FROM UTAH.
Heavy Snow Storm—Prospects of Crops and Fruit—Crimes and Misdemeanors—The Forney Investigation.
Correspondence of the New-York Times.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Friday, May 18,1860.
The snow-storm of the 6th and 7th inst., was but a foretaste of that sort of thing. On the morning of the 12th, after rising, I went to my window, and beheld one clear foot of snow, and the air full of more falling. By 10 o'clock A. M., from eighteen to twenty-four inches had fallen, or the equal to that, for in this instance the snow was compact and heavy, and the ground being warm, a good deal melted as it fell. Drifts, in places, were two and three feet deep. By night, what was in the streets had resolved itself into a few inches depth of slush. The next morning presented the same wintry spectacle of a driving storm, which cleared up by 9 A. M., perhaps six inches falling that morning in the city, though a depth of thirteen inches was reported eight miles south.
The landscape presented the same singular appear-ance as after the first storm, all the trees bending like weeping willows, and many branches being bro-ken ; and again, the same lively green foliage set in a vast plain of virgin snow. Gradually the snow fell away until Tuesday night, when the whole of the valley was bare. We have had fine clear weather since, but several frosty nights. On Tuesday morning, ice was found half an inch thick. Of course, tender vegetation suffered. Beans were killed outright, while potatoes, corn, beets, peach and apricot trees, and some said plum and apple trees, showed the damage by the crimping up of their leaves and blades. Last night the sky was again overcast, as though another storm was brewing. The general desire is for no more snow, but rain, if anything.
I expect the detachments of the army then en route for the East were caught by the storm in Tim-panogos Kanyon, which would no doubt increase their joy at quitting this desert and inhospitable terri-tory.
Much has been said and prophesied about the fruit failure in this valley and vicinity the present season. More definite guessing is now safe. The peach and apricot trees, then, have received a serious shock. Many are killed down or nearly down to the Winter snow line, whilst all are slow in putting forth their leaves, and many of those which have put forth, have been rudely nipped by the frosts following the last snow. I have heard of but one peach branch in blossom the present season, and that one was so near the ground as to have been protected by the snow. Plum and apple trees seem not nearly so much injured as was anticipated. Indeed, the pros-pects are that there will be an average crop of apples and plums, the apples rather the slimmest. Of cur-rants, there promises to be no lack. The budding grape-vines shrank at the touch of Jack Frost, but it is believed they are not materially injured. Aridity and Summer frosts are amongst the beauties of this altitude. I have seen butter hard as could be wished the first thing in the morning, and before noon that same butter would be of the consistence of thick oil, and both simply by the natural temperature of the country.
A week ago, at MOORE & GREENE'S store in this city, Mr. M. L. YOUNG attacked M. T. B. IRWIN with a club and a bottle, injuring him severely. The case was heard before Justice CLINTON, and YOUNG was fined $50, and IRWIN $20 and costs.
Several days ago it was noticed that a band of about forty gentlemen, reputed to be slightly given to ap-propriating other people's cattle, came into the city professedly on a half repentant spirit for their past misdeeds. It was supposed that another foray on some unsuspecting citizen's herd or stable was in view. I have not heard, however, that such has yet been the case. But a little rowdy affair occurred on Monday, which has resulted in serious wounds and in fines. It appears that CHARLES WOODMAUSEE, JOHN PAUL, JOHN HENDERSON, a man named MILLER, and others, had been drinking whisky, bought at the house of JAMES BROWN, Sen. Late at night they repaired again to BROWN'S, under pretence of having lost some pocket-books, which they supposed might nave been left at BROWN'S. The gang were told that they had better come in the morning, and if the books were there they might be found and returned. The party, however, were not satisfied, and demanded whisky, which was refused, whereupon they burst in the door, and on the son of Mr. BROWN remonstrating, MILLER struck him in the face with a revolver, injuring him severely. The revolver went off at the moment, but took no other effect. The party afterward amused themselves by parading various of the city streets firing off revolvers.
WOODMAUSEE, PAUL and HENDERSON were arrested and tried before Justice CLINTON, and fined ; WOOD-MAUSEE $50, and the other two $10 each and costs. MILLER contrived to escape till Wednesday morning, when he was caught by Messrs. ALLRED and CUNNING-HAM, twelve miles west of this ; not; however, until he had raised his revolver to take aim at CUNNINGHAM, though he was prevented from doing execution by a prompt bullet from ALLRED'S gun, which struck him in the breast, not killing, but thoroughly disabling him.
Small parties of Gentiles and disaffected Mormons are quietly sliding off to the East or to Carson, the Salt lake country promising not to be so good a mo-ney making region as it has been for the past two or three years.
The rush from many parts of this Territory for Cache Valley, the present Spring, has been some-thing unprecedented in Utah. Sturdy farmers, with their families and effects in their wagons, and their flocks and herds alongside, have been stringing their way through this city for week after week. A few, it is said, took the wrong road on arriving at the junc-tion of the Cache Valley and California reads, and did not find it out till they fetched up in Carson Val-ley, when they concluded they had gone too far to ever turn back. They would rather dig the precious ore at Washoe.
The rattle of the grasshopper and the chirping of the cricket are getting quite familiar in our lots this Spring.
As fuel is so scarce in this section, any circumstance which promises favorably for the supply of this indis-pensable article is hailed with delight by this com-munity, and is considered of more worth than the discovery of mines of silver and gold. Nothing but a sufficient capital seems to be necessary just now to render the coal bed on Chalk Creek, a tributary of the Weber, quickly available to the inhabitants of this city and valley. Recently excellent specimens of coal haw been found in a mountain creek about fif-teen miles north of this city, but the mine has not yet been discovered, though parties are busy prospecting for it. A sufficiency of coal and the manufacture of iron would be vast aids to the prosperity of this Ter-ritory. The former seems much surer than the latter.
The Forney Investigation Committee commenced its sittings at the Farnham House, in this city, on the 2d, and has been in session every day since, Sundays excepted. Not much made out though. On Monday FORNEY and his attorney refused to produce books and vouchers for examination, as had been done pre-viously, on the plea that it was incumbent on no man to furnish evidence that might criminate himself. The persons making the charges must, therefore, prove those charges in the best way they could. This caused the session to break up in a row. Maj. MONT-GOMERY, one of the Commissioners, has attended but little. It may be that he has no relish for the job ; and again, it may be that his presence is required at Camp Floyd, in connection with the preparations for the moving of the troops.
This investigation excites very little interest here, except among parties immediately interested in the result. It is considered rather a result of party spleen than anything else. Papers in the States would no doubt publish particulars of such transactions, but Mormon newspapers have ways of their own, and have published nothing about the investigation on Judge ECKELS’ late Court at Camp Floyd, except the first introductory notice. There seems a disposition, on the part of some, to bring FORNEY within the mesh-es, or rather to prove that he is there; and of course he is very anxious to out general them, and go scot free.
Judge ECKELS is in the city, and, it is said, will tike his departure this morning for the East.
