Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-01-07

rectlon OF the Ulnta country, and befOr'
ten o'clock the next day had placed our
selves beyond the reach of our enemies
Before that hour in the morning we hac
also passed about 800 Indians, most o
whom had left the farm the day before
and were hating to know the fate of tn,
"American," as they called me. Befor1
sunset all my papers, cloths DC, were pl
in my possession.
Hence l have been entirely dependent
upon these poor untutored childred of ma
ture for life and sustenance. Ihave shared
a liberal portion of their meagre hospitali
ties and crude sympathies; and though
they were evidently conscious that they
were unable to bestow on me the treat
ment to which 1 had been accustomed
they have manifested devotion 10 my per
son and regard for my safety, in advance
of their present knowledge of christian civ
ilization. When we left the Indian set
Element the season was mild and salubri
GUS, but as early as October 9, we encoun
tered severe snow storm which pelted
without mercy upon the shivering skins o.
my naked escort. Also on October IL
and October 13, in crossing the Green Riv-
er Mountains, we waded tbroug snow knee
deep, subjecting my party to the utmost
degree of privation and suffering. Yet
throughout their attachment was unremit.
ting, and they would often, around theiI
camp fires, assure me, if any attempt were
made to take my life they would die in my
defence. The weather is now becoming
intensely cold. Even as early as October
10th, Winter appeared to have set in with
unusual severity, while in the meantime
we had become short Of provisions and
were compelled to submit to extreme sui
fering from hunger during the last two
days of our journey. Yet throught all
these privations I had the satisfaction Of
being frequently assured that my compan-
ions would feel themselves amply compen-
sated if they could only be the means Of
restoring me to my friends and believing
me from that danger to which they had as
sured me that my life was exposed.
l feel it to be duty which I owe to the
Utahs to make fair and candid exposi-
tion of these facts, for l doubt whether
ever an agent of the United States in the
Indian service, has witnessed milar attach
ment to his person, or more loyalty to
those laws and regulations which have
been instituted for their government, than
has been manifested in this instance.
The absence of any one in charge of the
Superintendency of Indian Affairs for Utah
Territory, l trust will constitute sufficient
apology for this obtruding these facts up
on your notice.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GARLAND HURT, Indian Age Mt
From the letters of a correspondent of
the N. Y. Tribune who is with the army
in Utah we make extracts. A letter dated
from South Pass Oct 25 says:
Dr.. Hurt, the Indian agent arrived at
our camp on the 23d, escorted by twenty
Utah Indians. ....-.-
Four principal chiefs are among the num-
Der; the Uinta chief, and two war chiefs
and civil chief of the band of Pah-Utahs.
The Uinta brought with him his favorite
squaw, bright-faced little girl, hardly
four feet tall. l had formed an idea that
the Utah Indians belonged to the lowest
species of their race, but their appearance
proves almost exactly the contrary. Their
civil chief still bears the silver headed cane,
aud their war chief preserves the military
coat, presented to- their predecessors by
the Spaniards. Among the Utahs the
civil chiefs rank alone all others except in
the field leading always in the councils.
Among the Pah-Utahs who accompani-
ed the Doctor, there is one whom they
consider "big medicine imagining that no
bullet can hit him. In a call which he
made at my tent this evening he expressed
his feelings by most animated pantomime,
in which he described the Mormona as
speaking with forked tongue, while the
Americans talked straight forward, and
as stabbing in the back with the knife,
while the Americans meet their enemies
face to face with the rifle. The only intel
igent phrases which he used were the ma
tional oath of England and America, and
the words "no good" His special hatred
is owing to the belief that the mormons
coDjured five of his children, who died dur
ing the famine last year.
One the Chiefs now in our camp was
requested by Young to come 10 Salt Lake
City in July, probably with a view to in
duce him to steal cattle from the troops,
but he returned an answer even less en-
couraging than that made to the Mormons
by Wanshakee, the Snake Chief. "When
l want to see Brigham" said he, 'I 90 to
Brigham. When Brigham wants to see
me, let him come to me-"
I seat to you from Fort Kearney on ac-
count of the Mormon celebration of the
oath Of July in Cottonwood cannon, from
which all the Gentiles were exclhded. Dr..
Hurt tells me that he has been informed
by person who were present, that on that
occasion resolution was proposed and
unanimously adopted, declaring "Deseret'
to be "a free aad independent State" and
that then white flag embroidered with
the device ola grizzly bear, was run up
on the tallest mountain pine in the cannon,
and saluted as the national flag of the Nor
mon Commonwealth.
The Utah Indians accompany us on our
march, and Col. johnson has directed ra-
tions to be served to them daily. Antro's
squaw follows him, tied firmly straddle
upon crop-eared poney, and bearing his
spear. They have with them little Pyide
giil, hardly ten years old, prisoner, who
is mounted like the squaw, and is loaded
with all the cooking utensils of the band
She is worth perhaps four pairs Of blankets.