The Globe-republican., 1893-06-16
SOMEWHAT STARTLING.
Sensational Scene at the Ford's
Theater Inquest.
A Witness Charges Colonel AinswOrth
with Being a Murderer-The Old
Building a Veritable Death
Trap The Testimony.
The Washington Calamity.

| The Washington Calamity.
WASHINGTON, June 13.-There was q
startling and sensational scene at the
inquest in the Ford's theater disaster
after the recess. Mr.. Charles e. Banes
| denounced Col. Ainsworth as intimi-
dating witnesses and Immediately there
was most threatening demonstration
against the colonel.
The testimony was proceeding quiet
| ly, when the dramatic scene occurred
suddenly and without warning.
Mr.. Banes walked forward and when
close to Col. Ainsworth shook his fist
in his face and in a voice trembling
with passion, cried out: ''You mur-
dered my brother, and you have no
right to sit here and intimidate wit
nesSes."
There was dead pause. Then Mr..
Warner, one of the jurors, said that
owing to the evident feeling displayed,
he thought it only right that anyone
who might be implicated in this matter
should be asked to withdraw. Intense
excitement followed.
Mr.. Perry, counsel 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 chair and ap-
pealed for quiet and peace.
One man yelled: ''Kill him. and
T., nj
was made toward Col. Ainsworth, who
remained calm but pale.
Mr.. Warner, standing on a chair ap-
pealed again and again for peace, while
Lieut.. Amiss, of the police force, took
his station by Col. Ainsworth's chair.
Finally Mr.. Warner made himself
heard and succeeded in quieting the
storm which threatened to add another
chapter to the horror, and Coroner
Schaeffer Immediately adjourned the
hearing until to-day.
AS soon as the inquest adjourned Col.
Ainsworth went out and got into a car
riage and drove away. He was fol-
lowed by angry cries and imprecations.
The inquest began yesterday in
Wizards hall, a room capable of ac-
commodating about 500 people. DIR.
Schaeffer, the deputy coroner, was in
charge.
Smith Thompson, the clerk who had
denounced Col Ainsworth at the relief
meeting Friday. said he had been a
civil engineer. Every day he went
below stairs and watched the progress
of the excavation. He saw no
pillars or props used in holding up
the first floor while the excavation
was going on. The one stairway was
not sufficient for the rapid exit of one
half the clerks in safety. In going
down the stairway he had heard clerks
call out: Take care, the stairs are un-
safe
Messengers of Col. Ainsworth told the
clerks with bated breath that it was
the colonel's orders that the clerks walk
softly and go up and down stairs on
tiptoe. The building was known to all
of the clerks as the Death Trap" but
their bread and butter depended on
their work there, so they could do moth
ing.
At this stage in Mr.. Thompson's tes-
timony there was strange scene illus
trating the bitter feeling against Col.
Ainsworth. A ma jority of the specta-
tors were clerks who had been en-
ployed 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 superior officer, Col. Ainsworth.
That of abject fear answered
Thompson. while slight buzz and
shifting of chairs followed and there
was even some handciapping. The ap-
plause came from the portion of the
room where most of the clerks were
sitting.
Col. AinswOrth grew red and the
coroner lectured the offenders.
A letter from Secretary Lamont was
read giving assurance that no clerk
need fear dismissal on account of his
testimony.