The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-01-19
A Remarkable Story.

ESCAPE OF A YOUNG GIRL FROM THE NOR
MoN's-HER sUFFERINGs.
A correspondent of the Cincinnati CONNER
cidl, writing from Petersburg, Ohio, gives
long account of the adventures of a young
girl named Louisa Black, who recently escap-
ed from the Mormon community in Salt Lake
city and endured great suffering. The SUBJ
stance of the story is as follows:
. son Thursday evening, 4th inst, as a bow
was returning from school across the fields.
near Petersburg, on nearing couple of hay
stacks he heard plaintive means, apparently
proceeding theretrom, accompanied by faint
articulations OF human voice. He distinctly
heard the ejaculation, MY God my Godp-
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 neighbors on the
way, took them along to the stack of hay.
"On reaching the spot and going round one
of the stacks from whence the sounds proceed
ed, they discovered some rags protruding from
the base, and, on investigation, what was their
surprise to find young girl, an entire stranger
literally burrowed in the hay, seemingly help
less and in dying condition. She raised a
pair of blue eyes to the gentlemen's startled
faces and implored them not to move her, to
let her lie there and die, for she was frozen
and starved and aid had arrived too late =
However, the gentlemen raised her as gently
as they could, and, though the gentlest mo-
ton aggravated her sulferings, succeeded in
carrying her back to Mr.. Davidson's farm
house. She was evidently not more than six
teen years of age, and scantily and miserably
clad. A tattered dress ciung around her, and
garment that had once been an under skirt
she had tori. in two, one strip being tied
about her head, and the other wrapped about
her feet. - ,-ss.
"Sne AYERS that she resided in Missouri un-
til the fail of 1854, when her father became in
fatuated with the Mormon faith IA number of
Mormons being settled near them,) and in Cd
position to the wishes of his wife and family,
made preparations to remove to Salt Lake
city. As he could not be turned from his
purpose, the family reluctantly accompanied
him, and were numbered among the inhabi-
tants of that city, While Mr.. Black was at once
enrolled among the Saints" They had been
there for six months, during which time mat
tiers had been growing from bad to worse,
when the crisis arrived, In the shape of Mrs.
Black No. 2. The family were now wrought
up to desperation, and Mrs. Black No. 1, with
her three daughters, resolved to make her es-
cape from Utah, at the same time being cog
INFANT 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
Guiding vigilance, and made their escape fiom
SAT- Lake City on the 10th of last June, with
only twelve dollars in their purse and turned
their faces toward the states.
1.-The girl says they kept mostly to the woods
and raVlnes, anu all covert places, to avoid
discovery, and gave their former home in
Missouri wide berth for fear Of the many
Mormons there. At length one OF the sisters
died from exposure and privation, and cover
ing her up in the woods they wandered on
Soon another sister perished and Louisa and
her mother alone pursued their flight. At
length Mrs. Black lay down, never to rise
again. Louisa thinks it must have been in
the vicinity of Cleveland that hermother died.
Instead Of asking any assistance she wandered
on alone. She tells of being at Greenyile