Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-05-22

sidered marvel OF early time travel
ing and 10 talked OF to this day.
left here on July Let and reached In
depend snce, Misseuri,in fifteen travel
ing days. Tie distance is / 200 miles
and was covered with three changes
OF animale. 1t was certainly o
phenomenal undertaking for those
Jays and 1t required wisdom and
Judgment to do II. 1t must be remem.
bcred that we had neither hay MOI
grain for our horses those times. Ii
was grass feed onIy from one emu
Of the journey TO the other. We had
six men In the party and our method
OF travelling was this way: We would
start out each morning at the hrst
sign OF daybresk and make about
twenty miles, when we would stop for
breakfast anu turn the ANIMALS out to
grass. Our rest would be for couple
OF hours. Then we would
hitchup again and drive twenty
miles for dinner and have about
two hours more in which
TO Craze our animals aud rest our
selves. Then would como a twenty.
mile drive for supper anu another rest
oil couple OF hours when we would
make another twenty mile drive into
the darkness OF the night. The driving
was very hard OF course, but under
the circumstances we took the best
possible care OF our horses ana did
remarkably well.
"But In 1858 l made better abort
record than the one have Just men
toned Of l 200 miles by vehicle In NJ
teen days. l will tell you OF 1t later.
1 left nero with Colonel Kane anu
Captain Egsp fol Omsha. We ira "
eleJ by wagon and made fifty miles q
Jay with the same animals and
reached the banks OF the Missouri In
Just tweniy.one days. On the return
irlp was when made the hard ride
lust referred 10. l was Carrying
very important package for President
Young and II was imperative that
EN- uld get 1t to him as speedily rs
possible aud L did my best chmu
from Fort Brideer to Salt Lake, lis
miles over rough country Ia exacfiy
twenty-iour hours riding the same
horse the entire distance. he was
booded ap,Tal-a beautiful sorreI,
I called Psis er that had bought the
year before. He stood the trip SPLEEN
didly though he was getting very
tired when 1 rode into town aou de.
livered my message to the President.
But he came through IL all right anu
lived TO do service long alter that.
III did not cross the plains ngsin un.
III 1861, In which year TOOK CnurcD
train of fifty wagons to Florence to
bring back emigrants and sup
plies. Other teams accompanied
the trsiD. They were teams Of
merchants and private parties
who fell In liue to secure
the protection our numbers Afforded.
The next three successive years
made similar trips. Late In the season
Of 1868 | went to Laramie aud pilot
ed another emlgrant train TO Salt
Lake. This was the last train OF the
season and the laat trip l made.u
Asked to nRrraie SONS particular In.
cident or adventure OF his experience
over the Plains as pilot OF Pioneer
expeditions, Mr.. Murdoch said: HDur.
ing one OF our quick trips to Indepenl.
ence In 1857 we met a war party OF
forty Cheyenne Indians on Plum creek,
tributary of the Platte. Our escape
from annihilation L have always re-.
garded as Pr0vidential. We observed
tho Indians some distance before we
came directly upon them, but supposed
at first that they Were troop OF United
States cavalry. We were travelling
very fact and as we drew up to them
we observed that they were heavily
armed and had on their war paint and
feathers. They were very solicitous
that we should stop, but I command cd
the boys to keep going at all
hazards, and they did so, while
/ knowing the fOndness Of the Indian
for tobacco took up an armful OF the
"A "A . 81
tribute among his braves. We were
outnumbered greatly, our pnrty com.
prising but elk men, while theirs was
made up OF more than forty savage
warriors. In addition to myself our
party consisted of Benjamin Hampton,
John Mackey, Ami Jackman, Horace
CLARK and John Kerr. Five OF US be.
louged to the Y. Y company( Brigham
YounR's express company Mr.. Kerr
represented kinoade s. Bell, tue well
known Salt Luke mefchAnts OF that
day and WAS travelling with US. MIR.
Kerr had $780, in gold AMI silver
with him which he waH taking to ST.
Louis Tor deposit. But for an accident
he would have lost all this and we our
lives. The accident is what referred
to as having always regarded rs being
Providential. When within ABOUT
800 yards OF tue Indians, Mr.. Kerr
accidentally discharged his double
barreled shotgun through the cover OF
one OF our wagons. We hau three
such and all were light spr ng aft Airs.
The report was loud and sharp ana
brought the Indians 10 q stand still in
short order. A hole foot square was
blown through the top of the cover.
The Indians Immed ately came to tho
conclusion that all Of our wag.
ons were filed with armed men
concealed behind the covers, ready
to open fire upon them ana they
were accordingly disconnected and
although they held uncii, evil
Gently with O view to attacking US,
AMI recovering their lost opportunity
We drove rapidly on for 30 miles
without stopping, and lhus nut our
splves safely beyond their reach. 1t
was a very clcsp call, and one L Will
never forget"
In 1856 MIR. Mnrdock figured con.
splcuguaIy as the leader OF relief
party for another Salt Lake party that
had gone TO the assistance Of an
emigfaDt train on the Platte.
Tie latter party was caught 10 the
snow on the east side OF tho Big Noun
rain. The drifts were unoommonly
deep and the weather bitiug cold. 70
Mr.. Murdock anu nis party was de-
puted the tremendous task vi breaking
trail over the Big Mountain. They
worked very hard believing as they