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Show 44 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE INDIANS. Mr. Patrick denied in toto my account, and the arbitra-tor decided that I was attempting to wrong Mr. Patrick. This was a " stumper" for me, but I said I would stand it, and inasmuch as I had to pay for the privilege, I intended to tell all hands what I thought of them. I then told the arbitrator that he had believed a lie and condemned the truth, that some day he would know it, and that Mr. Patrick would get away with Brother Recce's property, for he had proven himself a thief. Enoch Reece was present and resented what I said, telling me to stop talking, but I made my little speech all the same. About six weeks afterwards I met Brother Reece in Provo and the first words he said to me were: " Well, Brother Jones, what do you think has occurred?" I re-plied, " Patrick has got away with your stock." " Yes," said he, " he has sold the whole of it and ' sloped' for Oregon." I told him I was glad of it, for he might have listened to me. I also learned afterwards what had blinded the arbitrator. He was owing Mr. Patrick some five hundred dollars, and the latter had told him he could wait six months for all except what was owing Jones ; so all that was decided in my favor he had to look up. Consequently it was easy to understand why Patrick did not owe me much ! ! ! I had not belonged to the Church long, but if any one had hinted to me that my faith was shaken in Mormonism by this unjust decision, I should have resented it as an insult. To me it was simply a human weakness which Mormonism had nothing to do with. |