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Show Local Pioneer Cabin Has Unique History A log cabin which has historic interest of more than local signifi, cance is located in Mt. Pleasant and ,the local post of the D. U. P. have been trying to " acquire the building frcm the present owner. The building in question' is located in the rear of the Jomes C. Johan-sen Johan-sen Harness Shop and is used by. his father, Christian Johansen as a carpenter and repair shop. President Anthon H. Lund pur-chared pur-chared the ground on which it stands back in the sixt!:ls from Andrew Beckstrom. Mrs. Lou'se Becks'.rom, his widow who at 92 years of alge, still retains her memory, says the purchase price consisted of an elight day clock and some photographic work. The clock is now at the public library li-brary along with ether relics of pioneer days. ' Mr. Lund had the house built in 1865 to be used as an office for' the Deseret Telegraph lino) and also as a photo gallery. The building is constructed of sawed logs chinked with mud. The nonth west ccrner' stone of the foundation is right where mothi.T nature placed it herself in the dim past. Evidences of the skylight still remain, although the north-wall north-wall has been built up with adobes as it was used as a residence for years following its use as a photograph photo-graph gallery. Mr. Johansen, owner of the bu'ld, ing, has a turning lathe in his shop which is quite unique in itself. It was built and constructed by Mr. Johansen himself, in 1876, when he was 17 years old. The lathe has a large wooden wheel, or pulley, which is connected to the turn'r.g lathe by a belt and the outfit is operated by a foot tread. A Near Panic Occured How the town was thrown into a near panic over an incident which look plaice at this hou ij can be gleaned from reading an account of it which is taken from "Indian Depredations in Utah" by the . late Peter Gotitfredson aisd is as fol-lows: fol-lows: ' Chief Tabby Sends Word He Can No Longer Control His Indians. On the 12th of August General D. H. Wells received the following message from Colonel R. N. Allred of Spring City: "Tabby sends word to all ithe Bishcps, that he can control con-trol his mem no longer." He was in Spanish Fork yesterday. I with a detachment brought the herd from Tlrstle Valley yesterday, having hav-ing started as; soon as I got word of the raid at Fairview. The wounded wound-ed boy Stewart is dead." Next day R. L. Jchnsari of Fountain Foun-tain Green, telegraphed to Indian Agent Dodge for troops to defena the people against some of ons bands cf savages who had become incensed on account'; of obedience to Dodge's orders rot to feed them as he would furnish them plenty on the reservations. Col. Ivic Send i Dispatch to Gen. Wells Colonel John L. Ivie of Mount Pleasant sent the , following dispatch: dis-patch: Mt. Pleasant, .Aug. 17, 1872. Gov. Geo. L. Woods, care Daniel H. depredation's here la; It night. Shall I call out the militia to defend the place for services generally in this country? The Indians attacked attack-ed the telegraph operator about 11 o'clock last night in front of the office and, we fear, fajtally wounded him. John L. Ivie, Colonel of Militia. Also the following was sent: Assualt Upon Jeremiah D. Page at Mount Pleasant Mt. Pleasant, Aug. 17th. Gen. D. H. Wells As the telegraph operator, Jeremiah Jere-miah Page, wai leaving the office last night abcut 11 c'clock, and when rear the gate by the office, an Indian pounced upon1 his back and struck him three blows, with a tomahawk, upon the head, inflicting severe wounds, one penetrating through the skull. He was in a critical -condition all night, but -.eems a little batter this morning. There were five Indians seen in tewn about the same time ,tbat the a'tack was made upon Mr. t Pa-e. Col. J. L. Ivie detailed a scouting party from the home guard j this morning and they were scout- ' ing the ba-e of the east mountain. One scout reports no sig:i cf Indians 1 in that direction. ' J. S. Wing. INFORMATION ON ASSAULT, By Bishop Seely Under date of Aug. 20' 1872, Bish- s op Win. S. Seely, of Mt. Pleasnat, i writes to the De.eret News the fol- lowing: On Saturday evening suspicion , rerted on Richard Smyth as being the person who assailed our opera- , tor on the 16th. He was arrested, , but on account cf unavoidable cir- cumstances, was held over until to- , day at ten o'clsck. An investigation investiga-tion took place, and when the prls- : oner was asked if he were guilty, or not guilty, he pleaded guilty of , committing the horrible deed, after which he was committed to a higher court. The operator said that he was telegraphing a! message to the operator--! of the county, and while so doing observed Smyth go into an adjoining room, and return and place himself behind him. He stood for about a half hour, and as quick as the operator had finished finish-ed the message and closed the key he was struck down and knew no mere until he found himself lying on a lounge in the above named adjoining room with his head all mangled and his clothing all soaked soak-ed in blood, and Richard Smyth pacing to and fro with a hatchet in his hand. The latter continued to walk back and forth along aide of the lounge, making remarks a-bout a-bout the deed he had done. After making a pause for some duration, he said, Jeremiah, hold up yours hands, I cannot spare your life any longer, your head Is all chopped into pieces and your brains are running out. I have murdered you. The operator says he resolved in his mind, weak as he was, if a chance offered itself, to spring upon Smyth, take the hatchet and kill, him, but there was no chance, so ha Vi-vtitrVif Qcxaln tha Haejf-. wav war. to direct his mind upon the best means of liberating himself and covering up the deed; sso from that Smyth made him swear not to reveal what had happened for six months, and still kept him there for about five hours, without any assistance, soaked in his own blood and perishing with cold. He was so weak and frightened that he dared rot reveal anything after he got among his friends until Smyth had confessed he did the deed, when the operator made the above statement. S'gned, W. S. Seely. No justifiable reason for the assault as-sault on Page by Smyth can be ascertained. Smyth, it appears, was subject to fits of insanity, and was probably laboring partially under an attack of insanity, when he committed com-mitted the assualt. The following is added by the hiorian Peter Gottfredson: "The office in which Jeremiah Page j' was assailed by Richard Smyth was under the supervision of Anthoi H. Lund. Besides the telegraph office Brother Lund also kept a daguerrctype picture gallery in an adjoining room. It was quite customery for young people to meet and visit there. Brother. Page was well thought of and. a favorite with the young people, but net so much with Smyth, and it was the general gen-eral supposition - that Smyth was jealous of Pags and that this had much to do with the act. -I was a resident of Mount Pleasant at chat time and was well acquainted with all partiej coreemed. Page was learning telegraphy under . Brother Lund and was night operator." |
