Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-08-19
An Incident Of 1857 in Utah-White
Indians"

York World as follows:
The revival of interest in the Mountain
Meadow massacre recalls curious Incl
dent in which | became involved about
that time the particulars of which were
only understood by three persons besides
myself.
1t was in the summer of the same year,
1857, that party Of emigrants from Mis-
souri, penetrated the Territory of Utah, on
their way to California. This company
numbered precisely fifty persons, among
whom were eighteen men, the rest being
women and children. They were amply
provided with baggage-wagons, oxen and
horses, and were unusually fortunate in
coming through the Indian country with
out the loss of any of their number, and
with no serious deprivation of their bag
gage. 1t was my fortune TO be one of the
leaders in that enterprise, and my wife
and child were with me.
When we had gone some hundreds of
miles into Utah we were approached by a
noted frontier character known as Chill
Leggett'-a grizzly, shaggy fellow who
galloped over from neighbOring camp
upon little mustang, never hating until
the animal almost ran over us. This Leg
gett was curious compound of the des-
perado, miner and scout, a man capable
of the most atrocious deeds, and yet at
times showing feelings rs tender as a
woman's. AS he refined up his horse and
looked around he paid no attention to the
numerous salutations he received, but as he
drew up abruptly wanted to know" Where
thedeuce is the leader of this procession 30
Several pointed to me, and he looked down
from the back of his horse, carefully scan
ming me from head to foot.
So you're the leader of this funeral, ar
your he asked, with a sly chuckle pecul-
lar to himself, and when / nodded ex-
pected to hear some characteristic slur up
on my appearance, but the old borderer
was disposed to be gracious that day
: You look like pretty decent sort of a
chap, and I've got something to say to
you-so, if you're a mind, just walk out
here beyond earshot and we'll CRATE"
We went off together Leggett, swinging
one Of his immense legs over the saddle OF
his mustang, stepped down to the ground
and, leaning with his back against the
horse, looked me keenly in the eye and
asked me:
How many men have you got?"
Eighteen
All armed, be they?"
All armed and ready to defend the
company at any time. They've learned
something Of Indian ways while crossing
the plains"
They have, eli! Wal, they've got to
learn laundering sight more afore they
reach Californy Do you know that the
very dickens will be to pay afore you can
strike the Sierra Nevada?"
replied that we apprehended no I'M
usual danger, and asked him to be more
explicit. He seemed to have a peculiar
reluctance to explain the particulars of
some important knowledge that he had
gained within the last day or two He
said that he was in the neighborhood of
Salt Lake City when he learned that we
had passed, and he found out too that an
Indian plan was arranging for destroying
our entire party. Beyond this he seemed
unwilling to communicate what he had
learned, but he finally yentured the opin-
ion that if we were attacked at all it would
be at place known as Murderer's Gulch.
1t we could get beyond that without dis
turbance, or if we should prove ourselves
able to repel any assault, we mi CHIT con-
slider all real danger passed. Having told
me this much Leggett leaped into the sad
die, galloped up the ridge and vanished
The guide to our party was a '49er, who
mad crossed and recrossed the plains, but
whose knowledge Of the country was less
thorough than we had a right to expect
tie had led us astray several times, but
when | came to speak of Murderer's
Gulch he recognized the place at once
and assured me that he had participated
IN the ceremony of its christening. He
was one Of a party Of miners who en-
eamped there half-dozen years before,
there being a round dozen of them, when
they got into fight which resulted in the
death and dangerous wounding of eight
of the number, most of whom were left
upon the spot
Murderer's Gulch, as it was called from
that day, was only five miles away, and it
was now early in the afternoon, so that it
could be easily reached before nightfall.
So we set forward, and when we halted
the sun was still an hour high. The gulch
was simply ravine, 100 feet wide, with
sloping sides that were less than dozen
feet high. The beauty of the place was
that the bottom was covered with the rich
est kind of grass, and in the center was
spring of deliciously cool and clear water,
SO that it possessed every requisite for
camping site, with the single exception
that in case OF attack the advantage was
with the assau'ting party. In view of the
warning we mad received from Leggett the
question was debated whether we should
halt here or pass further on. The grass
continued along the bottom for several
miles further, hut this was the only SPOT
where water could be obtained, and at
every other place the banks were much
higher.