The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-20

pushed down the sters and tramped on by the frenzied crowd. The rush lasted about half an hour"
 Others on being interviewed said sub stsntially the same thing.
 CAPTAIN o'BRIEN A WITNESS.
 Capt Frank F. O'Brien, formerly sheriff of Jefferson county, and one of Birming- hams most prominent citizens. was a witness to the catastrophe He lives with in a half block of the church, and hear ing the terrible commotion went to as- certain the trouble. As he reached the front of the church the crowd had so blocked the steps that 1t was impossible to gain entrance, and in describing it ne said:
 T have witnessed many appalling sights, but the wild scene at the top of those steps is beyond description. Wild, excited negroes would reach the top of the steps and jump headlong down the steps and others were pushed upon them. and they were in ten-foot heaps clear out to the road. Women were panic stricken and stood on the top of the rostrum, chairs, tables and benches and screamed to the top of their voices. 'Firer And you could see women running from the center of the church into the walls, doors and ante-rooms, and one of them actually butted her brains out.
 q am of the opinion If there had been out of the 2000 several cool-headed men. the accident would not have resulted so fatal"
 INCIDENTS OF STAMPEDE.
 One of the many incidents of the stam- pede, and one which seems improbable was the escape of a woman with baby in her arms. This woman was caught in the jam near the door, and climbing onto the heads of the unfortunate negroes packed between the walls of the entrance to the church. walked safely down and out on this human foundation without harm to either herself or child.
 Among those who worked hardest in attempting to restore quiet was Prof. w. H. Councill of Normal, Ala, and force was necessary to keep him from getting into the mob and being crushed to death with the scores of other victims. 'Hu- manity is crying for help, and feel that I should go.'' Professor Council kept re peating He was finally persuaded to leave the church and drove to the Peo- ple's drug store, where he assisted in looking after the wounded.
 ANGRY WITH BALLEW.
 The feeling against the negro Ballew. who was formerly a lawyer here, and who started the trouble, was intense, and searching parties were seeking for him until late in the night, and it was stated by many that if caught he would be severely dealt with. In the excitement and pandemonium which reigned during the frantic endeavors of the thousands of ne- groes to escape, Ballew made his escape, and has so far eluded the vigilance of both the negroes and the officers.
 Everything that could possibly be done to pacify the congregation was done, but to no effect. The negroes had but one idea, and that was to escape by any means possible. When the terrified mob first started from the church the hun dreds of negroes on the outside who could not gain admittance, rushed to the front of the church to see what the excitement was, and the two crowds met at the en- l trance, thus completely blocking those who first reached the exit, and who would | otherwise have escaped.
 | Among those killed were only three children, and these were negro girls about | IA years of age. Fully two-thirds of the killed were negro women.
 TO CARE FOR INJURED. | Dr. E. c. Morris, chairman of the con |