Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-09-20
PkNIC IN CHURCH
CAUSES 100 DEATHS
Terrible Increase in the Death List at Bhmine-
ham, Alabama
Cry Of Fight Religious Negroes Mistaken For
Cry Of Fire and Vast Audience Becomes Panic Sickenofs
Than Hundred Are Dead and Az Many More Are Injured
Some Of the Injuries Have Today Proven Fatal

Birmingham, Sept. 2o.-The various
undertaking establishments are crowd
ed today with hundreds of persons,
mostly delegates to the national negro
Baptist convention, searching for miss
ing friends and relatives who might
have been killed in last nights stam-
pede at Shiloh Baptist colored church,
which grew out Of panic caused by q
fight and cry Of fire while Booker =.
Washington was addressing the conven-
ton. About fifty bodies have already
been identified, the greater number be-
ing local residents. The fact that the
delegates to the convention here. are
from all parts of the country, many OF
them being strangers, renders the work
of identification somewhat slow. It Is
expected at tleast dozen of the injured
will die
Investigation shows no white people
were killed in the panic altho several
were hurt in the wild scramble. An
examination Of the bodies OF the VIC
tins shows many OF them died of sur
location, the congestion OF humanity IN
the yestibules and passage way where
the crush occurred being so great.
Those who received bodily injuries
lwere those who were crushed under
foot. Many had broken limbs and one
negro threw himself over the heads OF
crowd and mad his brains dashed out
against wall. Reports from the hos
pisals say ten of the injured died dur
ing the morning and 1t is also stated q
number of dead have been found at
private houses in the neighborhocd OF
the disaster. The death list has
reached almost 100.
At noon eighty bodies had BEEN
identified. The death list IS now n2-
ured at 100.
Booker r. Washington OF Tuskegee,
w. III. Counsel of Normal, Alay and r.
r. Wright of Savannah, Ga, three OF
1.-THE most prominent educators OF the
race, were on the program to speak ana
the church was crowded, when SUDDEN
" the audience was thrown into pan
ic by conflict between two men over
cause which Is yet unknown. There
we're cries of Fight, fight. which the
assembled throng took for the more
terrifying cry of Fire and q wild rush
ensued for the exits.
The Associated Press representative,
who returned from the scene of the ca
tastrophe at 1910, counted ffty-six
dead bodies. As many as eighty injured
have already been reported, but owing
To the confusion it is almost impossible
to identify the dead or learn the names
Of the injured. Principal Washington
was not hurt The National Baptist
convention is perhaps the largest negro
organization in the United States. hav-.
ing following of 100000. and mis-
sionaries at work In Africa establishing
churches and schools and trying to civ
ilize the natives.
The sessions are held annually and
large numbers of negroes are brought.
together to hear the reports OF the Sec
retaries of the departments and to dis
cuss the work The discussion of the
religious, moral and intellectual condi-
ton of the negroes in the United States
is the, object of the convention. The
sessions were being held in Shiloh Sap
tist church, situated at Avenue q and
Eighteenth street, ten blocks from the
center of the city.
Hundreds of persons were trampieu
under foot In the frantic stampede Men
and women fought one another fero-
ciously in the struggle to escape. The
weaker fell in the hand-to-hand en-
counters or were borne down by the
crush Of the hundreds behind them.
when the building was cleared dead
bodies were strewn In every direction
and many of the injured. who We're un-
able to arise from the floor. gave iostn
distressing cries of pain
Every ambulance In the city was
called into service, but 1t was several
hours before the bodies were removed
and the living sufferers We're taken 10
hospitals, drug stores or nearby houses'i
that had been thrown open Wnere tney
could be given medical aid.
The hundreds of negroes In the GAL
lery had to make their way out thru a
narrow passage-way leading to a flight
of stairs 1t was here that the most OF
the fleeing blacks perished or were
crippled and bruised.
Those who were fortunate enough
to be in places of comparative safety
could only look on In painful suspense
For three hours the scenes about the
church were most affecting. The news
of the disaster spread quickly, and
thousands of negroes who had friends
or relatives in the gathering fiocked to
the scene, giving away in piteous
manner to their emotions.
Many persons crawled over benches.
fought their way into the aisles, and
those who had fallen were trampled up-
on like cattle. The ministers tried
again and again to stop the stampede,
but no power could stay the struggling,
fighting crowd.
The screams of women and children
added to the terror, and thru mere
fright many persons tainted. and asl
they fell to the floor We're crushed to
Geath.
The level of the floor is about fifteen
feet from the ground. and long steps
lead to the sidewalk from the lobby,
Just outside the main auditorium. Brick
walls extend on each side Of these steps
for six or seven feet, and this proved a
veritable death trap.
Negroes who had reached the top Of