The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1906-01-26
EIGHTEEN DIE
In STAMPEDE
Frightful Panic Occurs in Negro
Church in Philadelphia.
FOLLOWED BY CRY OF FIRE
Congregation Made Mad Rush for Exit
and Nearly Score Were Trampled
to Deathlh Jam Tat Ensaed.

f3R+
A wild panic following a loud
Shrek of "Fire!" brought death to
eighteen colored people, and serious
injuries to half hundred of others
Sunday night in st. Pauls Baptist
church, Philadelphia,
The terrible rush to gain the street
was Of brief duration, and that more
were not killed in the stampede was
probably due to the fact. that the
church was not crowded.
The smell of smoke added to the
panic, and, despite the heroic work
of the pastor of the church, who tried
in vain to allay the fears OF the
frightened Worshipers, the terror
stricken people made a desperate
rush to leave the church, only to be
choked up on the narrow stairway
Those in the rear leaped over the
PROSTATE forms Of those who's fell,
and when the rush We over, eigh-
teen lay dead on the first floor and
stairs of the building. Death in near
ly every case was due to suffocation
or trampling.
a defective fue set fire to the Chin
ney, causing smoke to issue through
the creYices in the floor near the pull
pit.
The disaster occurred while a col
lection was being taken up. The pas
tor had just concluded his sermon,
the seemingly ominous text of which
was "Why Sit We Here Until We
Die" Following the collection there
was to have been a baptism of man
and wife. Some of the colored peo-
pie, owing to the Iateness of the even
ing, had left the church, and others
were about to CO.
AS the pastor was arranging the
pulpit preparatory to beginning the
baptisms service, woman in one
of the front rows of the left side of
the pulpit gave a loud shrek of
"Fire!" Instantly all those about her
were on their feet, looking for the
blaze.
There were no flames in sight, but
those near the pulpit smelled smoke
and started down the aisle toward
the pulpit. Then followed half a
dozen cries of "Fire!" and the whole
congregation becA ne panic-stricken.
The pastor in a loud voice, which
only added to the confusion, called
to the terror-stricken people to be
seated. No one listened, and, despite
his frantic appeal, rush started that
meant death to many that were in the
church.
When the rush started those in the
rear of the church did not fully real.
ize and were slow to move The
frantic shrieks CT the women and
children became louder and more gen
eraI and many were knocked down
in the two aisles Of the church.
Then came the terrible rush down
the stairways. For some unknown
reason, everybody tried to get dowa
the left side of the building, COM
paratiyely few attempting to leave by
the right stairway. One eyewitness
says that perhaps a dozen persons got
safely down the stairs when several
people tripped and fell and caused
the narrow way to become jammed.
Several men on the first floor at
tempted to hold the people back, but
were knocked down, and then the hu.
man stream came tumbling down. The
weaker ones fell only to be trampled
upon and crushed by those coming
from behind.
The terrible shriells sent up by the
PROSTATE persons added to the con
fusion, and by this time even the
cooler ones in the rear Of the fight
ing mass of men, women and chill
dren became terror-stricken. Dazed
men, in fear that the building was
falling, leared over the heads Of wo-
men and children and fought only for
their own safety.