The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1904-01-06

''Mr. Bluebeard." which was the first
dramatic production given in the
theatre since its erection. The COM
pany, which vas very large. escaped
the street in safety, nearly all of
them. however. being compelled to
fee into the snowy streets with no
clothing but their stage costumes. A
few members of the company sustained
minor injuries, but none was seriously
hurt.
The theatre is modelled after the
Opera Comique in Paris. and from the
rear of each balcony there are three
doors leading out to passagewav VS. to-
ward the front of the theatre. Two of
these dOOrways r at the end Of the
balcony. and One being in the center.
The audience in it's rush for the outer
air seems to have for the greater part
chosen to flee to the left entrance ard
to attempt to make it's way down the
eastern stairway leading into the
lobby Of the theatre. Outside of the
people burned and suffOcated by gas.
it was in these two doOrways on the
first and second balconies that the
greatest loss of life occurred. When
VllC " fCAAlCICu tllc Lul UkUx tIl0
dead were found stretched in 2 pile
reaching from the head of the stairway
at least eight feet from the door back
to q point about five feet in the rear
OF the door. This mass of dead bodies
in tina center of the dOOrways reached
to within two feet of the top of the
passageway. All of the cOrpses at
point were women and children.
The fight for life which must have
taken place. at these two points is
that is simply beyond
human power to adequately describe.
Only . faint idea of its horror could
be derived from the aspect of the
bodies a they lay. Women on top
of these masses of dead had been
by death - they were
crawling on their hands and knee g
over the bodies Of those who had died
before. Others lay with arms stretch
ed toward which lay life and safety.
holding In their hands fragments of
garments not their own. They were
evidently torn from the clothing Of
others whom u, they had endeavored
to pull down snd trample under foot
as they.
FOUGHT FOR THEIR OWN LIVES.
AZ the police. removed layer. afeer
layer of dead In these doorwsys the
became too much wen for police
and fremen, hardened - they are TO
such scenes. to endure. The bodies
were in such aninextricsble mass and
SO tightly were they jammed between
the sides of the doors and the walls
that II vas impossible to lift them one
by One and carry them out. The only
possible thing to do Was to seize .
limb or some other portion of the
body and pull with main strength.
Men worked at the task with tears
running down. their cheeks, and the
of the reScueFS could be heard
in the hall below where this
awful scene was being enacted A
number Of men were compelled to
abandon their task and give It over to
others whose nerves had not as vet
been shaken by the awful experience.
As by one the bodies were dragged
out of the wster-sOaked hlackened
mass OF COrpses the spectacle became
and more heartrending. There
were women whose clothing was torn
from their bodies above
the waist, whose bosoms had been
trsmpled into . pulp and whose faces
msrred beyond all power of iden-
Bodies lay in the first aud second
balconies. in great numbers. In tome
they were piled up in the aisles
three and four feet deep, where one
had fallen and others tripped over
the prOxtrate fOrmx. end all had died
where they lay, 'eSid, ht y snifocsted
By, the gas. Others. were bent over
backs Of seats where they had been
by the rush Of people for the
and killed with hardly .
chance to rise from their seats. One1
man wss found with his back bent
nearly double, HI spinal column hsv-
Ing bosn fractured - he was thrown