Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-04-02
ILLINOIS TO UTAH,
Floa'ar "Reminiscences By Ono Who
Vas There.
SAINTS PED AS ISRAEL OF OLD.
scenes OF sadness--0n the Pl.In,-,
iiAn'lnS the flag-Ulah's First
banksi-A Battalion Suggestion.

ss 'e paper letter written by my
SeA' ia'her the late Thomas Bullock,.
many yeaEs ago, 1 thought l wou,d
*t''e few of my recoliectious OF
"'ngs seen and heard by me in the
carry days Of the Church, II you deem
my letter worthy OF space In your
paper.
remember my father taking my
mo'her, my brothers and myself I'm
in'o Tie tower Of our beautiful Tsmpia
IN NauVoo' and I also recall the grand
scehes presented to our view IN
all Directions from the Temple,
nave Vivid recollection
Vi leaving our comfortable homes. d
crossing the Mississippi river In the
winter of 1887, and the miraculous
power OF the Lord in behalf Of His
people, In sending the quails in such
numbers to US in our starving condition,
whereby we were fed in the wilderness
Oh Iowa, ss Israel OF old. Although
was ouly between 4and years Of age
then, the sad and sorrowing scenes I
heheld In those days, long since gone,
are as clear IN my mind as II thu
events had trsDspired but yesterday.
Three dearly beloved members Of
our family viz. my mothers father,
Richard RushIOn, who, when In Eng-
land, owned large SILK factory; my
baby brother, Willard Richards, and
my mother's mother, died through the
suftevinge OF those times.
The morning that the quaiis came,
my father asked one OF the largest
boys lett in camp with us Chat was
sfIer the drafting OF the Mormon
Battalion) to take his gun aud try aud
kill come quail ior us. Ho had hardly
get out OF sight when the Queils came
to the camp where the Saints were
located, ana one OF the birds lighted
on tea tray by my fathers ellie. My
brother caught II, and as many more
rs we NEEDED. The birds were so tama
That they ran into and under the
wagons and around our foot until all
The people caught as many as they
,i,,enla keen. yhsa the quail. arose in a
body and tsw In the direction we had
10 travel, AMI were seen ahead of the
train for three days. The boy who
went to shoot some returned without
seeing any. l do not know his name,
but he may be Sill living.
In starting out on the long journey
across the Plains ana on the way 10
these valleys OF the mountains, a
happier people were never found than
that noble band OF heroes, the Pioneers.
| My father was one OF the Pioneers and
came back for his family the next
year.
One evening whom we were campsd
| aud had Just turned all the animals
| iaose, we heard a terrific noise, when
/ Oue OF the brethren cried out, "God
help usl there IL a stampede of buffalo
coming straight t0vara ui!" In
SANITY tho men got their guns
aud feeling the maddeued herd QUE of
the brethren shouted "Fire!" all
shotiug at once. Some of tho leaders
| Of the herd wers killed, and the wild
beasts divided In two anu passed us in
their maddened race. without doing
any OF rs injury. The ground was
literally uioweu up by the hoofs OF that
herJ. Quicker thsn write this, the
| feeling % terror struck a good many In
the camp in way that cannot be de-
setibsd. Our animals stsmpeded with
| the herd but were all found again next
morning, four or five miles from camp.
The people all joined in praising the
Lord for His protecting care ever US.
On reaching the Oh Fort In Salt
Lake City the feeling OF Joy was
such that only true LatIer-day Saints
can know.
My iather was with Jour beloved
| leaders In the Church when they
plsnied the Stars and Stripes, the hon.
oied dag OF our country, on Ensign
Peak. He was also with them when
they laid the corner stones OF the Salt
Lake Temple. l stood by his side
when he was giving mis- design for the
Pioneer ban uef to the painter II don'f
know the painters name), with
request to paint likeness of the
Prophet Joseph anu the Angel who
c.rrits the scroll. On the scroll then
nsie the names OF all the Pioneers are
said to be written.
MY father was the first banker In
Utah. he helped Brother John Ray
10 coin the gold. The bank safe was
a small square iron box, which any
strong mau could have run away with,
bul there were no fears OF tbstin those
days,as there were no burglars. Father
had The iull confidence OF our beloved
leader, President Brigham Young.
Alter being "a banker, father T1rksd
for the DEsERET NEWS I lelped
HIM there, He would ssv s0n'etimest
nMy glTI, now the devi's coming"
(meauilg the ettEnd pOy) VINO you'd
usually have roll OF proof sheets
with HIM. l would nave to read for
one or two hours, "ioilowing copy"
while father corrected and prepared
the proofs, TO get the type correct for
nIptlng. l often went errsnds to and
ram me old Council House, Bishop
Elsard HunteT's office, anu the Hid
torian's office, and was proud to help
fslher all could.
MY mother Is still living and in her
sood wear, but IL very feeble. My
p,opsSr otsthcIs, Thomas Ii. Bullock
s1d Charles X. Bullock, are near
sasugh to Salt Lake City TO be at the
cOmlag Jubilee.
The surviving members OF the Nor.
mon Battalion, should, think, have
,onal honoTa with the Plonesrs, as
rhsy would have come in with Pho.
u...rs n Il mad not been for the call OF
nnr equity on them 10 take up arms
Il, dsisuee u cur country; and they
crossed the Rocky Mountains that year
anyway. pr,,, N,sox