[Minutes of the Quorum of Twelve] ... bro Is Higbee[:] the Indians are continually killing our cattle & stealing horses. & they shot at out boys'-we have lost between 50 & 60 head. they cannot sustain themselves there. we drive our cattle down in the morning & bring them up at night'-the Indians fired two guns at our boys'-& they found one ox with 4 arrows'-another with a tomahawk in it'-they say the mormons have no captn'-they want to fight & will live on our cattle. they say they mean to keep our Cattle'-& go & get the other Indians to kill us'
- P. P. P. [Parley P. Pratt:] my own mind is I can only see 3 ways'-the place be abandoned'-& then they wo[ul]d. ransack all the o[the]r. frontiers'-or we have to defend them'-or leave them to destruction.
I. Higbee[:] we can not defend our Cattle unless there is a company of men'-there are 25 /men/ close by'-& 50 or 75 /men/ on the other side of Lake'-
P. P. P.[:] I felt it b/es/t to kill the Indians, but when I saw the instr[ucti]ons I said hold on till you can get instructions'
- I. Higbee[:] every man & boy help up their hand to kill them off'-we have 60 men to bear arms'-they say we are afraid to kill them'
- P. P. P.[:] Walkers men are different Indians to these'-there can be no communication without a settlement at Utah'
- W R [Williard Richards:] my voice is for War, & exterminate them'
- B. Y. [Brigham Young:] I say go & kill them'-(all hands held up) [Brigham] Young, [Heber C.] Kimball, [Willard] Richards, [George A.] Smith, [Ezra T.] Benson. J. [John] Young, D. Spencer'-O[rson] Spencer D[aniel]. H. Wells, Van Cott Higbee & T B'-A[aron]. Farr. I. Higbee'
-We thought we should want help to do it.
B. Y. [Brigham Young] Tell D[imik]. Huntington to go & kill them'-also Barney Ward. let the Women & children live if they will behave themselves'
- P. P. P. I wo[ul]d. take the women & chil[dren]. & clothe them & dictate them & make them do what we want & dont let them prowl about'
- B. Y. We shall have no peace until the men are killed off'-never treat an Indian as your equal there was a cap of 50 men'-get them & take them up with you'-they have strengthened up the past year & they gather men from other tribes to come & steal our cattle & horses'-it is the Western tribe that come & steal in this Valley'- ...
[Source: Minutes, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1910-1951, Privately Published, Salt Lake City, Utah 2010]
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