Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-01-03
TRAMPLED TO DEATH IN A
THEATRE,
1WENTY-THREE MEN, WOMEN AND
CHILDREN LOSE THEIR LIVES.

| IW6N T. nhEE MEN, WUMEE AMI
CHILDREN LOSE THEIR LIVES.
| On Friday night last at 8 pollock, a shock
ing accident, the result of panic from cry
of fire in theatre. occurred in Baltimore
The Front Street theatre is one Of the oldest
in Baltimore. 1t was there that Macready,
the English actor, made his appearance on
Els American tour; it was there that Jenny
Lind appeared; it was there that the Demo-
cratic nominating convention for President
in 1860 met and split into two WINGS and it
was there that the Republican convention that
re-nominated Abraham Lincoln IN 1861 met.
1t had no modern exits, and the staircases
were narrow and had the sharp turn in them
which has proved fatal in so many panics.
Baltimore has large Russian Jewish popu-
latlon, and on Friday night an opera company
was to sing the opera of the prince of
jerusalem" in Jiddish-a Russian Hebrew
patois. The opening overture was just over
and the audience was waiting for the curtain
to rise when a theatre employee who had been
hunting for gas Leak found it, He applied
lighted match and a small blaze sprang
up. An e1citable man cried out from the
gallery, in Hebrew, Fire. Fire, for Gods
sake save yourselves" In an instant the
200 men, women and little children in the
house were on their feet, and struggling in
frenzy to get out. At that awful moment an
employee of the theatre lost his head and
turned off the gas leaving the house in dark
ness, except the feeble CLEAN from the foot
| lights on the stage. 1t was the old story;
woman stumbled and fell on the exit
steps; those following fell over her and the
pile of dead was quickly built. Matters wers
made worse by those who had escaped into
| the street and missed wife or child, trying
to fight their way back into the building in
search of them, and thus stopping egress. 1t
was only when the firemen turned a~stre.m
Of water on and drove back ttihiss.55 Struggling
se Return inside again, that the house was
cleared.
THE STORY OF MRS. RACHEL MELNICovE,
II was accompanied by a lady and we were
sitting near the the door," said MIR Melncove
, Saturday morning. '"There was hardly any
need to cry fire. for any one could plainly see
all that could be seen and the confusion began
instantly. 1 did not want to try to get out
but tried to sit in my seat till the excitement
crazed and, catching hold of me, dragged me-
to the edge of the aisle, where, in an instant,
we Wera both swept away with the struggling,
surging mass of humanity just like chips in
raging pool. All went right until passing
through the middle aisle door the step direct
ly beneath, was reached. At the foot of this
some had already fallen, and pitched head
long on the top of this pile OF screaming and
struggling humanity. In another moment it
seemed to me that my life was being crushed
out for, as the crowds reached the door, they
stumbled over the PROSTATE hGdiss making q |
pyramid as high as the ceiling OF the room In !
which weare sitting. | felt and heard the
people beneath me for little, but there cries
and their struggles grew fainter and fainter
until the consciousness came to me that they |
were dead and that would soon be beyond
help.
'Just then l saw Mr.. Friedman, who drive:
the express wagon we employ al my hus.
bands s1nrs, and called to him. But for
him would not be here now and if | had been
his daughter he could not have worked hard
er to save me. There was, near the bot
tom Of the pile, with hundreds. on top, crush: !
ing my breath out face downward, with only
my head and one arm out Rushing to me-
Mr.. Friedman, who Is a strong man, pulled
and tugged at My arm, but could not get me
out. Just then the tiremen came and Mr.
Friedman, recognizing one, ran to hing and |
got his assistance. Somehow they got my
other arm out, and even with both pulling
.n5 arms, SO that they were nearly pulled out,
not an inch could be moved. The fireman
wanted to give up. but heard Mr.. Friedman
cry to him in frenzied voice, You shant
leave this woman! l will make you help me
get her out!' And after almost surerhulaan
efforts what was left Of me- was taken fromI
that terrible place. / don't remember any
thing more, but they tell me that in pulling
my arms, my waist aud upper clothing were
torn away and the dress l had on
was left in the pile.
IL shall never forget those agonizing
.hrieks that came from underneath me and
low they grew fainter and finally died away
n the horrible death rattle, only to cease,
ame of them altogether
HAD ANOTHER MANS DEAD CHILD.
One of the excited throng who had gotten
nut darted into the building and reappeared
With the dead body of a 6-year-old boy in his
rms. He ran with it to the corner of Balti-
more and Front streets, and then, discovering
was not his. dropped it and rushed back to
he theatre in search of his own child. The
title body was picked up from the sidewalk
nd taken to the morgue in the salvage corps
wagon.
THE WIFE SAVED BUT THE HUSBAND
Loot.
Pilip Birlsin who ran to the theatre when
be alarm was given says: 1.-The people were
list coming out, pellmell; rushing over each
ther trampling on women and children. 1
licked up as many as l could. One that l
licked up was Sarah Rosen, who was tram
led to death, handed her to a policeman.
picked up about Is persons. ] saw Louis =
molsky trying to get in FROM the outside. 1 L
I'D him not to try to get back into the thea q
e. lie said his wife was in there and he
ust save her. Twenty minutes later they -
Irried him out dead. His wife was already n
ltsiGe when lie tried to get back. If he had
nown it he need not have gone back. 7 gan 81
1t remember about the crowd except that a.
ey all went like wild. Fathers trampled -
| their own children. Men jumped down L
e stairway on others. One man jumped on =,
y head. 1t give me such headache to-day +
can hardly remember anything. ! could e.
It comb my hair this M orning. My head 1,
as too sore.'' w
SCENES AT THE MORC1E. ire
The dead bodies were taken to the morgue
rec at time IN the police patrol wagon. VI