Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-08-20

my mother $40, but she had TO pay It
for taxes TO build a wall around the
city, and this left her without any
thing so | came to the conclusion that
| should go home and see that she did
not suffer from want OF food I had
four good horses. but | had no sooner
made UP my mind to go to salt Lake
city than the Devil or some other
agency tried TO prevent me from going,
for when 7 went to get my horses |
could not find them and | never could
find the two best animals, 1
bought two sacks of -four at sli per
sack. for Il was scarce In San Francis
CO. and ! bought two blankets to wrap
II in and lashed my -four on my pack
saddle and determined to go with my
two horses. I would have 10 travel a
distance OF about 500 miles through In
dian country.
HORSE FALLS OK HIM.
In those days they carried mail from
back. and as the mail carriers were
about to start on their return trip |
made up my mind TO travel with them.
We started out about o'clock pm.
and went up into the Kahoon 80 Pass
and camped distance OF about 10
miles My brother william came out
and stayed at night with MS In the
morning we hitched up our horses and
mules TO make start but when / got
on my horse he was standing In
patch OF willows and made a jump
straight up in the air and fell back
wards on top Of me. The willows were
20 thick | could not get from under
him when he fell. The boys came to
my assistance and found that / was
BADLY hurt They insisted on going
back TO San Bernardino. but I told
them that ! had started for Salt Lake
and would not go back II they had TO
bury me before we had gone five miles
on the road, so | changed horses and
rode a horse that my brother had lent
me In case of accident and he came
IN handy in the first part OF the
journey When my horse fell with me
he III with the horn OF the saddle
right In my breast and spit blood for
three days. but was determined that
would not go back, for | had promised
the Lord II he would open up the way
for me TO get back TO Salt Lake that
would stay there and help build up his
kingdom on earth.
HOSTILE INDIANS.
At this time the Indians were very
hostile, and when we got to Kingston
Springs we found that they had muir
dered two white men the night before
we camped there. When we got TO Rio
Virgin there were about 200 Indians
waiting for us They had barricaded the
road in several places so we could not
pass, and we would have had hard
time getting through had II not been
for a Mormon missionary by the name
of Follett, who had been on a mission
In Las Vegas and was returning home
to Provo or Spanish Fork He stayed
behind us with the old chief and
preached to him. and told him II he
would 20 with us to whore we Camped
we would divide our provisions with
him. but we had hard work TO keep
his Indians fro mscalping us. we tray
eled over so miles that day and the
old chief Travelled about 20 miles after
dark with us TO find us a place 10 camp
where his Indians could not find us He
sat up all night and herded our horses
for us and drove them up to camp IN
the morning. We gave him all the
grub we could afford which was very
little; but the Indians were so starved
that they would follow you 20 miles
for one cracker After that we were
not troubled with the Indians much
until we got to Salt Creek. and then
they did not trouble us; but Walkers
band killed man and a boy at the
place where we camped the night be
fore We got there It was there that We
lost every horse we had.
ARRIVES IN SALT LAKE,
They were very tired and we turned
them loose 10 feed and when we went
10 bring them up we could not find one
OF them. We hunted all night and gave
them up for lost. but when light came
we found them lying in litter below,
not quarter Of a mile from camp We
made the trip in II days, and we rested
one day at Parowan. We rode from
Salt Creek TO Pleasant Grove after we
got our horses and camped there for
the night, and started for the city tho
next morning. l got 10 my fathers
house about pm. I drove up to the
door. but my mother did not know me,
for / had changed considerably during
the few years that | had spent in Call
fornla.
NEWS OF JOHNSTON's ARMY.
AS soon as | got rested little went
out TO hunt work but work was very
scarce. and there was not money to be
got, and no bread stuff to be bought.
At last / went to work for j. g Little
for IS n week I worked for him for
about two years, and soon got to be
foreman of his cabinet shop I was
color bearer in the Flying artillery and
went up into Big Cottonwood canyon
with President Brigham Young and
many OF the Saints and spent the gath
OF July, 1857 While we were there the
news came that Johnston's army was
coming to wipe us out but they did not
do Il. ] was next called upon to 60
into the mountains TO help watch John
stons army and see that they did not
do any harm I stayed in tho noun
tains about a month. riding nearly day
and night our company was dis
charged; but we did not get much rest,
for | was called 20 help guard the
city
It was about this time that
first saw my wife. Amelia Cropland. at
the home Of Mrs. Hardy. where she was
living. IL was the first night she had
been there. and when ! opened the door
she was sitting with her back to me
and I had not seen her face: but / had
q very strange feeling as I passed
her and something told me that that
girl would be my wife. We soon be-
came acquainted.