Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1902-09-21
IN WILD STAMPEDE
SCORES OF NEGROES
CRUSHED TO dealt
Shiloh Baptist Church at
Birmingham Becomes
Charnel House.
DEATH LIST OVER A HUNDRED

Two Delegates Engage In an Alter
cation and the Word Flight" Being
Mistaken for Fire" Audience Siam
pedes-scores Crushed, Manned or
suffoeated In the Struggling Mass
of HumanIty-Horror Occurred Just
After Booker Washington Had Con-
eluded an Address.
Birmingham. Ala, Sept. 20.-In an
awful crush of humanity caused by a
in the Shiloh negro Baptist
church at Avenue G and Nineteenth
street last night over 100 persons were
killed and about so seriously injured.
The calamity occurred at 9 o'clock,
just as Booker T. Washington had
concluded his address to the national
OF Baptists, and for three
hours the scenes around the church
were INDISPENSABLE.
Dead bodies we're strewed in every
direction, and the ambulance service
Of the city was utterly incapacitated
10 move them until after / o'clock in
the morning
Dead Bodies In Rows.
The injured were first loked after
and dozens of dead bodies were ar
ranged in rows on the ground outside
the house of worship awaiting remov.
II to the various undertaking estab-
Ilshments. while more than a score
were laid out on the benches inside.
The church is the largest house OF
for negroes in Birmingham
and the pastor says there were at
east 1000 persons In the edifiee when
he stampede began. Instructions
had been issued to allow no one else
10 enter, but the negroes forced their
way inside the building. and were
in every aisle. The en-
rance was literally packed.
Just as Booker Washington conclud-
I'D his address, Judge Billion, a negro
lawyer from Baltimore, engaged In
an alteration with the choir leader
an unOccupied seat, and IL
IS said a blow was struck, Some one
IN the choir cried: They are fight
ngl"
What Started Stampede.
MISLEADING the word fighting" for
fire" the congregation rose en- masse
and started for the door. One of the
quickly mounted the ros-
trum and admonished the people TO
keep quiet. He repeated the word
quiet" several times and motioned 10
his hearers to be seated. Again the
excited congregation mistook tho
word quiet" for fire. and rushed pell
nell for the door Men and women
over benches. fought their
way into the aisles and those who
had fallen were trampled upon like
cattle
The ministers tried again to stop
The stampede, but no power on earth
could stay the struggling. Aghting
mass OF humanity. The screams of
women and children added to the hor-
ror OF the scene and through mere
fright many persons tainted. and as
they fell to the floor were crushed to
death.
A VerItable Death Trap.
The level Of the floor is about Is
feet from the ground and long steps
lead to the sidewalk from the lobby
ust outside the main auditorium. Brick
walls extend on each side OF these
steps for or feet and this proved
death trap Negroes who
had reached the top of this steps were
pushed violently forward and many
Tell. Before they could move others
fell upon them and in Is minutes per-
sons were piled upon each other TO a
height of 10 feet. This wall Of
humanity blocked the en-
trance and the weight of 1900 persons
was pushed against It. More than
20 persons lying on the steps under
meath the heap Of bodies died from
suffocation.
Work Of Rescue Begun.
Two white men who were in the
rear of the church when the rush be-
gan escaped, and. realizing the seri.
BUSINESS of the situation, rushed to a
corner near by and turned in a fire
alarm. The department came quick
ly 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 finally succeeded In relieving
the negroes from their plnioned posi-
ton in the entrance. The dead bod
les were quickly moved and the crowd
inside, finding an outlet, came pouring
out. Scores Of them lost their foot
ing and rolled down the long steps
to the pavement. sustaining broken
limbs and internal injuries.
Greeted by sIckenIns Sight
In an hour the church had been
practically cleared and the sight which
greeted the eyes of those who had
come TO aid the injured was slcken.
ing. Down the aisles and along the
of the pews the dead bodies
Of men and women were strewn and
the cries OF the manned and crippled
we're heartTending In few minutes
he work Of removing the bodies wag
,egun and the walls of the relatives
& the dead who had waited on the |
outside could be heard for several
locks away
During the stampede Booker r
washington and several other promt
ent negro leaders were on the stage
nd were unwilling witnesses to the
ightful catastrophe None of those
the choir or in the pulpit were in
lred In the least.
|
To lrrigate Twenty Acres.
Barlow Fla Sept 20.-Boyd Bros,
L.. nj |