Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-07-09
SEARCHING FOR
LOST GRAVES.
interview W lth the Riddles ofPrOvO,
Who Represent Jesse Knight
EVENTS OF MORMON EXODUS
ave ! interesting story 10 a Nebraska
Newspaper About the settlement OF
a Portion Of That Great state.

The Ncbrara tNebraskO Pioneer,
under date Of June 2sth, contains the
following account Of the visit OF Isaac
Riddle, Of Provo, to Nlobrara, mention
OF which has previously been made IN
the News" Mr. Jesse knight, Cor
whom Mr., Riddle is making the nyns-
tihatlon referred TO- has not yet heard
from Mr.. Riddle The Pioneer says
Isaac and John II. Riddle, accom-
panied by }. w. Townsend. OF Crete,
arrived In town Friday. They were here
10 locate the remains Of Newell knight
and fifteen others. mostly children, who
died during the winter of 1861 while
the MOrmons We're In Winter quarters
on the opposite bank OF the Niobrara
river. The Riddle brothers are Nor
mons and were with the first party that
ever crossed the Missouri river on their
way 10 the promised land. They are
here at the instance Of the son Of Mr.
Knight, who proposes 10 erect a hand
some monument. Secretary Fry, Of the
Eau qui court cemetery, offered IN
behalf Of the association a plot Of
ground In our cemetery " they would
exhume the remains and erect such
monument as they say viii be erected,
which Is under consideration
"The early history II Nebraska Is
very vague as 10 this settlement OF
Mormons and the arrival Of these gem
tlemen has settled some points Of his
tory not known before Isaac Riddle is
from Provo, Utah. and was lG when
his father and family came here in the
fall Of 1916
My father was the vanguard Of the
Mormon pioneers, said Mr. Riddle. We
first struck VI the Missouri In lSi5
with thirty other families. a little be-
low old Fort Vermillion. South Dako-
Ia. We fenced In over 1900 acres OF bot
tom land along the Mlssouri-the south
line being fenced by the Big Muddy IT,
self, Here We put in a crop and spent
the winter Of 1855 Word came that
the Prophet Joseph Smith and his
brother had been killed and we were
ordered down the Missouri to Kanes-
Vile, where we were 10 meet the exo-
dus from Nauvoo, Illinois. which we
reached three weeks In advance Here
Mr. Riddle described the persecution
under which these pioneer families had
passed from the hands Of the Gentiles.
Being at Nlobrara was an acct
dent, continued Mr.. Riddle We were
ordered away IN the spring IL the Rocky
Mountains-l50 wagons. The first
wagon wheel that ever made lts mark
whore Omaha now counts its hundreds
OF thousands was made by our party.
We were the pathhnd r.. We left the
Missouri river In thu month OF July,
1876. after the president had Issued a
call for troops TO fight Mexico and 500
OF our people responded our main
camp was at kanesyile Council
Bmffs) as a supply and Quitting point
midway to the land OF promise We
proceeded up the Platte, and while In
camp at pawhee station, courier ar
rived with orders that we
should proceed no farther. as Il
was feared we could not
reach the end OF our journey before
winter. Soldiers were stationed here
and the government had put In a crop
OF wheat, oats potatoes and corn The
Pawnees were troublesome that spring
and frightened the farm laborers out
OF the country, When We arrived, this
crop was abandoned and we contracted
70 harvest Il Tor half the crop After
this had been garnered. orders came
for US to hunt winter quarters, About
n dozen Ponca Indians were on visit
20 the pawnees, who reported we could
get excellent winter quarters with
them. They piloted MS from the Platte
along about the route Of the Elkhorn
railroad. There was motive. however.
in the desire for our company. We
had a small cannon along With as. ana
they had seen us shoot H. Havlng
had much trouble With the Sioux al the
west OF them. this cannon vas con-
Hldercd heap big Indian killer our
company went out with the Ponoas In
their winter hunt going where the pine
was quite heavy. The woods were
fun OF Wild turkeys and all along the
bench land where your town now
stands wete Indlan camps-from the
mouth Of the Niobrara 10 about half.
way TO. the Five Nile creek Bazile).
The whole prairie was alive with bur
faloes then. and there were large guam
titles Of timber skirting the two
streams
1T has always been supposed that
the reason the Mormons left here was
because the poncas made them trouble,
Mr. Riddle said that there was nothing
IN the story. II was not our purpose
60 remain here-mcrely 10 winter. Dur
ing the winter We had eaten the