UTAH.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE CENTURY.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, April 7, 1859.
The Valley Tan and Deseret News I send you will con-vey a tolerable idea of the state of affairs and public feeling in this Territory. You will see the Governor's paper deserts him and with a severe struggle. The Deseret News is filled with misrepresentations and false-hoods. The official communications sent to Washing-ton will convince of this, if the simple statement of Mormon church members—who have never been known to swear to the truth in any case in which a Gentile can be injured—are not taken in preference to oaths sus-tained by testimony and corroborating circumstances.
The judges will soon have prepared for the public a full statement of the late transactions, and present also a copy of the testimony elicited to show the character of the community located here and of the church lead-ers. Every crime that was investigated, it will be shown, was committed by Council (order). In every case when the evidence was leading to the criminality of Brigham Young and the Apostles the District Attorney interfered, put the witness on his guard, and sheltered the greatest criminals of all. The secret working of their system you will see in the effort to make away with the Danites, Durfee and Bartholomew. Earle who led them off under Council, was a member of the Grand Jury, and in its session feared these men would divulge something leading to his arrest for being engaged in the Parrish murder. Mrs. Parrish has also been bought up, with a promise of a house and lot, cows, &c., and the means of keeping a dairy. Her sons have deserted her, knowing she is deceived, and that as soon as the army is withdrawn the promises will be violated and she disposed of. So soon as the Judge got to work as a committing magistrate, the higher officials saw their danger and took to flight. In some cases flight led to suspicion, and in every case finally to the bringing out a complicity in crimes of the vilest character. Murders, of which rumors only reached us last winter at Bridger whose details were so horrid we believed they must have been fabrications, we find are true, and all tend to reveal the secret workings of a band whose rulers are the deepest steeped in crime, and whose officials are advanced in the world and elevated in the church in proportion as they increase in wickedness and show themselves willing instruments of those above them. The judge on the bench told them that a commentary on their state of the society was given in the case of Wethercot, who to appear a hero in their eyes. had at various times, made it appear to the public th was engaged in the murder of the Parrishs', when truth known he was in no way connected with it or cognizant of it till some days after it was committed.
President Snow of Provo, Bishops Snow of Manti, Evans of Lehi, Foote of Nephi, Hancock of Payson, Johnson of Springfield, and others whose names I do not know, also, sheriffs innumerable, and the most of the policemen have fled or concealed themselves. All were engaged in the murdering of apostates, of persons knowing too much, or of travellers having much wealth with them. Bishop Foote is a relation of Maj. Davis of Newburgh. One of his wives a very good woman from the upper part of New York, is anxious to leave. Fear of the Mormons and love for her children from whom she would have to part only retains her. During the session of the Court the Judge had frequently to interfere to protect by the authority of law the wit-nesses who were robbed of their property under Mor-mon law, (ecclesiastical,) and in one case a wife was kidnapped.
If the Judges are permitted to continue their labors, under the support of the army, the Mormon Church authority will be destroyed, and the leaders of the Church will take to flight. The presence of the army has been most beneficial in their midst. Some of the better disposed Mormons would not believe the Church was engaged in these crimes; but now convinced of it, have resigned their offices, that they may not be linked with the criminals, even by name. The people feel now that the Judiciary is a power, and their faith in Brigham Young is considerably shaken. Many promi-nent citizens here (Mormons) say the Church is impli-cated in Mountain Meadow massacre, and they wish the criminals punished. It is to be hoped the Govern-ment will act now, and sustain the Judiciary, and en-courage the army—remove the Governor, or give him other instructions; remove the Mormon District At-torney; supply money to carry on the courts—at all events, sustain the course which has been pursued. The Governor is too sensitive in regard to the former positions he has held with the army, and thinks it looks upon him as a sutler. He has never given us an opportunity to show him respect; he has never been to camp ; he has never offered the General an opportunity to confer with him, because the General had nothing to do with him except on Territorial affairs, which the Governor was costive about. The Governor, the District Attorney and the Mormons (Church) are united. The Judiciary, the army, the gentiles, and a large number of law disposed citizens (Mormons) are also united in opinion against the former. The well disposed Mormons need support to join in open rebel-lion to the Mormon Church.
The worst thing Government can do against itself is to open a land office here. The Mormons wish it. Ex-amine the laws here, and you will see that the effect of every act is to drive out all obnoxious to them, and not permit Federal power to be exercised here. A Mormon can persecute here; a gentile can get no justice, even if the Mormons permitted a gentile jury to be as-sembled.
The Mormons say and boasted that the Governor went to Provo to be in readiness to pardon or reprieve, as the case might be, anyone convicted and sentenced. They also preach that Brigham Young is to be the next President, and when asked if they think B. Y. is a prophet, they reply they know it.
A great many leading men among the Indians have died lately, and many are very ill. The Mormons say the army poisoned them. The Indians, however, sent to the army for medical advice, and think they are poisoned by the Mormons, who furnish them with food. They have the pneumonia. Those who have died have been on a war party and whipped the Navajoes.
Lieut. Livingston has been sent to assist in the arrest of some criminals—one of them is Bishop Snow, en-gaged in murders and in the horrible mutilation of two young men, one of whom has gone crazy. Snow is concealed, but his own people have informed on him. The end of this business is not yet.
We hear that a regiment is to be withdrawn. If so, this community, whose hands are all now deeply steeped in human blood, will be red with it. The army will be of no power here, and if it is much reduced will be subject to insult and perhaps attack.
There is much need of officers, especially in the Sec-ond Dragoons and Quartermaster's Department at Camp Floyd. Some of the officers in the dragoons will leave on sick certificates. Fort Bridger is almost des-titute, and calling for help from Camp Floyd. At least two good officers of the Quartermaster's Department, in addition, should be here—one for Fort Bridger, the other at Camp Floyd. X.