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around them. George McBride, who was the only white man on horseback, ventured out some distance a hear! of his companions, and was killed at the commencement; and Brother Quigley, one of the herders, and Fountain Welch, were wounded at the same time. One ball passed through Brother Corless* bat, another cut ofF the knot of his neck-tie and a third grazed his left ear. Elder Corless has always described it to the miraculous interposition of the Almighty that the brethren were not all killed.President Smith, in his private journal, gives the following account of this sad aflfafr:“Thursday, February 25th, 1358. As I was returning from the field to the fort I saw a largo party of Indiana riding at full speed toward the point where our herd was grazing. Quick as possible I unharnessed my horses, and, moun'ing one of them, proceeded, in company with Ezra Barnard, who was also mounted, toward the herd. After going about a mile we discovered that the Indians had got possession of all our stock, and that they were driving back the brethren who had gone in pursuit ahead of us. As soon as the Indians saw us, six of their warriors took after us* when we changed onr course toward the other brethren, but seeing that wo could not gain the point where they were, we turned toward the fort, and as wo rode down the bencht the Indians, who pursued us, fired upon us, otio of the bullets passing through my suspenders and lodged in my horses right jaw, a little below the joint. The horse jumped, whereby my left stirrup broke, and I, losing my balance, was thrown off the horse. In the fall I lost iny pistol. Fortunately Brother Barnard caught my horse* but before I oould reach him, a ball passed through the rim of my hat near my right eat\ atid while I was in the act of mounting, another ball passed through the upper part of my right arm, a little below the elbow, as the Indiana continued shooting all the time. We reached the fort without further difficulty, buL in running in I had to hold my hand over I he wound of my animal to prevent him from bleeding to death.“Soon after we got in, the brethren who had gone out on foot‘also returned with Brother Welch, whom the Indians had shot in the small of the back* the ball lodging against the back bone. Ho bad also been struck twice on the head with a gunj and after taking his gun and ammunition and stripping him of his shirt the savages left him for dead.“The Indians who had chased us to the fort now joined their companions who we re driving off our herd, and I sent out ten men to hunt for tbe missing herdsmen. While they were gone Brother 0. Roso*onoof the herders, came in unhurt. The ten men returned a little before sunset with the dead body of Geo. McBride, who had been shot from his horse and stripped of everything except his soekst pants and garments. He was also scalped. The ball that killed him had entered his body under the ieft arm and came out under his right arm. The ton men also found Brother Andrew Quigley* who was shot in too shoulder, the bull lodg-iug against the collar bone. He had been struck several blows on tbe head and left by the savages for dead, but after theyhad gone* he came to and subsequently recovered.“There were five of the brethren down where the other fort stood, after hay* and the Indians meeting them there immediately opened fire upon them, and drove them from their teams, killing James Miller and wounding L. W. Shurtliif and Oliver Robinson.“One ball passed through Brother Shurtliftr» right'arm below the elbow andthen through Oliver Robinson’s right hand. Janies Miller was shot ihrough in the same manner as Geo. McBride; ho ran a few stops and fell dead; the Indians 1 stripped him of everything.4‘Ail the brethren came 1n that night except James Miller, whose dead body was round the next morning by ten men I had dispatched for that purpose.1’The following day (Feb. 20th) the remains of Geo. McBride and James Miller were buried by their companions. The other brethren who wore wounded subsequently recovered.On Saturday tbe 27th, some of the brethren made preparations to cache their wheat, as they were desirous of returning to Utah, but at a meeting held on the Sunday (the 28th) President Smith asked the missionaries if they were satisfied that they had filled their mission, and would they return without word from President Young? The reply being in the negative, a vote to send an express to Sait Lake i City p-evailei, and thatsjmeevening, after dark, Ezra Barnard and Baldwin , Watts started on tills dangerous expedition.On the 1st of March the brethren went to*work repairing tbe fort and building bastions with the timber which had be^n hauled from the lower fort. This labor was continued for several days and the brethren also threshed their oats, worked on the raill-race3 started to m ike a cannon, etc.On the 8th some Indians brought hack twenty -eight Head of the stolen stock an 1 pretended to be very friendly* The following day they brought back seven cows aud a yearling.On the 2l)th the mail and several brethren arrived from Salt Lake City, bringing the news that 150 men were coming to help tbe missionaries away. On the 22nd this company, in command of Colonel Andrew Cunningham, arrived, and on the 24th tbe colonel and President Smith, with sixty other men, visited the camp of the Indians, who delivered to President Smith three cows and calves and six ponies in payment for cattle they had killed.On the 28th ten men started from the fort for Salt Lake City with the mail and messages for President Young, stating the condition of tbe camp, as it was feared at the headquarters of the Church in Salt Lake City,that all the brethren of the mission had been murdered hy the Indians.On the 27th tbe ox teams,with a por- j tion of the missionaries and suchefiects as they could take with them, started for Utah, and on the 28th Fort Limhiwas entirely vacated by the departure of the remaining brethren, who left with horse teams, together with their fid cud s who had come to help them away. President Smith gave the friendly Indians about six hundred bushels of wheat and left about a thousand bushels with them, to trade for horses.The last company, after traveling fo jrteen miles, overtook the ox teams, which had stopped on account of H. Harmon’* wife, who was confined1 and delivered of a fine glrj. Without further accident the compiny reached Snake River on the 3rd of April, and, continuing the journey, arrived in the settlements in Utah, safe and well. But the ten
Newspaper Details
Salt Lake City Deseret Weekly
Salt Lake City, Utah, US
Sat, Mar 28, 1891
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Kent F.
25 May 2025
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