Transcript

Mr. Suter let me see the first gold they found before sending it to San Francisco to get it tested. In May 1848 some of the Brethren and myself made a trip in the mountains to try and find a road over. (instead of going down Truckee River as we had to cross it about 27 times) but when we got in the mountains we found so much snow we had to return, and on the way back I stopped at what we called the Mormon Island where there was some of the Brethren at work getting gold. Bro. Sidney Wells and his Brother, also Bro. Hudson. I staid here for a short time and got some gold.

In June we called a council of Brethren together and concluded to start on our journey home We gathered to a place in the mountains called Pleasant Valley; we stoped here while all had gathered, and we choose Bro. Daniel Browett as President of the Company.

Bro. Browett thought it best that someone should go ahead and look out a road, himself, Bro. Allen, & John Cox started, each riding a horse, and leading one pack mule.

I asked Bro. Browett if he had his garments on, he said no, I advised him to put them on but he took no notice of it, we waited for them to come back and began to feel uneasy as some of the brethren said they had seen an Indian pass through the timber with a red shirt on, after waiting until we thought they had time to come back we started with our wagons and stock on the 27th of June. we stopped and camped on the divide, to see if we could find the brethren, who we had two small Cannon that we had bought from Mr. Sutter Two of the brethren and myself loaded them and fired them off but to no use as they did not come, we sent some more of the brethren on ahead to look out a road, and a little way ahead of us they found some new-made graves. Several of us uncovered them and found our brethren side by side with their clothes taken off them. they was badly abu mutilated, and had been shot full of arrows. We called the place Tradgedy Spring.

We continued on our Journey looking out our road one day and traveling it the next—until we arrived at Carson Valley.

We now crossed the 40 mile desert to the sink of Mary's River. we got there at night. Here was some hot springs which one of our dogs An drunk at, and got his tongue scalded. we travelled up Mary's River. The Indians attacked us and killed one of our horses nothing more of note transpired until we met some traders packers who told us they had come by the way of Salt Lake City, around the north end of the Lake struck the Fort Hall road at Goose creek mountains.

We travelled on their track or trail and one night we travelled around the point of a mountain and camped at a spring and as the sun went down we saw the Salt Lake for the first time which made our hearts glad and we felt to rejoice that we was so near home. the next day we traveled over a sage plain past a large spring on the Malad River, travelld on and crossed Bear River in September 1848and on the 26th of Sep 1848 we arrived at Haights Creek this was 10 miles from Salt Lake City, Next day we arrived in the City where I met my wife about a mile from the fort after an absence of 2 years 2 months & 11 days, this being the 27th.

My wife arrived on the 20th, with the President She yoked her cattle and drove them across the plains 1000 miles[.] she had passed through a great deal of sickness and all but death