THE LATE OUTRAGES ON THE
PLAINS
ANOTHER ACCOUNT
The following
communication has bee handed us for publication, and we
give it insertion, wishing to place both sides of the
question before our readers. We have, however, submitted
it to Mr. Honea, who was of the party robbed, and who
pronounces the statement a gross misrepresentation of the
facts. The account, given of the conduct of the Bishop of
Beaver, he pronounces false in every particular. So far
from it being true, he accuses him of being the cause of
the attack on Turner and Collins, who went to the town,
the former to ask permission of the Bishop to drive the
cattle on the pasture land, and the latter to get a chain
mended, and who was pushed out of doors by the blacksmith
to be killed by the Indians. It is also false, our
informant says, that the interpreters restored 114 head of
cattle; on the contrary, he says that after extorting
$1800 from the company, they were the cause of the robbery
of their cattle; and that after the Indians had run off
the stock, one of the interpreters brought back a message
from the Indians, to the effect, that if the company
wanted to fight, for them to come onboard then Indians and
interpreters rode off together, and were seen no more.
Our informant has
give us a reason why the names of these individuals are
appended to this document, but we forbear to publish it;
he says they spoke in very different terms of the
interpreters, before coming to San Bernardino, from what
are used in this communication.
San Bernardino,
Oct. 18, 1857.
S IR:
Several gentlemen arrived in this city yesterday evening
from off the Plains between here and Great Salt Lake city.
They belong to Captains Dukes and Turner’s train, and left
the Mormon settlements some twelve of fifteen days after
the great massacre, of which I gave you a statement a few
weeks ago. It appears that they have experienced much
difficulty, and sustained great loss of property, whilst
traveling through the Indian country; a statement of which
I will give you below, having obtained it from a personal
interview with those gentlemen.
As regards the
massacre, which took place
at or near the Rim of the
Great Basin, they have no definite knowledge; but from the
information which they received and the knowledge which
they have, both in relation to the murder and the causes
which led to it, corresponds with the statement I gave you
before, and corroborates the facts as set forth by Messrs.
Mathews and Hyde.
They further say,
that they neither saw nor heard anything that would lead a
rational or unprejudiced mind to believe, or even suspect,
that any of the Utah inhabitants were instigators in the
causes, as has been intimated and even boldly asserted by
many of the encouragers of Mormon persecution and
misrepresentation, in this section of the country. But
state that the general sympathy and excitement prevalent
upon such occasions, pervades the minds of the people of
that Territory and that the Mormon interpreters have used
every means, and due diligence so far as they know, in
obtaining the children, as well as to procure information
respecting the circumstances of the catastrophe.
It seems from the
statement of Messrs. Webb and others, whose names you will
read at the close of this article, that they experienced
their first Indian troubles between Corn and Beaver Creeks
prior to leaving the settlements. The train, which
consisted of twenty-three wagons, 450 head of loose
cattle, and 107 men, women and children, divided whilst
traveling through the settlements, to obtain a better
opportunity for grazing their stock; and consequently had
arranged their encampments several miles apart. Both
divisions of the train had struck camp, the advance
parties being five or eight miles from Beaver City. An
Indian informed the Bishop of that city, that they were
going to attack the train that night. The Bishop,
immediately on the receipt of the information, sent some
young men of his city to the train, to give them the
necessary warning in regard to their danger. A portion of
the men of the advance party, in company with the Mormon
boys, went back for the purpose of bringing up the party
which was in the rear. Before their arrival, they were
fired upon by the Indians, but fortunately none of them
were injured, and they received no further molestation.
The Bishop sent, the next day, for Captains Dukes and
Turner, for the purpose giving them such information as he
thought would be beneficial under the existing
circumstances. While they, and others of their train were
in the city, they were fired upon by a number of Indians
who had collected there, and Captain Turner and one Mr.
Collins were severely wounded, but were recovering.
Having
ascertained, from these circumstances, something of the
excitement prevalent among the Indians, they thought it
best, before leaving the settlements, to get some
interpreters to come with them through the Indian country,
which they accordingly did. The interpreters were N.
Johnson, D. Carter, Mr. Shirts, Ira Hatch, Mr. Lovett, and
O. and F. Hamblin.
From the fact of a former train having been murdered on
the main road, they took a different route, on leaving the
settlements, via Harmony, which intersects with the main
traveled road, on the Rio Santa Clara, about thirty miles
from the rim of the Basin. They state, after reaching the
Santa Clara, they were surrounded almost hourly by the
Indians; but by the assistance of the interpreters, and
giving them a few head of cattle and articles of clothing,
they succeeded in getting along without material
difficulty until arriving at the Muddy, which is about 175
miles from the settlements.
They arrived at
the Muddy about ten o’clock in the morning, and being
surrounded by about 200 Indians, they made preparations
for leaving by 4 o’clock
P.M., of the same
day. While stopping there, the Indians kept out of the
encampment, measurably, though not without much
difficulty. After leaving camp, and having traveled about
seven miles on the road, (the train being scattered along
on the road, as large trains commonly are) were surrounded
by about 400 Indians, and 326 head of their cattle were
driven off.
(Note: The statement published below
was stated to be "unqualifiedly false" by
William Webb in the article in the 7 November 1857 Los
Angeles Star.)
Mr. Webb, whose
name you will read below, was in advance of the stock, (it
being eight or nine o'clock in the night,) and an Indian
boy, who fell in on leaving the Muddy, who was pretending
to assist in driving; the Indian asked for water, and on
being informed by Mr. Webb that he had none, the boy
immediately stopped to one side and made a noise, which is
thought to have been a signal. They were immediately
surrounded by the Indians, and the cattle were being drove
off by the Indians in spite of every endeavor to prevent
it. The interpreters thought it best not to fire upon
them; and Mr. Hamblin told the men that if they thought
anything of the women and children, to go back to the
wagons and protect them, until he could ascertain what the
difficulty or excitement was. After returning to the
wagons and seeing no Indians there, Hamblin and others of
the train went in pursuit of the cattle, and succeeded in
getting back 114 head of lame stock, that had been left
behind. The other interpreters were still with the
Indians, or supposed to be, endeavoring to get them to
bring the cattle back. Mr. Hamblin, and others of the
train, after returning with the 114 head, went again in
pursuit of the stock, and on arriving near to the Muddy,
found that a vast number of the Indians had stopped in a
deep hollow, in the rear of the cattle, which were, to all
appearance, being driven still further off. Here the men
stopped, considering it unsafe to go any further. Mr.
Hamblin told the men he would go down to the Indians, and
if he found that it was not safe for them to come down he
would fire a pistol, which would be a signal for them to
go back to the wagons. Soon after going down, he fired two
shots from his pistol, and the men returned to their
wagons, and drove right on for the Las Vegas, which is
about sixty miles from the Muddy.
This was the last
ever seen of the Indians or interpreters. What the result
was, or may turn out to be, time alone can develop. I
understand that there are a variety of opinions in regard
to the conduct of the interpreters; but those, whose
signatures are hereunto annexed, are of the opinion that
the interpreters did all in their power to save the lives
of the persons in the train, and to preserve the stock.
But not having heard what became of them, they are at a
loss to know what will be the result; but believe that
they have either been killed or are forcibly detained by
the Indians in some way or other.
Signed, W M.
WEBB,
I RAH
BAISE, WM. S. BLEDSOE,
W M.
H. TANNEHILL.
The above named
gentlemen left the train at the Cottonwood Springs. In all
probability, before the others get in, something more
relative to the circumstances may be found out.
I received the
following letter this evening, from Ellis Eames, Esq.,
which I will send enclosed, relating to the relief party
which left here this morning.
Yours truly,
J. WARD
CHRISTIAN,
San Bernardino.
M R.
J. WARD CHRISTIAN Dear Sir: Intelligence reached here
yesterday, that a company of emigrants had been robbed by
the Indians, near the Muddy, between here and Salt Lake,
and were in a suffering condition on the plains for want
of provisions. As soon as I heard the report, which is
undoubtedly true, I commenced circulating a subscription,
and must say, for the credit of San Bernardino, that the
first man I met was Ebenezer Hanks; he told me to look no
farther for any amount of flour that was wanted; he would
furnish sufficient individually. Mr. Bachman, of Los
Angeles, being here on business, put up an ample amount of
groceries. Lewis Jacobs & Co.; Dixon & Co., of the
Rainbow; U. U. Tyler, and others, soon loaded a four mule
team, belonging to Mr. Phineas Daily, who volunteered his
services to haul the supplies; a sufficient number of men
also volunteered for the protection of the supplies. It is
expected that they will meet the suffering train at the
last crossing of the Mohave, or in the vicinity of the
Bitter
Springs.
ELLIS EAMES.
T HE
GUNNISON MURDER In connection with the above, and to do
full justice to the Mormons, in this matter also, who have
been so repeatedly charged in public speeches, and also in
newspapers, with complicity in the murder of the late
Captain Gunnison, we make the following extract from the
Report of Lieut. E. J. Beckwith, who succeeded Gunnison in
the command of the party, and who completed the survey
commenced by that officer to which our attention has been
directed during the week. The extract is from the report
made to the Hon. Jefferson Davis, late Secretary of War:
The statement
which has from time to time appeared (or been copied) in
various newspapers of the country since the occurrence of
these sad events, charging the Mormons or Mormon
authorities with instigating the Indians to, if not
actually aiding them in, the murder of Captain Gunnison
and his associates, is, I believe not only entirely false,
but there is no accidental circumstance connected with it
affording the slightest foundation for such a charge.
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