The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-11-26
From, ,tse=Patsbuyp Rep,tblteaa.
MONDERFUL.-.IF TRnE.
Adventure OF q Young Lsdy who
Spent TWenIy.Three Days In q Hay
Stack Last Winter without Food.

Adventure OF q Young Lady who
Spent TWenIy.Three Days In a Hay
Stack Last Winter without Food.
There arrived in this city, on Satur-
day, from Mount Jackson, Lawrenoe
county, young lady about 19 years of
age, who gave her name as Louisa
Blackman. Both of her legs had. been
amputated few inches below the knee.
Inc story Of her wonderful adventures
runs In this way: y is.t,. ,,5, ~
In the summer of 1861, being then a
resident of Jefferson City, Missouri, she
accompanied. her father, James Black
man, her mother and two sisters to
Salt Lake City. Some time after their
arrival the father embraced Mormon-
Ism, and had '.sealed'' unto him another
wife, his own wife rejecting the faith
according to Brigham. Mrs. BlaCkman.
disguised al. this, and alarmed for the
future of herself and daughters, made
her escape, after great trouble, from the
.Ctty. of Saints" and set out with her
children. on theirlong and weary jour
neY' across the plains to the States.
This was in 1868. Louisa was the only
one of the four that succeeded in reach
ing civtlizationJ her mother and two
younger sisters having died on the way
from exposure and starvation. The
story of her Rutferings on the road
seems so'incredibIs that we dare not
print 1t. She was for days at times
without other food than fruits and ber-
rtes and occasionally a bird secured by
her skill with the bow and arrow She
finally fell in with some friendly In
diatls, who conveyed her to frontier
settlement. When she reached her
was told of an uncle living at
Mount Jackson, Lawrence County, in
this State. She made her way there, 10
find that her uncle had removed to the
West. Louisa then endeavoEed bo'ob-
tain employment in the neighborhood
this was in the winter of 1866 -66-but
one intensely cold evening, lin going
from one farm house to another, she
was overtaken by a storm, lost her way
and crawled for refuge 70 a haystaCE
Here she laid, in an inSensible condi-
ton, she says, without food or water,
covered with hay and snow, for twenty
three days, until accidently discovered
by q boy, who brought persons TO her
relief, when she was conveyed to the
neighboring house. This is, of course,
Improbable, and will be recognized by
those who "keep the run OF the pau
pers, as identical with story publish
ed in the Cincinnati C6niniereidI last
winter. Louisa Is the heroine of the
Commercials story. She was frozen so
bad while lying by the haystack, that
amputation Of both her limbs was me-
cessary, and she also lost an eye. or
this part of her statement there is no
doubt, but we rather dlstrust the tWen-
ty-three day part of &c. The people of
Mt. Jackson took kind care of the un-
fortunate girl, and aided by constitu-
ton OF remarkable powers of endur-
ance and recuperation, she rapIdIyre-
covered from the results of the ampn-
tatton! Last week she was furnished
with money to visit this city by her
friends At Mt Jackson, In the hope that
ment here suited TO her condition. She
arrived on Saturday as stated above.
This Is the young lidyss story diveSt-
ed.ofs q host OF improbable details rsla-
tive to her journey across the plains
and subsequent adventures. She is a
sprightly, Intelligent girl of eighteen,
the picture of health, and evinces no
Indication of mental aberratiOn.