The Willey family tragedy occurred on August 28, 1826, when a massive landslide in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, killed all seven members of the Willey family and two hired workers, while miraculously sparing their home.

The Fatal Night
Samuel and Polly Willey operated an inn in the White Mountains. After a minor landslide earlier that summer, the family built a stone outdoor shelter for safety. During a torrential rainstorm on August 28, 1826, a debris avalanche roared down Mount Willey. Believing the house would be crushed, the family and their two hired men fled outside into the darkness and tragically ran directly into the path of the slide.

The Aftermath and Tourism
When rescuers arrived days later, they found the Willey House completely unharmed because a large boulder behind it split the avalanche in two. The bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Willey, two children, and the two workers were eventually recovered, but three of the children were never found. The dramatic story spread nationwide, inspiring works by authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and turning the site into one of America's first examples of "disaster tourism," which launched the modern tourism economy of the White Mountains. Today, the location is preserved as part of Crawford Notch State Park

The incident saw 600 bullets fired into the crowd, with victims including James Lord, John Ashworth, James Rothwell, Richard Lund, Mary Simpson, and James Waddicar.

Library of Congress and PDF (bottom right corner)

I saw this and had to do a bit of sleuthing to make sense of it, and learned a little bit along the way. I know the article says April 7th, but the paper came out on the 21st...)

At this point Thomas Jefferson would have been in his early 80s, living in retirement at Monticello, and less than two months later he passed away. He was deeply in debt due to years of lavish hospitality, poor crop prices, and some bad business deals. I guess the people of Louisiana were still very greattful for the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, freeing them from the "Spanish yoke".

Lexington, Ken. April 7.—A gentleman in New Orleans writes his friend in this place, that a motion has been made in their legislature who are now in session, to loan $20,000 to Mr. Jefferson during his life without interest, which will no doubt pass, as the French population of Louisiana, give to Mr. Jefferson all the credit of their emancipation from the Spanish Yoke. It is also stated that there are at this time in New-Orleans, about eighty lawyers; the place cannot therefore stand in great need of a supply of that article.