Transcript

"I being young and able to walk, walked all the way assisting in gathering wood and buffalo chips for the next night's fire."

Mariah confirms that the family did travel with the Robert Neslen company; she further relates: "Several in this company died on the road, among them was P[eder]. A[ndersen]. Fjeldstad and a baby belonging to N[iels]. P[eter]. Larsen, the elder from Pleasant Grove who baptized me into the Church. These two were buried in the same grave."

Upon another occasion misfortune overcame us. I well remember as we were yoking up the cattle, some being already hitched and carelessly some of the company were lying in the shade of the wagons, when a wild cow was put into the yoke and began to bellow. This frightened five teams and they ran away, killing J. C. Madsen and more or less wounding several others. One of the company, who several accused of being the cause of the contention, went down to the Platte River to drown himself but said he was not able to find sufficient water. He was found sitting on the bank contemplating when people came to his rescue."