[Hosea Stout Diary] Thursday June 3rd 1847. Went out with six men. Four Indians came in today bringing a letter from Elk stating that he had given out going against the Pawnees & desired to know when it would suit us for him to come in also for some of our young men to meet them at the lower creek and attend them in.
I came in to see what their business was & sent G. G. Potter out in my place
This evening there was a police meeting called by the Marshall, at Br Morleys Shop which proved to be for the purpose of inducing the police to reduce their wages to 50 cents per tour of duty. He & W. Snow was hard up for it but all the rest against it
The Marshall lead out untill finally he accused the police of not doing their duty & also daid that I did not do service for my pay & that I did not attend to the guarding of the city as I ought.(It was plain that "there was something rotten in Denmark".
I followed him & severely handled him & Br Snow for what they were about & told the Marshall that he was attending to that which was none of his business and in future to let my & the polices business alone.
While at this in high & spirited tone Brs Morley & Harris came in & I then told them what was up & the reason of our warmth which was not any thing like a difficulty or hard feeling but plain speaking.
While I was explaining this Prests O. Hyde P. P. Pratt and John Taylor also came in so I stoped saying I had been catched twice
Elder Taylor replied to go on and not stop for them. I told him it was nothing but a police meeting and not interesting to them.
"Never mind says he we are police men too".
Says I."I hope you will all conform to the rules of the police then"."Certainly" says Taylor"Bring on the jug" says I at which they were presented with a large jug of whiskey.
This was such an unexpected turn that it was only answered by a peal of laughter & they all paid due respect to the jugno more was said about our subject.
After drinking says Parley"I have traveled these streets all times of the night & never before have I saw a police man but now I know where to find them hereafter" alluding to the jug
"Parley" says I "do you not know that some things in this kingdom are only spiritually diserned & so with the police". He give it up and Hyde pronounced the joke on Parley[.] Their business was to find out what had become of some property that was missing on the other side of the river supposed to have been stolen & they thought we knew where it was.
Hyde also said there had been two horses taken with the pioneers from a man at the Point & he had paid for them.
He was going in to stop all stealing & hunt up all missing property &c and demanded of us in the name of the Lord to know where it was but not knowing we could not tell the Marshall however gave him a clue to some I think
It was two oclock a. m. when I came home.
[source: Diaries of Hosea Stout]
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