LETTER FROM UTAH,
Sentence of a Large Forger of Drafts—Mormon Assassinations—Escape of Mur-derers.
CAMP FLOYD, U. T., August 31, 1859.
Editors of the Traveller:
The mail for the East closes this evening. The U. S. Court for the First Judicial District of Utah, Judge Eckles presiding, held at Nephi, adjourned yes-terday, having been in session only eight days. Only one case was tried, United States vs. McKenzie, for forging drafts on the Treasurer of the United States to the amount of nearly one hundred thousand dol-lars, which resulted in the conviction of the accused, who was sentenced to two years' hard labor in the State Prison and a fine of fifty dollars. The term of imprisonment was reduced to this seemingly short time from the fact of the evidence showing that Mc-Kenzie was simply the tool of the Church in the oper-ation.
The Grand Jury found one indictment against a man by the name of Bird, who was present at the murder of the Parishes, at Springville, two years ago, an account of which I sent you from Provo last spring.
The Destroying Angels of the church have been ac-tive since the assassination of poor Pike. No less than five murders have taken place within five days, all in the city of Salt Lake, and each traced directly to the "Danite Bands," headed by "Porter Rock-well" and "Bill Hickman," the last tragedy taking place on the evening of the 27th inst. A man by the name of Drown, an apostate, got a judgment during the last Court against "Bill Hickman" and others. Their property was levied on by the Sheriff in the morning; by some agreement it was delayed till night. In the course of the day Drown was visited by several of Hickman's party, and informed by them that if he did not stop the proceedings they would cost him (Drown) his life. As night approached Hickman's party began to assemble upon the streets on horseback, armed with revolvers and bowie knives, and promenaded the principal avenues during the evening.
A Mr. Arnold, another apostate, who was in the same room, at the time, talking with Drown, was also severely, if not mortally wounded, being hit twice. It is believed that Arnold killed one of the assailants as he returned their fire, and as one man was packed off by the party, but at 10 o'clock P. M., or a little be-fore they entered the yard of a Mr. Eddy where Drown was staying, some on horseback and others on foot; the latter demanded admittance, and on being denied, broke open the door and fired a volley of balls into the room where Drown was. He passed out through a partition door into a back-room, when he was met at the outer door, which had also been broken open by some of the party and shot, the ball entering the right side of his abdomen and passing out at the left, inflicting a mortal wound, of which he died early the next day.
The facts are not known, and probably never will be, as it is a part of the creed of these "Danites" to "carry off their own dead and tell no tales."
No attempt has as yet been made to arrest any of the party, though they are all known to the police and citizens. The Mormon portion of the community fully acquiesce in the affair.
Col. Chapman's columns of recruits will arrive to-morrow. They camp on Provo Lake to-night.
Lieut. Bascomb, 7th Infantry, and Major Porter, Surgeon U. S. A., arrived by the last "mail, twenty-two days from Leavenworth.
The five prisoners held to bail by Hon. Judge Cra-dlebaugh last Spring, for the murder of the Parishes, Forbes, Green and others, who were retained in charge of the army at this Camp for several months, and were afterwards turned over to the Mormon au-thorities, were all allowed to escape from jail, pur-posely, beyond a doubt. Judges, courts and army are all perfect farces in this territory, and will be unless a new policy is adopted towards the people of this Church. ROXAM.
