A petty chief, living west of the settlement on the Santa Clara, and on
the California road, came to me and said that he had stolen from some
"Mormons" as they passed by; that there could not be medicine made to
kill him, for he was a hard one to kill, and he would steal from the
"Mormons" again the first opportunity.
Some two weeks after this conversation, the Indians told me that this
chief was dead. In going home from the Santa Clara settlement, he stole
an animal from a "Mormon" traveler, and hid it up until he had gone
by; then drove it to his lodge, killed it, and when it was about half
skinned he was taken sick, went to his lodge and died.
An Indian living near us said he had killed an animal, and wished to
pay for it. I took some pay from him that he might be satisfied, and
told him to go his way and steal no more.
He was afterwards caught stealing another ox, after which I chanced to
meet him alone. He asked me what I was going to do about it. I replied,
"Nothing."
He talked in an excited manner, and said in an angry tone, "If you are
going to do anything, do it now; do it here." I explained to him that
if evil came upon people they brought it upon themselves by their mean
acts.
He talked and acted in such a rascally manner that I was disgusted. I
told him that he was in the hands of the Lord; if He would forgive him,
I would, but I did not believe that He would. This man died in a few
days after this conversation.
The Lord had sent the gospel of their fathers to these Indians, and
with it the testimony of many special manifestations, so evident to
them, even in their ignorance, that they might be without excuse.
In addition to the destruction of the wilfully wicked and perverse,
many promises to them were fulfilled, their sick were healed, etc.
These testimonies more fully established the influence of the Elders
among this people, and they looked to us for counsel, and endeavored to
do as they were instructed. The men ceased to abuse their families, and
they did as well as could be expected of people in their low condition.
They would wash the sick, and ask the Elders to lay hands on and pray
for them. The Lord had great regard for our administrations, for I
do not recollect administering to one that did not recover. We were
careful not to say or do anything wrong, and I feel that a good spirit
governed us in all our intercourse with this people. They soon learned
to regard our words as law.
At length the Santa Clara and Muddy Indians got into a quarrel, and
began to kill each other whenever they could get an advantage. We
endeavored to make peace between them, but blood had been spilled, and
nothing but blood would satisfy them.
One morning, a Muddy Creek Indian killed one of the Santa Clara band in
the wood near our fort. The Santa Clara Indians farther up the stream,
hearing of it, took a Moapats woman, fastened her to a small tree and
burned her.
When they first tied her, a young Indian came in haste to let me know
what was going on. I hurried towards the spot, but before I arrived
there another boy met me, and said that it was of no use for me to go
on, for matters had gone too far to save the woman. I think they had
hurried to consummate the terrible deed before I could get there.
When I talked with the perpetrators they cried, and said that they
could not have done less than they did. That is, they were so bound
up in their traditions and customs, that what they had done was a
necessary duty.
They appeared so child-like, and so anxious to have me think that what
they had done was all right, that I said nothing, but felt that I would
be truly thankful if I should ever be so fortunate as to be called to
labor among a higher class of people.
These things took place in the summer and autumn of 1856. Soon after
the burning of the Indian woman, Brother Ira Hatch and I started for
Cedar City, by way of the Mountain Meadows. At night we camped near
another trail which crossed the one on which we were traveling.
When we arose in the morning, I told my companion that the Cedar
Indians had been to the Muddy to attack the Indians living there, and
had got the worst of it; that on their return they had stolen the
horses from the Santa Clara.
We had never traveled the trail they were on, but I told Brother Hatch
that if he would take it, he would find the thieves camped at a certain
spring, and when they saw him they would be so surprised that they
would let him have the horses without any difficulty.
Brother Hatch found matters as I had predicted, and the Indians got up
the horses for him, and appeared anxious to have him take them away.
We afterwards learned that the Cedar Indians had gone to the Muddy, and
stolen two squaws from the band that lived on that creek. The Muddy
Indians had pursued the robbers, and retaliated by killing a chief of
the Cedar Indians, and wounding two more of their party. They also
recovered the captive squaws.
It was by the dictation of the Holy Spirit that I sent Brother Hatch
to recover the horses. It was the same Spirit that had influenced me
to take my wife and child out of Pine Canyon the evening before I had
intended to, and thereby saved their lives and my own. It was the same
also that had saved me from being killed by "Old Big Foot," when I
lived in Tooele Valley.
At this time we had established as good a form of government among the
Santa Clara Indians as their circumstances would permit.
They worked for a living, and promised to be honest. If anyone stole,
he either paid a price for what he had taken, or was stripped, tied
to a tree and whipped, according to the magnitude of the offense. The
Indians did the whipping, while I generally dictated the number and
severity of the lashes.
In the winter of 1856-7, after the Indians had been trying for some
time to follow our counsels, they said to me, "We cannot be good; we
must be Piutes. We want you to be kind to us. It may be that some of
our children will be good, but we want to follow our old customs."
They again began to paint themselves, and to abuse their women, as they
had done before we went among them.
Up to this time, Elder R. C. Allen had been president of the Southern
Indian Mission, and had generally resided at Harmony. He had given me
charge of the settlement on the Santa Clara Creek.
The following letter shows his release, and my appointment to take his
place, and exhibits the Indian policy of President Brigham Young:
"PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, Great Salt Lake City, August 4, 1857.
"ELDER JACOB HAMBLIN:--You are hereby appointed to succeed Elder R. C.
Allen (whom I have released) as president of the Santa Clara Indian
Mission. I wish you to enter upon the duties of your office immediately.
"Continue the conciliatory policy towards the Indians which I have ever
commended, and seek by works of righteousness to obtain their love and
confidence. Omit promises where you are not sure you can fill them; and
seek to unite the hearts of the brethren on that mission, and let all
under your direction be united together in holy bonds of love and unity.
"All is peace here, and the Lord is eminently blessing our labors;
grain is abundant, and our cities are alive with the busy hum of
industry.
"Do not permit the brethren to part with their guns and ammunition, but
save them against the hour of need.
"Seek the spirit of the Lord to direct you, and that He may qualify you
for every duty, is the prayer of your fellow-laborer in the gospel of
salvation,
"BRIGHAM YOUNG."
Early in the autumn of 1857, Apostle George A. Smith visited the
settlements in Southern Utah. He informed the Saints that a United
States army was on the way to Utah. What the result would be, he said
he did not know. He advised the people to be saving their grain, and
not sell any to travelers to feed their teams; for they could live on
grass better than our women and children. He thought that all we could
afford to do, under the circumstances, was to furnish travelers with
bread. That if we would not deny the gospel, we might yet suffer much
persecution, and be compelled to hide up in the mountains. "At all
events," said he, "bread is good to have."
When President Smith returned to Salt Lake City, Brother Thales
Haskell and I accompanied him. On our way we camped over night on
Corn Creek, twelve miles south of Fillmore, with a party of emigrants
from Arkansas, traveling on what was then known as the southern route
to California. They inquired of me about the road, and wrote the
information down that I gave them.
They expressed a wish to lay by at some suitable place to recruit their
teams before crossing the desert. I recommended to them, for this
purpose, the south end of the Mountain Meadows, three miles from where
my family resided.
After our arrival in Salt Lake City, news reached us that this company
of emigrants, on their way south, had behaved badly, that they had
robbed hen-roosts, and been guilty of other irregularities, and had
used abusive language to those who had remonstrated with them. It was
also reported that they threatened, when the army came into the north
end of the Territory, to get a good outfit from the weaker settlements
in the south.
A messenger came to President Young, informing him of these things, and
asking advice.
In reply, Brigham Young sent general instructions to the settlements,
advising the people to let the emigrants pass as quietly as possible;
and stating that there was an army on our borders, and we could not
tell what we might be obliged to do before the troubles were over. He
said we might be under the necessity of going into the mountains, and
that he wished all supplies of food to be in a shape to be readily
available in such an emergency; and we would do the best we could.
Brother Haskell and I remained in Salt Lake City one week, and then
started for our homes in Southern Utah. On the way, we heard that
the Arkansas company of emigrants had been destroyed at the Mountain
Meadows, by the Indians.
We met John D. Lee at Fillmore. He told us that the Indians attacked
the company, and that he and some other white men joined them in the
perpetration of the deed. This deplorable affair caused a sensation of
horror and deep regret throughout the entire community, by whom it was
unqualifiedly condemned.
In Cove Creek Valley we met others from the south, who told us that
the Indians were gathering to attack another company of emigrants. I
procured a horse, left the wagons, and rode on day and night. At Cedar
City I found Brothers Samuel Knight and Dudley Leavitt.
As I was weary with hard riding and want of sleep, I hurried them
on after the emigrants, while I traveled more slowly. I instructed
these men to make every possible effort to save the company and their
effects, and to save their lives at all hazards.
They overtook the company one hundred and fifty-six miles from Cedar
City, on Muddy Creek, in the heart of the Indian country. They found a
large body of excited Indians preparing to attack and destroy them.
Finding it altogether impossible to control the Indians, they
compromised the matter. The Indians agreed to only take the loose stock
of the company, and not meddle with the teams and wagons, and not make
any effort to take their lives.
The Indians took the loose stock, amounting to four hundred and eighty
head, on the fifty-mile desert beyond the Muddy.
The brethren remained with the company, determined to assist in its
defense, should the Indians attempt anything more than they had agreed.
The company continued their journey safely to California. Brothers
Knight and Leavitt returned to the Santa Clara.
As soon as possible, I talked with the principal Indians engaged in
this affair, and they agreed that the stock not killed should be given
up. I wrote to the owners in California, and they sent their agent, Mr.
Lane, with whom I went to the Muddy, and the stock was delivered to him
as the Indians had agreed.