The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-16
ACROSS THE PLAINS
WITH THE FIRST MORMON IMMI-
GRANTS TO UTAH.
A Vivid Description of Journey That
Was Marked by the Skeletons of De-
ceived Women, Fanatlcal Men and
Innocent Children, by Alva M. Kerr.

oil the journey across the plains made by
the first company OF Mormons who settled
in Utah from Alva Milton Kerr's novel
entitled "Trean, or the Mormon's Daugh-
tor" published by Beliord, Clarke & Co.,
Chicago:
There were GOO on us-men, wimmin
an children" continued the gray old Nor
mon, IAN We sot out in fever OF joy an
zeal. But some seemed 10 feel what was
n comm an their feet dragged from the
start. My Catharine was heavy an droopy
good share OF the time-seemed like she
was mover herself after we left them two
little graves In Tennessee; but amost OF us
was shoutin' an singin' an q praisin' tho
Lord cs wo went on'ard fer the fust two or
three days. Every night alter the tents
was planted We held meetln' an there was
preachin' an exhortin'. Some OF the
elders said no matter II winter did come
the Lord would save us, no matter ii we
got sick the Lord would heal us, for Presl-
dent Young, tho Lords mouth.picce, had
said 80.
Sometimes felt little dubious kent
hep sayin' pine blank, for IL was terrible
labor draggin' loaded handcart day after
day, with yo'r feet an hands blistered an
.he sun streamin' down on ye. Then there
was thousand mile TO walk, six hundred
Of IL desert an four hundred barren.
lnjun- haunted mountings. II was a awful
undertaken! Then tho carts was pore
things, made OF unseasoned timber with
bearn's all Of wood, an they broke down
an wore out, but still the host OF tho Lord
went alaborin' on'ard into the desert.
"rhcrc was twonty Of the carts to every
hundred folks, the flour an beddin' an
cookin' iixns fer live folks in every cart
an five tents fer every hundred hauled In
u wagon with three yoke Of steers TO IL.
Over half of every hundred was wimmin
an children, an olo folks I'M puny ones,
so ye sec what the strong ones had aiorc
emil But none Of MS wasn't stout long
q, what days them wasl What tired,
long, feyerish, dusty. awful daysl Mile
after mile We dragged on'ard, hour after
hour. day after day, an never seemed one
step furder to'ards the end. Two OF the
apostles nm some elders was with us till
We got across the river at Council Bluffs,
then the apostles an most Of the elders
left Us. They had three or four ccrrigcs
amongst EN-, an two spring wagons with
horses TO haul their pervisions, an 'cs n
squad Of cavalry was going 10 Fort Lara
ME, they went along m was in Salt Lake
before the snow flew.
"But what had We aiorc rs Int work
an suiIerin'. an tho plains strc.chln' fur
ever aud iurever In front OF Us? We
couldn't make fur in day, not more'n
ten or fifteen mile. Our shoes wore
through onto our feet, an our feet wore
into holes an our hands were blis,cred
an cracked an raw from n pullin' on the
carts. Then our provisions begun to run
low, fer We didn't hov enough wc'cn we
started. an we tux ter suifehn' from hun.
ger aud most OF the time from thirst.
Most on US prayed an seemed 10 keep up
faith, but all on MS begun TO git hollcr-
eyed an silent We seed that life an
death WIS aiore us with life tho furdest
away. an We strained iorrcds day after
day with our teeth set praying under
our breath an sulierin'.
"All through August the sun come mp
out Of the plain to the east O. red - blood
an went blazin' on over our heads cs we
toilcd on'ard through the sand, an red cs
blood sunk into the plain In the west, an
Il seemed like we'd scurcoly moved.
Then we'd he too wore out 30 pitch the
tents, an would Jest drop down onter
blankets er the bare ground an lay there
tell that burnin' ball of blood como blazin'
onto " agin from the east. an we'd eat n
little somethn' an staggcr on. IL WIS
terrible, sometimes one or twoof the puny
oncs'd DO dead when mornn' come, an
we'd bury 'cm In the sand an leave 'em.
II seemed like Il was fureycr n drouth IN
that dcscri-dry. dry, drad-lry, an al.
ways the waves oi heat that seemed mil
lion wrinkles OF hot mcltin glass, would
hover an hover an quiyor an burn an
beat, tell ones oyc.hllis wus rcd, an some
slovercd at the mouth an mumblci OF
water an shade an rest, an wandered In
their minds An sometimes away up In
the singnnnt air we'd $40 the
bodies OF insects loalin' like
flakes OF ashes, an they'd flicker
an gllmmcr an drap down onto ~
no,hin' but dead shells like bits OF tinsrl.
An the stream We was tryin' TO follcr got
10 DO Lolhin' morc'n n string Of green
pools sprinkled with scales an dry fsh
eyes, an we'd creep down TO u an sip vt
It with cracked lips, an singgcr on again.
"llut nt last we drawcd out OF that part
of the desert, loayin' our pore dead DO.
hind, but Il was the last Of September
aiorc the mountings hove In sight. an the
sun sunk down for a week amongst the
mow-covcrcd peaks remember. aioru
we reached 'em VIC was ~ sick an lame
an wore out ] mind that oil thom days
my head seemed goln' round an round -
pulled, an the blood KEEP abuzlin' In my
ears. an sometimes I'D get blind an
couldn't see nary thing aioc me. but a
sorlcr clear sense KEEP alive In my head.
too, icr death was shouly aioro ~ II We
gin up. A good many did gin up, especial
the ole an puny ones, an we'd seldom
leave camp ground In the momin'
without two or thcc had to be- buried.
II was turrblcl We didn't look much
into each others faces at them buryin's.
Ter we knowcd what was aioro us an
couldn't bear H.
"Wcll, ut last VIC drawed into latam 10.
o, how we'd looked formed TO this, Tor
there tho Apostles had promised that
we'd find supply Of provisions aNaiiin'
NJ, hut noihin' was thcpl Then things
begun 10 look black. We had mcclin'
an hggcrcd ON our chances. an We found
that at the rate we'd ben a-tuvelln' an at
the amount VI ralions we'd got each day,
which was a pound OF flour each, we'd
not have moulhiul left wen We got 800
miles from the end OF our journey. So
W. cut down the uiions 30 nine ounces OF
Hour each fer gtowcd folks an iou 10
seven ounces Of ilour each ior the young
unA Then We pulled ahead with what
little strength wo had left, maxim every
mile We could, icf Il was Ito an death
| with ma WON No .InrInI Ihrrn Wa Inn