The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-18
THE LOST CANNON.
A Relic of .sThe Pathhnder'sr Trip
Across the Plains.

Apropos of the proposition to make
collection of relies of General FIRE.
mont's trip across the plains in 1872
for exhibition at the Midwinter Fair.
there is. or was up to a few years ago,
at Glenbrook. on the shores of Lake
Tahoe, an old cannon which was a part
Iof The Pathfnder's" armament in his
memorable journey. This cannon is an
Ielght-pounder and may be properly des-
ignated as a brass howitzer 1t is of
style used in early Gays in Indian war
rare, and was designed to be transport
ed upon the back of mule. 1t is the
property of the heirs of the late Cap
I tain Pray, by whom, during his life. it
was held as a relic without price 1t is
called The Lost Cannon" and may be
described as about three and one-half
feet long, black with the corrosiou of
storms which have spent their fury
about 1t. and mounted upon an old log,
from which it frowns in sort of lonely
lgr1mneSs. suggestive of something
(which has come down from the days of
lyore. From the rusty muzzle prOtrudes
the gray and decaying ramrod, doubt
less the sam used by Fremont, al
though the log carriage unquestionably
belongs TO a later epoch
This cannon, for some reason, was
left at the head of a canyon on the Car
lson river where it was found in the
l50's by prospectors who were searching
flor gold along that stream. Here, how
lever, it remained until 1861, when an
Ievent occurred in Virginia city that
made it seem all at once to be a valu-
able acquisition.
1t was just at the opening of the civil
war and on the Comstock the loyal
sentiment was at a. fever heat. One day
the people awoke to find that a rebel
flag f1oated over the store of a man
Whose avowed sympathy for the Con-
Ifederacy had already rendered him an
lobject of dislike and suspicion. VoIuno
teers were called for and the flag
(which had been roughly made by the
lshOpkeeper from crude materials, was
torn from it's fastenings and trampled
lin the dust.
That very day news was received of
the report at Sacramento that a great
plot had been discovered, formed to
lgain control of the Pacific states in the
Interest of the Confederacy. 1t was
asserted that Judge Terry. then at Salt
Lake city, had been secretly commits
STONED by Jeff Davis to be commander
of newly created division of the Pa
Icific," and that his emmissaries were in
every city making preparations for the
simultaneous uprising of those who
were in sympathy with the south.
This report. coupled with the raising
Iof the Confederate flag. threw Virginia
city into widest excitement. 1t was
determined to at once organize, equip
and drill a company of loyal soldiers.
sworn to defend the city and surround
ing country from invasion. The organ
Iizing of this company and the selection
lof the men to comprise it was lot to
lCaptain Pray.
/ Someone a this juncture bethought
himself of the old Fremont cannon on
1.-THE Carson river. and a detachment of
soldiers was. sent out in search of it.
returning In due time with the old
lhowitzer. 1t was probably now that
the piece was mounted on the log car
Iriage.
Time, however, showed ere long that
the fears for the safety of the city
from southern conquest had been
lgroundless. The company was disband-
ed, and years after. when Captain
Pray removed to Gleenbrook. he took
the old cannon with him.
About three years ago, before his
death, he had the relic photographed
land sent a copy of the picture to Mrs.
Fremont, who wrote a letter thanking
him in kindly terms for the same. She
declared that she had often heard the
general speak of the lost howitzer
which he had left on the Carson river.
Reno Journal.