Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1904-01-07
the rush from the interior Of the build

IIIlc Tunu lIOlA luS IItISElOI VI Tic poiio
ing became so violent that many Of
them were crowded off and fell to the
granite paved alley below. Others
leaped; from. the platform. fracturing
legs and arms, and two were picked up
at this point with fractured skulls,
having been killed instantly.
Rarely in the history Of Chicago
has its people been SO stirred as by
this calamity. 1t is, next to the Chi
cage fire, the greatest catastrophe that
has ever occurred here, and the speed
with which it came and went seemed
for brief period to appal the business
section of the city. The news spread
with great rapidity and in short time
hundreds of men, women and children
were rushing toward the theater. The
building in which the calamity oc
Cured stands midway between State
and Dearborn streets on the north side
o. Randolph street Although every
available policeman within call of the
department was Immediately
Hurried to the Spot
and the men placed in lines at the end
Of the block, allowing nobody to enter
Randolph street from either Dearborn
or State, it was found for time al
most impossible to hold back the
frenzied crowd that pressed forward,
many OF them having friends or rela-
tives IN the theater, and anxious to
learn something of them. The con-
duct of the police was beyond all
praise. The officers held their ground
firmly and gently pushed back all
those who sought to gain an entrance
to the tneater, although in some in
stances frantic men. anxious to look
for their loved ones, actually beat the
officers with their fists in their rage
at being prevented.
In spite of the efforts of the police,
however, large number of people
succeeded in breaking through their
lines and entering the theater, and in
many cases did heroic work in rescu-
ing the. injured and carrying out the
dead.
Day of Mourning.
Chicago never witnessed such day
OF mourning as that which ushered in
the new year. In every portion of the
city almost it seemed as though there
were funerals going or undertaken
wagons arriving with dead, taking
them to their homes for the last time.
While the funeral professions were
moving through the snow-coyered
streets to various cemeteries, the
oh
seemed almost as large as ever. The
scenes here were the same as those of
night and of Thursday
and Thursday night. Many men ap-
peared at the door Of Rolstons and
Jordars morgues yesterday afternoon
who had been on their feet for forty
eight hours constantly searching for
those they had lost. The greater num-
Der of unidentified dead are in these
two places, and men who had viewed
the
CHASTITY Rows of corpses
before and had gone on unavailing
search to every other morgue in Chi
cago went back once more to Rol-
ston's and to Jordan's almost in des-
pair, but hoping against hope that they
might have overlooked their dead in
the great number that had crowded
the tables and floors OF Thursday
In some cases they were
successful, in many others they were
not. Nearly all bodies which admit of
careful Identification have been car
ried away, and, Of those which re-
main the majority are in such con-
dition that only the most minute and
careful inspection will be able to re-
veal their identity to those who knew
them best
1t was absolutely impossible forsthe
bereaved relatives to secure all the
carriages they wished to convey their
friends and relatives to the cemeteries.
In many cases it was not possible for
all members of the immediate family
to ride in the funeral cortege because
no carriages could be procured for
them.
Theater Employees Arrested.
Twelve Of the employees Of the
AAodeo1o tAASueSl WCAS I'll SolGu L
lay night on orders issued by Chief of
Police ONeil. The charge against
them is at present that of being Access
sorry to manslaughter. They will be
held pending the verdict of the coro-
aer's jury.
After being arrested four Of the men
told Chief O'Neil they had been re-
auested by people connected with the
heater to leave the city. When asked
who advised them to do this they at
first refused to say, but later admitted
that The advice was given by an as.
sistant stage manager.
Chief of Police O'Neil said the ar
est Of the men did not necessarily in
licate that there was any specific
blame attached to them. The move
was made to prevent the possible dis.
appearance Of witnesses before the
lime when they are needed at the in
quest.
inquiry Vigorously Pushed.
4 The police yesterday vigorously
pushed their inquiry into the causes of