FROM UTAH.
Interesting Developments—Mormon Outrages —Condition of the Territory.
We have received files of Salt Lake City papers to 20th April. The Valley Dan, (KIRK ANDERSON’S Anti-Mormon publication,) of April 19, publishes a number of affidavits of parties who have endured maltreat-ment from the Mormons. This evidence confirms the previous reports of the Mormon outrages, and gives full particulars of the events of which but mea-gre accounts have hitherto been received.
On the 26th March, Mr. ZEPHANIAH F. WARREN made affidavit before Judge CRADLEBAUGH to the fol-lowing effect:
I am fifty-seven years old; I came to Utah in the year A.D. 1852; I came from Iowa to this Territory ; I settled in the town of Springville, Utah County, when I came into this valley, and have resided there ever since with the exception of about seven mouths absence in California, in the years 1856 and 1857 ; I reside at Springville now; on my way home from California in the Spring of 1857, I heard of the mur-der of the two Parrishes and Potter; the day I ar-rived at Springville I saw the place where they were murdered; seeing the place and the appearance of blood, I became somewhat excited and spoke very reproachfully of the leading men of Springville ; however, tried to reconcile my mind enough to stay until I could dispose of my property, and get away with my family, I did not say much to anybody; unless I was interrogated, during the whole season. I heard of many threats being thrown out against me in the meeting-house by the overseers, but I did not use much caution ; I was thrown off my guard by sup-posing that they dare not touch me. [On the night of the 31st of August, 1817, witness was roused from sleep by two Mormons, Wm. Johnson and Oliver Mc-Bride., and ordered to go out of his house. He found six other men in the street. What followed is nar-rated by himself. They were all armed with pistols, knives and guns. Earl told me to be still and go with them out of the city gate. I told them I would not go one step without the knowledge of the public. Earl seized me by the throat, saying: "D—n your old heart, if you speak another loud word (applying his knife to my throat) I will cut your throat on the spot." They then—Johnson and Earl—took me by force and dragged me on the ground most of the time for about sixty rods, through the gale; they then sud-denly stopped, and some one said "there is someone coming; d—n him, stop him, stop him;" two ran back, and the other six threw me into a fence-ditch Earl then seized me by the throat, saying, "You d—d old American, you will never write or talk anymore about people that have been murdered." They then all but one left me, and held a private conversation on the other side of the road, listing perhaps an hour ; then six of them came back, and EARL said: "We have concluded to let you live a few days, if you will now swear before us that you will never divulge what has been done to you to-night, to any person, and go, within a day or two, and settle up your tithing, as all men in these valleys have now got to be tithed. We have declared war against the whole world, and at any time we can put you aside very easily." I did promise that I would go and settle my tithing, as they required. They then all addressed me, one by one, advised me to make friends with the Mormons, never to write any more, or try to make myself as one of the Gentiles. They then left me.
Another witness, residing in Springville, made affi-davit on the 1st of April, as follows :
I have lived in Springville since 1853 ; was there at the time the Parrishes and Potter were murdered; had a conversation a short time before the murder with Moses Daily, Jr., he said that they had been or-dered never to let the Parrishes go out of Springville or the Territory. Said he called on me to join them; I told him I would not, that I did no such jobs ; he then said, for God's sake, not to tell of it; he said the or-ders were from Orson Hyde; Orson Hyde had just been preaching at Springville.
On the 1st April, some remarkable developments in relation to the PARRISH murders were brought out in a confession of ABRAM DURFEE. DURFEE was a Mor-man who seems to have been delegated by the Mor-mon Bishops to dog the steps of the PARRISH family, and give information of their movements to the Church authorities. He swears that he was notified to attend a Council hell by the Bishop, at Springville, in Jan-uary, 1857, and that on that occasion the plot against the PARRISHES was arranged. The subsequent events are narrated in the confession :
"Bishop Johnson presided. There was something mentioned at this meeting about the Parrishes, that they were going to leave the Territory ; the Bishop said there were some demands against them, for debts that they were owing, he did not slate the debts. It was mentioned either by the Bishop or Mc-Donald, I don't recollect which, to have some one to find out when the Parrishes were going to start; they nominated or named persons to know when the Par-rishes were going to leave. My name (Abraham Dur-fee) was mentioned, said I objected to it; then they mentioned Potter's name; and then the Bishop de-cided that both Potter and myself should try and learn when the Parrishes were going to leave the Territory. The Bishop said he did not wish any one to decline when they were called upon ; I then told the Bishop that I would do as well as I knew how, and Potter assented to the same ; I can’t recollect that Potter made any reply. Parrish the next day told me that he had given up all hopes of getting his horses, that they were gone. Par-rish told me that he had seen the Bishop, and he agreed to have the horses that had been found at Bullock's, in Provo, brought bask and put into the custody of Cyrus Sanford, the constable. Parrish, after this had transpired in regard to the horses prepared leaving right away [……] arrangements to start, I think it was the Saturday before the murder, I can't recollect the day exactly; Potter told me before this, a day or two, that they aimed to bring them, the Parrishes back, if they started, and I went to Parrish's the next Sunday morning, and they had not gone yet, Parrish told me then that he had expected to have started the evening before, but the police watched the house so closely that he could not go out of doors, Parrish said he wanted to go that day, or that evening, but he said he could not get his things out, so as to start in day time. We got into the State road and t-raveled south; and when we came to Dry Creek or Dry Hollow, I spoke for Potter; I called Duff, and no one answered ; we traveled on until we came near the corner, and I called Duff again ; I think twice. I heard some one speak, but I could not tell by the voice who it was ; it was a very low sound. Just , as the person spoke there was a gun fired near the corner of the fence ; the ball hit Beason Parrish. I and the two Parrish boys were walking together abreast. I was near the fence, and Orrin was next to me, and Beason was out-side near the middle of the wagon track. Beason was west of my self and Orrin, and the shot came from the southeast ; the shot struck Beason and he fell: I sprang back to the right and Orrin passed be-hind me ; I spoke out at the time, but I don't recollect the words I said. Beason made some noise af-ter he fell ; then they fired again from the fence, and I started to the west into the hollow, where it crosses the street; Orrin started back north. While I was in the hollow I saw some one who started after Orrin ; this person sprang from the fence just as I was going to the hollow, as he came into the street partly on the run, he shot; from the flash of the gun, it appealed to be pointed north. This person called me ; he said, "Durfee, you need not be afraid; it was all right." He started then right on towards the city, I got over the fence into the same field ; we came out, and I went back north towards the city; I went into the city through the south gate, William Bird, after I left him, went right into the Bishop's house; Bird's clothes were some bloody. I don't know what went on the balance of the evening. Bird washed the blood off his clothes, and he and Wilder Earl went away soon, together, from the Bishop's. I saw the blood on Bird's clothes ; William Bird told me, a short time afterwards, that he was called on by Potter to go out there with him, and to do this deed that had been committed; he did not tell me who was with him, but Potter and himself. When Orrin and I started, he said he came out from the fence and shot; he said he saw me, or he sup-posed it was me, when I ran into the hollow; he asked me if I heard him call for me, I told him I did ; he want-ed to know why I did not come to him ; I told him did not like to, that I did not know what it meant in re-gard to their shooting.
The next morning after the murder I heard Bishop Johnson and Bird talking together, and he blamed Potter and Bird for not going further away with them ; the Bishop said he wanted I should be satisfied about the affair, and not tell who was in it, that if I did they would serve me the same way ; I did not know that the Parrishes were to be killed; I supposed from what Potter told me that they were to be brought back. In the second meeting which I attended Bishop Johnson said there were some of them that would see the blood run.
Judge CRADLEBAUGH had made the following entry on the docket, up in the final adjournment of his Court at Provo : "This Court has sought diligently and faithfully to do its duty, to administer the laws of the United States and of this Territory. It could not have any ether object. But at every turn it has had to en-counter difficulties and embarrassments. Men high in authority in the Mormon Church, as well as men holding civil authority under the Territorial Govern-ment, seem to have conspired to obstruct the course of public justice and to cripple the earnest efforts of the Court.
The whole community presents a united and organ-ized opposition to the proper administration of jus-tice. Every art and every expedient have been em-ployed to cover up and conceal crimes committed by Mormons. Witnesses have been prevented by threats of violence from obeying the summons of this Court; others that have testified have been driven to seek safety in the protection of the small detachment of United States troops stationed near here, who, it is proper to say, are here on my requisition, and for whose presence the Court is responsible. The absolute necessity of having those troops here has been fully demonstrated by all that has transpired during the session of the Court. To crown all, the Grand Jury, sworn to perform a high public duty, has lent itself as a willing instrument to this organized opposition to the laws of the country, and refuse to meet its obligations. A most willing inclination has been manifested to prosecute Indians and other persons not Mormons for their offence, while Mormon murderers and thieves are allowed to go unpunished. This Court determined, as its action manifests, that it will not be used by this community for its protection alone, but that it will do justice to all, or it will do nothing. Not being able to do this, the Court now adjourns without day.
The Deseret News (Mormon) reports that there is destitution at Camp Floyd. It says:
Reports well authenticated, represent that at Camp Floyd, many of the discharged teamsters and em-ployes that came into the Territory with the army, and in the service of RUSSBLL, MAJORS & WADDELL, contractors, are in a state of destitution, and that a few weeks since, a company of one hundred or more went in a body to the Quartermaster, and demanded relief, in some shape, which was extended by setting them to cutting wood at fifty cents per cord.
Business in the Territory was active. Several trains of merchandise have arrived in the course of the last, two or three weeks from California, by the Southern route. The News says:
Most of the goods brought into the Territory last year were selected by men who knew little or noth-ing about the country, nor what was needed by the people here, consequently a large amount of the im-portation was unsalable, and those articles wanted most were soon disposed of without supplying the demand.
To supply the market, recourse was had to impor-tation from California, and considerable quantities have been bought in San Francisco, by merchants and others in this Territory during the winter, some of which has come to hand and the balance is on the way.
There was a report which lacks confirmation, that Governor CUMMING had ordered out the Territorial Militia, to oppose the attempt of the Federal troops to arrest parties charged with high crimes. It was stated that General JOHNSTON had obeyed the requi-sition of Judge CRADLEBAUGH, by sending two regi-ments from Camp Floyd, and that a collision between the troops and the Militia was probable.
19th Century Mormon Article Newspaper Index
