Chariton River. Wind northwest. Cold and cloudy. About 8 a.m. President Young came in the post office and signed a letter to Captain Daniel C. Davis of Montrose requesting him to bring or send on the family of Josiah Arnold to camp. Spoke highly of yesterday's council and had conversation with Captain Hosea Stout concerning the guard. Captain Stout said that he had done the best he knew how and so had the guard, that the President never told him what to do and what he done he had to guess out.
President Young said that the way to do and where you get wrong then, it is for me to put you right. After dinner, William Clayton presented a form numbering the camp and was approved by the President, who met his captains of tens at the post office at 20 minutes to 4 p.m., immediately after which Theodore Turley came into the council and reported that Edward Bonny, Silas Hate, and another man had been in pursuit of him for 2 or 3 days. They had followed him from Richardson's Point within 5 or 6 miles of this place, but by several meanderings and disguises, had escaped them, that his family was at Richardson's Point and had not team sufficient to bring them on. President Young then gave instructions how to arrange his family, teams and carriage, and how to complete the organization of the first 50.
Sometime today a boy by the name of Edmunds Whiting shot an otter at the back of the river. Afterwards he discovered that this otter was caught in a trap, yet he took off the skin and carried it to camp leaving the trap on the bank. In the course of the day the trapper who lived about [?] distance came into camp and stated that he had 8 traps set in the neighborhood and had lost 6 of them, intimating that the camp had stolen them, but this was not believed. In the evening the council heard what the boy had done with the otter, called him into the post office with the skin, and he related all his doing concerning the matter. The council was satisfied that he meant no harm and instructed him to go early in the morning and bring the trap, take it and the skin to the trapper in company with Stephen Markham. President Young instructed Brother Markham to say to the man that if one of his traps were found in the camp within 1,000 miles of this camp it should be sent back to him with the man who took it. Council retired about 10 o'clock at night. The President said that he had made an arrangement for John D. Lee [Young] to write for the historian in the place of William Coray, that he might attend to other business.
[source: Apostle Willard Richards Journal]
Fascinating how little I knew about Mormon history. Brigham young was big into self-reliance. Found this awesome pioneer book that gives a lot more info.
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