The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1852-08-24
England, Miraculous Escape of four hundred
Latter-Day Saints fA
Newport, July 10

Newport, July 10
Yesterday ovcning most remarkable occur
rcnco took place here which, while it appeared
to involve tho lives of threo or four hundred
persons did not inflct tho slightest injury on
n single individual.
Tho Latter-day Saints, or Mormonitos, havo
Of lato years so greatly increased i'm tho coll
icry districts in tho ncighborhood of this place
that an organized body now exists hcrc, with
elders and prophets at their head, and rcgu-
larly constituted government to direct their
spiritual and temporal affairs. 20 @ ~
Annually these people hold conference at
which tho chiefs of the body assemble. and
communications with their brethren i'm other
quarters arc made. -FHtf
This year somo of tho elders who had been
in tho camp on the borders of tho Great Salt
Lake were expected n: tho Newport confer
encc, and preparations on large scale for
their reception and for tho General celebration
of tho festival, wore being carried out Il twas
also expected. or ambiguously hnted, that
miracles would bc performed and creduIous
Welsh ever ready to follow any snow tangled
doctrine" gave ear thereto as believers.
Yesterday evening, after tho conclusion of
one of tho services, tho brethren, and saints,
and the elders assembled together in largo
building known as tho Sunderland Hal. whore
tea festival on q great scale. 1 u.
About four hundred persons, mon, woman
and children, were sitting down aftor bless
ing had boon invoked by tho o!desr. and
pleasant festivity was anticipated. Suddenly
a crcaking noiso was hcnrcd, followed by a
sound like a crash of thunder and Immediate
ly the lofty ceiling of exactly ono half of the
hall divided in the centre Of largo boam, foil
almost flat on tho multitude below.
"A terrible shricking and screaming and
groaning onsucd. The residents in tho neigh
borhood, experimenting some frightful casualty
rushed out of their houses, and were almost
pnralizcd by the continued screams and groans
Presently tho windows were burst out, and
the ailrightcd Mormons appcored, terrified and
and screaming for help whilo somo actually
flung themselves into tho street, and othors
clinging to tho sills and frames, made those
below shudder at thoir anticipated doath or
frigthful mutiation.
sceno of indescribablo horror ensued-l
The crowd of spectators rushed towards tho
doors of tho hall, which they burst in, as vol
as they wcro abo from the mass of rubbish,
&c, that had fallen inside; and hero the spec
tacle was frightful in tho extreme. Tho peo-
plo were huddlcd together in crowds beneath
tho tea-tablcs-some crowding to the windows
somc rushing towards tho doors-as many
struggling to cxtricato themselves from tho
hoaps of broken raftors, limo otc., among
which thoywero imbcddcd. Assistance was
rendered and after much difficulty tho unfor-
tunato Mormonitics wero oxtricatod from their |
porilous condition. rr So ..,
1t is most remarkable TINT not single |
Saint received any injury from
this accident. although tho ceiling was heavy,
and was quito ono half the coing of tho whole |
ball, whilo attached thereto woro tho heavy
pieces of timber which had previously sup.
ported it. II is also singular that tho portion
Of tho cciling bcncath which tho "cldors" or
prophets, sat was perfectly uninjurod and
sound.
Nothing less than miracle is supposed by |
Tho infatuated Lattor-day Saints to have pro-
served so largo number of persons from tho |
fato of death, which appeared so inevitable:
md great reaction in their favor will be tho
result among tho half-convortcd disciples of
loo Smith who abound in this quarter. =,
Tho rcmaindor Of tho oycning's services was
lcvotcd to Thanksgiving for tho miracle which
had boon performed by tho elders in favor of
tho true believers