165 years ago today - Feb 10, 1850 (Morning)

[Brigham Young] We have sad news from Fort Utah - the brethren continued their labors to try and route them - Brother Isaac Higbee, son Joseph was killed and three more wounded - they expect to continue their operations this morning [of forcibly removing the Indians from Utah valley] - those who have traded guns and powder say they had rather the Indians eat their cattle than the saints from this valley - I have sent word to confiscate all their property - and then put them in the front of the battle and kill them - if men had taken a direct course there - they would not have been any trouble ... I am just capacitated to do what has to be done, right the Lord has stretched forth his hand and brought us here - and so soon as the wicked men are away from us - how the saints sinned down into sluggishness - there are a few here of all kinds - then why need I grumble we shall still be chastised - are we chastised by the Indians for our wickedness - ... Be ye also ready, to fight preach or pray as it is necessary - if those Indians cant be come at - they must either quit the ground or we must - we have to maintain that ground, or vacate this - we were told three years ago - if we don't kill those lake Utes, they will kill us every man told us the same - they all bore testimony the Lake Utes lives by plunder and robbing - if we yield in this instance, we have to yield this land. Walker advises us to use them up - I am going to keep up a standing army to lick them up - this is the place to begin - Joseph prophesied many of the Lamanites will have to be slain, many of them by us ...

[Source: Thomas Bullock Minutes, LJA; Thomas Bullock—LDS Church Reporter, 1844-56.C, Archives, Church History Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.; GCM, Archives, Church History Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah..; Leonard J. Arrington Papers, Special Collections, Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University, Logan.. (A reference reading LJA 12-55-5, 10, means LJA Series 12, Box 55, Folder 5, page 10.) 9-12-7, 15-17 as quoted in The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, Ed. Richard S. Van Wagoner, Smith-Pettit Foundation, Salt Lake City (2009), http://bit.ly/BY-discourses]

1 comment:

  1. Fort Utah is now of course Provo.

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