Descriptions of panic only started showing up decades later without supporting sources or eyewitnesses. Panic at trains was actually on the screen in a couple of classist comedies from the US and UK. "He's such a hick, I bet he gets scared of trains!" was the punchline.

Keep in mind as well, hoopla was not invented yesterday. Some early filmmakers hired ambulances and actors costumed as medical personnel to assist audience members overwhelmed by fright and excitement at their films. Variety, don't even think about it.