Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1902-09-25
A Shocking DISASTER.
Stampede In the Shiloh Negro Bap-
tist Church at Birming-
ham, Ala.
THE DEATH LIST SIMPLY APPALLING,
Seventy-Eight Persons Attending the Ma
Dead aud as Many More Injured-In-
describable Scenes Around the Church
Dead Everywhere.

Birmingham, Ala, Sept. 2o.-In an
awful crush of humanity caused by a
stampede in the Shiloh Negro Baptist
church at Avenue G and Eighteenth
street, Friday night, between IS and
so person were killed and as many
jured.
The catastrophe occurred at nine
o'clock, just as Booker L. Washington
had concluded his address to the ma
tional convention of Baptists, and foI
three hours the scenes around the
church were indescribable,
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 edi.
fee when the stampede began
"They Are Fighting"
just as Booker T. Washington con.
cluded his address Judge Billou, ne
gro lawyer from Baltimore, engaged
in an alteration with the choir lead.
er concerning an unoccupied seat, and
it is said blow was struck. Some
one in the choir cried They're fight
ing"
Mistaking the word fighting" for
SIRE the congregation rose en- masse
and started for the door. One of the
ministers quickly mounted the ros-
trum and admonished the people to
keep quiet. He repeated the word
"quiet" several times and motioned
to his hearers to be seated. Again
the excited congregation mistook the
word "quiet" for fire." and renewed
the struggle to the door. The men
and women crawled over benches,
fought their way into the aisles, and
those who had fallen were trampled
upon like cattle.
A Struggling Mass of Humanity.
The ministers tried again and again
to stop the stampede, but no power
on earth could stay the struggling,
fighting mass of humanity. The
screams of women and children add
ed to the horror of the scene, and
through mere fright many persons
tainted and as they fell to the floor
were crushed to death.
Blocked the Entrance.
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 each other to a height of ten
feet. This wall of struggling human
weight of 1,5oo persons was pushed
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 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 fremen final
ly succeeded in releasing the negroes
from their pinioned positions in the
entrance.
The Sight Was Siclxening.
The dead bodies were quickly re-
moved 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
practically cleared, and sights which
greeted the eyes of these who had
come to aid the injured was sicken-
ing. Down the al les 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 few minutes
the work of removing the bodies was
begun.
Most of the dead are women, and
the physicians say in many cases
they tainted and died from suffoca-
ton. A remarkable feature of the
calamity is that no blood was seen
on any of the victims. They were
either crushed or died frcm suffoca-
tion.
Mayor W. NJ. Drennen said: Most
of those killed are strangers, but
their bodies will be cared for until
identified and claimed by relatives"
Heard Mr.. Bryan Speak.
Cairo H., Sept. 2o.-Fully ten
thousand people heard Hon. William
j. Bryan speak at Dexter, Mo-, Friday.
1t was Mr.. Bryan's first speech in
southeast Missouri, and people from
all sections focked in to hear him.
Earthquake in Australia.
Adelaide, South Australia, Sept. 20.
"A severe earthquake shock expert
enced here Friday evening caused a
panic among the people OF this city.
Buildings, including churches, were
damaged and several narrow escapes
from, death were recorded