Transcript

. . . my brother in law McReuen let me have a young mare with the promis that he would come to the valley next Spring and I would come and meet him and help him in for he belonged to the Church and I would make him hole for the use of the mare[.] another Brother living there name of homer who was comeing to the Valley ofered me a light wagon and take his pay in the valley and I worked for Jonson enough over the price of the mule to come to the price of a Sacond hand Set of harnes So I had a good fitout[.] Brother David Brinton one of my hand cart cumrids [comrades] came along about this time[.] he had one horse but no money So I took him in. and [William] Carter had one horse and I took him in[.] about the time we got rady to Start the misonerys from England came along So we all came in one caumpney. We came out to jeanoid [sic] a mormon setelment on the Plat[te] river and there we organised[.] John W. Berry was appointed Captin and my Self and David Brinton Councelors or assistends. All the English missonerys was fited out by the church. but the Canada ones had to fit them Selvs out. There was quite a large coumpany in all I think one hunderd men, and one woman Brother Pops wife [Sarah LaDuc Pope] from Charisent [Crescent] City. We had a very pleasent trip[.] nothing purtickler on the trit. but some little thing theat I will mention here after, Still I thought I larned Sumthing on this journey[.] the Jo[h]nson Armey [Army] had gon up to utah ahead of us. Some of our brethern that I thought knew more than me told me the entention of us going home was to clean the inside of the plater then clean out the Jonson armey, then go right back to Jaxon [Jackson] County [and] take poseson of the Country and bild up the center Stake of Zion and so on. I thought well if that is So all right. this was on the fore part of the joirney. but we had not come faur before I overherd Some of ouer old high priests that I had thought nerly perfit. Swaring that they had a ful Share in the property of that caumpney and they had nerly walked all the way[.] this and other grumbling I herd. made me bleve we was not goying to Jaxson [Jackson] County just yit[.] with this acception every thing went along smowth. I think on the Semanal [Seminole] cut of[f] we met brother Hatch[,] Brother Burnhesle [Bernhisel] and others with a Small coumpney going back to the Plat[te] bridge after powder and other things left there the faul before[.] they told us all about the Jonson armey wintern at Bridgers and all about the mormons coreling them there and not leting them go on to the Salt lake valley, and that the mormons had all left there homes and gon South and that Presidant Buc[h]anan had pardened them all. and that the armey was now let go in to Salt lake Valley[.] X this was the furst we had herd from home for 14 mounths

we was then advised as the armey had not left fort Bridger yet. for us to take the Sweet cut of[f] crosing bare river on that trale leveing the armey on our left, which we did

X when we came to the river deep and wide could not be fordid So we took a wagon bed and corked the crackes for a ferybot [ferry boat.] Some of the men Swam over to the other Side and we fasened rop[e]s to the bot from both Sid[e]s of the river So as to draw it over and back. So we landed it out the men pooling [pulling] on the rop on the other Side making the rop fast at ful lenth on the Side the bot Started from, but both rops got tight about the middle of the river and the curent Striking on the uper end Sank the hole thing under water[.] James Andrews was on the bot and could not Sweem. when the bot went down he floted of[f] and caled for Sone of the sweemers to come and help him[.] 3 or 4 jumped in but was quite a way from him[.] one of our men name [Levi] Grage [Greg] Meitcuf [Metcalf] from Springfield being on the other Side of the river and an other man with him ran down to a bend where he thaught James would Strik the bank. but he had gon down three times[.] Matcuf [Metcalf] through him Self down on the bank and had the other man throw himself a cros his legs So he could reach out into the river and reach down til his face tutched the water[.] as he dun this Andrews was pasing and he grabed him by the hare and braught him out prity dead. but he Soon revived <X> and we used one rop in place of two, and all gat over Safe. this was what I refered to on a prevous page[.] it was the only accident we had on the trip[.] X we then Started for the forks of Aco [Echo] Kanyon [Canyon] through the hils without aney ro[a]d. when we came to the forks where the rod was there was a coumpaney of Solders there fixing the rod[.] we came right on to them out of the hils and they ware worse Scared then us. but we did nat Stop to trade jack Knives but turned down the Kanyon asking no questions nor asking any. We huried down to the mouth of the Kanyon at the wever [Weber] river[.] here we Stoped and nooned and prepared a repart to the Presidentcy and dispatched my Self and Angus M Cannon a head with it. we traveled to wilowcreek [Willow Creek] east of the big mountain and camped in the night. after we laft camp on the wever Burnet [Bernard] Snow[,] Enock [Enoch] Rece [Reese] and John L[ymn] Smith Started on foot and pased us in the night and got into Salt lake before us. we got in to they in good time next day. but when we got in to the City there was not a dog to bark at us[.] every window was naled up and every dore was closed and no one to Say welcom home. this was So uncomon from what it used to be.