Presidents Office,
Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 8th. 1858.
Isaac C. Haight
Cedar City Iron Co.
Dear Brother: --
Your note of Sept 24th in relation to the Indian girl at Harmony is received. If the Bishop has disfellowshipped the parties concerned it is all right and the girl should be permitted to go to her friends if she has any, or wherever she wants to.
It is not to make their situation more intolerable that we pick up and sustain the poor, weak, and downtrodden descendants of a noble race, but rather to strengthen, and so far as lies in our power, to redeem them from their low and degraded condition I should be much pleased if the brethren were desirous of doing so to have a settlement made in some of those pockets of the Rio Virgin, which have lately been explored. Of course the principle object of the settlement would be to raise cotton, but I should very much like to have a vineyard of some five thousand grape cuttings put out immediately with a view of making wine.
We think it would be well to abandon the idea of making Iron for the present, and let all the brethren, pursue those avocations which they please. Put everything in as good a condition for preservation as possible, and let it rest. Such fruitless exertions to make Iron, seems to be exhausting not only the patience, but the vital energies, and power of the settlement. Hence we consider it best for the present, at least to suspend further operations, in such useless endeavors to produce that important article.
If however you succeed in your present attempt, which I understand you are now making in producing iron from the ore (which I must confess is hardly a supposable case) of course it would materially alter the case, and I should be very agreably disappointed, and wish you to go ahead with the works.
The army are still in Cedar Valley and large trains with supplies, are almost daily arriving. Hence with what they get from the brethren they have plenty to eat, and as if to revenge themselves for doing without it last winter they have secured for their use some forty or fifty tons of salt. They are therefore in no danger of eating beef fresh but poor as heretofore.
The court composed of Judge Sinclair, Judge Eccles having gone to the States, met at the city hall on monday last, called the names of the jurors and dismissed them, until the first monday in November next, to which time he also adjourned the court on the succeeding day.
We have a vigilance committee consisting of about two hundred police, who patrol our streets night and day, and a police or rather Mayors court holding almost daily sessions. With these fixtures we succeed in keeping things tolerable quiet, in and about the city and I am happy in being able to say, that peace very generally prevails. There is however a little prospect of difficulties with the Utah Indians, Govr. Cumming sent two or three companies of soldiers, to arrest two Indians who had been accused of committing an outrage upon a woman and a girl at Spanish Fork, in accomplishing this object an Indian named Tintets Peteetneets son was killed. In consequence of this the Indians have all left, and we expect will make some hostile demonstration against some body ere long.
The Governor has taken the precaution to post about four or five hundred Soldiers in that neighborhood, for some fifteen or twenty days to secure the settlements against any attack. He has also sent three companies out to Mary's river. to quiet Indian difficulties, which were reported to exist in that region. Dr. Forney, accompanied the troops. We have heard since that there were no difficulties to suppress and that the Dr. has continued his journey to Carson valley, travelling ahead of the troops, who are expected back about the last of November.
We had an Elders meeting and general council of the Presiding officers in Israel in the Tabernacle closing on yesterday, myself and Brother Kimball were not able to attend. The conference adjourned to meet on the second Saturday of November next the 10th, which if convenient for you and others of the brethren, in yours and other places south, we would like to have attend.
We have no further news of general interest to communicate, therefore wishing you every succcess, I close praying the Lord to bless you and help Israel to triumph over all their foes.
I remain as ever your brother in the gospel of Salvation.
Brigham Young