The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-05-15
~ Dre.ns.s.-ssassIing rsess.

The WORCESTERSHIRE Faets.
Mr. simonton Of the N. 7. Tsm6s, Is ~
u Kaasas, and while there encouatrsd 90
Fnderiek Loba, an sx-high prisst Of ths
Mormoes, aad from hin BE- obtainsd nssh
ialornation respecting tho Mormess. We
quote the following paragraphs from his
letter:
OF course, then, his tsstinosy in Tegssd
to the condition and resources OF the Nor
mons at Salt Lake il Of especial value, for
NO man could be better qualified to speak
intelligently of the facts, a. they are. l
have questioned him closely upon these
points, with the following result He says,
unhesitatingly, that the Mormons will not
attempt to resist the United States troops
if they 70 out in body, instead Of scatter
ing along tho road in small careless parties,
a. did the government wagon trains, which
were destroyed upon the plains last season.
Mr.. Loba met these on their way in, and
earnestly cautioned their conductors against
their carelessness, assuring them Of their
danger, and urging them to concentrate and
move forward IN body; but they could see
no enemy, nor apprehsnd any danger, failed
to follow the friendly advice, and were cut
of and robbed. .--.... ...-...-.s y
Mr.. Loba bases his positive opinion that
the Mormons will make no attempt at or
ganized resistance, upon his personal knowl-
edge Of the fact that they have no means Of
resistance. They have very little ammnni-
ton, no gunpowder factory, no material
from which to make the powder, none Of
the appliances essential to that purpose, nor
any single man who knows how to make m
ounce Of explosive material, even if his life
depended upon it. Nor have they any ar
tilfery with the exception of single piece Of
cannon, two FOUNDER, one of pair given
them long since BY the United Statesothe
other one having burst while Mr.. Loba was
in the Valley. My informant is q man Of
considerable military capacity, having been
Of Charles X. This fact becoming known,
on his arrival at Salt Lake, was for long
time, besought to accept military title and
position, which gave him ample opportunity
Of ascertaining the military resources Of the
country and capacity of its people. lie
asserts that they have no military, even if
tucy uhu 3IMS sAIot suSn s0sA 0Oous sASh
battallions and regiments and legions is the
veriest humbug imaginable; and that their
pretences of the possession OF abundant
ornaments are falsehoods unmitigated.-
They have no iron from which to cast can
non-and If they had the material they have
no foundry, nor any machinery for boring
them, nor any mechanic competent to do
the work. True, there is an abundance Of
iron ore 800 miles or more south Of Salt
Lake City, but it is highly magnetic, and up
to the time when Mr.. Loba left, although
large sums had been expended in expert
menting, all efforts to melt it down and rem
der it 1t for use had failed. Neither are
the Mormons any better off in the matter Of
manufacturing small arms. They have
some few gum tinkers among them; but, As
an evidence of their utter incompetency, he
mentions the fact that not one Of them was
able to make a screw for him, to replace
one which he had lost from a revolver Of
ordinary construction.
Mr.. Loba estimated the entire population
of the Valley at $4,000 souls. Of these,
counting every male from Is to 60 years of
age, he estimates that there are not to ex-
coed $500 capable of bearing arms, while
not more than $500 Of the whole number,
in his opinion, would make even ,pass"ble
soldiers, under drilling by sk,llful men
Not one IN ten OF the entire male population
nave hre arms OF any description ana
large proportion Of those they have are out
OF repair and worthless. lie has no conn.,
dence in the statement that the Mormons
have fortified Echo Canon, except It may be
by digging bitches and posing rocks to be
rolled down from overhanging cliffs. Their
boasts OF mines under the road, and all that
sort OF thing, he scouts as idle nonsense.
In short, he considers the Mormons entirely
destitute OF any effective power OF resistance
to even the small force already under Gem
mand of Gen. johnson, and maintains that
Brigham Young's entire reliance has been
based upon his hope of being able to deter
the United States from attempting to deal
with him, by lying boasts OF nj, ability to
va. r"se sucesssf1i reslstnnSe. ne belleyes
ei'a' "ne a nt,sn am n .a ~. .na' MS
GU tl''s ialieu' anu snas ,te oea S.ai rs
a ,i Hnnn "ss n"na.t;op ufs .o" Gndn
WILL NAVE Il >SpeCldl IcSelollOu lTUH NuuS