[Wilford Woodruff]
Presidet Young said He thought the Hand cart Company had a Better time than the teams had. They have not had as hard a time as we had in going to Missouri in 1833. Then I went to Missouri stayed in the cholera 15 days then returned to kirtland within three months over 3,000 miles & walked all the way & lay on the ground evry night.
But if I had to fit out a company I would have fitted out the Carts different from what they were.
Soon Came in Lewis Robinson & Ward from Green river. Presidet Young said that Washa[peek?] the Indian chief had cut up [the] smoothest bad trick that I ever heard of. So Brother Robinson related the circumstances as follows: Washa[peek?] with several other Indians came in to his store & ordered him to give them some spirits. He told them He had none to sell. They undertook to get it by force & Robinson pulled them out of the Store. He went away & soon came back with 100 Indians & pulled Robinson up to the door & told him he must open the door & give him some liquor. So they forced him to open the door & deal out Liquor to them. The 100 Indians drank 20 gallons & all got drunk but behaved vary well. They offered to pay for the Liquor. He has been used to such sprees. Brother Robinson said that if he was to do the same over again He should present a pistol to him & try his luck at it.
Elder Elsworth Came in. President Kimball Came to him & told him to pick him out a family to go & stop with him through the winter. Wanted a handy man. He said I have not a handy man in my Company but I will pick you out as good one as I Can.
Mr Dones Came in & gave president Young some Notes against Capt James Brown of some $3,000. Had paid some $1,400 in County orders. Asked president Young what He should do. He would sell the whole for $1,200 dollars. Presidet Young told him that He was able & as the Lord had made him Able the Law should make him willing. He said that He was willing the debt should be Collected but did not wish to collect it himself. He said he had trusted him upon the Credit of H. S. Eldridge. "It makes me righteously angry to see Elders go out on a mission & Come home Merchants get trusted for goods & not pay for them.
Presidets Young Kimball & Carrington Elsworth & myself rode down to the square to visit the Hand Cart Company. They generally looked well & Cheerful. They shook our hands warmly. They had a great quantity of provisions in Camp brought in by the people. I laid hands upon one brother who was taken sick last night. Presidet Young said the people might have their hand Carts after going through the Encampment & Elder Kimball got the family that He spoke for.
We rode back to the stray pen to look at the Cattle & Mules which the Company had brought in. Elder Elsworth pointed out a Mule which he rode after a Buffalo which He had wounded. The Mule took right after the buffalo & the Mad wounded Buffaloo turned & took after the Mule & they met almost together but the Mule turned & run back so suddenly that He flung Elsworth to the ground. The Buffalo plunged at him & Elsworth punched the animal with the muzzle of the rifle into the Eye so hard a blow that the Buffalo fell to his knees but rose up & run the other way. It broak his rifle. His Mule run 5 miles to Camp which left Elsworth to walk in.
Brother George W Bean came in from Los vegus & reported that Johns was getting on well with his l[an/ea?]d.
[Source: Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
Washa[peek?] should definitely be Washakie:
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washakie