Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-05-15
INDIAN "REMINISCENCES.
bow and Where Tho SaYlbss Ob.
laInsd LEAD for Bullets.
story Of m IudInn Maiden Of Enriy
Utah Rys-'punsh.head's
Dreadful rate.
tr,.lnl core,ronacn.a % Id IN.

Special Correspondence 70 the News
IuCsoN, ARENA, Nay II, 1907
noilc Ia late to no an Item In refer.
tucs to the hr.t discovery OF lead and
silver in southern Utah. A residod
a, the time ia thu, portion Of the Tor.
u,oty, perhaps reminhcenco OF two,
fullgd from my Journal, may he OF IL.
ieresi.
The frst intimation we who lived In
Pirnwan had u the existence cf native
lead In Utah came from tue Pah.Eed
Indians, who lived IN tina, region.
They had always bought Of us MI thuif
ammunition; bu, all Vt once thuy
would no longer buy any lead. They
inid they had plenty Of their own, aud
ICON sold II ~ US In considerable quan.
lily. IL was not cast into bars Or ingoU,
Dut had evidently been melted into the
iand. We coon found out all about it.
A eight shock OF earthquake hal
caused land slide On tue steep side VI
mountain and exposed n tody OF lead
Jfo. This tho Indians Piled Ia
heap with abundant HfcwooJ
10 produce the ueudiul intensity
" heat, and In this rude manner
melted hundreds Of pounds Of lead. 1
fought considerable iOf NY own use,n
lid all my nUighb1rs, We iuunu but
1ne objection 10 II. 10 was too hAiJ. Ia
losding gun ball would not properly
enter the grooves cut Ia tho gun bsrfuI;
and Ia moulding bullets II was u.iii.
cult TO cut n the neck Of tho bullet.
But II was much cheaper Than The
eastern article, ami we sho away lots
Of II, not euspccting that We were shoot.
lug away silver.
a company worked II a. lead mino
considerable time before II was found
to be IN reality silyut--yT rather
Biiyef.leaJ niue. The came experience
attended the WORKING OF the Los Vegas
lead mines ON lhe route between south.
sfn Utah aud southern California.
Thousands OF ~ uuds OF lund were
shipped from thlB mine " falt Lhku
Cry by our people, AMI when finally
abandoned by ". the mino was t.
luca cd anu pfUiliaDly worked by other
parties ~ "a silver mine.
la tht foil " 1851 Patriarch joel II.
johnson aud family settled place
uamed after him, Fort johnson, ABOUT
twelve miles westerly ifOm Par3wau,
anu In his family was an Indian gifl
named Nifogua. She hal been cap.
tuttd during the lnaiAu war u 1919 In
UIah county, with hVr mother. 1hr
latter soon died, bnt tho child, then
fve OF ak years OF age, hyoi aud
thriyod nutly,apd was treated IN oil fe.
spHcts ~ u memUer o. tho famlly.
When shu was ab1uttwclvo or thifle5u
years old IN lnUiun numeI tuuash.
bead came One dfy on nor-ebnCk 10 the
az haa Hs....
alone, all tbs men ABOUT ihe place being
abst ut except n sUn-Ncpti Johnson
vino ptOvidvntially was In tho room
liking up some garden tools. Tho Ir-
dian had evidently teen waiting TOT
moment when everyone but Nirogua
would be away, anu did not suspect
the presence Ofthe young man, squath-
head came To tho door anu demanded
Nitogua, claiming that 6hc was his
eister. She had dread OF
all Indians aud shTank back iut1 cor.
ner OF the room Ia terror, whiln Nephi
bpfang 10 the doorway 10 prevent the
entrance VI the savage, who Intended
evidently to seizs the girl, throw her
upon his horse anu dash away with
her. Nephl was armed only with a
RruDbiug hoe, which he held poised In
air ready Tor n blow, and Bqupsh.head,
with tlng and knife, stoDu glsrlng At
him In oil tue fury Of batlied rage.
Nephi told him the girl did not wish
10 20 with him-was not his sister,
aud oven ~ chs had been his sister she
should not 70 against her will. Equast-
head seemed nend incarnatt; his
eyes cleaned with rage and great
dtOps Of sweat dropped from his lace.
TBus they stood some minutes, looking !
tagn other In tue eye, tue one seeking /
~ opportunity 70 uto knife or Z ne
the other whTily guarding against uuy |
such move, but never iiluohing for a |
moment. But Nephi, TO use com.
mon expression, chad the dtdp on |
him, Nor before the Indian could level |
his gun or use his kuiio, NVphi could, |
aud would, smash his skull. Finding |
Nephi would not yield Squasn.henu |
suddenly leapoi upon his morse, aud |
away, yelling defiance anu future r..
yengs.
Poor Virogua, terrified at her narrow
escape, had no peace OF mind until
Father johnson sent her TO salt Lake
CITY aud placed her Ia care OF he
sister Julia, wife Of Almon W. Bat.
bit, with VIII m she remained until
her death few years after. She was
Rs well behaved, Intelligent, neat ana
anu was IN all respects u gOOu, faithful
LatteT.day Saint, receiving In due
time all the needlui ordinances Tor tho
dead. Hquash.head was found some
years later dead In northern Utah
with his throat cut, but whether by
his own or Anothei's band was never
known; but his was a fate he richly
deserved for his many ctael murders.
Many were tho thrilling scenes
through which the hardy Pioneers,
who founded the State Of Utah, have
passed; very many OF the participants
uf those incidents have passed away.
Ana It seems TO mo ntting that some
slight record " them should te kept,
even though II be meageT one, IbR
the new generation may have some
little conception OF the tolls and dan.
gers Incident TO the founding OF
state In the "GTeAt American D0Eett." |
JANIS n. MARTINEAU.