Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-01-18
PANIC IN PLAY HOUSE
SEVEN PERSONS CRUSHED TO
DEATH IN CHICAGO.
Hebrews We're Gathered at West
twelfth Street Turner Hall to
Witness "a PLAY in Yiddish-Chil-
dren Thrown from Balcony.

seven people We're crushed to death and
twenty mere seriously injured in II panic
Which followed ii mans cry of fire late
saturday afternoon in West Twelfth Street
Turner Hall. Chicago.
About 500 people were in the place. gath
cred to witness the performance of ii play
called The Grecnhorn." The play was
III Y iddisn and the audience. comprising
lol the most part of women and children.
"ere Hebrews. The hall stands in the
r"nlcr of a district denscly populated by
Jews. The play was nearly over when the
Try which caused the panic was raised and
within five seconds after 1T rang through
.he hall the entire audience was converted
l'o frantic mob every member OF which
Mas fighting for safety which lay beyond
.he doors of the building.
Around the upper part of the hall cN-
tends a balcony, which is open only at
one end. Here were seated l5O women
md children, and the women at the far
her end oil the balcony, away from The
itairway, seeing that the rush towards the
kit was blocked TO them and their child
en-. began at once to throw the little ones
,ver the railing to the floor, ten feet below
The children fell into the midst of the
aiaddencd throng, and were ut once tramp
led under foot. Following the children
many of the women sprang from the bal
sony upon the crowd below. and others,
swinging over, hung by their hands be.
ore they dropped. On the main floor the
rush was much worse than in the balcony.
Within five minutes after the Begin
ming of the panic it was all over, and the
police and tiremen who came hurrying to
he scene of the disaster We're called upon
10 do nothing beyond carrying away the
lead and injured and keeping back tho
thousands of people who tried to force
their way into the building.
AS soon as the news of the pane had
spread throughout the district, which
seemed but Il very few minutes, all the
Hebrews from that part of the city rushed
to the place, bent upon learning the names
of the dead and wounded. Men and wom-
EN- fought desperately with the officers i'll
their efforts to enter the building and learn
if any of their loved ones were among the
lead. The crowd was so great, so excited
were sent for additional officers and fire.
men before it could he restrained. The
alarm Of fire was false, there having been
no blaze at any time. The furnace in tho
building is somewhat defective, and at
times allows sparks to pass up through the
registers. 1t was the sight of these sparks
rising into the room that frightened the
man who raised the cry of fire.
The hall has several times been the
scene of pallics, and it is only few
months since a number of children were
hurt in rush for the doors, which oc-
Cured during IL juevnile party that was
given i'll that place.
Ii was found most difficult task to Sc
cure the names of the dead and injured.
Many of the latter were taken to their
homes before the police We're aware of
their names and many of them were
learned only by canvassing the district
surrounding the Turner Hall. In many
instances the families of those injured re-
fused TO give their Names declaring the
police were workin. in the interest of the
proprietor of the hall whom they intended
1o size for damages.