS the answer.
Mr.. Thompson was questioned further
about this feeling and he SAID it ex-
tended to Jacob Freech, "Col. Aims
worth's right bower and the chronic
pessimist of Washington" and to o. B.
Brown, chief clerk of the building.
Free TO Give Testimony.
A letter from Secretary Lamont was |
read, giving assurance that no clerk |
need fear dismissal on account of his |
testimony.
The first witness at the afternoon ses- l