Transcript

In the spring of 47 We started our journey to the Mountains. We had to cross a stream of water on a raft, and while crossing the river a young man swore and profaned the name of THE LORD, so that Brother Parley P[arker]. Pratt could not stand it any longer, and told him "you have forfeited your life ever so many times to-day". The next day Brother Alfred [Boaz] Lambson was called to take back a message to Winter Qua[r]ters. He took the young man with him, and as they were riding in their carriage an Indain [Indian] raised up behind a bush and shot and killed him. Brother Lambson whipped up his horses and went on alright after that. He took him to Winter Quarters and he was buried there. You see it does not pay to profane the name of the LORD. That was the only death we had from our company all the way to UTAH.

As we traveled along we came to a little Post Office dug in the bank of the Hill. There were two dead wild cats in it, and when they were taken out, there we found a letter from President YOUNG telling us their camp was alright. OH there was such a funny thing happened to-day. A dog jumped at a buffalo and got his teeth caught in its tail and away went the Buffalo and the Dog for the water, now was not that a funny way for a dog to take a buffalo to water?

From the time we left NAUVOO untill we arrivied in The Salt Lake Valley, I drove Cows every day we traveled. So you see I did all I could do to get butter and milk into the valleys of the mountains, and I came every step of the way Bare Footed.

Brother DANIEL SPENCER was Captain of the Hundred, and PERRY GREEN [PERRIGRINE] SESSIONS was Captain of the fifty, and ELIJAH [KNAPP] FULLER was Captain of the Ten of the Company that I came across the plains with. PARLEY P. PRATT and his family came in the same Company, and also JOHN VAN COTT and his family, and also Uncle JOHN SMITH and Aunt CLARISSA [LYMAN SMITH] as we all called them. The[y] were Uncle GEORGE A. SMITH'S parents.

After we arrived in the Salt Lake Valley we lived in a tent....