Transcript

"From the Great Salt Lake City," New York Daily Times, 6 June 1854, 2. From the Great Salt Lake City.

A number of gentlemen from Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, were passengers in the Sam Cloon, on Tuesday night from the Missouri River. They arrived at Fort Leavenworth on the 26th ult., by the mail stage. Among them were the following gentlemen : W. C. DUNBAR, MILO ANDREWS [ANDRUS], C. H. WHEELOCK, J. M. BARLOW, W. FROST, R. W. WOLCOTT, SETH M. BLAIR, Esq., U. S. District Attorney for Utah Territory, and Gen. JAMES FERGUSON. These gentlemen are all members of the Mormon Church, and have been sent on missions to portions of the United States, Europe, and Ireland.

They left Salt Lake City on the 1st of May, and were only twenty-three traveling days to Fort Leavenworth. The Winter had been very severe, and a great deal of snow had fallen. The wall around Great Salt Lake City was one-half completed, and the wall around the Temple was in the same state of forwardness. Money was plenty in the Valley, but there was a great want of goods, and particularly of groceries; but this demand would be supplied without much delay, by the stocks of goods which were met on the way destined for Salt Lake City. The health of all Utah was good. The advance train of the California emigrants was met on the 12th of May, at the crossing of the North Platte, 120 miles from Fort Laramie. The emigrants were in remarkably good health, and getting along very well—only two new made graves were observed on the road.

It was estimated that the emigration would amount to two-thirds of that of last year, and the Mormon emigration about one-half of that of the same period. The Indians had given no trouble to the emigrants. Very few, indeed, had been seen. An attempt was made by a party of the Pawness, near the Big Blue, to steal a cow from a small party of emigrants, and an Indian warrior was killed; but no further difficulty followed from it. It was said that bands of the Cheyennes and Arrapahoes were assembling near the upper crossing of the north Platte, with the avowed intention of remunerating themselves, by toll, for the game which had been driven away by the inroads of the white man; but this is doubtful.

The party brings news of the death of Major E. A. BEDELL, Indian Agent for Utah. He left Salt Lake city on the 20th of April, with Mr. O. H. GOGSWELL, of Independence, and exerted himself too much in the snow with his wagons. He was forced to remain at Green River, and there died, on the night of the 3d of May.

The Indian troubles in Utah Territory had been suppressed by Governor YOUNG, and peace proclaimed.

Lieut. MORRIS, who succeeded to the command of Capt. GUNNISON'S party of exploration, was about leaving for California, whence he would return to the States with the result of his surveys. After the death of GUNNISON, and during the Winter, the party were engaged in surveying the Timpanoogas [Timpanogos] and Weber Cañon, on the route followed by Capt. STANSBURY as far as the Republican Fork of the Platte, and the report, it is said, will be strongly in favor of the practicability of that route.

The Mormons were, as they had a right to be, greatly incensed at the gratuitous and false charges first published in the Democrat of this city, accusing them of having murdered GUNNISON'S party. They had made every preparation to welcome him for the Winter, such was their regard for him; and when they first heard of his death, they made instant and effective efforts for the relief of the survivors. They went out to the place of massacre for the purpose of burying the dead, but found only a few of the bones left, the wolves having devoured all the flesh.—
Missouri Republican, June 2.