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Show 1 68 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE INDIANS. offered his support to our political enemies, holding his army over the Mormons as a continual menace. The Mormons are being accused of disloyalty ; possibly this is a correct and just accusation, owing to their ignorance of what loyalty means. I will not accuse any one of disloyalty, simply because I am in the same dilemma ignorant ; but will ask, is it right and legal to fit out with government supplies, tools, and animals, and take enlisted men to work prospecting for mines, for private interests, under pretence of going to protect American citizens in their legitimate business against the Mormons ? Or would it be consistent to suppose that the Mormons would be able to molest these prospec-tors even if so inclined, when so much occupied in pro-tecting themselves against the Indians and the more savage and unreasonable attacks of the soldiers ? Again is it legal to sell to miners and freighters by the thousands, and then to allow the commissary store- houses to get fire and burn down, allowing this fire to get so extremely hot as to burn up log- chains by the hundreds. Now the Mormons have never taken part in any-thing of this kind. They are called disloyal. I do de-cline to be sworn on the subject, but rumor says that these things were done and headed by parties who are now called intensely " loyal." During the war with the Indians numbers of them were killed and wounded. About the year 1868 or 1869 there was some little effort made to bring about a peace. Brother D. B. Huntington had a talk with some in Thistle valley who wished peace, but many thefts and small raids were made after this, continuing from time to time. The Indians began to have a dread of some settlements as guards and patrols were out at times. One small party had stolen some stock from Provo valley. They |