Evening journal., 1903-12-31
MORE HORRIBLE THAN WAR
Rescuers Tell Of crewsome Sights In
Burning Theatre.


Burning Theatre.
Among the hundreds of persons who
rushed to the rescue when the call Of
fire was heard on the streets was
Bishop Samuel Fallows. who happened
to be passing the theatre. without
fear or hesitation, he made his way
through the darkness that was inten
sifed by the volume Of smoke that
filled the auditorium to the top gal
lery and assisted in carrying out the
victims
God forbid that I ever again see
such a heart-ending sight" said the
bishop. q have been in wars and upon
the bloody field of battle. but in all my
experience have never seen anything
half so grewsome as Ihe sight that
met my eyes when. with the aid Of
tiny lantern, I was finally able TO pen
citrate the inky darkness Of that bal
cony. There was a pile Of twisted and
bleeding bodies 10 feet high. with
blackened faces and remnants OF
charred clothing clinging to them
Some were alive and moaning in their
agony. Others, and by far the greater
number, we're dead. I assisted in car
rying many of the injured down and
ministered to them the best I could.
Il was the presence of the children
hundreds of whom we're in the au
dience, and the efforts of their franti,
mothers. impelled by their first though
to seek the safety of their young, tha
caused much of the pandemonium
Alexander II. Revell, who had sent his
little daughter, Margaret, with a little
friend in charge OF a maid to see the
performance, five minutes after the
fire sJarteu ncarI Oh IL IN his store,
and hastily calling a carriage. drove
madly to the burning theatre. BY the
greatest good fortune one of the first
persons he encountered was the hys-
terical maid, who informed him that
the two children had been saved with
out injury. Mr.. Revell then hastened
into the theatre and participated in
the rescue.
Il worked in the upper balconies"
said he. The sight of those poor
women and their little children, with
clenched fists raised as though trying
to beat their way to safety and strick-
en- in the very act is too horrible to
attempt to describe. But l thought OF
how my own little one had been saved,
and forgot my horror and did all
could 10 save those who were not 50
fortunate. assisted the police and
firemen in carrying down more than
20 bodies"
Sheriff Barrett and a score Of depu-
ties from his Office assisted in carrying
out the injured people and in keeping
order among the mob Of frantic rela-
lives who thronged the streets in front
of the burning building, vainly seeking
information that no one could give
them.
Il have never before witnessed such
a scene In all my life" said Sheriff
Barrett "On all sides we're heaps of
mangled and charred humanity. We
carried out so many injured and dead
that at last they grew so numerous
that we were unable to keep count o.
them. Such a dreadful sight I trust
will never be called to witness again
Crazed men fought to get within the
corridors. thinking to find their loved
ones among the pile Of corpses that
filled every available foot Of space
Strong men with tear-blinded eyes
stood on the sidewalk and called loud.
ly the names of their loved ones as
though there were a chance OF the
dead hearing. We did all we could 10
lessen their grief. but such scenes can
never be forgotten in a lifetime"