G. S. L. City, March 26, 1863.
Hon. W. H. Hooper,
care of Riggs & Co., 56 Wall Street, New York City, N. Y.
Dear Brother:
Your very welcome favors of Feb. 18 and 25 are to hand, with copy of a dispatch sent by Hibbard, also your telegram from St Joe, March 19.
Please give Mr Holladay my thanks for his opposition to the efforts of Harding and clique for the removal of the Postmaster in this City, for I am satisfied that no just complaint can be made against his management of the affairs of his office, and that the Government has no more honest and correct an officer in [word cut off] employ than is T. B. H Stenhouse. Also please say to Mr Holladay that I appreciate his kind proffer of political and financial assistance in times of trouble and need. Mr Holladay's letter to me concerning his brother, if written, has not come to hand. Mr Hughes arrived in time to attend to the matter, and, in giving $10.000 bail for appearance, the case was continued to the March term in 1864.
Our machinery not being ready, cotton being high in the States, and to encourage the greater production of cotton against the time we are prepared to manufacture it, arrangements are being made to forward some, by the ox trains to Florence, for sale in the States.
In regard to pay for the beeves you furnished Cap. Lot Smiths command, the departments have forwarded the a/cs here for payment, with instructions to Cap. Wallace, of Camp Douglass, to attend to and pay them. Dr. Bernhisel advises me that there are some disallowances and some suspensions for explanations; and I am informed that Cap. Wallace expects to be able to pay, what may be allowed, some time within a month, in which case you may be able to reach from here the amount that may be paid you, in time to suit your operations in the States. Harding, Waite, Drake, & co. are at present acting as though they felt that their plans for mischief here and between Utah and the Government were failing at which they are said to be quite crestfallen and at great loss what to do [word cut off] It is to be hoped that President Lincoln will soon remove them, and fill their places with good men or none.
On Sunday last, 22nd inst., some Indians fired upon the stage near Deep Creek, killing one person, and severely wounding another; and soon after
they killed two persons at a mail station near Deep Creek, destroyed some property, and ran off some animals. At the request of Mr Cook, Col. Conner dispatched a few men from here by stages and ordered few this way from Ruby Valley, to meet at the point of disturbance, some 160 miles west of this place. Yesterday Col. Conner ordered some cavalry to same point, some to go by the North end of the Lake to intercept, if possible, the Indian's retreat, To-day there are rumers of fighting between the Indians and soldiers near deep creek; particulars and result not learned. The best informed suppose them to be the renegades that have heretofore committed depredations on the northern route, perhaps joined by those left from the fight on Bear River. not likely that the disturbance will amount to anything very It is serious, for those vagabonds are comparatively but few, and are not countenanced by any important tribe or tribes.
According to previous arrangement, and by request that I dedicate their new meeting House, myself, br's Kimball and Wells, some of the Twelve and a few others went to Bountiful and held numerously attended and interesting meetings there on the 14th and 15th inst.
As you will probably have learned, ere this reaches you, br's H. S. Eldredge, Feramorz Little and Lewis Hills and my son John W. left in the stage for the States on the 11th inst. and arrived in Florence on the evening of the 23d. I refer you to Horace for posting on plans and movements previous to his departure.
Since writing the foregoing, the letter you mentioned Mr Holladay was going to write has come to hand, dated Feb. 13; it probably got into some eddy. But, as before mentioned, the matter had been seen to.
Your family and friends are well, as are also the people generally; and home affairs continue peaceful and prosperous. God bless you.
Your Brother in the Gospel,
Brigham Young