Deshazo Depositions

1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre
DEPOSITIONS

                                                                  (4) DEPOSITIONS ON BEHALF OF ALLEN P. DESHAZO

About This Record

State of Arkansas
                         SS
County of Carroll

Be it remembered that on this 23rd day of October, 1860, personally came and appeared before me, John Bunch, an acting Justice of the Peace, duly commissioned and qualified as such within and for said county, James Deshazo, who being duly sworn according to law, to testify the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in relation to the amount, quality, and value of certain property which Allen P. Deshazo started with to California, in the month of April 1857, upon his oath deposed as follows;

I was well acquainted with the said Allen P. Deshazo, who left this county in the month of April 1857, bound for California. He left in company of John T. Baker and I have no doubt but what he was murdered in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He left here with the following described personal property. He had seventeen head of stock cattle. The most of the lot were likely heifers and were worth in cash over two hundred dollars the morning he left here. I do not think he had but one steer in the lot, and they were a likely well selected lot of cattle. This together with his wearing apparel worth over fifty dollars, and a violin worth ten dollars was all the property that I now remember that the said Allen P. had when he left. I believe that his cattle, clothing and all he started with the morning he left here for California was worth in cash in this market the sum of Three hundred dollars. The said Allen P. Deshazo was my son, and I have a correct knowledge of his outfit, and further this deponent saith not, so help me God.

James Deshazo

Sworn to and subscribed to before me this 23rd day of
October A.D. 1860

John Bunch, J.P.

And at the same time and place came Hugh A. Torrance, who after being duly sworn according to law to testify the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in regard to the matters deposed to in the annexed deposition of James Deshazo, deposed as follows, that is to say;

I was acquainted with Allen P. Deshazo who left here in company with John T. Baker in the month of April 1857, bound for California. He had sixteen head of as likely young cattle as I ever saw in my life. They were all heifers and young cows, and were a well selected lot of cattle. Taking into consideration the kind of cattle he had, and the cost, trouble, and expense attendant on getting said cattle together, I would say that the morning he left here with said cattle, they were worth at a low cash price the sum of fifteen dollars per head, and I have no idea that the said Allen P. Deshazo would have taken twenty five dollars per head for the lot of cattle when he started with them and from my knowledge of his cattle, clothing, and outfit with which he started, I suppose it would be a low estimate to put the amount of what his property was worth the morning he left here, at three hundred dollars. And perhaps a larger sum and further this deponent saith not, so help me God.

                  H. A. Torrance

Subscribed and sworn to before me this the 23rd day of
October, A.D. 1860

                 John Bunch, J.P.

And at the same time and place came Lorenzo D. Rush, a witness known to me to be of lawful age, and who after being duly sworn according to law as required to the matters in the caption, hereof mentioned upon his oath aforesaid, deposed as follows:

I saw the cattle the said Allen P. Deshazo, and was well acquainted with the parties, or a great many of them who left in company with John T. Baker in the month of April, in the year 1857. I had a son who left in the same crowd, and who no doubt was with the crowd when they were all murdered at Mountain Meadows. From my knowledge of the county, the price of cattle, etc, in the spring of 1857, I think the estimate of one made by witness James Deshazo and H.A. Torrance as to the worth of the property with which the same Allen P. Deshazo started with to California, is herewith correct, and that the said estimate is a reasonable one, and further this deponent saith not, so help me God.

                            Lorenzo D. Rush

                           John Bunch, J.P.

State of Arkansas

                   SS

County of Carroll

I, John Bunch, an acting Justice of the Peace within and for said county, duly commissioned and qualified as such within, and for said county, do hereby certify that the foregoing depositions of James Deshazo, H. A. Torrance, and Lorenzo D. Rush, were all separately taken, reduced to writing in their presence and read over to them respectively, and by them sworn and subscribed to before me this 23rd day of October 1860, and I do hereby certify that I am personally well acquainted with said several witnesses, and that they are all respectable persons, and entitled to full credit. Given under my hand as such Justice the day and year where written.

                            John Bunch, J.P.

State of Arkansas

                    SS

County of Carroll

I, Sam W. Peel, as the clerk of circuit court and exoficio clerk of the County Court of said county of Carroll and State of said, do hereby certify, that John Bunch whose genuine official signature appears to the annexed on foregoing certificate, was at the time of taking depositions and the making of said certificate, and acting Justice of the Peace duly commissioned and qualified as such, within and for said county, and that his said certificate is in due form of law and by the proper officer. That his signature thereto affixed is genuine and in his own proper hand writing, and full faith, and credit are all his official acts as such Justice of the Peace. In testimony witness whereof, I, Sam W Peel, a clerk of said court as aforesaid herein to, set my hand and private seal (the public seal of said court having been destroyed by fire), This 25th day of October A.D. 1860.

                               S W Peel

Source: Territorial Papers of the United States Senate 1789 - 1873, Roll 15, Utah, December 31, 1849 - June 11, 1870. These records were discovered by Paul Buford Fancher during the course of his research for Richard Fancher (1700-1764) of Morris County, New Jersey: Richard Fancher's descendants 1764-1992: Fancher-Fansher-Fanchier-Fanshier, which was published in 1993.

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