FROM THE UTAH ARMY.
Movements in the Utah Expedition—Reports of Mormon Preparations, &c.
From Our Own Correspondent.
CAMP SCOTT, NEAR FORT BRIDGER,
UTAH TERRITORY, Friday, March 5, 1858.
Spring has opened with us most promisingly, and we are now lolling about in the sunshine, enjoy-ing the awakening of all nature from its Wintry sleep. Since my last communication the weather has grown milder, and at present there is no snow to be seen except on the mountain sides; theses alone stand out in bold relief in their white mantles, spot-ed here and there with dark groves of cedar or pine. With the coming Spring we are pleased with the prospect which seems to be promised us of action, of rest from our fatigue of long inactivity.
The 22d day of February was celebrated in our Camp with great zest. The day was beautiful, and taking advantage of it, the troops were all turned out on parade in full uniform during the afternoon, and were drilled by regiments in the battalion drill. It was a magnificent sight, which one rarely sees in this country, to see so large a body of well-disciplined troops manoeuvring at once, and the rapidity of their movements, and the precision with which they ware executed carried the conviction to every breast who saw or partook, of the exercises of the day. that with them there was no such word as defeat, but that con-quer or die was their watchword. In the evening the 5th and 10th Regiments interchanged compli-ments and kind sentiments by serenades from their respective bands, after having serenaded the Gover-nor, Chief-Justice and other civil officers in Eckels-ville.
On the 25th of February a most important discovery of a large quantity of powder was made at Fort Bridger. It seams that Messrs. RUSSELL and WADDLE, the Government freight contractors, had engaged last Spring to bring out several thousand pounds of freight for Mr. HOOPER, a Mormon merchant at Salt Lake City, who was indebted to them, in order to secure the payment of the debt. This freight was sent with the Government trains, but its delivery was of course forbidden by Col. ALEXANDER as soon as he was informed of the fact, when he overtook the trains last Fall; it was accordingly brought here with the other Government freight. The boxes were such as are ordinarily sent to tills country with mer-chandise, and were marked dry goods, hardware, crockery, &c., as usual. Upon examination, howev-er, it was found that every box contained, hidden among and surrounded with dry goods and other articles, one or more kegs of powder, the whole amounting to eight thousand pounds. This powder was put up in this manner for the Mormons by some mercantile firm in St. Louis, and it should be ascer-tained who they are, in order to let the public know the traitors who are aiding in this rebellion.
On the evening of the 22d February Sergeant WM. BURHANS, one of the Provost Guard, was assaulted at a gambling-den near the camp, and was struck a violent blow on the head, which resulted in an inflammation of the brain, seriously endangering his life. J. MCDONALD, JOHN STONE and JAMES GREGORY, were arrested upon the charge of having committed the assault, and on Monday last, the 1st inst., were tried before DAVID A. BURR, Esq., Justice of the Peace for this County. Upon examination, STONE was acquitted, but MCDONALD was convicted of hav-ing taken part in the affray, and was fined in the Sum one hundred dollars. GREGORY was bound over to appear on the 18th inst. for further examination.
These gambling-houses have been a source of great annoyance to the camp during the Winter, and every measure has been taken to get rid of them by both the civil and military authorities, and the result is that the majority of them are now closed.
On the 24th of February two herders belonging to Lieut. HIGHTS' camp of Dragoons, on Smith’s Fork, found the body of a man hanging by the neck from a tree near a small stream, which empties into Smith's Fork. As soon as Col. JOHNSTON received informa-tion of the fact, he sent for the body, which, in the meantime, had been interred by the Dragoons, and and had it brought to this camp, and on the 2d inst. an inquest was held over it. From the evidence which was obtained it seems that the body was found hanging by a long rope, which was tied loosely around the neck With a hard knot. One knee rested on the ground, under which was placed a piece of the lining of the coat on the body; the other knee, thrown slightly back, was raised about an inch from the ground. The face of the corpse was almost en-tirely eaten away by the crows, nothing being left but the forehead and a portion of the upper lip, arid its appearance indicated that it must have been there some eight or ten weeks at least, although, as it had been frozen, it could not be ascertained with any de-ree of precision.
The ideas of the body with that of private CLARKE, who desired from the 10th infantry on Ham's Fork, was very nearly established, the color of the hair and beard and the size of the body cor-responding with that of CLARKE, and the pantaloons • and shoes were of the same kind as those worn by CLARKE at the time he started. The majority of the Jury returned a verdict: "That the body found was that of CLARKE, a private in I Company, 10th In-fantry, who deserted from his Regiment on Ham's Fork, on the 9th day of October, 1857, and that he came to his death by hanging by the neck until life was extinct." The Coroner agreed with the verdict of the Jury, adding further that he came to his death by the hands of persons unknown. The probability is, that the deserter (who had stolen a mule on start-ing) was endeavoring to make his way to Fort Sup-ply (a Mormon village) when he was met by a party of Mormons, who, taking him to be spy, hung him. The spot where he was found is about 30 miles from Ham's Fork and about 16 miles from here.
On the 28th inst. we received news from Dr. HURT, our Indian Agent, who started some seven weeks ago to visit the tribes of Ute Indians, south from here on Green River and its tributaries, by an Indian who brought in some forty dragoon horses, found by the Doctor in the Valley of Uintah. These are a por-tion of the horses which were stampeded from the Government herd on Henry's Fork in the month of January.
On Monday, the 1st inst., the United States Dis-trict Court met in Eckelsville, pursuant to adjourn-ment on the 1st Monday of February last. There were no cases for trial, but a great many of our sol-diers availed themselves of the opportunity to be-come naturalized. The Court adjourned until the 1st Monday in April, when it will probably adjourn sine die. I am reliably informed that our Mormon prisoners will not be put upon trial until we reach Salt Lake City.
On the 2d and 3d instants, large parties of Mormons were seen on the hills in the immediate vicinity of Major SIBBLEY'S camp of dragoons, some eight miles below on this creek. A company of the Tenth In-fantry in command of Lieut. DUDLEY has been sent to reinforce Major SIBBLEY and assist in protecting the animals of which he has charge; Lieutenant HIGHTS, with his company of dragoons has also joined Major S. Several scouting parties have since been sent out, but have as yet failed to discover the Mormon camp.
On the night of the 2d inst., EDGAR BROWN, a man who had crossed the Plains in the employ of Messrs. GILBERT and GEREISH, suttlers, in the capacity of a herds-man, and who on his arrival here in company with others, had started for California, returned here from Salt Lake City. He made an affidavit before his Honor Chief Justice ECKELS, giving the particulars of the news which he brought us, which was of decided im-portance. He stated that he is a native and resident of Madison County, Missouri ; that he came to this Territory as a herdsman, and arrived at Camp Scott, the latter part of November last; that he left camp in company with JOHN HOUCK, CHARLES JONES and HENRY MAY for the State of California on the 1st day of December, and that on the next day they came up with a body of 100 armed Mormons under the com-mand of—, and hired them to haul their provis-ions and baggage to Salt Lake City, having no bag-gage wagon of their own ; and that they arrived at the city on the 6th day of December, 1857. They went from Salt Lake City to Provo Valley, when, on account of the warlike disposition of the Indians and the snows of the Northern route, they deemed it im-prudent to proceed further ; they remained at large until the 12th day of February, 1858, when de-ponent, in company with WILLIAM FABINS, CHARLES MILES and FRANKLIN MCNEALY, left Provo in the night and came to Salt Lake City on the evening of the next day, where they stayed all night. They left next morning for Camp Scott, alias Fort Bridger, and came as far as Yellow Creek, thirty-nine miles from Fort Bridger, where they met with four armed men, who were stationed at Yellow Creek, by whom they were taken back twenty-seven miles, through Echo Cañon, to a station in the Canon three or four miles from its southern end, where six men were stationed. Being very much injured by the snows on the mountains, the Mormons stopped at this place until we would re-cruit enough to be able to travel on to the City. Oil the third night after reaching the last-mentioned sta-tion this deponent escaped from his guard, and from there came to this place on foot, where he arrived on Tuesday night, the 2d day of March, 1858.
He saw but few persons who expressed any sympa-thy with the United States, and even these dare hot make such sentiments known. There was a very general concurrence among the Mormons in the re-bellion advised by their Church leaders. Three hun-dred armed men were to start on the 1st of this month, under Captains LOT SMITH, PORTER ROCKWELL and WIL-LIAM A. HICKMAN, for the vicinity of Camp Scott, to stampede and take back whatever stock was left, and then pass on the road towards Fort Laramie, to cut off the mails and destroy my supplies that might be on the road. One thousand men as a regular force were to proceed about the same time, either for Echo Cañon or for this camp—deponent did not particular-ly understand which. The Legislature adjourned a short time before he left. He was informed that the Mormons had taken the farming utensils from the Indian farm made by Dr. HURT, and were also taking the grain. This was making the Utah Indians discon-tented. They love and esteem Dr. HURT very highly and propose to go and see the Doctor as soon as the snows will permit. Two men—American teamsters—passed on for California before the party of depo-nent, and their dead bodies were found by two others who passed on a few days after, near Fillmore City. The bodies were stripped of all their clothing, and these men afterwards saw a Mormon with a comforter and a pair of boots which they recognized as belonging to one of the murdered men. Finding it unsafe to proceed, they returned back to Springville, and gave to this deponent the foregoing account of the murder of these teamsters, who were by birth Irishmen. A Californian, who had reached Spring-ville disappeared mysteriously, and his body is re-ported to have been found (murdered.) Four other men were killed below Fillmore, but he did not learn the particulars, and he knows of the fact only by in-formation derived from others. The Mormons de-clared it to be their intention to resist the troops while they can, and when overcome, to burn and destroy everything and flee to the White Mountains, which lay on the West side of the Great Desert. They pro-pose to poison the springs on the Southern route from California, if troops come that way. The Mormon people informed the deponent that they had Mormons with the Cheyenne Indians, and that these white men had occasioned the troubles between the Indians and the United States.
He saw some of RADFORD'S and CABOT'S and some of GILBERT'S and GERRISH'S work-cattle m the Valley of Salt Lake, and knew them by the brands. All the cattle taken from the army and suttlers are in Cache Valley, and the Mormon stock are on an Island in Salt Lake. Their stock is in good condition. YATES, of Green River, deponent was informed, was mur-dered by a man by the name of CONOVER, and a horse which deponent saw in the possession of CONOVER was said to be the property of YATES. This man, YATES, was the partner of ELI MIETT in a store oil Green River. He did not learn the name of the per-son who was to command the troops about to start from Salt Lake City.
In a few days all of the Government stock, number-ing some 2,500 head, are to be brought over from Henry's Fork, where they have been wintered to the neighborhood of Fort Supply, on Smith's Fork. Six hundred of the above number of animals are beef cat-tle. If the weather does not become too warm, and if our supplies hold out, it is generally understood that we will not move from here before early in the month of April.
Dr. JACOB FORNEY. Superintendent of Indian Affairs for this Territory, has sent for the Shosonee tribe of Indians, who have wintered in the Wind River Moun-tains, for the purpose of holding a “talk" with them, and they are already commencing to arrive. These Indians may be very useful to us next Summer. In a conversation with BROWN, whose statement is given above, I learn the fallowing additional particulars, namely, that the Mormons are making active preparations to sow and cultivate the usual crops, and intend to endeavor to maintain their position until these growing crops can be gathered. That he believes that a large number of the Mor-mons will never leave, but are only awaiting an op-portunity to join the United States troops. And that the force of one thousand men on their way out to this camp, are chiefly well mounted on well-trained animals. We have not, as yet, received any mail, since that which arrived the 1st of last month, and we fear that it has been captured by the Mormons. A mail left here for the States on the 1st inst.
