Letter from Aaron Johnson to Brigham Young dated January 15, 1851

In this letter, Aaron Johnson wrote to Brigham Young to inform him about the "accidental" shooting and death of an Indian man. Johnson claims that an Indian man had killed a duck, and a settler assumed that the Indian was a wolf and therefore shot at him. He said that they prepared a coffin for the Indian, and when they went to bury him a group of Indians accompanied him and the other settlers to the grave. After the burial the local settlers fed the Indians, who Johnson claimed said that they have no ill feelings toward the settlers that they wanted to retain friendly relations with the Mormon settlers. Johnson told Young he was writing to tell him this because he had heard reports that Indians in the area were hostile, and he wanted Young to know that they were not, and that he and the other settlers had no fear of them.