The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-09-20
Stampede in the National Convention
of the CoIored Baptists
at Birmingham.
CRY OF "FIGHT" MISTAKEN
BY THE PEOPLE FOR "FIREa
Booker T. Washington Had Just Fin-
ished an Address and Is Witness OF
the Awful Scene-church Was Great
ly overcrowded, Contrary to Orders.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Sept. 19.-In
an awful crush Of humanity, caused
by stampede In the Shiloh Negro
Baptist church at Avenue G and Eigh-
teenth street, tonight, seventy eight
persons were killed and as many more
seriously injured.
The catastrophe occurred at 0
o'clock just as Booker T. Washington
had concluded his address to the ma
tional convention Of colored Baptists
and for three hours the scenes around
the church were indescribable.
Dead bodies were strewn in every
direction, and the ambulance service of
the city was utterly incapacitated to
move them until after 1 O'clock. Doz-
ems of dead bodies were arranged in
rows on the ground outside of the
house of worship waiting removal to
the various undertaking establish
ments, while more than a score were
laid out on the benches inside.
Church Was Overcrowded.
The church is the largest house of
worship for negroes in Birmingham
and the pastor says there were at least
two thousand persons in the ediflce
when the stampede began. Instruc-
more to- enter, but the negroes forced
their way inside the building and were
standing in every aisle; even the en-
trance to the church was literally
packed.
cluded his address Judge Billou, q
negro lawyer from Baltimore. engaged
in an alteration with the choir leader
concerning an unoccupied seat and
1t is said, a blow was struck. Someone
in the choir cried "fght!"
"Fisht' Mistaken for dire"
Mistaking the word fight" for fire."
the congregation rose en- masse and
started for the door. One of the min
listers quickly mounted the rostrum
and admonished the people to keep
quiet. He repeated the word quiet"
several times and motioned to his hear
ers to be seated. But the excited con-
gregation mistook the word quiet" for
fire" and renewed the struggle to
reach the door.
Men and women crawled over bench-
es and fought their way into the aisles
and those who had fallen were tram
pied under foot. The ministers tried
again and again to stop the stampede,
but no power on earth, apparently 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.
Genuine Death Trap.
The level of the floor is about fifteen
feet from the ground, and long steps
lead to the sidewalk from the lobby
just outside the main auditorium.
Brick walls extend on each side of these
steps for six or seven feet and this
proved a veritable 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 fifteen
minutes persons were piled upon one
another to height of ten feet. This
wall of living beings blocked the en-
trance and the weight of 1900 persons
was pushed against 1t. More than
twenty persons lying on the steps un-
derneath the heap Of bodies died from
suffocatiOn.
Two white men who were in the rear
Of the church when the rush began es-
capped, and realizing the seriousness of
the situation, rushed to corner near
by and turned in fire alarm. The de-
partment came quickly and the arrival
of the wagons served to scatter the
crowd which had gathered around the
front of the church.
Pinioned Negroes Released.
A squad of police was also hastened
to the church and with the firemen re-
leased the negroes from their pinioncd
positions in the entrance. The dead
were quickly removed and the crowd
inside finding an outlet came pouring
out. Scores of them lost their footing
and rolled down the long steps to the
pavement, sustaining broken limbs and
internal injuries.
In an hour the church had been
cleared and the sight which greeted
the eyes of those who had come to
aid 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 heart
rending. In a few minutes the work
of removing the bodies was begun.
The Shiloh church is located just In
the edge of the South Highlands, the
fashionable residence section of this
city, and all the physicians living In
that part Of town went to the assist
ance of the injured.
AS many of the suffering negroes as
could be moved by the ambulances
were taken to hospitals and the rest
were laid out on the ground and there
the physicians attended them. AT
least fifteen of those injured died be-
fore they could be moved from the
ground.
During the stampede Booker T.
Washington and several other prom
inent negroes were on the stage and
were unwilling witnesses to the fright
full catastrophe. None of those in the
choir or in the pulpit was injured In
the least For a few minutes they at
tempted to restore order, but seeing
their efforts were futile waited until