The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-12-31

Today's testimony at the inquest
INTO the Italian hall disaster probe con-
sisted chiefly of a general refutation Of
the statement that the man who raised
the cry Of fire" wore a Citizens Ali
ance button. Witnesses. whose testi-
mony was regarded as the most i'm
portant that has yet been offered. stat
ed that the cry came from within the
hall, not from one but from a num-
Der Of persons the identity Of whom
no one could establish. 1t was also es-
tablished that no one but members of
the union, Woman's Auxiliary of the
federation or their children could gain
entrance TO the hall at any time pre-
Vious 10 or during the entertainment.
Among other assertions. the fedora
tion intimated early In the week that
afiidavts from thirty eight persons
would be produced to substantiate al
legations that deputies blocked the
stairway and TO establish the identity
Of the man who sounded the cry. None
of these afiidavits were produced be-
fore the Jury.
Today's Testimony.
John James OF Osceola. testified that
he was in the kitchen under the stage.
when ne heard commotion in the di-
rectiou Of the hall. Men. women and
children ran into the kitchen and Alex
Rowe kicked the glass from a window
beside the fire escape in the rear Of the
room. He heard no one cry fire" until
great number had left the hall or
were rushing toward the entrance.
John Aho OF 1929 Acorn street said
The door keeper knew him personally.
and he did not have to produce his
union card. He was accompanied by
his wife and children who went into
the hal. and ne went To the ticket office
TO assist i'm preventing congestion
amons children as they received their
presents and left the stage. He heard a
rush in the hall and opened a door into
the hail lie said ne saw man on
the stage waving his hands. but heard
uo cry Of FIRE lie then rushed to-
ward the main entrance 10 the hall and
saw the rush toward the stairs. lie
vqinly attempted To- stop the crowd and
pulled several people into the ticket
Office When the rush subsided, he as
sisted in removing the bodies No one.
he said, had worn a Citizens Alliance
pin.
Contrary 10 the statement Of Hun
arian woman who yesterday said she
ran through the ticket office toward
he top of the stairs and encountered
man coming out Of the hall, wearing a
Citizens Alliance pin. Aho said NJ
woman ran through the ticket office
while ne was there
Mrs John Aho said she was sitting
near the center of the hall. about
twenty or thirty feet from the en-
trance. She heard a crowd Of children
yelling and above the cry heard man
say that every one had 10 get out"
She heard no such cry come from near
the door and saw no one who wore an
alliance button
Heard No One Cry "F,e."
Peter pichiottiuo of 45G Sixth
street asked that he be permitted to
testify he said ne entered the hall
short tmc before the panic. He saw
TWO men, Peter Marchisio and John
Boggia, sitting inside the hall and ad-
dressed both of them lie then moved
toward the stage and said crowd of
children had been slrgmg toward the
stage entrance. Some one on the stage
handed a person ON the hall floor "A
pail, evidently containing water. Inn
mcdiately, the crowd turned and rush
ed toward the entrance lie heard no
one cry fire.
Mrs Peter Marchisio. wife Of ono Of
the men whom Pichiottlno met near
the entrance said she was near the
doors when the rush bcgan She i'm
mcdiatoly fed down the stairs and es-
capped To the street. She heard no cry
of ire and thought the rush occurred
because Of fght within the hall. She
stumbled as she came near the bottom
Of the stairs but was picked up by "a
man. Two on three men were at the
bottom Of the steps when she emerged
from the building but she did not see
any deputies.
Adjourn TO Italian Hall.
Whon Peter AtarchisiC was called 10