Transcript
Transcript for Nebeker, Peter, Letter, in Journal History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 25 Aug. 1863, 1
Fort Laramie, Aug. 25, '63.
Editor of the Deseret News:
Sir—Knowing the anxiety of the Saints in the mountains to learn the progress of the several trains enroute for Salt Lake, I embrace this opportunity of sending a few lines from this point. The company over which I have charge left the Elk Horn on Monday the 27th of July, and arrived at Laramie, Aug. the 25th, in the morning. It includes fifty church wagons, loaded with machinery and passengers, and eighteen independent wagons. There are about five hundred souls under my charge. The names of the Church emigrants I expect you have received a list of before this time.
During the two first weeks of our journey the weather was very wet, not affording us dry roads two days together; notwithstanding the health of the company has been very good considering the state of the people when we left the Missouri river. There has been eight deaths—two old persons, five children and Amelia Stumpf, aged 28, killed by lightning. We experienced, last Friday the 21st inst. one of those sudden and terrific thunder storms, killing the young woman, leveling to the ground, as though dead, seven of the cattle in the lead team and shocking both man and beast for quite a distance down the train. Our cattle are in good traveling order and all the teamsters in good spirits. There is but very little water in the Platte river, which indicates a very dry season in the upper country.
Elders Needham, [Jacob B.] Bigler and [George] Peacock are in company. We have all safely forded across the Platte this morning.
(Deseret News; 13:71)