86 ELDORADO 



While encamped there a party of Mormons, under 

 command of Orson Pratt of the so-called "Mormon 

 Legion," assisted by one Fowler Wells, another for- 

 midable leader of the Mormon church militant, dashed 

 in and surrounded the trains in the dark hours of the 

 night, completely surprising the entire party, not one 

 escaping to give the alarm. 



"After taking the arms and equipments from the 

 men they gave them a very limited amount of pro- 

 visions to last them through to Leavenworth, Kansas, 

 allowing them at the rate of five head of cattle for 

 twenty men, and then started them off in the wilder- 

 ness to reach that place — about i,ooo miles distant — 

 with no weapons other than their pocket knives with 

 which to protect themselves against the Indians or to 

 procure game when their limited supply of provisions 

 should become exhausted. After accomplishing this 

 soldierly, humane and Christian act, the Mormons set 

 fire to the train, burning up everything they could not 

 carry away, and retreated, driving the stock with 

 them, while those left to starve turned their faces east- 

 ward. There were 230 souls in that despoiled party, 

 only eight of whom ever reached the border settle- 

 ments. The knife of the savage and starvation fin- 

 ished the cruel work begun by the merciful Mormons. 

 The survivors reached Leavenworth in June, 1858. 

 bringing the sad intelligence of the fate of their com- 

 rades. The loss of these trains necessarily cut short 

 the supplies at-Bridger. The troops were put on short 

 rations, and, to add to their horror, the beef cattle ac- 

 companying the expedition had nearly all frozen to 

 death, leaving but a few head in camp. At Black's 

 Fork the command lost over 300 head in one night, the 



