[BY PONY EXPRESS.]
LETTER FROM SALT LAKE.
[FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 18, 1861.
Indian Troubles.
We hardly know whether we have got a good Indian war started, or whether we will yet have to praise our stars for delivering us from the blunders of a few of the "brethren," who have had a muss with the Indians. From all details published and reported, I gather that some of the stock raisers at Grantesville, about forty miles from here, have been too frequently called upon of late for contributions for the Indian camp. The In-dians generally live on good terms with the citizens, but the appropriating qualities of some wanderers, at times jeopardize the good relationship between the Mormons and their brethren—the Lamanites. The recent depre-dations are laid to the Shoshones, from the Western mail route, who are said to have acquired the science of acquisition to an alarming extent. They come down upon the lodges of the Cosh-Utes, in the neighborhood of Grantesville, and from the terror and dread they in-spire, forced them to join in running off a large number of cattle. Waiting their opportunity, the settlers en-circled the wickiups, and took as many prisoners as they could. After they got to the settlements some of the Indians were released upon promising to bring in the thieves; but they rejoiced too much in the liberty of the mountains to remember the arrangement. The Indians detained were put in chains, two-and-two, and guards were stationed day and night to prevent escape. Before daylight last Thursday week, the guard was care-less; two had laid down to sleep, one had gone out, and but one guard had his eyes open. The Indians seeing the probabilities in their favor, grabbed at the arms of the sleeping guard, two pushed past the guard that was awake, while two others tried to cut the throat of one of the sleepers. One Indian shot the guard, but not dangerously, and he in return shot an Indian through the body, right over the left lung. The affair was ex-peditiously got through with, and all the Indians es-caped, save the one that was shot. His chained comrade dragged him to a valley, where he broke his chains and left the wounded to be picked up by the guards. The Minute Men were called out and the end has not yet been announced. Unless a regular good fight is deter-mined on, it seems great folly to commence with In dians; they will have measure for measure, and that pressed down and running over, and here as well as elsewhere. Indians are not particular about their vic-tims—the friend serves as well as the foe to satiate re-venge. A rumor was in the city yesterday of further troubles, but I could not trace it to any reliable source.
The Superintendent seems to be satisfied enough with city life. Since his return from the West, he has been deaf to the calls from the North, where the Indians are a heavy tax upon the settlers. For excuse, he has been engaged as Commissioner on the part of the Indian Department at Washington, to examine the accounts of Governor Brigham Young, while ex-offlcio Superin-dent of Indian Affairs. To-day, Gov. Cumming and the merchants were all invited to meet at the Superintend-ent's office, to make any statement against ex-Gov. Young's Indian's proceedings, if any such could be made by them. The result of examination of accounts and gen-tlemen is, I am told, satisfactory, and a report of that character goes East by Pony, and Brother Brigham will be entitled to draw the snug little sum of upwards of $40,000, on which Government had refused settle-ment till this examination.
More Preaching at the Tabernacle.
Yesterday was another of the high days in the Taber-nacle. Brother Heber was out and had a few words to say. He was funny—intensely so. The disunion of the States pleased him; above all, because the break-up was during the reign of "King James." From King James he broke on to the predictions of ancient prophets about Kings gathering Israel, and Queens being their nursing mothers. Heber had no faith in any other Kings or Queens than those who were sitting in the Tabernacle before him, and those scattered throughout Mormondon. Heber kept the whole con-gregation in the best of humor, which occasionally burst into merriment. It was the most cheerful Sunday I had ever seen in the Tabernacle. The dromedaries and swift beasts, seen by the ancient prophets, when wrapt In vision, were easily metamorposed into the oxen and mules of Utah Territory, going down to the frontiers in the Spring to bring in this year's emigra-tion. Had commentators and divines been as liberal in interpretations as Brother Heber, there would no doubt have been three or four millenniums ushered in long ere this. Probably, the second man in Mormondom is serious enough, and in his varieties may conclude, as I think the Mormons do gen-erally, that the translation of the proph-ets needs considerable liberality of language. Brigham endorsed Heber. The prophet had a great re-spect for Queen Victoria; she was a good mother, a vir-tuous woman, so far as he knew. She was governed by the ministry around her, and he never anticipated she was going to be a nursing mother to Israel. Isabella, of Spain, would never fill the bill. The kings of the earth would never gather Israel. Tom Benton, of Mis-souri, under the Presidency of Polk, had helped to gather Israel, at least he had driven them, and but for their immediate compliance with his demand for five hundred soldiers, to go to Mexico, the Saints would have then been used up. It was in his heart to do it, and the order tor the assistance of the militia of the frontier States was in his pocket. But the Lord had made the wrath of man to praise Him. "Tom" had, however, died, as the Prophet Joseph had predicted. King James Buchanan had done his best to break up the Saints, but had failed, and had contracted a debt which would bring him down in sorrow to the grave, and generations would pass away before he had cancelled the debt the Lord had against him. "Be ye always ready," was a becoming exhortation. The brethren were reminded of '57, and but for their being ready, added Brigham, "your heads and mine would now be cold." It struck the vein of sympathy, and a hearty indorsement of the statement passed through the congregation like the murmuring of the rolling waters.
They were now to gather Israel, and they would do it. The call for teams had been responded to beyond the expectation of the most sanguine, and they were now determined to bring in all who would come, give them their endowments, and afford them a chance to apostatize. They had tried to establish branches of the church In the States as temporary gathering places, in the hopes that all who would apostatize would do it there in the States, and save themselves the trouble and expense of a journey twice over the plains; but they had found out that the people would not apostatize till they came to headquarters. He wanted them all to come, all who wanted to leave afterwards to do so at their earliest convenience. To all of which the faithful gave a hearty amen, and a song and prayer finished the day's proceedings.
Improvement in the City.
From some remarks dropped by Heber yesterday about building a theater, I made some inquiry to-day, and understand that a very important meeting of the Seventies was held on Saturday, at which the leading men were present. The Seventies concluded to build a Hall of Science, which will take two years for erection. A theater is to be started right off, and the calculation is to complete the basement of the Temple during the present year. From these arrangements there will be a great demand for labor, and though there will be a scarcity of gold, from the absence of the army, there is a probability of a resurrection of the ancient Deseret currency, and Utah will be in a better condition than before.
The Merchant Business.
One of our oldest Gentile merchants was predicting the other day "that before twelve months there would not be a d—d Gentile left in the land." It is dangerous to contradict prophecies in these days; for very unex-pected things transpire, which, a few months ago, the most credulous could hardly take in. Should the mer-chant not have hit it exactly, the prediction is near enough to illustrate the feeling here about a clean sweep. The Mormon merchants during the past Winter have bought out a number of the Gentiles, and are now searching the country for oxen to fill their agreement. The arrangement was goods for oxen and flour. About five hundred yoke of oxen are now wanted in this city to haul flour to Pike's Peak; of course, the immigration movement will be first supplied, and before the demand is satisfied the "critters" will command a good price. I have no disposition to take up flying rumors on any establishment, but I think the prediction has many chances of fulfillment, and the oldest firm would think twice before a good offer to buy out would be refused. Whether they can better it or not, time will tell; but the Mormons seem to have big notions about great ad-vantages in doing their own merchant business. In an article published on Saturday, on "the Commercial Interests of Utah," the writer is very virulent, and holds forth to the prejudices of the people in the following strain:
"We have squandered our treasure for the building up of the cities of the stranger. The products of our labor and toil, for a sorry equivalent, have been dis-tributed to our bitterest foes, and the bulk of our circu-lating medium—our gold—which should have been our relief from the inconvenience of barter, has been crowd-ed into the coffers of those who have had but a transient interest in our progress and prosperity. For them, base and contemptible as they are, we have stripped our rising State, and sent that which should have adorned her as a bride, to be expended among those who have thrust us out and sought our destruction from the rising to the setting of the sun. They have chuckled at our simplicity, and gloated over our supposed ignorance. They have so manifested their unwavering faith in the scripture, which states that 'the children of this world are, in their generation, wiser than the children of light,' that it has become a standing proverb among them as scoffers."
If that was not enough, a curious conglomeration of reasons is offered to arouse to action:
"Many reasons might be adduced why we should make the effort. If patriotism find any place in our breast, we may appeal to that; if regard to our best friends is to move us, we may appeal to that; if the comfort of our families is of any moment, we may ap-peal to that; if political economy is considered as a science, we may appeal to that; if we have any detes-tation for our enemies, we may appeal to that; if we have any regard for righteousness, we may appeal to that; if we wish to rid the land of vampires, we may appeal to that; If we wish to show our true manhood, we may appeal to that; If we wish to magnify our posi-tion and profession as saints, we may appeal to that; If we wish the favor of the heavens, we may appeal to that; and if nothing but pure unaffected selfishness will accomplish and secure comparative independence, we appeal to that."
Fort Crittenden.
The acting Assistant Adjutant General at Camp, B. H. Robertson, has forwarded to the News the following copy of the general order changing Camp Floyd to Fort Crittenden:
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF UTAH.
CAMP FLOYD, U.T., Feb. 6,1861.
General Orders. No. 3.
The name of the military post is hereby changed to Fort Crittenden.
This order is subject to confirmation by the War De-partment.
By order of Colonel P. St. Geo. Cooke.
B. H. ROBERTSON,
Acting Assistant Adjutant General.
Everything about Fort Crittenden points to a short residence of the army. Orders have been received to discharge all the civilian employes on the 28th of the present month.
The Penitentiary Cleaned Out.
Last Thursday night, the county of Great Salt Lake was very conveniently relieved of the obligation of keeping a set of scoundrels who had been pensioned upon it by the Probate and District Courts, to free board and lodgings in the Penitentiary, and now $350 is of-fered for the capture of Deloss M. Gibson, Peter B. Clark, John Laird, William Riley Green, James Gra-ham, and a young Indian named Scoch-e-ka. The above named celebrities took advantage of the dark-ness of the night, the services of a hickory key, and made good their escape into the mountains. When be-ing locked up for the night, one of the prisoners quietly walked into a neigboring empty cell, and when the roll was called was sufficiently near to answer without his position being detected. As soon as the guard left, the hickory key unlocked everything, and previous prepa-rations for scaling the walls were soon put into requisi-tion. The Warden feels chagrined, as he was only a few days initiated into office; but I think, with that excep-tion, nobody cares about the recapture of the escaped—if they will only leave the country. The expenses of the Penitentiary consume about one-half of the Terri-torial taxes, and as the prisoners have generally been legacies from the army and camp, the willingness to get rid of them is somewhat excusable. The Governor has made yearly complaint of the Penitentiary consump-tion of funds, and on his recommendation a new labor system was about to be tried ; but when his Excellency was visiting there last Friday, he learned that his birds had flown; Charley Clark was the only prisoner to say "How do you do, Governor? I am glad to see you " Charley has always been remarkable for his courtesy, and no doubt thought on the occasion referred to that Executive clemency would be nothing cooled by his in-terest in gubernatorial health.
The Eagle on the Wing.
"Reared" in latitudes where none of the fair crea-tion were ever burned for witches, and where hobgob-lins would never stay long enough to be interrogated by the sceptical, I own to the possession of a very scanty hare of confidence in omens—evil or good. Notwith-standing my hard heartedness, the American eagle all the way from the Capitol at Washington, or from some-where else, arrived on the roof of the Governor's man-sion on Saturday afternoon, and remained there in pensive sadness till yesterday morning. What his maj-esty meant, if troubled with any cogitations, I pretend not to say. Sufficient, he attracted a crowd, and this morning I had a glimpse at no less than ten “stanzas" on the way to the printer, which I hope "Brother Elias " will have the good sense never to put in his paper. I have not had the pleasure of seeing his Excellency to-day, to hear his version of the omen; it is, neverthe-less, very satisfactory to those who have spoken of it, that the bold eagle has taken flight from the distracted Union, and soared to this upper world to fix his talons on the Bee Hive, spread his wings over Deseret, and re-joice in the freedom and virtues of the mountains, where alone the Constitution is safe and revered. I hope that his Excellency was in no way overcome by the eagle's compliment.
