160 years ago today - Oct 31, 1858

[Wilford Woodruff]
We were informed that M. C. Donald who murdered Brother Cook while on duty as a policeman has been killed at Green River under the following Circumstances: A man Called Sooty a mountain [man] while going with the mail said if He saw MCDonald He Should take him. He was to go east to the Devils gate & return but he met the Eastern mail & returned with it. While at Green river stoped to Camp & said that MCDonald had Committed Murder & he should arest him. MCDonald herd of it & went to him & drew his revolver & shot at Sooty. The ball passed through the upper part of his sholder. Sooty then shot M. C. Donald through the neck & he fell dead.

It was said that Sooty scalped him & gave it to a Friend to keep as a testimony that he had done the deed. Some people who were in favor of MCDonald drove of[f] Scoties squaw & horses.

A man that was a Mormon was shot with 3 balls on dry Creek for his money. The murderer is still at large.

I Called upon President Young & spent the afternoon with him and H C Kimball D H Wells A Carrington G A Smith & others. Brothers Jeremiah Hatch & William Miles arived from Sanpete with word from Arrowpeen. He says that it was Tamoke a young Indian the son of Uinta who killed Brother Brown. Then Brother Josiah Call shot Tamoke through the hips who has since died. The indians followed Brother Call & shot him. The Indians said they did not wish us to be mad about it.

Arrowpeen wished to know if he must shake hands with the armey. He says that all the Indians want to fight with the army for they have killed one of our best men & the Indians are mad, and they are gathering together to fight & Arrowpeen wants to fight & he will not be Controlled by any man but Brigham Young. They say that Mr Hurt the Indian Agent & other officers have told them that the United States Armey have Concocked a plan to send all their teamsters among the Mormons & to distribute the soldiers among the Mormons and when the Snows fall to Block up the Canyons they will fall upon the Mormons & kill Brigham Young his Councellors The Twelve and all the Chiefs of the Mormons in all this Territory and if the mormons would not fight now they will fight when their Blood mingles with the Blood of the Indians and the indians want to go to war.

They all acknowledge Arrowpeen as their Chief & he will fight unless Brigham Stops him. All the tribes in this region will Come together hold a Council & Join in the war. He says the /Sanpitch Peo[...] parvantes/ Piedes, Utahs, Shushonies, & Navahoes will all Join together to fight the soldiers. This is what they want.

They say that men appear to them in their Meetings. Come up out of the ground & talk to them & tell them they must not kill the mormons for the mormons are good & will soon be one with the Indian. The persons who appear to the Indians say they are their Brother. They said one man had a red pistol & if he shot it it would blow the mountain to peaces.

The Indians said that Judge Eckels had advised Col Johnson to place a part of the armey at Bridger a part at Cedar valley & some south so that when they make an attack upon the Mormons they Could kill them & they could not get out of the valley. Col Johnson has done as Judge Eckles advised him. This is the Indians Statement.

President Young wrote a Letter to Arrowpene by Brother Hatch & told him it was not good to shed blood. This places President Young in a vary singular position. While President Buchannan with the Congress and Armies of the United States are all laying plans to take the Life of President Young and the Indian Agents are trying to stir up the Indians to kill him then when the Indians turn round & wish to fight the United States President Young through his influence has to hold back the instruments of Death from killing the vary men who are seeking his own life. But the Lord will reward him for his patience long suffering & forbearance & he will also reward all his Enemies.

Presidet Young said he believed this war Cloud would blow over. The time would Come when these things would Come to pass but he was satisfied the time was not now. Arrowpeen said that Forney was a Fool that he had a small heart but it was as black as night. President Young had a great heart & it was as white as snow. When the Lords time Come for war the Indians will not feel like holding back neither shall I but that time has not Come now.

I met with the Twelve in the prayer Circle. Brother C C Rich opened by Prayer. F. D. Richards was mouth in the Circle. We Consecrated a Bottol of Oil.

[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]