The St. Louis Republic., 1903-12-31

Sead IN great heaps ara a few sull strug-
4iing feehiy.
"Everything showed that the fight to
Eet ont must have been something beyond
description. And all was IN smoke and
!. darkness so dense that we could only sea
hose next TO the door. We brcke open, y
} ,cs,r leading into 4 big empty room and
hat let in little light. Into this room
re carried the dead and started down
. aairs with the few who were still alive.
! i.By this time the firemen had come
, 5p and we passed the living along. The
: enilway was so narrow that only one
4 sculd come or go at time, so those COM
4 ng up had TO so back to the landing to
. fct the ones pass who were carrying the
spSoplc down.
81 II. seemed as if nobody escaped from
9 the gallery. Judging by what we saw.
y when we got down TO the balcony we
a against the door almost to the top. and
- nearly all dead.
Il could not stand it any longer. 1t
made me i'll and I barely had strength
4 Enough left TO get into the open air ut
hst."
BABIES TANNED IN MASS
DF THE DEAD AND DYING.
When Corbc;t started into the thea
der said Mr.. Butler, 81 made up my
mind it was q case of follow the leader
IT was as dark as pitch, and 1 can't tell
now how we got where we did. When we
broke open the door leading into the
gallery saw the most pitiful sight that I
ever expect to see. Women and children,
and even babies were jan1med together
An the most frghtful way. Some of them
were stin gasping. some of them burned
and most all with their clothing torn to
shreds.
81 pulled out one girl whose hand was
burned to a crisp clear to the elbow
IT seemed as Il they were all little chill
6ren and women. and mangled, torn and
burned until it would break your heart.
nCorbett carried them away two at a
time, and for ten minutes it seemed we
aid nothing but try to untangle the heap
iof dead and dying. BY that time the fire.
fnen came to help lis and We carried the
living out into the afr.
"Hanlin asked me how many there were
land told him there might be 200 and
There might be 1000, for 1 don't see how
F Ieny of them could have got away from
| That black hole. He'll does not more than
begin to describe what we saw when we
broke in that gallery door,
Gail FOR VOLUNTEERS
BROUGHT HEROIC RESPONSE.
There was q call upon the streets as
tsoon as the firemen and policemen saw
!~hat a terrible loss of life was threatened
Ifor men who would volunteer to 60 to
lfhe rescue, and many rushed forward in
ienswer to the call.
Alexander H. Reveli had sent his daugh-
ter. Margaret. with little friend. Eliza
beth Harris, in charge of a maid to see
fhe performance. Word reached him al
his store of the fire, not five minutes
after It started, and, hastily calling cab
he drove madly. to the scene.
BY the greatest good fortune, one O
The first persons he encountered was thu
hysterical maid. who Informed him tha
his daughter and her friend were safe
Mr.. Revell then hastened into the theatei
and participated in the rescue.
II worked in the upper balconies" salt
Mr.-Revell. 'The sight of those poor WON
en- and their little children, with clenche'
lists raised as though trying to beat thei
way to safety. and stricken down in tn
very act, is too horrible for me to attemp
to describe. But thought of how my owl
little one had been saved, and con
uuered my horror and did all I could +
save those who were not past saving.
assisted the police and firemen In carry
ing down more than twenty bodies"
MEEPING MEN CALLED INTO
FIRE FOR THEIR LOVED ONES.
Sheriff Barrett and a score of deputie!
from his office assisted in carrying ou
the fljurcd people and in keeping ords
among the mob of frantic relatives, whit
throngea the streets in front of the burn
ing building. rainIy seeking INFORMATION
that no one could give them.
II have never before witnessed such
scene in all my life.'' said Sheriff Barrett
aOn all sides were heaps of nhngled ant
eharred humanity. We carried out s.
mcny injured and dead, and at last the.
grew SO numerous that we were unable f
keep account of them. Such a dreadful
sight trust shall never be called Oh
TO witness again. sr
.Crazed men fought to get within tn
corridors. thinking to find their loved one
among the pile of corpses that file
Aerery available foo.space.
Strong men. with tear-blindcd eyes
stood on the Sidewalk and called loudl
the names of their loved ones, as thoug
there were chance of the dead hearing
We did all we could to lessen their sriei
but such scenes can never be forgotten +
;, l,fat;,,,a,,