My position here should have some
explanation. I stayed 34 days in Ashley and the surrounding country
when duety and safety seemed to
require me to leave. Marshal Brooks
of Ashley had just returned from
S. L. City while there he got his
papers renewed and two Marshal
had taken him over Jordon to
show him how to ra^i^de Houses
he assisted in serching Bro. Batemans
place after learning how to work
he returned to Ashley and brought
the two Salt Lake Marshals with
him. Brooks sold afll his property
in Ashley and sent his wife to Denver so as to have nothing in
his way from commenceing work in
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Ashleyhe dare not arrest men there
alone for the Indians had threatened
his life if he did but now as he
had two Marshals to help him
and some backing of Anti Mormons
and Apostates they were prepared to
comence work it was beleaved by
my friends that brought out
papers to arest one L. A. and a number
of Poligameist in the place and some
friends who professed to understand the
inside track were sure they were
going to com^m^ence a raid on the early
morning of the 23 of July by searching
the premises of my Son-in-law Henry Woodruff where my family was
stopping my friends were very urgent
that I should leave the place that
night. Bishop Glines the probate
judge and a brother Colwell
volunteered to firnish teeam and accompany
me to any place I would go so I
accepted the offer and at ten o'clock
in the evening of July 22 I left Emma and five children in tears
got into a lumber wagon traveled
all night and 16 days on rout was
Page 3
through rugged mountains and
deep Canyons to 9 mile creek Via
Price station Castle ValleyHuntington Castledale through SalinaRichfield
up clear creek canyon struck the
southeren road below Cove Fort through Beaver and arrived at St George on
the evening of the 7 of August having
traveled 448 miles we traveled some
days 30, 40, 45 and one day 50 miles
a singular incident took place when
we arrived at the head of the Salina
Canyon we came to Sam Gilsom's
ranch which joins a ranch belonging
to two sons of William Jennings
the two Jennings Sons and two of Gilsoms
were to gather Brother Colwell our
reanster enquired of them how the
road down the Canyon was they
told him he could not go down
the Canyon with a team as the
road was washed out in meany places
by the flood said all the travel
Page 4
went over the mountain the Gilsom
Boys started for the wagon to see
what we had inside as the curtain
was down but Colwell drove on
and did not gratify therir curiosity
when we came to the forks of the
road we could all see that the travel
all went over the hills but we felt
very stongly impressed to go down
the canyon and so concluded to
do so and drove down we found the
road washed out in several places
and in one place we had to take our
horses off and draw the wagon by hand
some 40 feet to f keep from runing
of[f] a bank 30 feet into the creek but
we got through in safety but on
our arivel in Salina we learned that
had we taken the mountain road
we should fhave met Sam Gilsome
with three other men all armed
what the result would have been
had we met is not yet recorded
with regard to Ashley I will say
fefore I feft [left] I learned that they would
not have ^any^ election this year so all
the offices will hold over this was
Page 5
in consequence of there not having
time to fulfill the law in pasting
up notices and &c. this I was glad of
as it save the difficulty of the election
and they would not be as well off as now,
I was very much pleased to get your
letter and of the apointment of Samuel
Benyon I hope he will accept of it
I dont know of a better choice I do
not wish to injure Bishop Hatch
he is a splendid Indian missionary
and has done much good onong them
and is mcuch more suitable for that
station I than he is to preside over the
stake I am satisfied that all the
saints in Uinta Stake unite on
him and I think a good many of
the mormons will at least enough
to carry the elections I was rather
expecting to come down to St George
this fall but did not expect to
come so soon but I thought
it better to take this course than
Page 6
run the risk of doing worse
my family arived in safety at the
far mers word [ward] I pray God to bless
you with health straingth peasce joy
liberty and freedom fron all your enemies
I remain your brother in the gospel
of Christ