The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-02-14

sOOH SpTSdu on uCtu SIDES above anu =
low the present Omaha and as far west
as Columbus, Neb. There they wee Wis
tied By Colonel Thomas I. KG2e CT the
United States army, and at MS sugges-
ton Brigham Young RAJ ed the famous
Mormon battalion of 800 men for the
Mexican war. They marched in the
Kearny and Doniphan expedition and
from the lower Rio Graude across the
desert AID mountains TO San Diego.
Major John d. Lee, afterward notorious
for his part in the Mountain meadow
massacre, told me while l was at his
retreat on the Colorado in 1872 how he
and Major Howard Egan went with the
battalion 10 Santa Fe and received there
the bounty and first payment, amount
i1g to $50, coo, which Lee and Egan
took back TO Brigham Young 20 be used
IN C1rit-inp for the Journey TO Utah.
The battalion was pas in the command
Of Colonel Philip ST. George Cooke, and
long afterward the Mormons used TO
tell, with glow OF pride, tiat ais at
tachment to these soldiers was 80 great
that when he entered salt Lake City, in
1858, with the United Sta, my he
rode with his head uncovered. a COM
pany Of 246 pioneers had ai-0ady been
sent around from New York under Colo
mel Samuel Brannan. They reached
Yerba Buena in time TO aid the revOIu-
ton against Mexican rule, and, the dis
coVery Of gold following soon, Branran
remained and became very wealthy
man, while the MormOns scattered and
worked their way through to Utah.
When Brigham Young Was stTior.
1t was on that day in 1857 when all
the people were gathered about Big Cot
tonwood lake, "a miles from the CITY
and 10, 900 feet above seq level, when
the music was loud and The dancing at
it's merriest, Brigham leading the head
cotillon with his favoriee wife. Emeline
Free, that Elder A. O. Snoot rode in
to the assemblage, having come frcm
the Missouri river as fast as his strength
would bear. and announced that Presi-
dent Buchanan had sent new set of
officials for Utah, End that with them
was great army, how rapidly nearing
Utah. Many time have sat by cabin
fires in remote villages of Utah and
heard old men ard women tell how the
people ross as one man and how Brig
ham was then trI ~ the lion of the Lord.
WIN
granted my wish, and the devil has taken
me at my Word. said the day we
reached Utah that If the minions of hell
would leave NE ten years I'd be ready
for them. Ihsy have taken me at my
word, and they will see that am
ready"
He promptly ordered out the militia,
issued proclahations. and the SO called
Mormon war began. 1t was during the
three years beginning with 1855 that
most OF tnoseacts were committed which
anti Mormo1 writer's refer to as the
church MURDERS The first year the
crop failed, and the next winter the peo-
pie had to Zig thistle roots and segoes
for food. spirit Of wild fanaticism
followed aid fearful period, known as
the reformation, - during which the
blood atonement" doctrine was preach
cd and OCCASIONALLY enforced. The same
year S'oo' Mormons started from the
rrontler h August to travel to Utah
with hantcarts. Winter came early while
they Weri in the heart of the Rocky
mounta1rs; 800 Of them died, and many
more suffered the loss of an eye or
nmD or otherwise by cold and hunger.
United States judges and other officials
out on the territory, and gentiles and
dissenting Mormons fed in every direc-
ton The army came late in 1857 and
was D;rred out till the next summer,
but It's location in the territory proved
thu, DEFINING of Mormon prosperity.
Miles were opened In adjacent terri
tories, and the Mormons had a good
marke; for their surplus at famine
prices Our civil war came on, hard
wlntf closed the Missouri river, Indians
dominated all other routes, and flour In
Montila rose to $110 per barrel. The
Mormns literally coined money. Dur
ing o's peculiarly hard winter some
1000 uiners came to winter in the city,
and lave heard old Mormons and mer
chants estimate that their average ex-
pendltles there were So, 900 per day for
four MYTHS. After the war came the
Union Pacific railroad. and when /
| crossedhe plains, although the terminus
| OF the road was near Cheyenne, the
Mormca settlements were in a highly
prospectus condition by reason of
freightag and furnishing supplies to
the advice working parties.
-
A dmb war followed between the
UD1teoStates officials and the Mormons
Till, ln1S92, congress passed the Ed
munds act, and the final assault on
polyga.y began. Its origin, according
to the formons, was in revelation to
Joseph NTH, given July IL, 1S43, but |
it was 1t openly avowed by the church |
| till Septmber, 1863. In 1869 the first |
law Of cneress against it was enacted |
1t was sengthened in 1874 by the Po- |
land act.but it was not till the COM |
| mission vas appointed under the Ed |
munds a. that anything practical was
done. tt Mormons yielded gracefully, |
and now ae only use of the Edmunds |
act is for le prosecution of negroes in |
| Washingtt who are living according TO |
the old la of the plantation instead of |
! the statute
! DnPiDQ & +haSo Lotto x-earS YniDeS have