Persons Losing Jewelry and Money in Canonsburg Horror Unable to Find Belongings in Collection.
VANDALS ARE BLAMED
SPECIAL TO THE PITTSBURGH SUN.
CANONSBURG, Pa., Aug 31. -- In spite of denials, it now develops that during the panic at the Morgan Opera House last Saturday night, during which 26 lives were sacrificed and scores injured, vandals were busy robbing the unfortunate victims. Although 25 special officers were sworn in to frustrate any such attempts, the fiends succeeded in pilfering from those who were dead or who had sustained injuries. There were so many persons assisting in the work of rescue that it was almost impossible for the police to detect the thieves.
Immediately after the entrance was cleared, piles of articles including jewelry, purses, shoes, clothing and other trinkets were found scattered about the pavement and on the stairway. During the excitement these goods were not carefully examined, but all were gathered up and placed in the safe deposit vault of the Philadelphia Company offices here.
The police did not take possession of these articles until Tuesday. During the day persons began to claim the valuables they had lost but discovered they were not among those that were recovered by police.
To-day 12 gold watches, several diamond rings broaches and purses containing various amounts of money, totaling $250 were reported as missing. The owners called at the police headquarters, but they were disappointed at not being able to find them.
Although a large number of purses were found by the police, not a single one of them contained any money, and, from all appearances, they were stripped and then thrown upon the floor. Four leather purses were found in garbage cans in an alley at the rear of the Morgan building. All were empty.
Chief of Police Samuel Swan s busy to-day serving subpoenas on witnesses who will be called to testify at the inquest which will be conducted by Coroner Heffran to-morrow.
When a person calls to claim his missing valuables, his name is taken and subpoena filled out and served at once. In this manner the authorities will be able to get the testimony of those who participated in the panic and who were in the fatal crush on the stairs.
The subscription fund which started yesterday to give assistance to the needy family had several hundred dollars added to it this morning and before night it is expected that additional subscriptions will be received. Some of the families, owing to their dire circumstances, were without means to defray the funeral expenses. The undertakers here conducted the funerals of all the victims, although they knew that in many instances the families of the victims were in poor circumstances and were without funds to pay the expenses.
The burial of the last victim, Frances Byrd, the 13-year-old negress, will take place this afternoon at 2 o'clock. The funeral was deferred in hope that the girl's father, who is in Oregon, could return, but a telegram was received from him in which he stated it would be impossible for him to be here in time for the interment.