Moore, John (1826-1907) to Mary Kelly

Give my warmest affection to Mother. I hope next time to hear better accounts of her health.

Camp Floyd [U.T.] May 10th 1859
My dear Mary,
Your letter of March 29th was received by the last mail. For its sad intelligence I was prepared, for I had read in the paper which came by the previous mail, the baby's obituary. I am aware that any sympathy offered to a mother on so distressing an event, even by her own brother, must appear little better than a cold and formal courtesy, so intense and abiding is her affection, and so infinitely surpassing all that another can feel. Such lacerations of the heart are only to be healed by time, and by the consolatory reflection that there is a Better Land, where all sorrows and partings will be unknown. Happy are they who mourn not without hope; but on whom such bereavements serve as an additional allurement to the bright regions of the blest, where the weary are forever at rest.
You have two other children left; let love for them console you for the lost; think of the anguish of the mothers who have been bereft of their only child. [2] In the last mail, I got a letter from Robert, and by the previous one, I heard from Richard, both seem to be getting on well.
The weather is pleasant, and the plains and lower mountain slopes covered with "nature's mantle green." The valley in which we are encamped would be a lovely spot in any country except one inhabited by Mormons. I [mean] at the present time, for when the scorching droughts of summer come it will be as barren looking as a desert, except the mountain slopes. Large quantities of ice have been sent up on the borders of Lake Utah, with which expect to Mitigate the heats of the approaching summer.
Rumors, apparently well founded are current that the Mormons, supposing a term of the U.S. Court would be held in Salt Lake City, this month, and that troops would be sent there for its protection, have sent one or two thousand of their people under arms with the intention of resisting their entrance into the city, that there is a very considerable body of them armed, appears certain, but with what object is unknown. Gov. Cummings is supposed to command the militia; but these people are probably assembled, if not without his [3] knowledge, certainly - at least it is charity to suppose so - without his order. These bodies are assembled by the order of the Church, which means Brigham Young, this of itself ought to be sufficient to convince Cumming what a cypher he is in governing "This People." He only appears as governor, in such official papers as he signs, and at the U.S. treasury department in draining his salary.
I have recently seen a report of a lecture delivered before the N. York Historical Society by Thos. L. Kane Esq. the same Mormon gentleman who was so highly complimented in the Presidents last message. Subject Gov. Alfred Cummings. The N. York Historical Society must have been very hard up, for material when they came to such a theme as that, and posterity will be but little in debted to them, if the future historian is to draw his materials from such an unmitigated tissue of falsehoods as compose this lecture delivered by the veracious Col. Kane.
It styles Gov. C. the greatest man of the age, because he went into Salt Lake, last year in advance of the Army. When it is notorious here that Young had told Kane to tell him to come in. Kane says in his lecture, that C. had no assurances [4] of being recvd. in a friendly manner; when he was the very man who brought the friendly assurances which induced C. to go.
There is not a single truth in the whole letter except the statement that Cummings did go to Salt Lake. Not feeling able to stand it, wrote a contradictory letter by the last mail, to the N. York Courier and Esquire, which you may probably see some of these days if the paper is taken in your town.
The 16 children, who were permitted to survive the massacre of their parents and friends at the mountain meadows two years ago, were brought up to Salt Lake City a few days ago by J. Forney, the Indian agent. They are from 4 to 6 or 8 years old. A few of them bear the marks of having been shot. They were saved because it was thought they could tell no tales. But unfortunately two or three of them say that nearly all the Indians who did this horrid murder, were black and when they were taken to their houses, they washed their faces and turned out to be Mormons. This evidence was not needed to fix it on the Mormons. There was no doubt of it before. In the train there were 132 persons; these 16 alone are left. One of the leaders in this affair was a bishop John J. Lec. He belongs to the family of that name, that were formerly of Monroe County.
[written on left hand margin of page 4]
P.S. Samuel J. finished Gov. C. has issued a proclamation ordering them to disperse.