Bryan morning eagle. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1898-1909, 1902-09-21
A TERRIBLE STAMPEDE.
Negroes Took the Word flight" for
"Pire" In a Church.
ABOUT EIGH rY DEAD.
Tive Wen Had . Fight During the Ad.
dress OF Becker wsshIsgton and
Some Oas Yelled ssfire',

stampede In the Shiloh Negro Baptist
church at Avenue q. and Nineteenth
street Friday night rs persons were
killed and about so seriously injured.
The calamity occurred at o'clock
just as Booker T. Washington had
concluded his address 20 the National
Of Baptists and for three
hours the scenes around the church
were indescribable. Dead bodies were
strewed in every direction and the am,
bulanee service Of the city was utter
iy incspacitated TO move them after
a. M.
The injured were looked after and
a dozen OF dead bodies were arranged
Ia rows on the grouad outside the
house OF worship waiting removal TO
the various undertaking establish
ments while more than a score were
laid out on benches inside.
The church Is the largest house OF
worship for negroes In Birmingham
and the pastor says there were at
least 1000 persons In the edifice when
the stampede began. Instructions had
been issued TO allow no one else 70
sHter. but the negroes forced their
way inside the building and were
standing In every aisle. the entrance
was literally packed.
Just as Booker Washington conclud-
ed his address Judge Billou. a negro
lawyer from Baltimore. engaged In an
alteraotion with the choir leader con
cerning an unoccuppied seat and II Il
said a blow was struck. Some one In
the choir cried They're tghting."
Mistaking the word lighting for FIRE"
the congregation arose en- masse and
started for the door. One OF the min
listers quickly mounted the rostrum
and admonlshed the people TO keep
quiet. He repeated the word quiet"
several times and mosioned 10 his
hearers 20 be seated Again the en-
cited congregation mistook quiet" for
"fre" and rushed peli nell for the
door. Men and women crawied over
benches. fought their way into the
aisics and those who had fallen were
trampled on like cattle. The minis
ters tried sgain 10 stop the stampede,
but no power on earth could stay the
struggling, lighting mass OF humanity.
Tke screams os women and children
added 20 the horror OF the scene and
through mere fright many persons
tainted and as they feh to the noor
were crushed 10 death.
The level OF the floor Is about fifteen
feet from the ground and long steps
lead 70 the sidewalk from the lobby
Just outside the main auditorium.
Brick walls extend on each side Ot
these steps for six or seven feet, and
this proved a veritable death trap. Ne
groes who had reached the top OF the
steps we're pushed violently forward
and many fell Before they could
move others fell upon them and In hf'
teen minutes persons were piled upon
each other 10 a height OF ten feet. This
wall OF struggling mass OF humanity
blocked the entrance. and the weight
OF 1900 persons was pushed against IL.
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 es-
caped and realizing the seriousness OF
the situation rushed 20 a corner near
by and turned In a 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. A squad OF police
was also FASTENED to the church. and
with the fremen succeeded In releas'
Ing the negroes from the pinioned POSI-
tions in the entrance. The dead bodies
were quickly moved and the crowd in
side finding an outlet came pouring
out. Scores OF them lost their footing
and rolled down the long steps 10 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 siclseAing. Down the aisles and
along the outside OF the pews the dead
bodies Of men and women were strew.
ed and the cries OF the maimed and
crippled was nedTItuuluks III AcN
minutes the work OF removing the
bodies was begun. and the walls Of
the relatives Of the dead who had wait
ed on the outside could be heard for
several blocks.
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 10 the assfs''
ance OF the injured. As many OF the
suffering negroes as could he moved by
the ambulanees were taken 10 the hos
pitals and the rest were laid out on
fhs yy1al. and there the physicians
attssAsS thsn. Al 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 cay In many cases they
tainted and died trom sufecaticn. A
remarkable feature OF the calamity n
that no blood was seen on any OF The
wirfiuna Thov were either crushed OF