Letter to John Taylor and Council, 15 September 1879 [LE-11926]

Indian [Mission]

Sunset, Apache Co., Arizona,

Sept. 15th, 1879.

President John Taylor and Council:

Dear Brethren:

I arrived on Saturday night, the 13th
inst., all well and in good spirits and found Brother Lake, of Brig-
ham City and Brother Btates, of pleasant Vallety, very sick. They had
been to the Verdie, baptizing some and administering to the sick.
Brother Lake has been looked upon as dangerous, but was some better
yesterday.

In my short communication of the 2nd inst., I promised to give
a more full account of my visit to the Islatus, which I will now en-
deavor to do. I view my visit amontg the Nephites one of the most
interesting missions of my life, although short. I say Nephites, be-
cause if there are any Nephites on this continent we have found them
among the Zunies, Lagoonies and Islatus, for they are a different
race of people altogether from the Lamanites. I class the Navajoe,
Moquie and Apaches with the Lamantiites, although they are in advance
of many Indian tribes of America. I class the Zunies, Lagoonies and
Islatus among the Nephites. (See Sec. 3, 17 verse, D. & C.). The
Zunies are in advance of the Navajoes, Apaches, or any other Laman-
ites. The Lagoonies are much above the Zunies, and the Islatus are
far above them all in wealth, in beauty, cleanliness and order of
their homes and persons, the adornment of their dwellings, their in-
dustry and indefatigable labors, the virtue and purity of their na-
tiojnal blood, their bearing and dignity in their intercourse with
strangers and, above all else, the expansion of their minds and cap-
ability of receiving any principle of the Gospel, lof endowments or
sealing powers, fully equal to the mind of any of the Anglo Saxon

race. While I have been standing in the midst of that noble minded
people, teaching them the Gospel, I could not make myself believe I
was standing in the presence of American Indians or Lamanites, neither
was I. The Islatus of which I speak is a village twelve miles be-
low Albequirke, on the Rio Del Norte, containing 3000 souls that
stand at the head of this class of men that I calol the Nephites.
They occupy forty villages, containing a population of 32,000, speak-
ing sixteen distinct languages, but nearly all good Spanish scholars.
I look upon this as a great field of missionary labor for some forty
good, faithful "Mormon" Elders, who should be able to speak the
Spanish, and I hope next Conference will call some of them, at least,
into the field. I visited this people, located in their homes, in
company with Brother Ammon M. Tenney, who had visited most of them
before and I think has done much good in opening doors among them.
He had baptized 115 of the Zunies on a former mission. My journey
and visit with him was a visit of observation and I was amply paid.
In what way, I do not know, but in almost ebvery village I visited,
they were looking for me. I can only make a brief outline from my
journal of our journey. On the 19th of Auguast, we entered the Zunie
village, containing about 3000 souls. The village stood on a piece
of ground; many buildings three stories high, the upper stories en-
tered by ladders at the top. There had been a heavy struggle in
this village between the Catholics and Mormon Zunies. The priests
had done all they could to lie about the Mormons and had drawn away
a few who had been baptized, but others remained firm. I went
through the old Catholic cathedral in the village; it looked as
though it were 500 years old. It had two bells hanging in the tower
and over the pulpit was some of the finest carved work in wood I

ever saw, representing Christ, the apostles and angels. I went all
through the village and, for the first time in my life, I had a view
of the white Indians called Albinos. Their hair, face and limbs
were nearly as white as milk, much whiter than any Americans. I met
with many who had been baptized and they were very glad to see me.
They had 2000 acres of corn, looking well without irrigation. XOn the
day following, we visited their bvillage at their farm clalled Fish
Springs. I was here introduced to Brother Juan Boulista (John Bap-
tist), the first man baptized in the Zunie nation by A. M. Tenney.
His son's wife was the most handsome woman I ever saw of the Indian
race; had a beautiful child, nearly white. I went through their
wheat fields, which they were ciutting with sickles. We visited sev-
eral ruins of the ancient inhabitants; some of the outside walls of
stone were standing some eight feet high. On Sunday evening, the
25th, we held a meeting in a village of the Lagoonies, called Mosita
Negra. We had an interesting talk with the Governor of the place
(Jose Carido) and the spiritual advisor (Lorenzo Coreo) and both
wanted a meeting, and they called the people together, men, women and
children. We opened by singing and prayer and Brother Tenney spoke
to them in Spanish thirty minutes. I spoke a short time. Brother
Tenney interpreted and we dismissed, thinking we had kept them long
enough. As soon as we dismissed, a Nephite arose, full of the
Spirit of the Lord, and said, "Friends, why do you dismiss us and
leave us in this way. This is the first time we have heard of our
forefathers and the Gospel, and the things we have looked for from
the traditions of our fathers. If our wives and children are weary,
let them go home; we want to hear more. We want you to taklk all
night, do not leave us so." This speech raised me to my feet and

the next hour was one of the best meetings we had. We all felt in-
spired, missionaries, Nephite men, women and children. I spoke and
Birother Tenney interpreted. I never felt the want of tongues more
than on this occasion. I taught the things of the kingdom of God
and found hearts capable of receiving it. All were deeply interest-
ed and the seeds we had sown in the hearts of that people will bring
forth fruit. At the close of the meeting, the man who spoke in the
meeting came to me and said, "WHhen you return, drive to my home and
all your wants will be supplied, (which we did do and held another
meeting on the Sunday following, and should have baptized him and the
Governor and many others, I think, if the Governor who had followed
us as did the spiritual advisor, some sixty miles to Islatus and had
not returned and the people did not wish to take any steps until their
Governor was with them.) On the following morning, my carriage was
surrounded by the Governor and people that we had talked to the night
before and some of them took breakfast with us and I had to talk to
them on the principles of the Gospel and their record and signs of
the times, until I left, and the leading men of the village foollowed
us sixty miles to Islatus and stopped with us most of the time we
were there. On the morning of the 26th of August, we drove through
Friscoe, crossed the Rio Del Norte, which we found very low and en-
tered Albequirke, containing about 3000 thousand inhabitants, Jews,
Gentiles, Americans and Mexicans. I was introduced to Judge Parks,
the U. S. District Judge of that District, from Illinois. I went
through the city or town. It is quite a place of business. I went
through the Catholic cathedral accompanied by an Italian (Padre) or
priest. He took great pains to show us everything in it. Robes of
the priests and deacons; some robes woven from pure gold thread that

cost $1000.00. There was much more wealth than I would have looked
for in as obscure a place as Albequirke. We spent the day in the
place and left in the evening and camped five miles below on the
banks of the river. On the 27th of August, we entered the village
of Islatus (Ysleta), being the day before the great annual feast of
this people. Brother Ammon M. Tenney had visited this people three
years ago and had madde friends in the place. We called upon an iold
patriarch that had received him before. His name was Juan Reylocero
(John King). He was golad to receive us. He furnished us with
mutton, fruit and anything we needed. He was one of the leading
spirits and most influential men ofin the village over 80 years of age,
but his labor and activity did not show 70. It should be understood
that the Catholic power has had dominion for centuries over most of
the American tribes. This is the case with all these tribes, as well
as others, and the priests who now occupy their villages are mostly
French or Italian. The priests who dwell in Islatus has had a hard
contest with the old patriarch, because he had received the Mormons
and their religion. He told the priest that he had his own rights
and agency and no men should take his rights or religion from him,
and they had not spoken to each other for two years, and this spirit
is manifest through all the tribes when the Gospel is preached and
the Lamanites and Nephites throughout all the land are beginning to
be weary of the Catholic priests and their religion. The inhabit-
ants of Islatus stand at the head of these 32,000 Nephites; all the
other 40 villages come to them for counsel. They have their own
laws, police courts and judgment seat. They are very rich. The
man we stopped with possessed 9000 sheep, 100 brood mares and horses,
100 mules and asses, 500 cows and oxen, a ranch worth $8000.00, and

$25,000 of other wealth, real estate, lends many houses in the city,
and this is an ensample of many of the Islatus nation. They allow
no white man or Mexiacan to mix with them in the blood; all their
marriages are in their own tribe. Our friend (Reylocero) said the
Americans had called them wild men. If they were wild, they were
honest and virtuous. It was very seldom that a case of seduction of
a wife or daughter was ever known in their tribes. Whenever such a
case did occur, the penalty of death was exedcuted and had been for
centuries, until civilization was introduced by Americans, who had
introduced seduction and corruption wherever they had a chance, and
now, if a man was put to death for seduction, the civilization of the
day would kill him. In fact, they were so much afraid of white men
coming kin contact with their women, that Brothers Tenney and Robert
H. Smith, of the 15th Ward, Salt Lake City, three years ago, came
near starving to death before they got thoroughly acquainted with
them, as they were not willing for them to go into the presence of
their women, but after the old patriarch had full confidence in
Brother Tenney, he put his granddaughter (a very handsome young woman)
in his charge, as he was going away for a season and a young Mexican
wished to court her, and the old gentleman did not wish him to marry
her. And, as the people in that village had full confidence in him,
on our arrival we were kindly received and entertained by all we
called upon. I look upon the Islatus as the most industrious and
hard laboring people of any I ever met with (tehe Latter-day Saints
not excepted). This Nephite village has a field of corn ten miles
in length and one in width, laying north and south fof their village,
all irrigated, and the corn quite as good as any I ever saw in Utah,
and perfectly clean; not a weed could be found in a hundred axcres.

They have also twenty-one vineyards bordering on their city and 1000
vines to each vineyard, some of them 60 years of age, all kept per-
fectly clean and loaded with the finest of fruit, and as heavy a crop
as I ever saw in St. Geotrge, and the vines stand from two to four feet
in height and, in the fall of the year, each vine has a mound of
earth formed around it, until it is covered out of sight. In the
spring it is covered and the earth leveled. This is an immense
work. They have also many apple, pear and peach orchards, all ripe
as well as the grapes. Islatus is only occupied by the Nephites
themselves. No Mexicans or white men. The houses generally are
made of adobie, dcement or concrete, and plastered, the outside walls
as white as snow, and the floors made of mortar or plaster, very
smooth and many of them very neatly carpeted, and we saw some as
handsome women and girls as could be found in America, with the ex-
ception of color. There is one practice that exceeds any civilized
city on the bglobe that I ever heard of; there is no man, woman or
child allowed to sweep a particle of dirt or dust from their floors
into the door yards or streets, under the penalty of a fine. It all
has to be gathered in cloths or baskets and carried to mounds which
are located in different parts of the city. The room we occupied
was in the center of the town and the mound formed from the sweepings
of the floors in that part of the town measured 150 yards at the base
and some thirty feet high, which had probably been 100 years in col-
lecting, for they did not appear to cart it waway. I found in Is-
latus and in other villages of the Nephites the same kind of crockery
and stone ware painted in all its brilliant colors that we find the
remnants of in their ancient cities or ruins of the ancient inhab-
itants. All of their water jugs and main crockery are of this mat-

erial, for they still hold the art of making and painting. We vis-
ited quite a number of the fzamilies at the village and were kindly
entertained. Among others, we visited Mrs. Pascual Avieta, a Neph-
ite lady, I should judge 50 years of age, a large portly woman, with
a large, fine home; floors neatly carpeted, settees covered with
Navajoe blankets, wiorth $15 each. She was neatly dressed. I was
introduced to her by Brother Tenney and her daughters and sons. She
received me and treated me with all the elegance that any refined
lady could, and presided over her household with all the dignity and
grace of a Martha Washington. When her daughters were introduced
to me, after bowing and shaking hands, they very reservedly and
modestly retired across the room, sat down upon a settee and listened
to what was said in silence. The matron sat down beside me and con-
versed with great fereedom. While the family could speak good Span-
ish, her son, a fine young man of 20, could speak good English, which
was a God send to me, and I thoroughly improved it by preaching the
Gospel of Christ and blessings of the kingdom of God to him, which
he gladly received and promised to deliver the same to his father and
mother. The matron invited us into her pear, peach and apple or-
chard and grape vineyard which were ripe, and we feasted to our sat-
isfaction, and we repeated by invitation the same ceremony each day
while in Islatus. The feast was on the 27th of August. There were
hundreds of Mexicans from all the surrounding country gathered. The
Mexican women and girls, with their long trails. Most all the drink-
ing, gambling and figthting, which lastied all night, were done by the
Mexicans, while the Islatus were in their homes and doors locked at
an early hour. The Governor and leading men of Mosita Negra, where
we preached, were with us and did not take part with the Mexican

carousal.

Thus, dear broethren, I have given you an outline, merely, of the
field of labor which I consider the God of Israel has opened unto us
and which I consider the revelations of God require us to pefrform. I
think there is element sufficient for forty good, faithful Elders to
be employed to convert them to the Gospel of Christ and quite a good
number of missionaries called at the October Conference who can speak
the Spanish langyuage, or who will be able to learn it. I have al-
ready sent Brother Taylor a small list of names, including the In-
dian missionaries that are already in this country, as far as a I can
remember them, and if there are any in St. George or soutthehern Utah,
or northern, who can speak the Spanish, or who will learn it, I woudld
like Brother Taylor to have them by the October Conference.

I am happy to be able to state that most of the settlers I have
visited of the Saints have been blessed with fair crops of grain,
notwithstanding the dry season. They were just finishing threshing
as I left Snowflake. They will have over 3000 bushels of grain,
mostly wheat, and I am confiedent they will have over 4000 bushels of
Wheat at Sunset.

I have not written anything for publication concerning my journ-
eying to Lamanites or Nephites of late, thinking it would not be wis-
dom to publish anything about our labors among the American Indians
under the present state of excitement on Mormonism. I forwarded a
list of names in my other communication, as missionaries. I forward
a few more in this communication and those I send from here are most-
ly persons who have given in their names and willing to engage in the
mission. There were some incidents occurred on our mission which
were interesting to me and showed that the Lord was at work with and

for us, to open the way for the introduction of the Gospel among this
branch of the house of Israel. But I have already lenghtthened out
this communication much further than I intended at the commencement.
I learned of the release of the Apostles from prison from the "News,"
which has given joy to all the faithful Saints of the land. The
devil is making a hard struggle to stop the building of Temples and
the work of God, and the wicked are helping him, but, brethren, God
reigns and will stand by you to the end. The lawyers, judges and
nation^s^ are hastening to their doom as fast as time will permit and
as sure as fate. May God bless you and give you the victory is the
earnest prayer of

Your brother in the Gospel,

W.

The following is a list of a few more names I wish to present
for this mission: