I settled, with my father and brothers, in Tooele Valley, thirty-five
miles west of Salt Lake City. The people built their houses in the form
of a fort, to protect themselves from the Indians, who frequently stole
their horses and cattle. Men were sent against them from Salt Lake
City, but all to no purpose. The Indians would watch them during the
day, and steal from them at night.
This kind of warfare was carried on for about three years, during which
time there was no safety for our horses or cattle. We had a military
company, of which I was first lieutenant. I went with the captain on
several expeditions against the thieves, but without accomplishing much
good. They would watch our movements in the canyons, and continually
annoy us.
At one time, I took my wife three miles up a canyon, to gather wild
fruit while I got down timber from the mountain. We had intended to
remain over night, but while preparing a place to sleep, a feeling came
over me that the Indians were watching with the intention of killing us
during the night.
I at once yoked my oxen, put my wife and her babe on the wagon, and
went home in the evening. My wife expressed surprise at my movements,
and I told her that the Indians were watching us. She wished to know
how I knew this, and asked if I had seen or heard them. I replied that
I knew it on the same principle that I knew that the gospel was true.
The following day I returned to the canyon. Three Indians had come down
on the road during the night, and robbed a wagon of a gun, ammunition
and other valuables. One of them, from the size of the track, must have
been an Indian known as "Old Big Foot." I thanked the Lord that He had
warned me in time to save my wife and child, as well as myself.
The following winter I asked for a company of men to make another
effort to hunt up the Indians. On this scout we traveled at night and
watched during the day, until we discovered the location of a band of
them.
One morning at daybreak, we surrounded their camp before they were
aware of our presence. The chief among them sprang to his feet, and
stepping towards me, said, "I never hurt you, and I do not want to. If
you shoot, I will; if you do not, I will not." I was not familiar with
their language, but I knew what he said. Such an influence came over me
that I would not have killed one of them for all the cattle in Tooele
Valley.
The running of the women and the crying of the children aroused my
sympathies, and I felt inspired to do my best to prevent the company
from shooting any of them. Some shots were fired, but no one was
injured, except that the legs and feet of some of the Indians were
bruised by jumping among the rocks.
I wished some of the men to go with us to the settlement. They were
somewhat afraid, but confided in my assurance that they should not be
injured.
On my arrival home, my superior officer ignored the promise of safety I
had given the Indians, and decided to have them shot.
I told them I did not care to live after I had seen the Indians whose
safety I had guaranteed, murdered, and as it made but little difference
with me, if there were any shot I should be the first. At the same time
I placed myself in front of the Indians. This ended the matter, and
they were set at liberty.
From the feelings manifested by the Bishop and the people generally,
I thought that I might possibly be mistaken in the whole affair. The
people had long suffered from the depredations of these Indians, and
they might be readily excused for their exasperated feelings, but,
right or wrong, a different feeling actuated me.
After this affair, the presiding Elder directed me to take another
company of men, go after the Indians, to shoot all we found, and bring
no more into the settlement. Again we traveled at night and watched
during the day. We found the trail of a small band who had come near
the valley, and then turned back on account of a light fall of snow,
which would make their trail too easily discovered for thieving
operations.
We surprised them near a large mountain between Tooele and Skull
Valleys. They scattered in the foot hills, and the company divided to
the right and left to keep them from the mountains. I rode my horse as
far as he could go on account of the difficulties of the ground, then
left him, and secreted myself behind a rock in a narrow pass, through
which I presumed some of the Indians would attempt to escape. I had not
been there long before an Indian came within a few paces of me.
I leveled my rifle on him, and it missed fire. He sent an arrow at me,
and it struck my gun as I was in the act of re-capping it; he sent the
second, and it passed through my hat; the third barely missed my head;
the fourth passed through my coat and vest. As I could not discharge my
gun, I defended myself as well as I could with stones. The Indian soon
left the ground to me.
I afterwards learned that as he went on, he met two others of our
company and passed them safely, as their guns also missed fire. When
the company gathered back to the place from which they scattered, we
learned that not one was able to discharge his gun when within range of
an Indian. One of the company received a slight arrow wound, which was
the only injury inflicted.
In my subsequent reflections, it appeared evident to me that a special
providence had been over us, in this and the two previous expeditions,
to prevent us from shedding the blood of the Indians. The Holy Spirit
forcibly impressed me that it was not my calling to shed the blood of
the scattered remnant of Israel, but to be a messenger of peace to
them. It was also made manifest to me that if I would not thirst for
their blood, I should never fall by their hands. The most of the men
who went on this last expedition, also received an impression that it
was wrong to kill these Indians.
On a fourth expedition against them, we again surprised their camp.
When I saw the women and children fleeing for their lives, barefooted
over the rocks and through the snow, leaving a trail of blood, I fully
made up my mind, that if I had anything more to do with the Indians, it
would be in a different way.
I did not wish to injure these women and children, but, learning that
"Old Big Foot" was there, and feeling that he deserved killing, I
soon found his trail and followed it. There being snow on the ground,
his trail was easily seen. It passed along the highest ridges. As I
approached a cedar tree with low, thick foliage, a feeling came over
me not to go near it. I passed it under the brow of a steep hill. When
beyond it, I saw that no trail had passed on. I circled around in sight
of the Indian, but he in some way slipped off unobserved.
Afterwards, when trying to make peace with these Indians, "Big Foot"
told me, that himself and party had laid their plans to kill me and my
wife and child, the summer before when in Pine Canyon, had we remained
there over night. During the same interview he said, placing his finger
on his arrow, "If, when you followed me in the cedar hills, you had
come three steps nearer the tree where I was, I would have put an arrow
into you up to the feather."
I thanked the Lord, as I often felt to do, for the revelations of His
Spirit.
After returning home from the expedition, in which I had followed the
trail of "Old Big Foot," I dreamed, three nights in succession, of
being out west, alone, with the Indians that we had been trying about
three years to destroy. I saw myself walk with them in a friendly
manner, and, while doing so, pick up a lump of shining substance, some
of which stuck to my fingers, and the more I endeavored to brush it off
the brighter it became.
This dream made such an impression on my mind, that I took my blankets,
gun and ammunition, and went alone into their country. I remained with
them several days, hunting deer and duck, occasionally loaning them my
rifle, and assisting to bring in their game. I also did all I could to
induce them to be at peace with us.
One day, in my rambles, I came to a lodge where there was a squaw, and
a boy about ten years old. As soon as I saw the boy, the Spirit said to
me, "Take that lad home with you; that is part of your mission here,
and here is the bright substance which you dreamed of picking up." I
talked with him and asked him if he would not go with me. He at once
replied that he would.
The mother, naturally enough, in a deprecating tone, asked me if
I wanted to take her boy away from her. But after some further
conversation she consented to the arrangement. At this time I had not
learned much of the language of these Indians, but I seemed to have the
gift of making myself understood.
When I left, the boy took his bows and arrows and accompanied me. The
woman appeared to feel so bad, and made so much ado, that I told the
lad he had better go back to his mother; but he would not do so. We
went to the side of the mountain where I agreed to meet the Indians.
His mother, still anxious about her boy, came to our camp in the
evening.
The following morning, she told me that she heard I had a good heart,
for the Indians told her that I had been true to what I said, and the
boy could go with me if I would always be his father and own him as my
son.
This boy became very much attached to me, and was very particular to do
as he was told. I asked him why he was so willing to come with me the
first time we met. He replied that I was the first white man he ever
saw; that he knew a man would come to his mother's lodge to see him, on
the day of my arrival, for he was told so the night before, and that
when the man came he must go with him; that he knew I was the man when
he saw me a long way off, and built a smoke so that I would come there.