Brother Wall related a Circumstance of an officer of the Armey who ask him if he was a Mormon. Yes. I suppose you are an out & in mormon Just as it suits you? I am a thorough mormon. I believe in all their principles. What poligamy and all? Yes. How many wives have you? I have three & Twelve Children. How do you suppose those Children will look upon you when they get Grown up? I will tell you how they will look upon me. They will point to me & say theire is my Father who has raised me fed, Clothed & Educated me and owned me through persecution oppression & scorn and I will own honor & obey him, while your Children at Fort Levensworths St Louis & all places whare you have been which you will not own nor provide for they will not own you & their mothers will point to you as they see you pass & will say there is your father but dont say a word about it for the world. Those Children will both Hate & despise you & the vary Ground upon which you tread. Capt Wolf replied scratching his head By … that is true but I never looked upon it in that light. [The ellipses are Woodruff's.]
"What would you do if the Government should give orders to put you to death if you did not put away your wives? I would take my wives & children & go to some secluded spot of Earth whare I Could enjoy my wives & Children & liberty. "What if the Government should pounce onto you & not give you the privilege? Then I would take my family into the mountains & I would fight you over evry hill & dale as long as I lived. Capt Woolf replyed I will not shoot at you.
Capt Woolf said Governor Young ought to be the next President for He is the smartest man in the United States. He has been playing a game of Ucre with the United States and has beat them. He had gained five points while the United States has ownly had a march & he ought to be president & I would vote for him.
The man who was a waggon master of the train which Lot Smith burned said Capt Smith & his men were Gentlemen. It was the best thing for me & your people that Could have been done. It released me & sent me back to the States or I should have suffered with the rest in the mountains And it was well for the mormons for if this train had not been burned the Armey would probably have pushed on had a fight & blood been spiled.
[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
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