The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-11-29

Continued From Title Page)
lng lost their lives before burning
being literally stamped and crushed
to death beneath the feet Of the pan
ic-stricken people. Under the great
weight of human bodies, the frai
stairway fell in, hurting the living
load into the roaring flames. But
creditable persons state that the fall
ing of the stairs saved the lives OF
many who were still in the room, fol
an opening in the wall was made into
the store and the remaining persons
crawled through this hole to safety
Persons acquainted with the de.
strOyed structure state that there was
no necessity for the loss Of single
life. The building was not so high
but what all could have escaped By
jumping to the ground beneath. II
is stated that there was front porch
overlooking the street and that q
jump from it to the street below
would have entailed no greater dan
ger than the breaking of a limb OF
severe bruises. Il is also recalled
that in the rear Of the building was a
small one-story structure on which
the penned crowd above could have
jumped and from It to the ground but
few feet beneath. None Of this
wise sfter-thought, however, came to
the panic-stricken crowd in the burn
ing building, and their first and only
thought was to escape by way Of the
stairs, and as a result Of this thought
many died a horrible death in the
flames or under the feet of the crazed
crowd. Many homes in Evangeline are
in mourning today, the scene of Sat-
urday nights contemplated pleasure
having proved a funeral pyre for a
loved one Of some family.
Alarms and requests for assistance
were sent out to nearby towns and
Immediately Opelousas, Eunice and
Bunkie responded at once. A spe-
cial train was made up at Eunice and
rushed to Vile Platte at once. People
from Bunkie, in automobiles, covered
the twenty-odd miles over rough
roads in remarkably short time, while
from Opelousas the big auto fire
truck, despite bad roads and shaky
bridges, made the distance of eigh-
teen miles in forty-five minutes flat,
while large numbers from here drove
over in cars and rendered whatever
assistance they could in the emer-
gency. Physicians responded to the
call and willing workers aided the
Vile Platte people in searching the
ruins for burned bodies.
The dead were renewed to a near
by garage to await Identification.
They were practically all from the
rural districts, and many were SO
badly burned that identification was
difficult. Fortunately this work was
finally completed and the sorrow-
stricken relative had the satisfaction
Of burying the body Of their loved
one rather than the mistake of bury
ing an unrecognized corpse.
Quite a number were more or less
burned but escaped with their lives.
None Of these, it is reported, is in
danger and further additions to the
death list is not expected. The none
tary loss, though considerable, is a
mere bagatelIe as compared with the
horror thst sent twenty-eight people
to an untimely death, and not a single
person has given the property loss q
thought. The people Of the entire
state sympathize deeply with Vile
Platte and the parish Of Evangeline.
in this awful calamity that has
brought tears and untold mental suf-
fering to so many households in that
parish, and if this deep sympathy can
allay any Of the heart-aches occa-
stoned by the destruction of so many
lives, then that sympathy will not
have been given in vain. It will re-
quire time-perhaps years-to blot
out the memory Of the tragedy that
claimed 50 many innocent victims,
but time, the great comforter, win
have soothing effect on the grief
stricken ones Of fair Evangeline.