Daily national Democrat., 1858-10-22
interesting Letter nOm Salt Lake.


The following letter, says the S. F. Times,
from E. D. Knight, formerly of the Alta,
will be read with interest by his many friends
in this city. 1t has been kindly placed in
our hands by the gentleman to whom it was
addressed, and, although not intended for
publication, will well repay perusali
uRtAT SALT LAKE Cry.
Sept. 10th, 1853
My DEAR II " ": Do not blame me for
my long silence, nor imagine that YOU are
forgotten because you do not receive letters
from me so regularly as formerly. | have
just arrived here after long, tiresome and
dangerous journey, nearly 500 miles across an
almost interminable desert and | am sick
and unable to write 10y the mail; it leaves
every Monday, and perhaps by the next
mail l shall be well and able to write a long
letter. l have almost made up my mind to
remain here this winter, and try to get some
official position, | don't know how it will
be yet, but fancy | may make it pay here.
have so changed in appearance, grown so
old-looking and thin by my hot desert trip
that you would not know me- | never got
to see San Francisco paper since left, ex-
cept the id Bulletin, and that | wouldn't
read. How have you passed the summer? {?
and how are all our old chummies of the Re
portorial Corps? How often have thought
of you and them, and of the jolly good times
We used to have together. The next dav af.
ter my arrival | called on President Young,
the great Mormon Leader; he received me
very civilly and we conversed a couple of
hours. | was also introduced to all the lead
ing members of the church. They are natu-
rally little suspicious of strangers; but
when they were satiffied that did not come
among them to ridcule and belle them, and
was really anxious to satisfy myself of the
truth of what had been said and written
against them, they were willing to receive
me kindly and converse freely and fully with
me. | must say that never was more kind.
ly or considerably treated in my life, than
10y these people. Newspaper writers may
tell what they please, but | have been
newspaper man long enough to know that
upon all subjects where popular prejudice is
aroused, the newspaper writer will trim the
truth, most damnably in order to suit the
tone of his paper and be more desirous to
pander to the diseased palate of the public
than to tell the truth before God and man.
have read their stories, and | tell you my
dear H**** they are false, perverted and IN
just | do not uphold the Mormons as re-
ligious people, nor do | condemn them; their
re igion is no concern of mine; they have
the same right to their own creed as any
other people; but | do assert, without the
fear of contradiction, that they are an hon
est, industrious, patient persevering, con
tented and happy people ; and am also con
vinced of their sincerity as a people, but
they are moral people also. You will think
of the dreddfuL system of polygamy they
picture, and laugh at the idea of my calling
them moral people, ut | tell you they are
so, The results and consequences of polyg-
amy are far less demoraizing and disgust
ing in the community than the system of open
lust and hcentiousness and prostitution pre-.
valent in your community, and every other
community in Christendom | have never
heard an obscene Jest or vulgar word, Eor
heard the name of God taken irrevelently or
in vain since | entered the Territory and there
is not prostitute IN Utdh. While on my first
visit to Brigham Young, he called my atten-
tion to a paragraph in one of the California
papers that had been killed by the Nor
mons, with whom | was in company while
crossing the desert. was never more as
tonished in my life, and how such a report
could have got into circulation | cannot i'm
agine, but my dear IL s*.* it is about as
true as nine tenths of the stories which have
been told about Mormon atrocities and cruel
ty When sec you | shall have much to
tell you of my trip, its incidents ard accidents
and chair breadth escapes by flood and field"
but cannot write them my head aches so
that | can scarcely see what am writing
often think of your kind, good lady, of my
pleasant visit there, and our cozy little din
ner party. Give my best and kindest regards
to her, and tell her that there is nothing in
this country which can ever make ne forget
my old and tried friends
Goodbye, Yours ever,
NED KNIGHT.
Knight is evidently inclined to turn Nor