Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1882 — Frightful Catastrophe. [ARTICLE]

Frightful Catastrophe.

During a Knights of Pythias* festival a* Shanesville, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, the floor gave way, precipitating the company numbering over 200, to the floor below. Two persons were instantly killed, three others fatally injured, and between fifty and sixty more or less bruised or burned. The building took fire almost instantly, producing a scene of the wildest excitement. The lights were nearly all extinguished, leaving the shrieking, struggling mass of humanity to grope their way from the ruins almost in the dark. By the prompt action of those who escaped uninjured, and other citizens summoned by the terrible alarm, ths fire was subdued, but not nntil quite a number had been more or less burned. The night was very cold, and the scene is described as frightful in the extreme. A young lawyer being threatened with punishment for contempt of court, in saying that he “ was surprised at such a deci-ion as it had just rendered against him,” an old lawyer, Lord Eldon, agreed to make it all right with -the offended Judges. He did so by attributing the remark to his ignorance, saying that the young man was extremely penitent for his unintentional disrespect, But their

Lordships could see for themselves that it was due to his ignorance, for he said that he was ** surprised” at their decision; whereas, said Eldon, “if he had not been ignorant of what fakes place at this court every day-—had he known you but half as long as I have—he would not be surprised at anything vou did!” .