Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-12-04
From the Plitsburg (Pa,) Gazette /
EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY,


On Saturday there arrived in our city fror
indianapolis person possessing history s
remarkable in its way, that but few ind
vlduals in any region or any time have fun
nished the parallel to it. Indeed we doub
It any record is known OF experiences simila
IN their cause, progress and results, to tn
| experiences of the person of whom we speak
She is a young girl, not yet seventeen
rather delicate than robust in physigue; pos
sessing high degree of intelligence; havlnI
manners at once modest and winning; anC
before the terrible ordeal through which, faI
from scatheless, she has come, was giile(
with more beauty of form and feature, than
usually falls to the lot of womanhood, ever
at seventeen
Yet this beautiful girl has gone through ,
terrible and sharp experience the mere con
temptation OF which would make the braves
ana hardest pioneer tremble, appalled,, and
winch might safely be promised to kill the
toughest hunter of the Rocky Mountains OIL
the African jungles.
Our readers certainly remember the extra
ordinary case Of Louisa Blackman, Cor Black
burn, as the name was enormously spelled
IN the papers at the time of the occurrence J
who last winter was found horribly frozen
near haystack, in Lawrence county, in
this State, and whose account of her suffer.
u.
was published throughout the country, and
excited universal comment. This Girl, on
Saturday afternoon, arrived in the city, and
is now stopping at the Eagle Hotel, on the
corner of Second and Rose Streets. We
have received the story of her remarkable
sufterings from her ownlips since she arrived
in the city, and the facts, as related by her,
are substantially as follows;
In the year 1860, Thomas Blackman, the
father of Louisa, was living with his family
at Jefferson City, Missouri, whittier he had
removed from Joliet, Illinois. Blackman
was strongly predisposed to Mormonism, his
father having lived in that faith for the last
lew years OF his life, and died in il at last.
AT length yielding to his inclinations and the
persuasions of others, Blackman determined
TO become saint" and in the autumn of
1850, took his family and started with several
other families for Salt Lake City. They
reached the chief city of Mormondom at
length, and eventually Thomas Blackman
was received into the Church of Brigham
Young. SorelY against the wishes and ex-
postulations of his wife and three daughters
the new convert adopted the social customs
OF his new belief and added another wife TO
his household This new state of things was
endured by the first wife and his children as
long as possible, but at length the indignities
servances surrounding them on every hand,
became intolerable, and they determined to
escape from this empire of corruption to the
bounds of civilization. Accordingly. in the
month of April, 1862, having brayed the
denominations of Mormondom for year and
a half, they prepared to brave the horrors OF
the wilderness as an escape.
One night, in the month mentioned, when
circumstances favored, they passed the sen.
tmels surrounding the city and entered the
Wilderness They were accompanied at the
stqrt by Mrs. Ward, who proposed to escape
with them. This unfortunate woman, how.
ever, was soon recaptured and suffered the
penalty affixed, by Mormon law, TO the crime
OF attempting to esoape-was hung. Mrs.
Blaekman and her three daughters kept on
rapidly for that night and portion of next
day, until they reached rocky cave, known
rs the Lions Mouth, - some thirty miles
from the city. There they lay hid for several
days until they judged the heat of the pursuit
was over and then started out again. Louisa
states that while they remained concealed in
the cave, they more than once heard the bay-
ing of the bloodhounds of the pursuers.-
They struck out now across the plain, pro.
posing TO reach some point of civilization on
the other side of the mighty desert. Think
OF woman and three helpless girls with
only such food as they could carry in a
bundle, with no sufficient knowledge of the
country before them, with no guide to direct
OF counsel them, and with only the strength
of feeble womanhood to defend them from
the multiplied horrors OF their fearful ionr.
ney, undertaking passage that men accom-.
pllsh only in strong and thoroughly equipped
parties.
These women undertook this Journey. OF
thelr progress and the unimaginable suffer.
fInU nnf NIavo l.. II.
knows anything, and that is Louisa. the
single survivor of the feeble party Size
states that when they had been some three
months ON their journey, her youngest
sister, girl of some thirteen years Of acc,
died OF starvation and exhaustion. A week
later the elder sister, aged about four een
also died-starved to death. Louisa was
stronger, healthier and more robust than The
others, and the hardships of the Journey
made less impression ON her.
Leaving the corpses of the dead girls unon
INC plain, the mother and her one child con-
tlnued their weary way of increasing terrors
Their little stock of food had been exhausted
IN the first few days, and they could rei
nothing hut such precarious subsistence as
the prairie afforded. They had brought
plenty ofmoneY with them, but what mines
OF gold would it not have taken TO purchase
a meal in the midst of that world of desolo.
ton. They had brought bow and arrow
with them, and with these they killed an
occasional bird or gopher, which they de-
voured raw. Now and then, also, thew on I.
countered some edible roots. These were
their ieasts, with intervals OF fasting, days
in length between. At length, SOME two
months after the death of her children Mrs
Blackman also laid down and died frst
making Louisa promise that she would con.
tinue her journey, and endeavor to reach
"the States"
Louisa, alone, now continued to follow the
Indian trail, living as heretofore, till al last
she fell in with party of Fox Indians. who
took charge OF and clothed and fed her.
treating her with the greatest Kindness and
conducting her 10 white settlement aboni
one Rno1 nunHred and fity miles tthhs side Of the
A0Gky 'i0ilntains. The post was reached
by Louisa some nine months from the time
OF the commencement Of her horrible Jour
ney. She tarried here and when She became
strong went 10 Jefferson City, and last winter
p MI Nla.aat..