The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-12-28

ble the police to clearsthe theatre. Then
it was found that there had been no
danger and that not soul would nave
been injured had the audience but re-
mained in their seats.
Nine bodies were taken to the morgue
all of them dead from suffocation- OF
those taken to the city hospital, fifteen
are dead. Two more will probably ole
before morning, and ten are desperately
hurt. The confusion at both places is
indescribable, and up to midnight only
thirteen of the dead had been identifled
AS has been stated, all the dead and
injured are Polish Hebrews and few
of them have friends or relatives who
are able to speak the English language
sufficiently well to make themselves
understood, or enough knowledge Oh
the ways of this country to know where
to go to look for their lost ones.
The dead are of all ages, from mere
infants to gray haired men and women.
All were killed or injured in the ter
rifle crush on the fatal landing, not a
casualty having happened inside the
house although the crush there was
tremendous.
AT MORGUE AND HOSPITAL.
the city hospital were full of horror
and padhos. The dead, ranging in age
from infancy to decnipitude, lay a. the
morgue ard great crowds Of grief
stricken men and women whose friends
or relatives were missing, passed in
sad array along the line, looking into
the bruised ard bfoated faces.
AT the hospital the accident ward was
quickly filled with the injured. As the
last gasp came they were carried, one
by one 20 the dead room below, where
the scene at the morgue was re-enacted
Here there were but four identifications.
Morris MALICIOUS. tailor, was named
by his two brothers with whom he had
ATTENDED the performance that had
proved fatal TO him. Jacob Rosent9Tal.
a 10-year-old boy, was Identified by his
parents, WHO had last seen their first
born when he left home in the evening
10 go, as they supposed, TO visit friends.
They had no idea that he was at the
tfleater, and knew nothing OF the fate
he had encountered until told by
neighoor's child that their son had been
with him to hear the Jewish singers.
FATHER OF THIRTEEN.
Louis Amoski was father TO thirteen
children, all or most of whom accom-
panied their grief-Stricken mo ther in
search Of father and husband. They
went first to the hospital but when they
reached il all the unidentified bodies
had been taken 10 the morg1e. They
repaired thfbher, and almost the first
face their eyes fen upon was that Of
him who had been the bread-winner
for the little brood. Then ensued
scene of genuine grief that would defy
the readiest pen. And so it went all
through the night and far into the
11IS mr.
bands found wives, parents found chill
dren, and children parents lying stiff,
cold and disfgured among the horr1d
lire Of dead Fears of the worst char
acter became dread certainty. Hope
fled and left despair behind. Death
came where life and joy had reigned.
Homes had been made desolate with
suGdeness that sickens and appa1s.
But the end is NOT yet. Eleven stark
anyd discoloTed figures Still lie in the
morgue without a name. The scene Of
toright viii be gone over again on the
morrow, and days may pass before the
names are known of all the victims Of
the flarfng gas jet and some mans care
lessneSs.
HISTORY MADE THERE.
The Front street theatre is an old
tumble-down affair, on the west side
of Front street, between Gay and Low.
L has not been used for theatrical pur-
poses for several years. but has recent
ly been the scene of many glove con-
tests under the auspices of the Eureka
Athletic club The means of egress
were confined en- tfreIy to the two mar
row doorways opening upon the stair
ways leading down TO the narrow land
ing upon which tonight's tragedy oc-
CURED, and the house has long been
considered too unsafe to be put to pub
lic use
The theatre was first opened to the
public in 1929, but nine years later was
burned and the present structure took
its place. Jenny Lind, Macready,
Charlotte CusrI1an and many other no
tables performed there and in 1864 it
was the scene of the Republican nation
al convention which renominated Abra-
ham Lincoln for the presidency and An
drew johnson for the second place on
the ticket The convention at which
the Democrats nominated Stephen A.
Douglass, after adjourning from
Charleston. s. c., in 1860. was held in
the old building and during its session
a panic was started by the giving away
of the floor which had been laid over
the pit. Luckily, however. no one was
seriously injured. After this a por-
tion OF the delegates withdrew from the
Front street theatre, and repairing to
the Maryland institute. nominated
John c. Breckenridge and Joseph Lane
president and vice president of the Uni
ted States