The herald., 1893-08-20
A TRAGIC STORY OF ARROWHEAD
The Romance of Pioneer Love
and Death.
An Early Incident Which Occurred
Near San Bernardino.
A Love Story Which illuminated at
tho Arrowhead on tho Noun
tains Near the Springs Of
That Namo.

this sunny Houthland-the gigantic In
dian arrowhead of San Bernardino.
Some seven miles to the north and fac
ing San Bernardino city, it occnpies the
central position and extends over fully
one-half the altitude of high, sugar
loaf mountain at whose southern and
eastern base is deep canon, through
which tumbles noisy little stream, fed
by the cold, never-failing springs near
the summit of the high. pine-clad
eierra to the north. Except the barren
surface of the slope which forms the
arrowhead and which vegetation shuns
in an almost superstitious fashion. all
densely covered with sage and china
zelle brush; no intervening ridge OBJ
structs the view, and thus vieible from
nearly every point in the fertile valley
below for countless ages the great shaft
less arrow has pointed with the un.
erring finger OF fate to those wondrously
fertile plains, waiting through the CEN
turies for the genius of man to trans.
form them into the garden spot of the
world-into miles and miles of orchards
kinds of fruit; into broad fields OF green
perb modern villas, prosperous cities
reminders Of days long gone by.
Is it any wonder that the early Nor
mon immigrants, after weeks and
months of toll and suffering crossing the
parched and sandy deserts of Nevada
and California, should view with rever-
ential awe the arrowhead pointing to
the fertile valley below and proclaim it
mute message from on high directing
where they should settle? Nor is it any
wonder that of the many dark pages
which the Mormon church has fur.
nished to history, another, Of the early
days Of their settlement at San Bernar-
dino, should be turned to the light and
reveal that the great arrowhead upon
the mountain slope is also natures
monument to one more tragedy for
which the All Saints church is respon.
sible, and that the great CASH in the
arrows side 10 not the erosive work of
years, but the single stroke OF the awful
vengeance Of an outraged God-the tear
full protest. Of the Almighty against the
blaSphemy Of Mormonism.
While visiting some friends in the old
Mormon city formed the acquaintance
of an old-time settler, one who knew
these mountains and valleys long before
the advent Of modern civilization, and
one afternoon, sitting in the shade o. q
great fan palm on the lawn in front OF
his old-fashioned house, with gentle
breeze laden with the scent of orange
blossoms slowly moving the broad leaves
over our heads, be told me the following
story Of the arrow and the tragedy
which 1t witnessed.
"You have asked me several times"
he began, why have not built mod
ern house nor allowed the old one to be
repaired, and l will tell you my reason,
and the sad story that forever unites
this old house and the arrow head upon
the mountain yondeY. In the trouble
some days following the Mountain
Meadow masacfe, when public feeling
ran high, q number of families of the
Mormon church united and agreed to
push onward to the south and west and
somewherein in the great unexplored eouD-
try establish new homes and amid other
surroundings forget the acts of their
brethren and escape the vengeance they
so justly merited for their deyilish cru
city in the valley of the Great Salt Lake.
Among the families who joined the party
was that OF John Worthington, consist
ing Of himself and his own wife Anne,
for Worthington, although devout be-
lever in the doctrine of the church, had
never chosen to avail himself of it's op-
portunity for polygamy, and their two
Children, Sam and Mabel.
.Sam was OF q surly disposition and a
great bully, but Mabel, who was about
is years OF age, and some two years his
junior, was not only a girl of great per-
sonal beauty. but q gentle, loving nature
thst made her universal favorite.
Travelling in those days was not
only q hardship, but was attended
with great danger. There were
no trails. no occasional settlers, and not
only was the country for the most part
unexplored, but the Indiana were nu-
merous, treacherous and openly hostile.
Then all that vast stretch of desert land
lying between Southern California and
the great Salt Lake had to be traversed,
vast alkali plains. that even to this day
the traveller who crosses them without
an adequate water supply does so only
at great personal risk. But they con-
tinusd on searching for that promised
land which they eventually found in
valley.
"While passing through the country OF
the Yaqui Indians, who at that time
were very friendly, they met young
white man named Harry Morton, who
had entered the country with some Mex
leans many months before but had been
taken sick and, being deserted by his
companions, was kindly cared for and
nursed back to health by the Indians,
and was now anxious to join the party
in any capacity to reach the coast and
civilization once more.
"He was gladly welcomed by the COM
pany, for every ablebodied man meant
one more defender against the many
murderous tribes they yet might meet
on the westward journey. So Morton
joined the party and was one OF those
who eventually reached the valley, and
was foremost in his desire to remain
here and make home for himself. As
Was only natural, deep attachment
had eprung up between Mabel Worth
ipgton and the sturdy, manipulating
Morton, and when old Worthington had
selected his piece OF land young Morton
helped him to build his house-the old
house yonder, for this fs the farm john
Worthington selected for home. But
the establishing Of the settlement, the
building of new church and the return
to tho rigid laws OF the Mormon faith
brought many changes, and these must
needs affec& the relations between the
young lovers, for Morton WAS pro-