The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1902-09-20
1 TERRIBLE STAMPEDE
Negroes Took the Word slight" for
Fire in a Church.
ABOUT ETGH ~ DEAD.
Two Men Had . Fight During the Ad-
dress Of Booker Washington and
Some One Yelled ssFire" and
the Result Was Fearful.

Birmingham. Ala. Sept. 20.--ln an
awful crush OF humanity cansed by
stampede in the Shiloh Negro Baptist
church at Avenue G.. and Nineteenth
street Friday night IS persons were
killed and about so seriously injured.
The calamity occurred at 8 O'Clock
/ Just as Booker T Washington had
concluded his address to the National
convention Of Baptists and for three
| hours the scenes around the church
were indescribable Dead bodies were
| strewed in every direction and the am
| bulance service OF the city was utter.
| ly iucapacitated 10 move them after
| / a. III
The injured were looked after and
a dozen Of dead bodies were arranged
In rows on the ground outside the
house of worship waiting sremoval to
The various undertaking establish
/ ments while more than a score were
/ laid out on benches inside
/ The church is the largest honse Of
I worship for negroes In Birmingham
/ and the pastor says there we're at
( least 2000 persons IN the edifce when
! the stampede began. Instructions had
I been issued 10 allow no one else tn
7 enter. but the negroes forced their
vas inside the building and we're
I standing I'm every aisle. the entrance
was 4jtcraiiy packed.
I Just AS Booker Washington cOnclud-
/ ed bis address Judge Hl}lou. "A negro
/ lawyer from baltimore. engaged In On
1 alterBction with she choir leader c8n
/ corning ma unoccnPrieI seat and il Is
. aa}a s. blow was STRUCK Some one in
Z che chMt cried "Tbeyre Hghtlng
! Nist4kng the word fighting for fire"
{ the congregation arose eu masse and
afartaa for the door One OF the min
listers quickly mounted the rustTum
F. aba a3mautsha3 the people to keep
quiet Ne repeated the word quiet
several times and mntiOued 10 his
hearers 80 he seated Again the eE-
cited congregation uis10ok +anlet" for
FIRE" aad rushed pHji NELL for the
aCa8T Men and women cra@lea over
heuebss fought their way into the
afsles ard those who had fallen we're
traaplcd on like cattle The minis
ters tried again tu stop the stampede,
but no power On earth conId stay the
struggling fighting mass 0f humanity
T"na screams Of women aud children
| added Ia the horror Of the scene and
Through mere fright many persons
tainted and as they fell 70 the foor
ppssre crushed 10 death.
The level OF the door ia about fifteen
feet from the ground and long steps
lead to the sidewalk from the lobby
tuxt outside the maiA auditorium
Brick walls extend ON each side of
these steps for ak or seven feet, and
this proved a verltahle death trap Ne
grues who had reached the top T the
steps we're pushed violently forward
aud many fell Before they could
move others feil upon them and In IF
teen minutes persons we're piled upon
each other to a height Of ter feet This
| wall Of struggling mass of humanity
blocked the entrance. and the weign
eff 1900 persons was pushed against Ii.
| More than twenty persona lying on
the steps underneath the heap IT
| bodies died from suffocation.
Two white men who were In the rear
of the church when the rush began eB-
capped and realizing the sersousncss. of
the situation rushed 90 corner near
by and turned In a FIRE alarm The de-
partment came quickly and the arrival
Of the wagons served 10 scatter the
crowd which had gathered around the
front ot thu church A squad 81 police
was also FASTENED to the church, and
with the fYrenen succeeded In releas
inv the negroes from the pinioned posi-
| tons In the entrance Tho dead bodies
were quickly moved and the crowd In
side finding TN outlet came pouring
out Scores of them lost their footing
and rolled down the long steps 20 the
pavement. sustaining broken limbs and
| internal injuries, 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 gfckeuinE Down the aisies and
| along the outside of the pews the dead
| bodies OF men aud women were Etrew-
Ell and the cries Of the MANNED and
| crippled was heartrendiug In few
| minutes the work of removing the
bodies was begun, and the walls Of
the relatives OF the dead who had walt
| ed on the outside could be heard for
several blocks.
/ The Shiloh church IA 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
nnce OF the injured. AS many OF the
suffering negroes as could be moved by
| the ambulances were taken to the hos
pitfalls and the rest were laid out on
the ground, and there the physicians
attended them At least fifteen OF those
brought out injured died before they
| could be moved from the ground.
! Most of the dead are women, and the
physicians say In many cases they
| tainted and died from suffoeation. A
| remarkable feature OF the calamity Is
| that no blood was seen on any OF the
| victims. They were either crushed or