Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-16
Makers Of Utah History at
Old Folks Entertainment

They were all there, all. to the num-
Der Of nearly 1.000 all, except those
whose white ribbons had become dis
colored through physical in6rmities
which could not combat the eternal
lived clements, all there, gray white
OF hair. tottering OF limb few, but
all there who could be. For it was tho
gathering of the clans. the midwinter
meet of the old folks. at the Salt Lake
theater, Wednesday afternoon. And
while they. representing three genera
tions, listened to the dulcet strains of
Victor Herbert's THE Sercnade," sung
by the Salt Takers In their honor. misty
eyes Sazed through mirages of a bygone
past stretching over an obstacled road
OF more than half century
To the initiated 1t WAS pathetic. To
the tyro, dramatic history, this gather
ing OF those whose feet and hands have
left never-to-be-efface imprints upon a
vast empire. Tears came unbiddcn as
the vision rested upon the white
crowned heads. Il great concoursc whose
humble members had written indelible
history upon a desert parchment. And
they sat there, honorcd to be sure, and
not unsung. For the achievements OF
that noble thousand would require more
fhan Herbert to chronicle in strains
~, which they were listening.
Some wore red ribbons. sosne blue.
and a very, very few were adorned with
the immaculate white The flrst were
most in prominence. Tney beto&ened
the fact that they had acquired the al
lotcd three score and ten. Those with
the blue were between so and 20 years
OF age. And those who were fast ap-
preaching centcnarianism wore the
awcsome white in their la3els and on
their breasts. The red. the blue, and
the white. Numerically they were visi-
BILE in that order. And they were hale.
and hearty. and wholesome. They had
lived their good lives and baGe fair
many, very many of them, to look for
years to come upon the goodly soil.
physical and spiritual, which they had |
made surprising fertile.
TYPICAL MEETING.
'Wrhy. how do you do? This is Uncle
Jimmy Briggs, isn't it?" was q query
heard when q patriarcha1 old man who
stepped lively down the corridor inter
rupted by another was stopped for a
moment. This is surely Uncle jim
my?"
We'll. bless my soul, IL this isn't lit
tie Billy that / used to know down in
Sanpctc." And then there was great
shaking of hands and an adjournment
TO quiet corner where the two entered
Into an eager conversation.
One of those men was James Briggs.
% years old, and the other was WI
Ham Rasmussen. only g. They had
not met FOR over 40 years and Uncle
Jimmy. remembered the little. boy for
whom he formerly made rude toys in
the days when the IndiaDs'were more
of material foe than the trusts OF to-
day. Mr. Briggs lives at the present
time at Beaver and is the guest for a
few weeks of his daughter, Mrs. Chas
Berkenshaw.
While the bulk of the gathering was
composed of residents of Salt Lake,
there were quite number who hailed
from surrounding towns One little
man, unnssuming and unpretentious In
everything except appearance, held 4
veritable reception in the lobby after
the entertainment was over. His name
Is Azarah Smith. He is in the city
for a few days, Just before the holi-
days" he said, smilingly, coming from
his home in Moroni.
DISCOVERED GOLD.
This little old man, this Azariah
Smith of Moroni. stood beside James
Marshall on a branch of the American
IlNeG III 1dDlOIuld Ill tilG SdiiS
of 1S4S when Marshall picked up the
piece of gold which started the great
development of the west. He stood
and looked at II and told Marshall that ,
he thought IL was the real metal. And
they gave up building that sawmill
sluice and gathered In the yellow metal
and then the stampede began. Mr..
Smith. who had been member of the
famous Mormon Battalion which went
al the way from Missouri to San Diego
during the Mexican war and whose
presence went a long way In aiding
Fremont to bring California under the
stars and stripes. returned to Utah the
ensuing summer and has been a con-
tinuous resident for nearly go years.
WE'RE HISTORY MAKERS.
Yes, there was history all over that
gathering at tho theater. They talked
intimately over that historic march
across the plains. the mountains. and
the deserts. They told of the pcrils
from Indian and wild beast, and they
told of them as a matter OF course.
They talked of the Sioux and the
Cheyenne OF the mid-country plains, of
The Blackfeet and Uncompahgres and
Pfutes of the mountains, of the hunger
and thirst and privations. And they
talked of these things as matter of
no particular moment. They conSid
cred that tho rendition of song by
Miss Grctha Carbon was infinitely more