The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-08-04
Cornell BLUFFS, June l3, 1853.

NV DEAP FR1ENp-You remember that
when I left YOU at Keokuk, promised to
write to YOU, and inform you Of my progress
and of anv items of interest toyou. All the
men walk, and many of the women-num-
hers who have been sick. chiefly suppose,
from the effects of their exhausting labor,
and unhealthy exposure. do not complain
| Of ANYTHING. thus far, but | look forward with
| fearful forebodings to the rest OF our long
iournev, None OF the men are familiar with
such a iourney-they know nothing OF the
best mode of conducting such task-are
;onorant Of the use and care of cattle-not
acquainted with the route-unused to foro-
ing streams and passing mountains anu als
in fact. quite incompetent to manage sucn
an expedition. Men who have always Deen
used to the dull round OF mechanics me.
in England, are very slow to learn' even
they had competent persons TO teach 'nem.
| Our provisions, too, though enough are pa1.
4 " spoiled by the excessive hot weatner, anu
we are even now sick OF the stale monotony
| of pork, potatoes and bread. sickness III
creases upon us-many are exhausteo "
the hard work at day, the watching At nlgnt.
and the poor food. Between the enects Oh
disease and exhaustion. fear that nundfeGs
of us will lay down upon the wayslde. Al
though some Of the company-not caring "
rnurmur breath of discontent-keep sui
! len silence, which looks very much IKE IT,
you would not expect me to DO either. lou
know enough of my reasons for coming, 70
understand that. From my very Childhood
| had learned to regard England, as a huge
monster, crushing the lives and craunching
the bones Of its exhausted victims. / asso-
ciated, in my earliest thoughts, the poverty
and sufierings of my father. with the cruel
and merciless despotisin that tyranized over
the laboring classes, and when, in my ear
liest years, was taken to the shop, to help
my father, the cracks and wounds upon my
tender hands, and the blisters upon my feet,
sharpened my memory OF wrong.
have told you somewhat of my history
of the difficulties with which struggled for
the bare support Of my family--of the times
when grim starvation stared at us all--when
solitary loaf was all that we could obtain.
You, in a land of freedom and plenty, know
nothing of such things. have seen, in the
north of England poor woman. working at
the anvil, in a condition of shameless nudity,
making nails for the mere pittance of shil-
ling a day-out Of which she must pay for
the very coal she uses in her forge: of the
rest, what the church and the landlord do
not get, goes to keep life in herself and
children. Your ears would tingle, if / should
tell you the half of what have known Of
the family-and more than one-who have
fought long years, against impending suffer-
ing and hunger, who have looked forward and
dreaded starvation. until at a last resort, the
daughter of comely face and attractive per-
son, has been driven out, by her own moth
er to a life OF infamy, to obtain in the streets
of London, the wages of sin, wherewith to
support furnishing household. How awful
that condition, of which it is SO horrible To
speak! How often does man starve to
death in your own country! you never heard
of such thing. But in England you can
every day.
For years, and years, had struggled, with
fading hope, for a comfortable support. ]
hated the political monster that fed upon
my vitals When Mormonism appeared in
London at once hailed it as means Of de.
Iiverance from my life long bondage. The
teaching of my youth, and the experience of
my manhood had built up in my heart, an in
tense hatred of my native country coun.
try, which, but a few months ago, BY the Sc
cret eontriyances OF mercenary hirelings en-
ticed party of thoughtless Chartsts into
insurrecton and then arrested and punish
ed them for the offence it had bribed them
to commit. But fell in with the Mormons.
tell you here. that there were hundreds Of
others, like myself, who cared nothing about
their creed, who believed not a word OF the
Mormon faith, but were only anxious to get
out of the shadow ofthe English government
and without any other means OF coming to
this country we adopted Mormonism for this
purpose. We preferred this course, to the
sutferings we endured in England. Though
we have suffered much since we left Eng
land, vet none of us regret the step. When
we arrived at New Orleans, and saw the
slaves all about Us, so happy and cheerful,
we'll supported and free from care, We said
to each other, how many thousands of our
countrymen would gladly exchange places
with these blacks-how much would We
prefer the life of those negroes, to that We
have seen and felt in England.
only regret this--that did not remain
in the state of Iowa. Iwish you would see
Mr.. --- and Mr.. --- and inform them of
this letter and tell them they were wise in
refusing to come farther than Keokuk