Transcript

Transcript for Robert Williams autobiography, circa 1859, 118-25

. . . I bid him enter says I George you are welcome to my humble fair [fare] and I showed him my bead [bed] 2 buffalow Robes for me and my boy Alfred but we had plenty of Butter Flour, Eggs, Salt Fish & George told me of his words with his wife and he remained with me 2 weeks hid up, to try to make his wife better in her feelings for she was a rip with tongue but a good wife to him and a kind hearted woman[.] I remember it thunderd and lightned as if the very heavens were breaking George says to me Robert, the Lord impresses my mind that I must take you with me to the Mountins will you go[.] certainly says I[,] you know I am a minuet [minute] man[.] what will you leave your house hear, and land, yes says I. all I had was a broken trunk with my Shirt, and boys in it, says he Robert go and See Patterson my Man[.] tell him to come up hear[.] Don’t tell Mrs. Watt what you have come for, nor yet let her know I am up hear at your house. I goes Directed but seen the Old Mother Mrs Brown[.] she told me w[h]ere Patterson was and we came to George, the orders given; he told the other man I was going with him but George says you are sick, [.] I dont want you to do much on your way [.] I shall drive and do much[.] how the sean [scene] changed on the way. me and Patterson worked heard [hard] to go through[,] no pay w[h]ile George set in his waggon Playing some Music and appeared a Dandy Spirit[.] we had to toil through mud[,] slosh and empty his Dirty s— k – P. – to lazy to get out of his Waggon to accommodate Natur, he would not go without the Camp with paddle in hand, Dig a hole as in Moses time, and cover it up, to keep the Camp Clean, too Dirty for us Lions, who love the woods to smell[.] when we got 200 miles on the Plains from Winter Quarters a Mighty Storm Came up the Laws of Natur Angry it thunderd, lightned, hailed, and blew[,] tore the Waggons Covers off, tents flying up in the air, as if the Lawes of Natur was Changing, my boy with me and the other man Patterson was lying under the tent, we held the Poles of the tent, but no good, George called out from his comfortable cosy waggon, Oh! Robert come and save my waggon, I run and held to the cover untill my fingers were numed with Cold[.] I only had my shirt on, as Naked as Adam[,] the Hail Pelting on my Bear [bare] Head and rain[.] did not my lappit of my Shirt tail clung to my rump part it nearly Did, the Oxen were in the Correll and their certainly would have been soon a Stamppee [stampede] with them if the waggon cover had bloon over but like a Jolly Fox of the Mormon Ship I held his cover [.] Then roar went the wind, rip went the poles, up flew the tent, out run Alf, my boy[,] Father, Father, Father, Patterson then had to leave the shelter but he would have stuck under tent as long as their had been a thread. I left the hold of the cover and flew to the boy as the rain, Hail, Wind, pelterd the little Fellow, I put him in the waggon with Jain [Jane] Brown said here Mother[.] George would not come out in the rain to take care of his Property for he was fearful of the thunders of Mount Sinia [Sinai]. I returnd back to my post. their was Patterson like a Ostrage [Ostrich] with his head under the Covering; his back to the Waggon [h]Olding on like a good Fellow[.] you cant expect the thistle to stand like a Lion of the Forest Pa[c]k. what George was I dont know, a Son of Art and sciences, for he had comenced a certain [c---<----->] of somew[h]ere to his own Sister in Law before she was sealed to him as he had ever had his endowment[.] allways have the Anointed who have a right to all things[.] First born ke[e]p the slaves to such men, instead of all being exalted in their order he might have had his blessings in Nauvoo if he would have stade [stayed] but the Angel cast him out he was not ripe, he would not take Spaid [spade] or pick to help build the House of our God, he was taken with the chills and beg[g]ed to travel to England[.] he was to poor to get along[,] to beg he says he was ashamed, to steal he could not, for I suppose he feard the law catching him[.] but their was one lawgiver whose eye never sleeps[.] rattled the thunders of Mount Sinia [Sinai] in his Ears and made his heart quake, well he [h]as got over that Storm[.] the Storm lasted ½ hour I think[.] you may think the fir[e] was out of me and the thistle, we got in the waggon[.] how glad every heart was the Storm was over[.] Oh what Objects hair about our faces, shirts tide about us[,] teeth chattering, num[b]ed fingers & and so forth and soforth[.] well we travelld on[.] the next Day Br Orson Pratts Camp was up with us. they went a head of us[.] George would not do a thing on the camp untill we had words[.] the Brethren talk[e]d with him to lend a hand[.] Captin Watt had to Drive his own team for when he Started he sayd the Drivers should fair [fare] as he did all the way for he had every thing good a board, Preserves, Pickells, Dride Beeff, best of Hams, tongues &c[.] so George backed out of his barga[i]n for he thought he would look a big bug over us two[.] when the Teamsters ought to have better far[e] than the men who set still in the waggons all the way for the boys do the tuff work[.] he brought us several Mornings tea and corn bread, w[h]ile he had with Jain [Jane] Brown Mother & Wife, Nice Hams, Buffalow Meet, [meat] Pottatoes and all the goods that go down in a Camping life[.] traveler [,] have you known what it is to have a hungry belly traveling[.] if you do you will think how it felt on those broad Plains 300 miles before you see a tree[.] I told Patterson the Other Driver that if Jain [Jane] Brown brought that once again[,] over the whole should go so away it came, the foot went it over bang it went, tea and [----ay]. I would not have Don[e] it only it was to prove the pertended kindness of this hypocrit[e], who sayd we should fair [fare] as they did all the way, but it was setting us down so low as if I was his slave. Jain [Jane] went and told George[.] By George came, What do you mean by this you Scamp[.] take your trunk[.] Sir, says I, you Jack ass what to I care about my trunk[?] Do you think I covert [covet] trash like you[?] it is Principal in men I want to find out [.] You cursed vagabone [vagabond] I have a good mind to put this sword through your gutts[.] I sayd come Alf let us put our Buffalow Robes around us and travel[.] we are only 200 miles from Utah[.] we will eat roots than be subject to tyrants so away we traveld[.] I with one sword on me and the other on my boy[.] one night caught the other camp[.] when Br [John] Brown the Captin of the Camp caught us and would have me back with him[.] he did not want it sayd that any man had left his Camp. he was a Good Captin that ever crossd the Plains with Br Fileman [Philemon] Merrill. The Lord bless them boath [both.] however, I returned back[.] Br Edwin Rushton Politely invited me in his Waggon[.] I got along well made me as comfort as he could with his lady[.] Br Elias Smith Cousin to the Prophet was ashamed at George Watt and helpt me with 100 pounds of Flour agreed to pay in the Valley[.] Payd him when I got in[.] on our way We met the Offercers with the Body of Monro[e] that Howard TEleggans [Egans] had killed for unlawful cohabiting with his wife[.] when in Calafornia he used to lodge at Egans when he was away and when he Monro[e] returned back from the States he was met by Egan and asked him if he had don[e] so & so he answered he had[.] they retierd from the Camp a Distance, talked a time and told him he must die[.] says he Munro[e] spair the child [.] he placed the pistol to his (Monro[e]) head and fierd he fell away[.] Egan rode back 100 miles to Utah with his companion gave himself up[.] Their remain’d the secret tragidy it was said that Mrs Egan that very Night seen the Spirit of Monro[e] as Bright as any Angel at her beadside[.] they were always play Fellows together when little Children and it was hard to part them[.] he payd the Debt and was saved [.] I hurd that Br Brigham had sayd that he ought to have shot the woman then himself[.] it was thought that he was hardly Clean[.] that he might have had somthing to do with some one’s wife himself[,] he then had 3 or 4 women[.] he will allways be an unhappy man if it was so, and it may be Monro[e] may shine brighter yet in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, it is hoped that the good will not bow to to such men, We were detained in the Kanyon [canyon] on account of the Waggon breaking[.] we Peaced [pieced] up and Enterd into the valley in Sept 1850 [1851]