The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-22

! about 200 in number, he sent down TO
/ the scene of war, to protect and assist
| their brethren. The Indians who were
about 200 in number were very severely
beaten. and some so or more were
killed. The method of warfare was
very new to US, we built wooden bat
teries on sleds and slowly pushed them
forward, keeping ourselves well under
| cover, until we came close up TO their
| fortifications. The Indians were de-
/ feaTed and for some years gave no
| further trouble in this vicinity. Not
one white man was hurt in the fight
though the Indians were well armed
and good shots.
In August, 1S49, Captain Stansbury
/ OF the United States Typographical
corps came with corps of men TO sur
vey the vast territory that had been
called Mexico, in accordance with the
terms Of the treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo of April, 1S49, the cession ac-
tually taking place in October, 1S4S.
Thus we see that for Is months after
the Mormons came into Utah they were
on Mexican soil. This survey party
| surveyed the lake and its islands, and
ran out the eastern and northern lines
of the territory. During the next three
years settlements in the western val
| leys began 10 be formed, and villages
in ToCele, Rush and other valleys to-
ward the west, and south as far as
Iron county, near Coal creek. The In
dams committed raid after raid, plum
dered cattle in large numbers and
drove them into Cedar valley. In the
early summer of 1852 a terrible fight
occurred with some of these thieving
renegades in TOoele county and near
Tooele City. A large number of In
dams were captured. were driven up to
the town and as Mr.. Custer on his
horse was watching them he was shot
in the back by one of the Indians. who
had come up in the dark close behind
him. a stampede occurred. and all the
Indians escaped to the mountains, and
finally made their way round to the
camp at Cedar valley. Very shortly af-
ter d second fight occurred in Skull val
ley. Here the Indians had their camp
around a spring. In the cedars all
around were secreted the cattle that
had been stolen, and large quantities
of dried meat was found among the
cedars, presumably prepared from sto-
len cattle. Here at the first streak of
daylight, We came upon the Indians,
who were just waking. and so surprised
them that scarce dozen braves es-
capped Not a white man was hurt |
was present on the ground at both
these fights. and l helped to lay Mr.
Clusters body out for burial. In the
following year. 1858. and shortly after
the fight n Skull valley, another fight
with Indians occurred. This time il
was in the south country The Indians
down in the south country became very
hostile, indeed, and seemed determined
TO drive out or exterminate the pale
faces by harrassing them and driving
of cattle. by plundering, by killing the
pony expressmen and destroying crops
and property. they at last brought the
militia to the field. Brigham Young.
then governor, called for so men, under
Colonel William Kimball. of which
number I was one. We received orders
to march southwark, leaving ten men
at each settlement on our way down
On our arrival at Parowan we found
the Indians on the warpath. We stayed
but short time. drove the Indians off
and started on our return. On our re-
turn trip, while passing near Sanpete
valley. we heard that the Indians were
stealing cattle. We had left ten men
here on our southwark journey and
when we joined them we found that
they. with others. were very closely
pressed, and that we had Just come at
the right moment As these settlers
were moving their cattle into safer
grazing fields, the Indians suddenly
came upon them by night. We found
that the whites had fought from be-
hind an immense cottonwood log which
had been hauled down from the noun
tains. and from this protection were
keeping guard over their cattle, which
We're cOrralled Just behind and close to
them. The Indians were about so in
number, the white men only 49, After |
fighting three hours the Indians gave