Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1858-10-21
Army Life in Utah.
SALT LAKE City,

bSdT OFT w Ill you nave u little NEWS
from this famous place; little Army gos
sip, and little gossip about the saints
Col. Waite, who has been in command
of the fifth regiment, has just been reliev-
ed by the arrival of another officer, and
has gone to New York State Dr. Baily
went with him. The Tenth regiment and
the Fifth are encamped near each other.
They are having rather dull time, drill
ling their men, and wishing the Mormons
were-well no matter where. Living is
very high and very poor with our Utah ar
my at present. Butter IS cents pound,
milk 30 cents quart, potatoes 40 cents
bushel, onions and beets- 6 cents apiece.
So the military are not to be envied. They
are acting policemen just now. They were
sent out to punish traitors, but they are re-
ceiving all the punishment themselves.
On the 18th of August the two Judges
appointed by Mr.. Buchanan left the Army
camp to 60 to the town of Fillmore
They called on Gen. Johnston for an es-
cort; he gave them two companies of drag
goons.
The Army camp is about to be moved
few miles, to point where preparations
are being made for winter. Huts are be-
ing built there of clay, in the shape of large
bricks, and dried in the sun (adobe)
Each officer is to have room Is feet
square, with walls feet high the earth
for floor, and perhaps Heaven for cell
ing, in part, at least, for though sort of
roof will be made, it will be holy one
The Mormons are at work making the
adobes at least one hundred Mormons are
now at work, and they have contracted to
make one million and half of them. Af
ter they are completed the troops will move
and it will take the soldiers month to
make their preparations for winter.
This ,oar is a capital thing for the Nor
mons; they sell their vegetables, &c, at
their own price, pretty generally, Though
every day an officer is detailed to attend to
the prices of things brought to camp to
SELL then they require Mormons' prices
for their labor, in short, it is fine thing
for the Mormons to have the troops out
here to eat all they want to sell.
AS to Brigham, he fares sumptuously
every day. His house is very fine; it is
said to have cost sixty thousand dollars.
On the cupola is bee hive, beautifully
carved in wood. In this house he attends
to business, receives visitors, and here re-
sides Mrs. Brigham No l. In the house
next TO this all the other Mrs Brighams
live-say fifty or sixty, and over the portico
of this house is large lion, carved from
stone. The lion is finely done, and is in
recumbent position. Around these two
houses is an immense wall, built of stone
enclosing the entire square, (about as large
as one of your Washington squares.) The
gates are heavy and strong, like the sally
port of fort. Within this wall are always
forty or fifty armed men, Brigham is quite
domestic man; perhaps he is a little afraid
to 90 at large, and then he has, no doubt,
fine society at home. He must be, liter
ally, a lion at one of his wives soirees
Salt Lake city is beautifully laid out and
the approach to it is very fine. 1t is laid
out in large squares, and the streets are
very wide; and every house has an acre of
ground about it, which is we'll cultivated
The houses are all built of adobe Every
street has water running through it, cool
spring water brought from the mountains
One of the officers met in Salt Lake city
an old acquaintance, turned Mormon The
Mormon received the officer kindly, invited
him to his house, was anxious to renew the
old acquaintance, and even bore kindly
the officers laugh at that pile of stones, as
the officer called the celebrated Echo canon
defence of the Mormons, raised to prevent
the approach of our troops to the city
These defenees could have been easily ta-
ken without the loss of man.
The view of Lake Utah from the Army
camp is very fine; but thes is a miserable
country, worthless without immigration.
In short, it is only fit for Mormons In
passing Brigham's estabhshm9n4 to-day,
from every window of the house, with the
lion on it, female face looked out. | long
ed to step in ask those ladies what they
thought, of Utah; but the armed Danites
restrained my curiosity Yours,
PEREGRINA