History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

THE CHIEF WALKER. 473
and cattle. A number of U talis were on the ground,
and a portion of them were made prisoners and retained
as hostages, the tribe being advised to move south
to their usual place of abode and avoid all further intercourse
with the Shoshones. Thus the matter was
settled without further bloodshed. 62
No serious outbreaks occurred among the Indian
tribes during 1851-2, though emigrant parties, both
Mormon and gentile, were sometimes molested, 63 and
in October of the former year, the mail for California
was captured within a few days after leaving Salt Lake
City. 64
During 1853 and a portion of the following year
occurred what was known as the Walker war, in
which the Mormons suffered serious loss of life and
property throughout their territory. Walker, a fa-
vorite chief of the Utahs, was at this time a man in
the prime of life, one versed in all manly exercises, an
excellent shot, and a capital judge of horse-flesh. In
addition to several of the native dialects, he could converse
fluently in Spanish, and make himself understood
in English. Long before the advent of the Mormons
he made frequent raids into the Mexican states, where
he laid the people under contribution, and took cap-
tive persons of rank and condition whom he held to
ransom. When setting forth on one of these fora} T s
he was attired in a suit of the finest broadcloth, cut
^Deseret News, Sept. 21, 1850; Smith's Rise, Progress and Travels, 28.
Smith states that on arriving at the spot, the detachment ascertained the
cause of the outbreak from some friendly Indians, and restored peace by reimbursing
the Shoshones.
63 When near a branch of the Loupe fork of the Platte, Orson Hyde and
his party were robbed by a baud of 300 Pawnees, the plunder amounting to
about $1 ,000. Frontier Guardian, Aug. 22, 18.31. In 1S52 there was also some
trouble in Tooele co. between the settlers and the Indians, and a company of
the legion was sent there, but the Indians got the best of it, carrying away
the Mormons' cattle. Wells' Narr., MS., 13.
6i The party with the mail left S. L. City on Oct. 1st, and reached Goose
Creek on the 6th. Here they encamped and lighted a fire for the first time. In
the morning, when ready to start, 200 or 300 Indians made their appearance,
and pressed so closely on the mail-wagon that the men were forced to abandon
it and retreat, some on mules and some on foot, keeping up a fight with the
Indians for several miles. At least five of the assailants were killed. S. F.
Alta, Nov. 2, 1851. In Id., June 2, 5, 1852, are reports of murders committed
by Indians.