The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-09-30
Especial to The Herald

IODeCldl Ill
BRIGHAM CITY, Sept 29-Three
corpses robed in white lay stretched
out in the village of Mantua today.
Their lives were suddenly blotted out
cident show it to be the most horrible
thing of the kind that ever occurred in
the history of this county.
The dead are as follows:
Mrs. niger Larsen Jeppson, aged "a.
Miss Christina Jeppson, daughter of
Mr.. and Mrs Rasmus N. Jeppson,
| aged Is.
A three and half year old girl.
child of Mr.. and Mrs. George Ipsen.
All are from the town of Mantua,
four miles east of Brigham, except the
child, whose parents were former resi-
dents.
a Herald representative today Wis
tied the scene of the accident and inter.
viewed nearly all who were in any
way connected with the fatality. The
story is as follows:
About dusk last evening a wagon
load of women and children, after Wis
! iting friends in Brigham, started for
! their homes in Mantua, 14-year-old
| lad. driving the outfit.
| 1t was quite dark when they reached
the middle of the canyon. Here on
! ing down the canyon. The occupants
were A. Patterson and Mrs. Piper, two
| aged people of Salt Lake. The road
way was so narrow that in their at
tempt to pass the hind wheels of each
vehicle locked. The wagon load OF
women was on the side next the roar
ing creek The boy gave the lines to
one of the women, got out and attemp-
! ted to lead Patterson's horse. 1t
| backed the buggy into the other team
unhitching tug. Thus released, the
wagon with its precious load of HUI
mainly started to roll backwards down
! the steep incline of about 80 feet, drag
cling the horses with it. The wagon so
cramped in rushing down the hill that
when it FLASHED into the bottom the
outfit was turned in the opposite di-
rection from what they we're travelling
AS the outfit rushed its occupants
into the jaws of death, the screams
and shrieks of the women and children
were something awful. When the wa
gon touched the bottom it was COM
pletely capsized in the middle of the
angry water The horses were thrown
struggling on their backs and the
heavy running gears came down on the
! top of the box, burying six human be-
ings in the cold water beneath it.
Miss Sarah Jeppson managed to get
out by wading through a hole where
the water was nearly up to her neck.
Mrs. George Ipsen also dragged herself
out But imagine the anguish Of shat
poor woman, for beneath that box,
pressed deep into the water by those
heavy running gears, still lay ner babe
of three years and her darling old
mother She stood in the water waist
deep and with might and main tried
every way to raise the box. over which
the torrents Of water continued to
rush. Screams issued from Lut enc of
the unfortunates as they struggled for
life, drowning like rats in trap.
At this juncture Arthur Hampson, a
young man of Brigham, came up He.
and Mr.. Patterson-who, by the way,
was too feeble and near-sighted to do
much-tried in vain to rescue the I'M
fortunates They could not raise the
box
Soon John P. Jeppson and brother
Conrad came up the canyon. When they
saw what was up they rushed heroic
ally into the dashing waters. But all
was quiet beneath the box except one
voice Mr.. Jeppson exerted mis- mighty
strength; the box raised. He reached
down beneath into the foaming waters
and drew forth Amelia Ipsen, a girl II
years of age. The girl came ont crazy.
She had been pinioned down IN that
awful dungeon of death for nearly an
| hour She tore her clothes from her
body in her frantic efforts to 5cee her
self from her rescuers. In time she
regained her senses and was saved
All this long hour poor Mrs. George
Ipsen stood in the water. she kept
close to the side of MIR. Jeppson and
when he drew forth her precious babe
the poor woman was overjoyad; but
the child was dead. The next body
found by Mr.. Jeppson was his sister
Christina, limp and lifeless. When he
rushed to the rescue he did not know
he had relatives to work for. The aged
lady was also found drowned benz ath
that fatal wagon.
The clothes We're cut from the bodies
of the victims and everything possible
was done for their recussitation, but
without avail. 1t is thought that
Christina was killed as the wagon cap
sized, as there was a deep cash cut
In the back of her neck and she was
badly bruised across the legs, arms and
breast.
All Mantua is in deep mourning to-
4 day, The terrible fatality has par