Show n 0 CAPTAIN J GOr G WILLIES 7 1 Or the Fourth Handcart Company of 1856 1866 No 2 BY JOSIAH ROGERSON In Sunday mornings Herald Horald of ot Dec IB 16 Vf we published our first chapter of at atthe the above journey over the stains plains in jn 1856 1836 and a full list qC pf the names of or the members as they left Iowa hill hilI near Iowa City Ia la Tuesday July rulY 16 15 1856 to pull handcarts from there thero to Salt Lake City Utah some 1350 miles During the half halt century of ot years that has passed since then it has been beon generally gen sen generally remembered and stated that this company left the campground above mentioned not later than that the or of July and was wa BO so recorded In our previous chapter but Captain Wil WI Willies lies report and anti synopsis from his Jour Journal journal journal nal as ae made mado for President Brigham Young Youns a few weeks after his arrival in Salt Lake and which will follow tollow in this title article sets s Us this date of or starting at atI rest t for tor he lie says It was Tuesday July 15 la laAs I As a matter of record and history I there is considerable importance in hI the number of days start Captain Willies company pt ahead of that of ot Captain Martins because it proves that tho the thol loss l of or lire Ufe was waa not so much from the fatigues of ot travel as aa from the number num number lm ber of days the latter company were in the snow now and the severity of tho the cold r weather To make proper connection in the tho thoi i reading of our narrative No 1 I as pub in the Herald Sunday Doc Acc 15 1007 which finished with the U rt of beginning with with We slept In the tho cars e rs on the of tho the Mth of July at Pond creek a short distance then by rail fall west of Rock Island Ia la and on the the remainder rem of our company came up We Ye had ha much difficulty In ill obtaining provisions here Which up to this per period Iud iod had been be n pretty plentiful Now follow tollow with his narrative after ateer the word plentiful Arrival at Iowa City la laThe The railway superintendent very ery obliging and furnished us with a large comfortable warehouse to sleep in tn On the th of at June w IsA left teft l Pond and creek and after atter crossing the In consequence of the th fallen tallen bridge started by bJ rail for I Wa City where we arrived on the same s me day meeting with the most cordial recep reception reception reception tion from President nt Daniel Spencer and the brethren and sisters in camp there We e stayed sta ed at this point till Tuesday July 15 and during the tiro internal il had frequent opportunities opportunities of ot meeting to together together gether sether to bear hear the word of life spoken The brethren were engaged In making t Yokes handcarts etc and the sisters In making m tents For the want of these latter articles immediately latelY on our arrival we had several soakings with rain which the saints bore with becoming fortitude We Ve celebrated the of July with the American flag fly flyt t ing and had a first rate time Many any strangers were present and seemed seamed to take considerable interest In our pro proceedings proceedings A On the President Spen Spent t f appointed mo me as captain over oyer the fourth company consisting of f the passengers of the ship shiv Thorn Thornton Thornton Thornton ton with Elders Millen Attwood Levi Savage William Woodward John Chislett and Ahmanson respective respectively ly captains of ot hundreds Start for Florence Neb tn On July 15 we started started from Iowa f v camping ground for old Winter Quarters now known as Florence and pursued our Journey until the Oth when whon Adelaide A Baker of ot tho the Ports Port Portsmouth mouth branch of Southampton confer conference nee ence with her two children Ann and Sebina Bird of the Eaton Baton Bray branch ll L of the conference and Harriet Smith of ot the Bristol branch of the South conference left lert us for lor forthe forthe the leeks and onions I would here mention an act of kind kindness kindness ness noss performed by b a gentleman Mr i Charles harles Good at Fort Des DM Moines Koines He lIe presented mo me with fifteen pairs of childrens boots which I readily re ac accepted opted as he seemed to be influenced by a sincere desire to do good goodw w Arrival at Florence Florence Neb cb On Monday Aug 11 1 wo we w arrived at Florence having previously on the had two other deserters from our ranko and daughter both bothof of or the Wiltshire conference r r On our way considerable opposition y t was WaR shown ho towards us by the people from time to time and threats of ot per personal persons sons violence were sometimes made madeus use us of though never carried into ef of effect feet and because they could not find any just cause of complaint we were persecuted le by a posse of ot men mep with a search warrant from front some soma Justice of the peace authorizing thorn tham to search the bottoms of our wagons wagons for young women who as was alleged were tied down there with ropes On our arrival at Florence Florenc we wo were warmly greeted by President James JamesC C Gaw and Brothers George D Grant William Ullam H Kimball and John lm Van Cott Cotto We Ve stayed there till un the and during this interval were employ employed od pd in repairing handcarts and tents We also received much useful Instruction Instruction tion Hon from tho the brethren At Florence four independent wagons joined our ouri i company and were subsequently on the at the groat great organ organized organised h ed into it by President McGaw who then appointed Androw Andrew L Silver as a s captain of such wagons wagon under my pres pros presidency presidency Start From Florence Neb On the we rolled out of about 6 a m and commenced our Jour Journey journe I ney ne across the plains in real earnest traveling about eighteen miles that day da including the crossing of ot the Elk Elkhorn Elkhorn Elkhorn horn river I then appointed Brother t Nell Neil Lars interpreter and counsellor to the Danish saints On Thursday Aug 28 Brother Wil William WilLiam liam Haley of at the Warwickshire con conference confer ference fer ee aged 66 years was missed Im Immediately Immediately mediately sent out scouts in search with a lantern but ho was not found on the following morning after atter having been exposed to a drenching rain during the this night Hee Hec however soon recovered On Friday the wo we 0 camo came up with witha a largo large camp of Omaha Indians who were ware friendly and sold us some buffalo buffalo buffalo falo meat The chief chlof invited the em officers core cers of at our camp to see him We Ve accordingly ac accordingly cordingly went and were were ere hospitably entertained en entertained entertained Murder of Colonel Babbitts Men en Mrs Wilson and Child These Indians informed us of ot a mur murder murder murder der that had been committed on on the by the on two of ot Colonel Babbits men and a Mrs Sirs Wil Wilson son eon n and her child We subsequently passed by the scene of ot t the e murder and covered up the graves Fatal Loss of Draught Dra g Oxen i On Or the th morning of ot Thursday Th Thursday the th being miles west of Florence we wo found that thirty of our oxen were missing We Va stayed to search for them till the and during our stay Colonel Bab tt came tip up P Ald reI re I 7 sported Sorted that the Che ennes had bad attack i iY Y a n small California train and killed killed I a woman and that the United States troops had killed thirteen i and taken a number of at horses Captain Smoot and Brother Porter Rockwell visited the Saints and com comforted comforted comforted forted us in our then present emergency cy On Sept 6 we started afresh with our broken teams Brothers Joseph El EI Elder EIder der and Andrew Smith returning on the basic bacK track in search of ot the missing cattle We e traveled a short distance whoa when I found it necessary to yoke up some cows which we wo had with us and to malje m e a transfer of ot luggage and oxen from one wagon to another In order to equalize the burden of our po pa position mUon The brethren cheerfully re responded reo to the call can and anci matters mattern were soon arranged so 50 that hat we c were on our journey again Murder of Thomas Margetts While in camp on the morning of ot the a man who gave the tho name ame of at Hen Henry Henry Henry ry came up and antl reported that two men named Thomas Margetts Margette and James Howdy with the wife and child of ot the latter had been teen murdered by the tho about seventy miles mUes I ahead of pf our camp He Be said that the murders were committed during his absence ab absence sence senco from Margetts Margette and Howdy on a buffalo hunt These two men I ascertained ascer ascertained afterward were apostates returning re returning returning turning from the valley vaHey to the states President Wilson and Company Cross the Platte On Friday the thc President Frank Franklin lin Un D Richards with three carriages and some wagons accompanied by a number of brethren and by toy Brothers Elder Eld r and Smith who had met them while searching for the lost oxen aen came up with our camp on the North Bluff fork of at the thc Platte river amidst the hearty cheers of the whole company In the evening he gave us a stirring ad address address address dress with a view to build up and en encourage encourage encourage courage the people and avd his sentiments were seconded by a hearty amen from time to time His counselors Daniel Spencer and C H Wheelock also cheered the Ule saints with some sea seasonable seasonable seasonable remarks Several of ot the Songs of ZIon were sung with first rate spirit and good effect by Elder W C Dunbar and the meeting separated late in the evening much edified and with the good spirit of our God evidently burn bum burnIng burning Ing in their bosoms The next morning we had a similar meeting when the saints had portrayed them In vivid colors the realities of their pres present present present ent position President Richards said others spoke as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost and It was Indeed a time of at refreshing from the presence of the Lord At the conclusion of the meeting three cheers were given give for these brethren who Immediately after afterward afterward afterward ward crossed the Platte an example which we at once followed On Monday Sept 15 we met several Indians who stated that they belonged to the tribe of the tho and that the Sioux and had re rc recently recently attacked a large emigration train and killed many These were watching us during the whole night for what purpose Is best known to themselves On the night of ot Sept 17 we had the first frost which was a avery avery avery very severe one On that day one aile of ot Brother C daughters Ellen was bitten by a D rattlesnake but the wound was dressed and no fatal effects ef eC effects feats followed The snake which had ten rattles was afterward killed On the Sister Stewart from Scot Scotland Scotland land kind was missed A number of breth brethren brethren ren ron accompanied me In search se of her herand herand herand and during our absence she returned to the camp after sleeping in to the com company company company pany of ot wolves for the night ni ht She was much exhausted for want of ot food On Sunday the we met a company of nearly apostates on oh their way from the valley to the states and shortly af afterwards afterwards afterwards a small company of United States Stales soldiers came up Arrival at Fort Laramie On Sept Sopt 30 we arrived at Fort Lar Laramie Laramie amie amle having necessarily expended con considerable considerable time in the repair of hand handcarts handcarts carts catts up to that point Here wo we obtained ob obtained obtained a small ration for the company and Captain four four fo wagons stayed hero to await the arrival of the next wagon company pursuant to President Richards counsel While at the fort tort some soldiers vis visited visited Is our camp and conducted them themselves themselves themselves selves with propriety Tto To o of the sis tore tors thought proper to stay there Lu Lucinda Lucinda Lucinda cinda M Davenport who immediately married an apostate that had Just come from the valley and Christina Brown On the 1st let of ot October we renewed our journey and met m t Brother Parley P Pratt with a number of mission missionaries aries arle under his presidency Reduction of Rations In consequence of our limited supply of provisions I considered It necessary to slightly reduce the amount of the daily dally ration of ot flour which was unanimously unan unanimously and willingly acceded to by the Saints On Sunday Oct 12 13 Alfred AUred Pea Peacock Peacock Peacock cock and George Edwick were added to the list of deserters Just before we arrived at the upper crossing of the Platte On that same day it was con considered considered considered necessary to make a still sUII fur further further further ther reduction ret In the daily ration of at flour and accordingly it was fixed at 10 ounces for tor men 9 ounces for wo women women women men 6 ounces for children and 3 ounces for infants This turned out to be a avery avery avery very wise and economic arrangement as It just enabled us to ration out our provisions until tho the very day when we received material aid from tho the valley Relief and Supplies From Utah This relief relict arrived when the little ones were crying for tor bread on the of ot October to the tho extent of at fourteen wagons wagons laden with flour onions and clothing The last bit of breadstuff which constituted com all the provisions we wethen wethen wethen then had was served out two nights previously We Vo all felt to rejoice at our timely deliverance and attributed it 11 entirely to the hand of ot God which had been over us during durin the tho whole of at our Journey On Wednesday the of ot October Brother William H Kimball with six fix f lx wagons w gons started on oft with us towards Great Salt Lake Lako City and Brother George D Grant with the tho remainder started to meet the companies In our rear Two days previous I to this on lin tho the of ot October 1856 we encounter encountered ed the tho first snowstorm and on Friday the we met Brother Reddick N Allred and others with six wagons also on their way to help the rear com companies companies and on the following day be bo boing being being ing fifteen miles west of ot the Jast last crossing of ot the Sweetwater came up with some brethren who were waiting there with supplies of flour and onions On Friday the of October we met seven wagons from Fort t ort Supply and three from Great Salt Bait Lake City and andon andon andon on the 1st let of November met further help from tho the valley On tho the next day Brother Ephraim Hanks passed us and reported plenty of ot teams ahead On the d day of ot No o i vember we passed Fort F ot er and on the he next day met net fresh fr sh supplies for tor forthe forthe the rear companies and overtook Oil fil filbert I Bert merchant train On Monday Mon lion IlY ay the of ot T it tt I Iwas was deemed prudent P to send an express to the first presidency representing the I state of ot things generally on the plains I and for this purpose Brother Ki bail volunteered to gl and did so In com company company I pany with Brother Thomas Before I starting President Kimball appointed I Brother Gould captain of the horse 1 orso I teams and Brother William Hyde of the ox teams On the of November we W n e met Bro Brother Brother Brother ther Blair with three wagons besides beside other brethren with teams Today Brother Franklin B Woolley y came camo along with a message from President Brigham Young that some sorno freight which had bad been left lert behind at Fort Bridger must be brought in to the valley val yal valley ley Icy this season so I immediately dispatched dis dispatched patched some somo brethren with wagons and |