[Hosea Stout Diary] Sunday April 18th 1847. Cold windy day[.] I was at home[.] At six oclock I went to council at the council house. The first business done was to read an Epistle from the Twelve who were gone with the pioneers which reads as follows viz:
"The Council of the Twelve Apostles, to the brethren at Winter Quarters and especially to such as shall hereafter arrive at that place. Greeting.
Beloved brethren
We have now completed the organization of the pioneer company, of which we are members and whom we are about to lead to the mountains, or over the mountains, as we shall be councilled by our Leader in search of a resting place for ourselves, our families, and all who desire to follow us and work Righteousness; and by doing this, we prove to you and all the world that we do not wish to be a whit behing [sic] the first of you, in leaving wife, children, friends, rest or any of the enjoyments of social life; and that we are willing to take a full share of troubles, trials losses & crosses, hardships and fatigues, weariness & watchings, for the Kingdom of Heavens sake; and we feel to say come calm or strife, turmoil, or peace, life or death; in the name of Israels God we mean to conquer or die trying[.] We mean to open up the way for the salvation of the honest in heart from all nations, or sacrifice every [thing] in our stewardship, and if we fail in the attempt; having done all we could,Our Father will not leave his flock without a Shepherd.
In connection with the pioneer Company, we have organized all in your place and vicinity who wish to join the Emegration, into companies of tens, fifties and hundreds, in two divisions, with a President and two councillors to each division with the sanction of their respective companies, and having called the Presidents, Councillors and Captains of hundreds together, have advised with them and decided that all the High Council that is necessary to be left at Winter Quarters; after the present council shall have left, will be the President and captains of Emegration Companies. And where the present Presidents of Divisions and captains shall remove they will leave others similarly organized, with the approval of the brethren, or those who thus enter into the organization.
The brethren now organized, have heard the word and will of the Lord on which this organization is founded, and have given their hearty assent unto it, and any hesitating in carrying out their pledges or acting in concert with their Presidency, as they well [know] will be at the loss of a glory that they can never regain therefore, we say that these instructions generally are more especially to such as shall hereafter arrive at your place; so that they may recieve the principles and instructions that those have had, who have been with us the past winter.
The business of the Saints at Winter Quarters from this time is to journey West, untill further instructions; and while some will have the means to go forward at the springing of grass, others will have to stop and raise some grain to carry with them; and while some will come here prepared, others will have to stop and prepare for their journey; and in wither case all preperation and organization is for journeying and not for a permanent location at Winter Quarters, and if any refractory member should mak their appearance, the Bishops will see that justice is done them and let no iniquity have place in your midst.
It is the privilege of the brethren who remain, or arrive hereafter, to decide, but the Council urgently recommends to them to remove the lesser houses, on to the line, of Winter Quarters, or on the borders of the most populated blocks, so as to defend themselves, by houses, pickets, ditches, &c against the Indians, so that your women & children may not be insulted and abused, and their tables robbed, while they are drawing water, or gathering the fruits of their gardens, or attending to any domestic duties in your absence.
Let the brethren labor unitedly, in making fields, fencing, planting, harvesting &c, all under the direction of their respective Captains of Tens, & fifties, â€" over whom will be the supervision of their Captains of hundreds and Presidents, who will allot to each family all the ground they need or can till, for a garden, in the city of Winter Quarters or its immediate vicinity â€" so that all may share equally in the comforts and luxuries of the table.
The Idler shall not eat the bread of the laborer, therefore let a record be kept, by the Captains of each ten, or his clerk, how each man employs his time, from day to day; and let the same be reported weekly to the clerk of the division or Presidency of the organization; and let one tenth of the avails of each mans labor be appropriated for the benefit of the poor and sick, under the direction of the Bishops, attending to the council of the Presidency; for the poor ye have always with you & the sick often; and he who administers to them, serveth the Lord. Your crops, and cattle will be exposed to the aggressions of the Omahas, and other Indians, and we say to you take care of them, learn to watch as well as pray, for the farther you go West, the more you will be exposed, and if the saints can not watch them safely here, what will they do when they get where civilization or half civilization is unknown. Make good fences around your corn fields, and locate families near sufficient to watch and keep them safe, and let the emegrants be diligent and careful to plow, plant, and fence all they possibly can before they start on their journey. We advise the brethren to keep up a police of their most effective men at Winter Quarters as we have done, for in an hour ye think not, evil may be upon you; and pay them for their services, so that they will not be obliged to neglect your safety, for a loaf of bread, to satisfy their hunger or that of their families.
It is highly important in this dispensation that every brother learns his duty, and acts accordingly, in doing which every one who can, will pay their herdsmen in money, flour, grain, &c.as they shall need, for their comfort, or to prosecute their journey, & not compel them to urge payment of the sisters whose husbands are in the army, the widows, and poor, and let the herdsmen be diligent in striving to deliver all the cattle &c. entrusted to their charge, at the proper time, to those who are emigrating West, & such of those, as can not pay down, agree upon the cattle you shall mark as your own to be held in security, to be paid for or delivered to you at a future day.
It is our wish and council that the Emegration Company now formed, shall follow the pioneers as soon as the grass is sufficient to support the teams, and the Presidents and captains will examine & know that every soul that goes in said company is provided with from 3 to 500 pounds of bread stuff or a year and a half, and as much more as he can get, for we know not whether we can raise corn this summer, as we anticipated at the place of Location. Let the first Emegration company take with them as many of the sisters whose husbands are in the army, as can fit themselves out, or can be conveniently fitted out.
It is wisdom that all the men in the Emegration Company shall be organized into a military body, under their respective Captains of Tens, 50s and hundreds with Charles C. Rich as their Commander-in-Chief, who will see that every man is properly armed, and ready to meet any savage encounter at a moments warning, taking care that caps and priming of all fire locks are secured so as to admit of no accidents; that John Scott Superintendend the artillery under C. C. Rich â€" Horace S. Eldrige be Marshall, Hosea Stout Captain of the Guard on the journey & that the guard to watch during the night and sleep as they have need during the day.
The first Company will carry the Temple bell with the fixtures for hanging at a moments notice, which will be rung at day light or a proper time, and call all who are able to arise to prayers, after which ringing of bell & breakfast, or ringing of bell and departure in fifteen minutes to secure the cool of the day till breakfast time &c as th
e bell may be needed â€" particularly in the night season if the Indians are hovering around to let them know you are at your duty, and if any man acts disorderly, punish him severely.
Whenever a Company of 75 men, who do not belong to the present organization Company. shall be organized so as to carry out the principals of the Word & Will of the Lord and these instructions, according to the pattern, with or without families, and provisions enough to sustain each soul 18 months, they may come on till the 1st of July, but in all cases, the brethren must run their own risk for food and not depend on the pioneers, or any company, in advance for support in the least, either for their teams, themselves or families, for we are credibly informed that more than thirty souls of the Oregon Emegrants, perished in the mountains the last season, with hunger; and 100 bushels of corn can esier be raised near Winter Quarters, than 50 bushels at the foot of the mountains.
If a man of the first Emegration Company, who is going to stop, at your place for the time being, should so far forget his covenant in the Temple, and his more recent obligations, and agreements as to retain his waggon or team, from the neccessityes of the journey: it will be the duty of the President to instruct the captains to take the same and apply it where necessity requires, and thus compel the owner to do what he has previously agreed to, for as some were compelled to come in, in ancient days, others must be compelled to remain in in latter days and men who are taken at their word have no reason to find fault.
For the council
Brigham Young Prest
Willard Richards Clerk
Pioneer Camp of Israel â€" Platte river. About Fifty miles from Winter Quarters April 16th 1847.
After the above Epistle was read and accepted the council took up the subject of the Omahas who were at this time committing unheard of depredations, by driving off our cattle. They will lay around in the grass and groves untill an oppertunity offers and then sally forth and drive all the cattle in their power.even some times they will rush in among the herds, when there is no men present and attempt to drive them off before our eyes or they will appear on horse back and run all the cattle that stray off, away[.] The amount of cattle killed by them the past winter & spring is incredible
The object of the council was now send a committee to the Big Elk, the chief & enquire the reason of such conduct.
After which the council took up the police subject again when the Treasurers books were delivered into my hands as clerk of the council. I cam home about ten oclock
[source: Diaries of Hosea Stout]
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