The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1895-12-28
PANIC In A THEATER.
Twenty People Killed and Many More
Wounded.
ALARM CAUSED BY CRY OF FIRE.
Three Thousand People Rush Fran
tically for the Doors.
MANY CRUSHED AND TRAMPLED
Many Are Hurled Down Long Fiigh,
OF steps Terrible Scene Among
tho Dead,


but thirteen OF tho dead had been idcnti-
ned. They are:
Leo Cohen. aged IS.
jennie Hensle, aged IS
Jacob Rosenthal. aged 10.
Morris Maldous tailor, aged so.
| Louis Amoaki aged IS
| Louis I.evcnstcn. aged 2S,
Gabriel Bernstcln. ascu 4.
Theresa Bernstein. aged 81
| Ida Friedman, aged H.
| Susan Rosen. aged iS.
| Lena Lewis. aged %.
| e. Salsborg aged II. boy.
Wolf, aged IS mnn.
| Tho others are at tho morgue awaiting
| Identification.
The injured at the city hospital are,
Mrs. Friedman, nged Is, crushed; Mrs.
Goldman. aged ~, buddy crushod Atldn
Goldwait. aged 10. Commissions aud shock;
| Morris Schaofcr cruchcd; Jacob Gold-
stein, aged ~, crushed; Abraham Rusen-
thai. aged 30 crushed. unknown bay,
aged 10, win die; unknown woman aged
20. VIII die unknown man. aged 22, scrl-
ously hurt about body; unknown hoy.
aged 10, serious internal injuries
Almost NIL of tho Victims are of Polish
| nationality and Ilcbrair extraction aud
many of the injured were taken to their
homes by friends rendering " almost Inn
possible to get complete list Mt this
time.
| The theatre which ia probably the oldest
| In the city. WAS filled from pit to dome.
| with people who had assembled 20 listen
to Hebrew opera which has been sivon
| In tho old house twice a week for TIA.
past month Tho ticket Office receipts
| nh h.t tlnlystk Ind hcn
when. at o'clock the snio Of seats was
stopped because there were no more left.
General admission tickets were sold. how,
ever. after this and Il is supposed that
there were at least 1000 people within tile
walls when the curtain went up on the
first act. As the capacity OF tho house
was less than 1880 the density of The
crowd may he imagined.
Ten minutes after tho curtain rose ono
OF the attendants went mp to the second
tier to light gas Jet which appeared to
have been oxtingulshod, Az he turned the
cock and applied a match the light rlarod
up and 1t was soon that there was no tip
10 the burner The Jet was well down
toward the stage on the laft side of the
house In plain view of tho greater part
of tina audience, but as tho flare from 1t
showed against the walls, some ono In
the gallery shouted "Fire. fire freH
In an instant theic waa u mad scramble
for the door, IN which the whole audience
took part. The vanguard OF tho terror
stricken multitude reached the entrance
ON Front street. pushed on by the howl
ing, shrieking mob behind them Th"re
those In the foremost rank were com
PEELED TO turn to the right and ltft IN or
der to reach the double entrance way
built In the form of storm door. Pass,
INK through these doors, they reached
IA flight of steps Leading from each door
down to a landing from whence broad
stairway OF modern architecture would
t....H tt.1 h.4Y, "a In a.
safety Tine steps leading from tho door
WAYS arr about flfty feet high, but the
handing at their base IL narrow. Down
these the frightened people hurled them
selves into tho terrible struggle TO reach
the open air and to escnic the certain
death they thought wne behind them
AS the crowds from Tho two doors-one
on the right the other on tho lefi--rcoch-
ed the landing and met there was n bricl
struggle, .nd then some one los, ~.
pushed with Irresistible force from the
rear. crowded upon the PROSTATE form
and began IN turn TO stumble, reel and
presently to fall under the myriads 81
feet coming like herd of frightened but
falo from behind. IN less time than the
twCnty or thirty deep with The panic
stricken multitude, and tho hundreds be-
hind them were struggling over th"m to
The tumuit attracted mn immense crowd
from the outside, many OF whom tli,o
traeted by the shricks OF The frightened
crowd rushed To the scene. and, using
their clubs on those outside pushed their
way 10 the door and through the writing
mass to the landing.
Among the first 10 reach them was u,
]. Kelly. Jie went into the mass and
pulled out n boy about years old, deao
from suffocation. with scarcely a btuse
upon his body The officers by ulS Time
reinforced by a division of their fellows.
dragged out the prcstrntc persons. pass
ms Them 10 tho sidewalk hmbulances
carried tho dead 10 lhe mGrgpe an, ana W.
, practicable In many CAGES tho more
slightly injured. nnd In n few cases those
who were badly hurt, were taken TO their
homes by frendH
When tho mass on the landing had been
cleared. the frightened mob inside were
, quictcd down sufficiently To enable the
police to clear the theater. Then u was
, found that there had been no danger aud
that not a s2nl would have been sas ih'nre"
Nine bodiea were taken to tue niorgue.
ali OF them dead from sunocauon,
oa a .nes senS "s Two % more aS Viii pob%Sy dc
before morning and ten are desperately
hurt. . "a.
scribable and up. TO midnight but nye
OF the dead had been Identified All the
ard injured ere l .sn s r , nns
guage sufficiently well TO make them n,
) The thew ways OF this country to knos where
10 20 TO look for their lost ones. The dead
: are OF all ages, from mere Infants TO gray
! haired mon and women, All were Killed
E o, injured IN the terrible crush OF, the
fatal landing, not casually having &C.
I CURED inside the house. although the
crush there was tremendous
The Front Street thcater ~ an old, tnm-
Z blcdown AFFAIR on the west SIDE OF tront
5 street between Gay and Low. II pas
9 not been ured for theatrical purposes Tor
: SOY cral years. but has recently been ,he
, eceuc OF many glove contests OF the Ei'-
, reka Athletic club. The means of egress
wore confined entirely to the two narrow
doorways opening upon the stairway