New-York daily tribune., 1857-09-26
AN ESCAPE FROM SALT LAKE.

The following narrative is from the pen of John
Davies, a young Welshmsn, who emigrsted to SAT-
Lake with his family ago from Maestsg,
South Wales. II is taken from private letter, dated
Council Bluffs City, Iowa, June %;
"I guess YOU are anxious TO Know the reason wny
left Salt Lake. shall Try, in the first place, 10 m
form you what a man must d. to be Mormon. ne
must give bmself. his family, and sil his POSSESSIONS
over TO Brigham Young, and then he II have 70 give
tbe t,nh Of al his income-the tenth days woTk]sno
be must keep from two TO ten wives. II ne SGn
agree TO these things, he had better quit; out oy oon
40 be is in danger Of losipg his life every minute, Tor
they would rather kill him than let him be the means
Of letting the world know how things are In their
midst Many have been shot down in trying 10 esc
| have seen dozens shot down on the street; ana
three days before / left l saw three persons
killed merely because they intended TO escape
they shot down in place called sprlnene..o
while they preparing their trunks TO leave IN"
took place about 3 O'Clock on Sunday morniI Z,
was yopng man called Wiism Parish; he received
seven balls in his body. The second was his fsiher'
and the third was called Potter, whose body re-
ceiyed a. many a. fifteen balls. The old man w.s
ferent places. l saw them lying down, and I could
rarne The persons who killed them. Brigham Young
has got men for this purpose Their number is tour
hundred. They sre called the " Destroying An
g.ls." Then, captains name is william hickman
and the secoud In commend is Porter Roc
"1he walls around the city are 10 feet high and
they are surrounded by deep and wide nost. The
city is entered by four gates, which are watched IN
one vehicle can pass through at once The Destroy
irg Angels go out the plains in the Spring, in
order to intercept those who may escape from the
city, Many left on foot last January. They sleep by
day AID travel by night. know OF men and women
who have Travelled this way-.he men dressed az
women and the women men. i csme across some
who were very short Of food; the little they had they
gave to the women, and the men were principally sus'
tanned by the womens milk
~ left Salt Lake City on the 18th of April, in com
papy with two Welshmen and an African. The few
Mornons who knew Of intentions said that We
would never reach the States alive, but told them
that was determined to ny, whatever wouia occur;
On Saturday, the day after we left we had Travelled
thirty mies from the city when We saw three men io
kwing us. They were sent by the authorities OF the
city 10 catch US. The name OF one ives Patrick Lnch
ar Irishman by birth and Secretary to Brigham Young
1i man fired his revolver Gt me, but the ball went by
without hurting ne. They taen came near US on the
horses and inquired names, and when we refused &C
toll them they that they would blow our damned
biaips out With that OF them raised his revolver
as he was goirg 10 use ithe had one each side o.
the SADDLE. then took on. my revolver and told
him TO FIRE if he liked. had six revolyers with me
and life, coBtainirg in all thirty seven bai!s: An
Other bal then fired at me, which whs';ed oy my
left cheek. / then fired az hin and one ball hit hin
on the leg and another on the shoulder. MY fr1ends
by this time had nun III the woods and was left to
fight il ont myself then os my footing, and one Of
the men run az lie Win knIe ana cut my poN OIL,
took four Of my ievolyeIs had the other two hid
in uy boos. get hold Of one of them and fired, aud
succeeded il keeping them off for eeme time till !
had chance to to the woods, where got the as
slstarce Of my friends.
ave continued to travel that day aud the following
plight and succeeded in reaching plscc called Fort
Bidger which is one hundred and thirteen miles from
the Valley. The number of pursGers had now in-
creased 10 twenty and we had to put to the woods
again. We travelled till night, ard were 90 fortunate
as TO meet a host of fr endy Indians, who gave us
buffalo meat 10 eat. The mex: day overlook .
number of wagons, known Mrs. Rabbits train, in
uumber twenty eight l was hired to drive one
wagon which was drawn by six mules. We had some
trouble with lot OF Indians called the Crow Tribe"
They were well armed, and about thousand strong.
About six hur dred shots came into our tents. We
killed sboat thirty Indians, and they killed I've of our
men,"