The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-09-20

Stampede in Negro Church at
Birmingham, Ala,
Causes Fearful Loss OF Life
Among the Occupants.
THERE WAS A FIGHT.
The Disturbance Was Mistaken
for Fire.
Two Thousand Persons Tried to
Leave Building ataOnce.
PILED TEN FEET HIGH
Doorways Soon Blocked by q
Wall Of Humanity.
Booker T. Washington Had Just
Completed an Address.

Birmingham, Ala, Sept 20-1n an
awful crush of humanity caused by
stampede in the Shiloh Negro Baptist
church at Avenue G and Eighteenth
street last night, between 65 and ~ per-
sons were killed and as many more
seriously injured. The catastrophe n
CURED at Q o'clock just as Booker L.
Washington had concluded his ADDRESS
to the national convention of Baptlsts,
and for three hours the scenes arouhQ
the church were indescribable. Deau
bodies were strewn in every directlon'
and the ambulance service of the city
was utterly incapacitated to move tneH
bodies were arranged in rows on the
ground outside of the house OF worship
awaiting removal to the various undef-
taking establishments, while more than
a score were laid out on the benches IN
side.
The church is the largest one for
negroes in Birmingham, and the pastor
says there were at least two thousand
persons in the edifice when the stam-
pede began. Instructions had been IS
sued to allow no more to enter, put the
negroes forced their way inside the
building and were standing In every
aisle. Even the entrance to the church
was literally packed.
Just as Booker T. Washington con-
cluded his address Judge Billou, negro
leader from Washington, engaged in an
alteration with the choir leader con-
corning an unoccuDied seat. and 1t is
said a blow was struck. Someone IN the
choir cried They're fighting"
Mistaking the word fighting" for
fire." the congregation rose en- masse
and started for the door,. One OF the
ministers quickly mounted the rostrum
and admonished the people to keep
quiet He repeated the word quiet
several times and motioued to his hear
ers to be seated. Again the excited con-
gregation mistook the word quiet for
fire" and renewed the struggle to
reach the door. Men and women
crawled over benches and fought their
way into the aisles and those who had
fallen were trampled upon. The min
listers tried again and again to stop the
stampede, but power on earth could
stay the struggling, fighting mass of
humanity The screams of women and
children added to the horror of the
scene, and through mere fright many
persons tainted and as they fell to the
floor were crushed to death.
The level of the floor is about Is feet
from the ground, and long steps lead to
the sidewalk from the lobby just outside
the main auditorium Brick walls ex-
tend on each side of these steps for six
or seven feet, and these proved YER
liable death trap. Negroes who had
reached the top of the steps were
pushed violently forward and many fell.
Before they could move others fell upon
them, and in Is minutes persons were
piled upon one another to a height of
ten feet This wall of struggling hui
manity blocked the entrance and the
weight OF l,ouU persons was puSnod
against it. More than twenty persons
lying on the steps underneath the heap
of bodies died from suffocation.
Two white men who were in the rear
of the church when the rush began
escaped. and realizing the seriousness of
the situation rushed to a corner nearby
and turned in fire alarm.
The department came quickly. and the
arrival of the wagons served to scatter
the crowd which had gathered around
the front of the church. A squad of
police was also fastened to the church.
and with the firemen finally succeeded
in releasing the negroes from their po-
S1tlons In the entrance. The dead bodies
were quickly removed and the crowd
inside finding outlet came pouring out
Scores of them lost their footing and
rolled down the long steps to the pave
ment. sustaining broken limbs and in
ternal injuries.
In an hour the church had been prac-
tically cleared and the sights which
greeted the eyes of those who had
come to the aid of the injured was
sickening Down the aisles and along
the outside of the pews the dead bodies
of men and women were strewn, and
the cries of the MANNED and crippled
were heartrending. In a few minutes
the work of removing the bodies was
begun.
During the stampede Booker 7. Wash
ington and several other prominent
negroes were on the stage and We're un-
willing witnesses to the frightful catas-
In the pulpit were injured in the least
For few minutes they attempted to
restore order, but seeing their efforts
We're futile waited until the struggling
crowd had advanced far enough for
them to pick up the dead and injured
Most of the dead are women and the
physicians say in many cases they
tainted and died from suffocation. A re-
markable feature of the calamity is
that no blood was seen on any of the
victims. They were either crushed or
died from suffocation.
Capt: Frank O'Brien, former sheriff
OF JEFFERSON county, and one of the
most prominent citizens of Birmingham
was witness of the catastrophe. He
lives within half block of the church
and hearing the commotion went to
ascertain the trouble. AS he reached
the front of the church the crowd had
begun blocking the entrance and in de-
scribine it he said:
7 have witnessed many appalling
sights. but the wild scene at the head
OF those steps is beyond description
Wildly excited negroes reached the top
OF the steps and began falling headlong
down the incline. Others were pushed
upon them. and Notwithstanding the
warnings from the outside the crowd
continued to- push. In a few minutes
men and women were piled upon each
other to height of ten feet Presently
negro woman with a baby in her
arms mounted the mass and climbing