The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-19
DeliVer0nce from the Latter-DHy Saints.
ESCAPE OF YOUNG GIRL FROM THE MoRMOHs-HBB
sUFFERIHGs.

~ DbuNBfuuC8 from Nne nntUBTsDny Ba1ntSs
ESCAPE oFAXoUNo GIRL FROM THE MORMoSs-HER
sUFFERIHGs.
A correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial,
writing from Petersburg Ohio, gives long ac-
count of the adventures OF young girl named
Louisa Black who recently escaped from the
Mormon community IN Salt Lake City, and en-
dured great suffering, The substance of the story
is as folf0W VS. .U ... r
'On Thursday evening, 4th inst. as boy was
returning from school, across the fields near
Petersburg, on nearing q couple Of haystacks he
heard plaintive moans, apparently proceeding
thereirom, accompanied by faint articulations
of q human voice. He distinctly heard the
ejaculation, My God my Godl The boy hur-
ried to his home, which was in sight, and told
Mr.. Davidson what he had heard. Mr. Davidson
at once started back with HIM, and meeting two
neighbors on the way, took them along to the
stack OF hay. ...... |
ION reaching the spot, and going round one
OF the stacks from whence the sounds proceeded,
they discovered some rags protruding from the
base, and, on investigation, what was their Sur
prise to find young girl, an entire stranger,
literally burrowed in the hay, seemingly help
less, aud in dying condition. She raised
pair of blue eyes to the gentlemen's startled
faces, aud imployed them not to move her, TO
let her lie there and die, for she was frozen and
starved, and aid had arrived too latel How
ever, the gentlemen raised her as gently as they
could, and though the gentlest motion aggra-
yated her suherings, succeeded in carrying her
back 10 Mr.. Davidson's farmhouse. She was
and scantily and miserably clad. tattered
dress clung around her, and garment that had
once been an underskiTt she had torn in two,
one strip being tied about her head and the
other wrapped about her feet
"She AYERS that she resided in Missouri until
the fall OF 1864, when her father became iniatu-
ated with the Mormon faith "a number OF Nor
mons being settled near them), and in oppOsi-
ton to the wishes of his wife and family, made
preparations TO remove 10 Salt Lake City. As
he could not be turned from his purpose, his
family reluctantly accompanied hun, and were
numbered among the inhabitants of that city,
while Mr.. Black was at once enrolled among the
saints They had been there for six months,
during which time matters had been growing
the shape OF Mrs. Black No. 2. The family were
now wrought up to desperation, and Mrs. Black
No /, with her three daughters, resolved to
make their escape from Utah, at the same time
being cognizant that the way was rife with
danger, and that if captured death would be
their doom. Louisa goes on to say that they
succeeded in eluding vigilance and made their
escape from Salt Lake City on the 10th of last
June, with only twelve dollars in their purse,
and turned their faces towards the States.
"rhe girl says they kept mostly to the woods
and ravines, and all covert places, to avoid dis
covery, and gave their former home in Missouri
wide berth for fear of the many Norm ms
there. At length one of the sisters died from
exposure and privation, and covering her up in
the woods, they still wandered on. Soon another
sister perlshed, and Louisa and her mother alone
down, never to rise again. Louisa thinks 1t
must have been in the vicinity of Cleveland that
her mother died, Instead of asking any assist
ance she wandered onward alone. She tells of
being at Greenvile, Pennsylvania, and of finally
arriving at MlddleseX, where she says she lay
concealed Tor three days on the farm OF Mr..
Edmonson. This was about the 9Th of De-
cember.
"She proceeds to relate that she was here
found by couple of horse thieves, and we next
find this young girl, on the eve OF December IL,
employed as an emissary by these rogues to ride
of a horse that they had just stolen from Mr..
Edmonson's field. She states that they instruct
ed her to go to Oil City, and gave her directions
how to get there; also that one of them gave
her two bills, ten and a five, with which to
procure subsistence for herself and horse on the
route. When asked what she did with the
money, she at first did not seem to recollect and
at length said she spent it, but did not say
what tor. However, it is supposed she lost the
money. These thieves told her that they would
take another route to OIL City, where they
would meet her, and take charge of the horse;
also that their gang had their headquarters
there, and that they had run off many horse
to OIL City. They furthermore boasted that
IN had stolen a span in Cleveland worth $780,
They placed her on the horse, and started her
of, and that is the last she saw of them. In
stead of taking the prescribed route, Louisa
changed the programme by taking route OF
her own choosing.
"She finally took refuge in the haystacE
where she was found, badly frozen."