Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-04-28

ming like lightning along the roof. In
stantly all was horror and dismay.
The cry of Fire! Firer rang through
the building. mingled with the shrieks
of women and children in frantic con-
sternadon. Husbands looked for
wlves-mothers for their children
while some. almost frenZied by the
sense of danger. thought only of them
selves.
There was, OF course. a general rush
all at once TO escape out OF the house
as fast as possible by the nearest way
Those in the pit easily got TO the outer
door. which was not far OF. Those in
the galleries also. or most of them. hy-
ing down the stairs, soon passed to the
stteet. But the spectators in the boxes
were not so fortunate. Some few of
them indeed had leaped TO the pit and
got ont with the rest from that part
and Il few others had been helped on
TO the stage and hurried or the back
way. while n small number still brave
ly kept their seats, only to meet the
fate which they hoped to avoid, but the
great mass of them, crowding tumultu-
ously into the narrow lobbies in the
widest disorder. stopped each others
progress toward the door, while the
suffocating smoke, which soon filled
the house, extinguished the lights and
stified its victims, and the flames, which
now flashed in lurid sheets as they ran
along the light wooden work of the
boxes, caught the clothes of the fusi-
tiyes in the rear and wrapped them ut
once in pals of fire and death. Happy
now were those who had reached the
windows, where a stream of fresh air
from without revived their failing
senses and enabled them to hurry on
for their lives or escape perhaps TO the
ground, for by this time many of
these who had got out from the pit and
galleries were seen gathered in crowds
below, stretching out their arms and
calling on those within to leap into
them for safety. Some did so from the
first and some even from the second
story, and number escaped in this
way. while few were either killed or
shocliingly mangled by the fall.
"Those in the meantime who had
succeeded so far as TO clear the Hobbies
found themselves again stopped ana
straitened in the narrow angular stairs
that ran from the landing of the boxes
into the common entry or pent up in
the small passage at the bottom. where
the only door which opened inward had
been shut to by the rushing crowd and
could not be forced back for some
time even by the help cf hands from
without Here, then, some were crush
ed to death by others who, even less
happy, escaped at last over their dead
bodies through the door now opened,
but horribly scorched or burned and
only to die in the arms of their shud-
dering friends.
by this time, although only six or
seven minutes had passed, the whole
house was in blaze that frightened
the windows of the houses far and near
with its dismal light. The bells were
tolling with most appalling sound, and
hundreds of citizens, reused from their
beds and alarmed for the safety OF
their relatives and friends. were rush
ing to the scene, but too late to save
or find them. The rest may be imag-
ined. but cannot and perhaps ought not
| to be described. There was no sleep In
Richmond that night, but the voice of
weeping was heard from many dwell
ings.
"The day after this awful occurrence
| the common council of the city con-
vened and passed a resolution prohibit
| ing all public amusements within the
| limits for four months ensuing, and q
meeting of citizens was held in the cap
| itol, at which it was resolved that the
remains of the dead should be collected
| and buried together on the spot where
they had expired, and that monument
should be raised over them to record
the remembrance of their fate. And 1t
was also determined that a day should
be set apart for fasting, humiliation
and prayer in commemoration of an
event in which all who had any sense
| of plety could not but see and acknowl-
| edge that the hand of God had been
most strikingly and affectingly display
ed."-New York Post.