The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1866-01-20
A ARVE3EOgCs STORY.

"
the Cincinnati Commerciai of January 10Th,
to which paper it is Communicated rom
Petersburg, Mahouing Co, Ohio, by lady
signing herself &c. Josephine S. 1t Is too
marvellous to be true, and vet too marvellous
also TO be all invention
l have Just returned from the ccntempla-
,ion of Il scene that would certainly rIelt the
stoaiest hear. 10 compassion, the like of
which | hope never TO behold again, and
which even now appears 10 me more like the
wild coniurationS of a dream than reality.
Petersburg is situated only one mile from
the Penns yivaui1 line, AMI TIE remarkable
occurrence that | am about 20 I0t carefully
down Tor the columns of the C0mm@rcilE
took place three miles from Que village, IN
the Eeigl.boring State.
On last Thursday evening. the 4th inst,
US q little boy was returning from school,
across the fields. on nearing Il couple OF hay
stacks he heard paiutiye means apparently
proceeding therefrom. accompanied by faint
articu!ations of a human voice He distinct
ly heard the ejaculation, Ny God! my
God - The boy hurried 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 neignbors
on TIE way, took them along to the stack OF
hay
On reaching the spot, and going round one
Of the stacks from whence the sounds pro-
cesded, they discovered some rags prOtrud-
ing from the base, and, OIL investigation,
what was their surprise - lind = yOltity ytrt,
an entire stranger, literally burrowcd III the
hay. seemingly helpless, ami IN a diving con-
dition. She raised pair U! blae, swollen
eyes 10 the gcatieuieas > tall.cd !a:es, and
implorei them not to move her, 10 let her lie
there and die, for she waz f'o-an ,s.A starred,
and aid had arrived too late, However, the
gentlemen raised her as gently as tney could.
and, though the gsntest motion aggravated
her su:feriugs. succeeded in carrying her
back to Mr.. DavidsoE's farm house. While
the inmates were cndcavOriug 10 make he.
as comfortable as possible. they proceeded to
examine The mysterious -har-e 81 suddenly
cast upon their care. She was cyideat.Y hot
nor. than sixteen wears Of aye, and scau;Ily
and miserajiy clad. ! taterea igess clung
aro nj her attenua,ed form, and Il garment
that hal once been an under skirt she had
torn in two, one STR p being tied about her
head, and the othe- ~rapDe Lahaul her feet.
On taking of the wrappitgs they we're
greeted by a ir!ghtlul spectacle. Her feet
were terribly b,ackened and swollen with
being frozen and her whole bo1y was discol-
ored, W lie the agonzed creature told them
that IT seemed 10 her all the flesh OH hen
body was pierced with knives, and ready Jl
drop off her bones - TIey sent for Il pby-
.ician, and in the mean time did all they
could to alleviate her sufier.n3s, bat wiki
little success. Water, WAS her crv, and
the small quantities they gave her she drank
with furnishing eagcruCss. S!.e told them
that she had been lying in the s;.cl; where
thcy discovered her tor two weeks, witbGut 4:
riorsel of food This they cuu!i not credit
al the time, thrnk,ng that her distress hac
brwi!dered her recollection. However, sh,
seemed lucid. Her story, which she s!il
steadis.stly adhere5 to, IL lis witness no con
iu-ations OF the most yiyidly iuagiualiv,
noyeis,'s brain could surpass, if equal. Sh'
gives her name "a Louisa Black says ii sh'
lives she will be fifteen Ia April next. anc
appears to be 4 girl OF Intelligence and reli
sious principles She ayers that she reside,
in Nj souri, until the fall Of 1861, when he
father became infatuated with the Mormon
faith "a number Of Mormons being settled
near them, aud, IN opposition to the wIshe
OF hi. wife and family, made preparations Il
remove to Salt Lake City. As he could no
be turned from his purpose, his family re
luc:autly accom- panied, and were uumbereg
among the inhabitants OF the polluted city
while Mr. Black was ut once enrolled anon,
the saints They had been there for 81!
months, during which time matters ID beer
growing from bad TO worse, when the crisi,
arrived IL the shape of Mrs. Black No. .
whom the husband and father had the auda
city to install over the household. The famil
were now wrou ht up 30 desperation, an
Mrs. Black No. |, with her three daughter,
resolved to make their escape from Utah, Il
the same time being cognizant that the Wa
was rife with danger, aud that II capture
death would be their certain doom. Louis
gees on to say that they succeeded in eludin
vigilance. and made their eseape from Sa
Lake City on the 10th of !sst June, with nj
$l2 III their purse, and turned their face
toward the States.
The grl cannot recall much of their jour
nev, which is to her a chaos of appallln
fear pri.a:iou aud despair. She SAYS the
kep. mostly 10 the woods and ravues, an
all covert places, to avoid discovery, an
gave their former home il. AilssOu: :. vie
berth, tor fear of the many Mormons ther
And s., according TO Louisil's narrative. tn,
travelled on, and OF, and on, still eastwar
n;th 40 idea of any destination, bcset Wi
e''lears Within, and, as they imagined, ''io
without" subsisting on berries and root
and whateycr chanced them III their pat
AT length one Of the sisters died from exp
-sure and priya;ion, and c0-ering her up
the woods, they still wandered on. Sct
another sister perished, and Louisa and b
mother alone pursued their wild and aimle
flight. while il seemed that death was to
ats only terminus. They were continual
haunted with fear, distrusted the who
human race, while every sound they hea
they con- ured into the footsteps Of pursuel
AT length exhausted nature gave way, an
in the lonely seclusion Of the forest, NJ
Black lay down, never to rise again VIII
she died, the poor, stricken, half Graz
wanderer covered her mothers rigid tor
with leaves-the only burial, the only shro
that her feeble, unaided hands could gi,
Louisa says that, up to the hour of her dea
her mother feared to look behind her, Il
she should behold the ruthless pursuers
their tracks. She thinks it must have be
in the vicinity of Cleveland that her motl
died. in>tead Of asking any assistance,
clung 10 the mania Of fear and uOncealme
that had stricken each member of tho fu
tive band, GI,d wandered onward, deso
aud alone. She tells of being at Greeuy
Pennsylvania, and of finally arriving
MiddieSex, where she says she lay concea
for three days on the farm of Mr. EdmOus
This WIS about the 9th of December.
tbs point her narrative becomes more 4
IN IRE range, and many a thrilling romar
Of brigands and hiphwaymen has been ST
from a far sienderer thread. She proce