Jacob Hamblin: A Narrative of His Personal Experience as a Frontiersman, Missionary to the Indians and Explorer, Disclosing Interpositions of Providence, Severe Privations, Perilous Situations and Remarkable Escapes: Fifth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series, Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day SaintsHamblin, Jacob
History
Jacob Hamblin: A Narrative of His Personal Experience as a Frontiersman, Missionary to the Indians and Explorer, Disclosing Interpositions of Providence, Severe Privations, Perilous Situations and Remarkable Escapes: Fifth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series, Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints
Hamblin, Jacob
Frontier and pioneer life -- Utah; Hamblin, Jacob, 1819-1886; Indians of North America -- Utah; Latter Day Saint churches -- Utah
I here give place to a letter from Mr. Smith to the Pioche Record,
which was also re-published in the _Deseret News_:
"MOWABBY, MOHAVE CO., ARIZONA, February 5, 1875.
"On the 15th of January, we were in the very act of packing the horses
preparatory to a start, when and Indian arrived, who proved to be Tuba,
the chief of the Moquis Indians, a friendly tribe who live in this part
of the country.
"I should have mentioned that this (the ferry) is the residence of John
D. Lee, against whom I was deeply prejudiced on account of his presumed
connection with the terrible Mountain Meadow massacre, and imputation,
however, he utterly denies. I found him, on acquaintance, to be a very
agreeable gentleman. Mr. Lee speaks the Indian language well, and
through hom we learned the cause of the chief's visit.
"A Navajoe chief who had received favors from Mr. Lee, and was well
disposed toward him, had arrived at Tuba's lodge that morning (having
ridden all night) to get him to go and tell Mr. Lee that three Navajoe
Indians had been killed and one wounded by Mormons, a few days before,
in an affray in the neighborhood of Grass Valley, on the north fork of
the Sevier River; that the wounded Indian had arrived at his camp the
night before, and was now actively engaged in striving to arouse the
Navajoes to war; that the young me were clamoring for revenge; and to
warn him that he would probably be attacked within four days, and to
prepare for defense.
"Here was a dilemma. No possibility of obtaining assistance nearer than
one hundred and fifty miles; Mrs. Lee and five children, and a helpless
old man named Winburn, disabled by a lame foot, who had no risen from
his bed for four months.
"After a brief consultation we sent a letter to Fort Defiance,
announcing the condition of affairs, Tuba agreeing to forward it
forthwith by one of his Indians, and Mr. Lee and his oldest boy started
to Kanab to bring assistance. As soon as he was gone we place the house
in the best state of affairs we could, and awaited the issue.
..."On the third day, a Piute Indian, sent by the Navajos arrived.
After a long talk, Mrs. Lee acting as interpreter, we gathered that
the young men of the tribe were at first determined on war, but that
the chiefs were opposed to it, for the present, at least; and that
they desired to await the arrival of Jacob Hamblin, who had acted as
representative of Brigham Young, in all negotiations of importance with
the Indians for the past twenty years, and learn what settlement of the
affair he was willing to make.
"This was favorable, as two of the slain Indians were sons of one
of the chiefs. He wound up his remarks by inquiring if, in case the
Navajoes did come here, we would purchase peace by giving up the old
man, Winburn, to torture, in which case they would abstain from further
hostilities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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