The Monroe journal., 1922-02-03
WRITES VIVIDLY
THEATRE WRECK
Young Lady of Monroe Living
in Washington Was on the
Scene of Disaster
HORRORS CANNOT BE TOLD
Frequent Attendant at the Theatre
But Was Hindered from Gong
on the Fatal Evening

4 Vh thN ataf
A young lady of Monroe who has
been living in Washington some time
has written a personal letter here
describing the fearful scene when the
Knickerbocker Theatre in Washing
ton collapsed and killed more than
a hundred people. The letter was
not intended for publication. but the
following interesting extracts are
made therefrom because they give a
more intimate and detailed view of
the fearful event than could be given
in the ordinary press dispatches. The
quotations are as follows:
II was the most gruesomely horri7
BILE thing that ! have ever come in
| contact with and I've thanked God
| every minute since that | was simply
provldentially kept away. go to
that theatre on an average of two or
three times week and had been a
few nights previous. 1t has been
brought so horribly close to me for
that very reason that among its eli
entelle. know so many and among
those. that were killed were over a
dozen that knew either by intimate
association or thru mutual friends.
| sent you several papers by or thru
which you could get some concep-
tion of the horror, but even the SEN
sational writeups, even the graphic
| descriptions given, do not convey to
anyone the worst part of ii. Strong
men. officers and doctors who went
thru the hell of France, tainted dead
away at suddenly coming upon the
beheaded bodies Of young women sit
ting up in chairs or upon mutilated
and mangled form clasped in the
arms of a wife or husband. There
are no words that can describe the
agony, the fear, the gruesomeness, or
the bravery displayed at that scene.
People stood around for blocks, hush
ed and silent with bated breath as
file after file of soldiers went by with
stretchers covered with gray army
blankets with only lump of some
thing underneath which told all of us
its mangled and crushed story. have
read everything that has been writ
ten ~ the papers and l have read
nothing that depicted the horrors /
witnessed-for was there.
Happened not to Go That Night
We were having a dance at our
house that evening (the only thing
that possibly kept some of our fami-
ly of thirty-one girls from being
there.) AS soon as il happened and
the call went around for doctors, two
who were at our dance hurried up
Immediately. Another girl and /
rushed up stairs, changed from our
evening clothes into sport clothes
and heavy shoes and rushed up to
the theatre on the back of a paper
delivery wagon. On account of the
heavy, heavy snow, no cars, taXis or
anything could be gotten, nothing
except these Ford delivery wagons
carrying papers around were on the
unfrequented streets. When We got
there everything was still unorgani-
zed and the rescue work was hinder
ed because of the lack of things with
which to clear the wreckage. And in
side and under all of this mass of
concrete and steel lay over three hun
dred people.
In the candy shop next to the the
atre first aid was being administered
to those slightly hurt and who had
managed to get out. The first sight
of horror that met my eyes was
sheet tied together being carried out
and over to the impromptu morgue
and hospital, the Christian Science
church, mute testimony of the
crushed form within-too mangled
and anihilated to be gotten on a
stretcher. And then, soon after the
acetylene torches could be gotten
from the navy yard and the steel
network could be burned thru to the
victims pinned and crushed under
meath, the ambulances and stretches
and workers were kept busy every
minute. There were willing and eager
workers on every hand desirous of
doing something 10 help, but as soon
as the rescue forces could be organ
lied, we civilians were kept out and
only uniforms and doctors and nurs-
es were allowed | stayed up there
until three O'Clock Sunday morning
and when | left, there had been only
six or eight gotten out after six
hours ESQ | was told by officers.)
Brave Boy Looses His Mind
One of the men killed was engag-
ed TO q girl here at our house and
was among the first taken out He
was to have been at the dance but
something happened and he and an
other boy went up to see Get
Rieh-Quick- ck-Wallingford." Peters, the
boy who went with him, heard the
kissing and cracking and cried out
Duck, Doc, get under your seat"
AS Doc went 10 dive under his cuff
caught on the arm of the seat and
before he could get aloose a piece
of concrete hit his back, injuring his
spine and knocking him senseless.
Peters managed to crawl to an exit
and after finding he could get thru,
went back. and dragged Doc out. He
them went back for the two women
who had been sitting in front OF them
and dragged them ont, half dragging
and half carrying them. AS he came
out the last time with the second
l. n