The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-05-14
(By MRS. NJ. r. pLAssMANN)

NL1N MLNJt NAa Ia AEADONLEL1NN
"A EY attention has been called to a
INH very interesting interview of w.
Ava W. Moses with a pioneer living
near Helena, who says he was driver
for a Mormon train which travelled
with us (the Sidney EdgertOn party
from South Pass to Fort Hall, and
the journal of Mrs. w. F. Sanders is
cited in confirmation of his claim.
Before all witnesses has passed
on" I wish to make it clear that no
Mormon train was with us during
any part of our journey. I have
Mrs. Sanders as we'll as Miss Oar
ling's journal to supplement my own
fairly good memory of the trip in
support of this assertion. Either this
man was connected with another
train, or he did not travel with us.
Our route was along the sO-called
Mormon Trail, which was on the
north side of the North Platte river,
and we saw nUmberless Mormon
trains going both east and west. They
carried the latest converts to the
sect and Joseph Smith, and they con-
stituted a motley crowd, having been
gathered from the four corners of
the earth. They weer mainly EurOp-
can peasants who had not shed their
distinctive costumes. Day after day
they trudged along beside the wagons
loaded with their scanty baggage,
and bearing the little children, and
those too weak to walk. There were
gray-haired men and women among
them whose years did not incapaci-
tate them from keeping pace with
the Oxen which were generally used
as motive power. I do not remem.
Der seeing a Mormon train where
mules or horses drew the wagons.
These pilgrims to the modern
Zion not only walked day in and da!
out, but the wOmen's hands were no.
idle, for many of them knit, Gro
cheted, or yer otherwise employed
and possibly the men-sOme of then
also knit, as I am told it is custom
airy for the shepherds Of SaXOny tt
knit their W long hose, an exampl
which might well be initiated by GU
own shepherds.
They Were an orderly lot of immi
grants. these Mormon converts, an
the profanity INDUCED in by the driV
ers must have led them to WOnde
what kind Of a religion this was tina
tolerated it. Perhaps it was not en-
cOuraged, but it was certainly orig
inal in its denunciatiOns, and 70
that reason is worthy of being re
corded, as it surpassed anything Q
the kind I heard from Omaha {
Snake river, and one could not avoi
hearing a great deal. It was deciC
edly shocking to those Of US VIII
were born and reared in a Purita
community where an oath was neve
heard.
The eastward-gOing Mormon train
consisted Of empty, or nearly empt
wagons, and made good time for O
teams.
When we left Omaha, our trai
consisted Of four covered Wagon
with five men and a boy Of ~seventee
to act as drivers, guard for camp {
night, and defense at any time
should be needed. 1t was a foo
hardy undertaking my father ate
wards admitted, to cross the India
country in this manner. I happil
was too young to realize this, an
never felt a moments a~pprehensiOi
althOugh I saw beside the road nun
erOus graves with. headboards Il
scribed, KILLED by Indians"
Sometime before we reached 70
Laramie, Messrs CoWan and Ha
with one wagon, Joined us. az
proved to be a valuable addition
our party. Both Of these men we.
accustomed 10 the use Of guns. Whi
our men were not. mr.. Cowan aCt'
g ias hunter for ms, and was the on