The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1902-09-26
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY
Resulting from a Stampede in a Negro
Baptist Church.
PEOPLE TRAMPLED TO DEATH.
A wild Panic and Mad Dnsh for Exit
Leaves Seventy Eight Dead
and Many Moro scriouoIy
Inturcd.
Injured.

eighty Injured, the majority perhaps
fatally, Is the result Of u panic which
occurred In the Shiloh Negro baptist
Church at Blrmlngham, Ala, Friday
night during the evening session Of
the Negro National Baptist Conven-
tlon. Fifteen hundred delegates were
crowded into the church, which had
only seating capacity for four hun
drcd, when tho audience was thrown
Into a stampede by a conflict between
two of the delegates In the rear OF the
church. The cries Of flight" which
followed, the,audience mistook for an
alarm Of fire" and In the wild effort
to escape scyenty-eight persons were
crushed to death, eighty moro receiv-
Ing Injuries; some Of which may prove
fatal.
The disaster occurred at 8 o'clock
just as booker r. Washington had
concluded his address to the national
convention OF Baptists, and for three
hours the scenes around the church
were iDdeserlbahle. Dead bodies were
strewn in every direction and the
ambulance service Of the city was
utterly incapacitated to move them
until after o'clock q. m, The in
jured wcrc first attended to and dozens
OF dead bodies were arranged In rows
on the ground outside tho house OF
worship awaiting removal to tho un-
dertaking establishments while more
than score we're laid out on the
benches inside.
Jhc church is the largest house OF
worship for negroes in Birmingham
and the pastor says there were at
least 1000 persons In the ediice when
the stampede began. instructions
had been issued to allow no one else
TO ohtoT after tiio building HAD been
filled, but the negroes forced their
way inside the church and were stand
Ing In every aisle, the entrance was
literally packed.
Just as Booker Washington con-
cluded his address Judge Billou, a
negro lawyer from Baltimore, engaged
IN an alteration with the choir leader
concerning an unoccupled seat and 1t
Is said o iblOw.was struck. Sorne one
In tho choir cried, They're fighting"
Mistaking tho word fighting for
fire" the congregation rose on : nassc
and started for the door. One Of the
ministers quickly mounted the ros-
trum and admonishcd the people to
keep quiet. He repeated the word
quiet, several times and motioned
to his diearerS to be seated.
Agasd, the excited congregation mis-
book the word "quiet'' for O. second
alarm Of fire and rushed for the door.
Men and women crawled over benches,
fought their way into the aislcs and
those who had fallen were trampled
upon like cattle. Tho ministers tried
again to stop the stampede, but no
power on earth could stay the strug-
Cling, lighting mass OF humanity.
The screams Of women and children
added to the horror Of the scene and
from mere fright many persons faint
ed and as they fell to the floor were
crushed to death. The level Of the
floor Is about 100 feet from the ground
and long steps lead to the sidewalk to
the lobby just outside the main
auditorium, Brick walls extend on
each side of these steps for six or seven
feet and this proved veritable
death trap. Negroes who had reach
ed the top Of the steps were pushed
violently forward and many fell. Be-
fore they could move others fell upon
them and In q few moments persons
were piled upon each other to height
OF ten feet. This wall OF struggling
humanity blocked the entrance and
the weight Of l 500 persons were push
cd against It. More than 20 persons
lying on the steps underneath the
heap Of bodies died from suffocation.
The dead bodies were quickly moved
and the crowd inside, finding an out
let came pouring out. Scores Of them
lost their footing and rolled down the
long steps to the pavement, sustain
Ing broken limbs and Internal Injuries.
In an hour the church had been prac-
tically cleared and the sight which
greeted 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 Gtrewcd and the cries OF
the manned and crippled was heart
rendtng. In q few minutes the work
Of remoyln:2s, .he bodies was begun and
the walls OF tho relatives OF the dead
who had waited on the outside could
be heard for several blocks.
AS many Of the suffering negroes as
could osInoycd by the ambulances
were taken<to hospitals and the rest
were laid out on the ground and there
the physicians attended them. At
least 15 Of those brought out injured
died before they could be moved from
the ground. During the stampede
Booker e. Washington and several
other prominent Negro leaders werc
on tho stage and wero unwilling Wit
ncsses to the frightful oatatropho.
Mono OF those In the choir or In the
pulpit wore injured In the least. Tor
. few minutes they attempted to re-
store order, but seeing their efforts
we're futile waited until tho strng-
CLING crowd had advanced far enough
for them to pick up the dead and In
jured. Most of the dead are women
and the physicians aay In many cases
they tainted and died from suffoca-
lion. a remarkable feature OF tho
yalamity is that no blood was secn on
any OF tho Victims. Thoy were either
crushed or died from suffocatiOn.
Mayor VIM. Drennen said: 8 Most OF
those who wore killed were stranVers.
but their bodies will be cared for until
Identified and claimed, by relatives, !, 81