| Show LOT SMITH IN LIFE AND DEATH THE tragic death of lot smith startled and grieved hirs bib friends who are numerous throughout tais this territory I 1 as well as arizona the particulars of the event were quite meagre the dispatches being very brief and barren of details we have learned of some incidents in the sad affair which we believe will be interesting to our readers and therefore print them as related by 0 W palmer of farming tda tad a son in law 0 ot lot smith who baa hae recently returned from the scene of the tragedy A short abort time previous to the unfortunate event a gentile trader came to the neighborhood of lt LA smiths residence at tuba arizoma Ari zoua to obtain the wool clip from the 1 cheep ho he ingratiated hime himself elf with the indians and am ng dg other things told them they ha i as much right to the grazing lands outside their reservation as the white men had and their sheep were as free to pasturage as the white menia mena cattle particularly the young bucks became very saucy and brought their sheep off the reservation intruding upon the lands taken up by white settlers this man has the reputation of having incited indians to arlve acrive off a ranc rancher hersome some time ago that they ma might have a good place at which to wash and shear their beep t so that he could get the wool on the of the day when the khoo shooting ting occurred an indian told a man named D claws and athers five miles from tuba that may be pretty soon nava a kill and clear out some white men 0 and that they had talked about it two days 11 claws laughed at him and made lun fun of his threat and he said we kill one white man mad any how P two hours after this thie lot smith was shot it appears that the indians indiana had let down the bars of his pasture and turn wd ed in their sheep lot went on horseback to his bis grazing grounds and tried to turn the sheep out but they bunched 3 up and he could not succeed he went back to the house and returned this time having a revolver in his abnit he got off his horse and tried again to drive them out but failing again he be became angry and draw ing his bis astol fired twice into the flock killing six sheep in a mom nt half a dozen nava joes aee who had bad been riding arose and f alred red at his bis cows shooting five and other indians indiana appeared in the hills lot started back home on horseback and had bad just pawed passed a point where there was a large rock when an indian who had bad been riding up on OB the hill bill with a rifle on his bis shoulder and bad watched for him till he passed this thin rook rock fired from behind it striking lot io in n the back the ball going through his body in ina a slanting direction the wounded man rode on and seeing a white man at a distance beckoned to him the blood was running in a stream as be rode rapidly to his bis houpe he alighted entered his belt and went into another room without a word V ord T the h e man he beckoned soon arrived and when be and the family went into the room the stricken man exclaimed this inthis is the last of me 21 his dying words were god bless the wives and children I 1 the older Nava joes greatly deplore the act which has taken from them A good friend they declare to the family that they are sorry and docot do not want to light fight squaws squads have come to the house and cried over the death of lt lot smith and condoled condolee con doled with the bereaved the deed is charged by the Nava joes to the one indian who fired the fetal fatal shot and the trespass and shooting of the cows to young and unruly indians indiana who think they can defy the united states but it is believed by many that there was a conspiracy among the indians to kill lot smith and that much of the feeling of recklessness and lawlessness among them is due to the pernicious influence of the wool trader referred to A lieutenant with a squad of soldiers came from fort wingate teto to investigate the mater he was told by the nava joes that the indian who did the shooting was hiding and the soldiers could not find him but they promised that if the officer woud go with them alone into the hills bills he should see and talk with the indian tula this he declined fearing treachery however a determination to is exor expressed essed to track arrest and try the assassin for in arder fur for some weeks before his hia death I 1 lot was greatly excited at intervals interval over emall email affairs being very irritable at the slightest provocation and inich disturbed over some of his fin financial completions however at other times he be was unusually kind and conk coin munica tive to his family many of his neighbors entertain for him the best of feelings and notwithstanding this infirmity of temper regard him 98 8 a noble man and a friend to all who abo stood in need we here append A letter from C L Chri christenson steDson a navajo interpreter and EL a missionary among amo the indians indiana for fifteen years which he earnestly desires to be published ishO for the satis satisfaction fiction of many good people wh recognized in the valiant lut smith much to admire and esteems esteel evator deseret deveret news newa As a number of journals have made disparaging pa reference to lot smith dortho for the consolation of his jamily and friends I 1 wish to say there never was a man that aba held the lile and liberty of mali man more sacred than did lot smith during the echo can n war lot smith played a brave and noble par aud and did it w well 11 under the circumstances he had ins instructions truO from president brigham young to t shed no blood and not even to fire a gun unless absolutely in self defence lot was so prompt in carrying out we tn advice that several men in his charge ler left him and went home they having a desire of training gaining fame otherwise than according to the fhe advice that lot held and kept M sacred I 1 am conscientious before GOO W in saying that he shed no blood while he be lived except it may have occurred ill fighting the ute indians indiana during the battle 4 near provo cay in an early da day dav v wit aitu s which all are familiar who read the ills bis tory of utah A of lot served his coubry in the fear oi A god and with good will to man in the 1 I mormon Ba tallion he has said aid i think I 1 was the youngest man that bore arms being only sixteen years of ag in stature I 1 WAS wa 60 a but as I 1 was large cepter 11 he gave e the following account ac conni of himself which I 1 think worth reading 1 one day when we tad bad marched it a low 1012 9 distance without water and near nearly ay fain w fo dished we beheld a dry lake at a distance sometimes called a mirage it looked 80 s J much like a lake of water to those wa ahlo never saw one that we had full assurance assur anc of speedy relief it no doubt had this tn but I 1 to at least it stimulated vis us to press on raid an our horror it was only dry land this we e traveled fully six miles across and delusion and till found no water don night ha had d toy fully come the writer low riot not rem ember whether it was a wil amt or r wire e grass that was the only sign d dow owl ase gave them still hope but digging fonna a bont about eight feet lot said we lafter aft nuance abundance 1 nd ance to supply all our wants to hia was attended to I 1 was selected on 80 90 back with a keg of water by bv a incie e to help P those who had fallen a tle way who numbered quite one on I 1 had instructions not to give any mall any water till I 1 got back to the last C cott 0 and then I 1 was to work wor back to the V tru t 1 ad r y P it having very particular instruct ash ow to administer this sacred life anai fluid aid I 1 soon met a man who was etc etcil y squiring enquiring for water distance and p I 1 put pat him off also the second third third think but from this on I 1 alered could at 0 no P I 1 longer stand their pleadings gR I 1 had ered t it em alland had some lafr so I 1 tan drink when I 1 sot got through a dis oce ee r f welve twelve or fourteen miles I 1 was careful roan ton 1 ln in giving them water though suret bo aak donl qui guite 0 heartily the lord a Marv nib Y r blesse ed a my little keg of water in once cocat marielou elou 8 mann for my and to w orde ceders ro I 1 was tied behind a wagon fit otann made to walk in trying circum circa mi lancea f felt which rather humiliated me but w as I 1 could oo uld not have boneless do neless this of f ID j the 6 act altof 0 f a small official by the name k I 1 thel 8 least mod aad reward 4 those who give I 1 t 1 8 of his children a drink of water 4 t W k this hero will not be tied behind livi a gon mud and I 1 think thre there are still some jtb now who were thus saved from who wao will kindly remember him I 1 have this traveled hundreds of miles with good ina if any were sick be was sympathetic va as betig and read I 1 to 1 help if any rl folls were tailed stalled he was j the first to anin a P his la cleves to lift ft dig g and alad push pash tt if was wag 0 were 1 sick he D haq an expert he a t wh extremely niely fond of a good horse al ahping time cameroon came noon or night teothi te atoll were 1 the first te to receive his atall then meals were attended to and ilava fare alike and you yoi would RIO 9 piato pi r ayer ato find athe the camp called to order and did ad the tha offered red to god and if he himself thou oST ayling it was an earnest pir fatha I 1 appeal to his heavenly brethic bre thiM I 1 b but at he never slighted alighted his re be en they y too must take their turn ot look W ery y kind kidd though he could upon the he deeds of his fellow abaft bonte with that hat t charity and forbearance oil aen can he rebuked rather mrily tather aber t h being 8 0 a quick temper or lit in h tily put hi his foot down on were anner ner of iniquity and his rebukes knew kindi r received as all intenzo bette ater 7 were tended d to elevate and friends enda Inan kind nd and this is how his desire brew W looked 1 upon pa him his ear earnest nests olid th to w have all things go right 9 hin him ing S short of this would satisfy ance 06 his peculiar mode was heredio hered t red and n his ia advice generally ad tho the tt ced ed or poor he never passed by unno train n Q tour Ared 6 for ored feed grain seed een en and ancl othet other provisions have ediwn deeds wit att ant 91 I 1 6 y furnished hed by him to hunto 0 the 0 at any y eburn return et urn he was kind entertain and aply amply adapted to treat heated d kindl kinS tb 1 em 15 J jew ew or gentile Oen all ail were and e enter toi he was very 7 interesting pertaining bow both in public and in hiba inq f for 0 r as and ally 8 one could depend upon tit an in soun ct doctrine ottrine Oc trine he was a wise st ach general ral things ings though he had aatu are re both ant school kearnin arning abut but the booket and all alltha the in JB regard to man an and beast b I 1 hina him wonders ewonce of god were studied xe va EE and hi r i ex experience pe fience was world tho ann and eyd tsow life well he had the down 0 and the this tie the e ups and the pined 31 none one oj of man GOTS sore trials als but he be des t a tr ch erous man was to him a loathing and the only thing I 1 have ever known him to hate brother lot wa war R tried sorely in th the e latter part of his life and none but th the e angels can tell this thia story correctly he had his leg crushed into i a pulp in a horse power and had a whole year or more of suffering through this painful calamity this had bad somewhat of a tendency to impair his once strong memory he lost two beautiful boys in the last few years one drowned and one scalded with lye water till he died an enemy of his hired a man to kill him but failed and various and rapid were his trials he was a good provider and has a number of his children on a fair way to becoming thoroughly educated he was a large man in stature over six feet in height when in the prime of life but was not quite so tall latterly he weighed from to lbs ibs he drank no tea nor coffee used no tobacco and drank no liquor while wi h him in st george I 1 have seen him refuse to drink a drop of wine with his old eld time friends he never profaned and always rebuked those that did however he would sometimes treat a houseful of those who desired it to the amount of 40 to 50 he was a good frontiersman active and ambitious and performed noble work at sunset in the interest of the arizona mission and its final success his policy toward the indians was that of brigham young feed them not fight them and many were i e the good and finstra ive letters he e received from president young in that early day which he would read in public and always advise the people to carry them out punctually lot said at one time in my hearing bearing all who feel like cursing an indian and saying the only good indian is a d dead ead released to go home bemeant he meant all he said and hundreds of them came down and farmed at sunset and he was not a whit behind in showing them all about farming he visited the daffe different rent tribes often and always enquired of their welfare and as asked ked if any of our people were intruding on their right often en enquiring if we were welcome in their land he 0 was a fairly good spanish interpreter ter preter and always gave them good advice encouraging them to allegiance to this great grea Government etc he was kind to them feeding them and siding aiding them otherwise and he stood high with the navajo chiefs when sunset was abandoned he moved in part to Moen coppy where he found a dif different terent stripe of Nava joes a people who know kirow no law a people who were not sub dued by the government at the baitt big fight they hid up near the navajo mountains where live those who committed th depredations in southern utah and ki killed ed whitmore and geo A smith jr and stole many sheep and horses the w writer riter has seen many valued at from to each stolen in utah and came nearly loosing his life for making mention of this fact at one time while I 1 lived at Moen coppy eight years I 1 saw them let their sheep into gardens and orchards breaking fruit trees till they died and alewe all we could do was only to plead with them kindly sometimes with good effect for a time but soon this failed and they would steal oi fruit melons grain lit in the shook corn in the field ride on our horses stealing the bells from their necks the hobbles off their legs etc breaking the dams in ou our r reservoirs reservoir st destroying our crops and causing the loss of our water and a hundred other things brother lot smith passed through this and more also and I 1 will assure you that lot smith died defending the right |
