History of Natchez sites

The wording in this article may be offensive to some (Myself Included), and I apologize to those that are offended

To have reworded the article possibly would have made it less historically correct.
This is the article that appeared, exactly as printed:

April 24, 1940 The Natchez Democrat

Cries of Burning Negroes Heard for Blocks,
Identity of Dead Unknown Early this
Morning, Many Who Escaped Given
Treatment and Many May Die, Fire
Caught at Front of Building to Trap
Negroes.

Between one hundred and one hundred and fifty negroes who were attending a dance at the Rhythm Night Club on Jefferson Street near the Triangle Service Station were burned to death last night when fire swept the overcrowded dance pavilion.

The dance hall was located in a corrugated iron building that kept flames inside while the negroes tried vainly to escape through the front entrance – the only exit to the dance hall.

Walter Barnes and his Orchestra had been brought to Natchez and as a result of the special occasion the dance hall overflowed with many standing outside on the street when the fire broke out.

The dance hall was decorated with hanging moss. This caught fire at the front of the building and quickly enveloped the entire hall. The negroes made a mad dash for the front, those who were weak went down under the thundering feet of others.

As the front exit to the building was blocked the negroes turned and thundered to the back only to be met with the corrugated iron side of the building. They piled upon each other and there they died, some due to the flames and others due to suffocation.

Members of the fire department and citizens who rushed into the building were greeted by a scene of mass tragedy. The negroes were piled upon each other as high as the rear windows of the building.

Under the masses of the dead could be seen signs of life. The dead were pulled away and from under several who were partly suffocated and partly burned were taken out and rushed to the Natchez Hospital and the Natchez Sanitorium for treatment.

The unearthly cry of those who were burning to death could be heard for blocks even before the fire alarm had been sounded. Their cry attracted the attention of citizens who rushed to the scene to give assistance.

As the rescuers entered the building they were greeted by the most gruesome of sights. The Negroes badly burned were under the tables and chairs where they sought refuge when they found that there was no way to escape.

The fire was quickly extinguished and the work of extracting the dead negroes got underway and was being continued early this morning, the dead being taken to the negro undertaking establishments which were within a block of the dance hall.

The identity of the dead negroes could not be ascertained early this morning as the work was devoted to getting the dead bodies out of the building while on the outside the shrieking and crying of relatives of those believed to be in the building made the blood of all who were nearby run cold.

It is estimated by Sheriff Hyde R. Jenkins and officers of the police department that some two hundred negroes succeeded in escaping from the building. They were burned badly and were given treatment.

Every doctor in the city was called and throughout the early morning hours administered to those who had been burned. Many of those who escaped were expected to die today.

One negro, Julius Hawkins, who is assistant to the pressman at the Democrat was in attendance and was an eye witness to the stark tragedy.

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The negro said that he was standing under the dried moss which caught fire.

“I was standing near the door,” the negro said,” and it just spread over everything. I turned and made a run for it and got out with only a scratched arm.”

“Inside everyone was trying to get out and crushing each other as the fire was burning them. All were crying and yelling and after a while I could smell the burning meat. I hope I never see anything like it again.”

Two members of the orchestra managed to escape by leaping through a window and suffered severe burns. The other members of the orchestra were blocked from escape as the negroes rushed to the back of the building where the orchestra was located.

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