Dear Sir—As brother Bigler is about to return
home, I feel to write a few lines, and give what news we have.
I call upon the President daily. We have no Eastern mail yet.
We were quite interested in Cradlebaugh's charge to the Grand Jury,
and in his bodyguard, but I think he has done like Sinclair, shot
his biggest gun first. The Indian that went after the nine
horses stolen at Grantsville, has returned with two of them, the others
were killed. He says he travelled 200 miles, got to camp, told
his business, and they said they would kill him for being a traitor.
They brought up three horses left, and then shot down a stud be-
longing to bishop Clark, and dried the meat, & tied the other two up. In the
night the Indian crawled out, took the two horses which were left, fled
for Grantsville and got in safe. He was followed by a band
who went to Stansbury's Island, took all of brother Kimball's herd, some
170, with his wildcat stud, and tried to drive them to the main land,
on the west side of the island. When they were belly deep in
water, they stampeded, went back to the island, fled into the
mountains, and the Indians got none of them. There is now
a guard there.
(Private. When Dr. Forney's interpreter, Jebow, talked
with the Indians at Grantsville, he told them they must not
steal any horses or mules with U. S. on them, and that if they
did the soldiers would follow them and kill them. He conveyed
the idea that they must steal Mormon animals, if any. That
Page 2
night they took nine of the Mormon animals, while those belonging
to the Government were left untouched. Two Mormon inter-
preters stood by and heard it all.)
An officer from the camp told Little Soldier that in
120 sleeps they should wipe out all the Mormons in this land.
Little Soldier was very unbelieving in the matter, and I am of
his faith.
Dr. Forney called upon President Young yesterday. I am
informed by Col. Little that Gov. Cumming wishes him to go
to Provo to watch the movements of things. Gov. C. thinks Cradle-
baugh has committed himself much in his charge to the jury,
in taking his guard of soldiers, &c.
I have got a partial clue to the committee who wrote those
anonymous letters to President Young.
Last Sunday, in company with C. C. Rich and half a
dozen others, I called upon brother Wolstenholme to attend the
operation of taking a stone out of his bladder. They could not
get any chloroform, and they tried ether, but they got an adul-
terated article at Godby's, and after he had breathed it two hours
and used 8 oz. in doing it, we had to give up the job, and leave
him about half crazy, and wait till chloroform could be got.
L. W. Hardy lost a child yesterday. It was buried to day, and
was about two years old. We still have a snowstorm about every
other day, cold weather, and bad roads. I have got some men
rebuilding my well. All is well in the office. Leo is still
quite sick. Your family are all well. Brother Pulsipher
called in to see you about the dam. The Des. News has
Page 3
come out with whole sheet, new head, new editor, & full of news.
We feel anxious to hear from you often. Wisdom and true
policy, I think, say, keep cool, keep down excitement, keep from
any open collision to shed blood, and trust in God, who will bear
you off, as he has done heretofore. Our strength is in the God
of heaven, who will fight your battles as he has done. We pray
for you. Give our love and blessing to Hosea, Blair, Kay, Long,
Blackburn, Snow, Wall, and Bullock, and all your associates,
and we say God bless you all forever, and give you a victory over all
your enemies.
I have written a line to Col. Thos. L. Kane. E. T. Benson
has just come in, and he says, send my love to G. A. Smith. He
says he has been trying to pray for the court there, but does not have
much of the spirit of prayer for them.