Struggles of an 1847 Pioneer

STRUGGLES OF AN 1847 PIONEER By I. C. Laney It is of Isaac Laney my grandfather, and his experiences through the early days of the Church, that I wish to wlrite; the gifts and blessings which he enjoyed; the power of God of whom he had a glowing testimony. Grandfather's first-known American ancestor, John Laney, was a native of Ireland. While yet a young man, John married Miss Margaret Means and soon after his marriage came to America, bringing his father and wife. The family settled in Pennsylvania prior to the French and Indian war. Like most Irishmen, John seemed always ready to fight for justice; so, in 1754, he enlisted as a Pennsylvanian Provincial and served under Lieutenant George Washington. He was at what is known as "Braddock's Defeat." Then, at the outbreak of the Revolutionary war, John enlisted and served three years under General Washington. After his discharge, his father, who was then quite old, was drafted into the service. As the father was too old to stand army life, John took his place and served another three years. During his service in the army John was with Col. Dan Morgan at the battle of Cowpens, with Col. Nathanial Green at the battle of Guilfords Courthouse, and was under the command of General Wash- ington at the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. After the war he moved with his family to York District, South Carolina. Here Isaac's father, Culbert Laney, was reared. Culbert Laney went to Kentucky, in 1811, where he helped to survey, build roads and bridges, and lay out and develop Simpson county, Kentucky. In 1812, he married Miss Cook, and the following year enlisted under General Jackson for defense of New Orleans against the British. On the day of the battle, January 8. 1815, his oldest son was born, and on December 19, 1815, his wife presented him with twin boys, William and Isaac. Isaac, with his brothers- and sisters, lived and grew up under the disadvantages of frontier life. The father had come into the country on horseback, spending what money he brought with him for land, so their food and clothing had to come from the soil, through the labors of their own hands. But the family were very happy and contented. In those early days there were few books, few schools and no newspapers. About the only literature they had was the Bible and another old book worth all the rest, in the eyes of the pious and orthodox, The Westminster Confession of Faith. No family without these two books was considered orthodox. Grandfather told* of an interesting occurrence while on the old

STRUGGLES OF AN 184 7 PIONEER 781 homestead. He said there were spots of soil so rich that the grain would grow tall and rank, falling before it could ripen. Many fragments of ancient human bones^ were found in these places. One day he picked up a man's thigh bone, so long that when placed under his chin, he could hardly reach the end with his fingers. In the Book of Mormon, speaking of those few that were left at the last great battle, it is said: "They were large and mighty men as to the strength of men." Grandfather while a young man was actively interested in religion, attending the camp meetings of the various traveling ministers, and listening to their different versions of the gospel. It was at one of these open-air meetings, near his home in Kentucky, that he first heard a "Mormon" elder explain the gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith. Isaac knew at once that he had found what he had been looking for. Desiring to be near the Saints, he soon went to Illinois, where he worked for Samuel Howard. It was here he met the young lady who was to share with him the joys and sorrows of pioneering the west for the sake of the gospel. After leaving Mr. Howard's employ, Isaac went to Missouri with a Mr. Lewis, where he shared with the rest of the Saints the terrible persecutions of the mobs. The 28th of October, 1838, found him with a small number of Saints working at a place called Haun's Mill, in Missouri. It was on this day that the mob came upon them demanding that they sign a treaty of peace and deliver their weapons of war. The demand, of course, was outrageous and ridiculous, as they were minding their own business, making an honest living; however, they were allowed no word in the matter and had to comply. Grandfather had little faith in the mob's promise of peace. October 29 passed peacefully at the Mill, but that night grand- father had a dream which was not in the least reassuring. Tn the dream he seemed to be passing along a trail where there were a great many snakes. They crawled along the ground, hurled themselves through the air and hung twisting and hissing from the limbs of trees. Dodge and hurry as he might, his body was soon pierced and bleeding from the attacks of the angry snakes. Finally escaping the serpents, he met a man with whom he was acquainted. "Brother Laney," he said, "you are terribly bitten and it is no use to encourage you, for no one was ever bitten so by snakes and lived." "Well, then, I'll be the first, for I'm not going to die," was grandfather's answer. In a patriarchal blessing given to Grandfather Laney, he was told that he was a direct descendant of "Joseph the Dreamer," son of Jacob, and that he inherited the gift of dreams. That dream was a warning and we shall see its fulfilment.

782 IMPROVEMENT ERA On October 30, the mob, heavily armed, dashed down on the little party at the Mill and began firing. Grandfather, through a clever act of strategy gained possession of three guns, gave two of them to the other men and, placing himself between the mob and the cabins housing the women and children, began firing. "But," as the young soldier once said to his commanding officer, "what's one bullet to a basketful?" Lead was flying around like a hail storm. You may judge how thick was the hail of lead, for while he was preparing to fire, eleven bullets hit the stock of his gun, cutting it off in his hands. One hit and knocked off the trigger guard, but the "works" were still intact, for he loaded and fired it once more and saw one of the mob drop, as a result. This, of course, was a matter of a few seconds, Grandfather could see he was doing little good and they were cutting him to pieces, so he returned to the cabin, told the women and children to run for the woods. As he turned, a bullet struck him in the right armpit and came out the left. This was not the first wound he had received, however, for two bullets had gone through his breast and came out his back and two had passed through his hips. After the shouted warning to the women and children, Isaac fled for his life, taking a trail leading up a small hill. As he was1 running up the hill, his body much bent with effort, a large ball struck him in the back near the kidneys, passing lengthwise through his body. He said only the power of God stopped it from going on and into his brain. According to his own words, "This one came nearer knock- ing me off my feet than any. The rest just' 'plunked' through me as if I were a squash." Knowing he must hurry to help or give up his life, Grandfather first sat down to take off his boots, for they were so heavy that it was hard to lift one foot after the other in his weakening condition. He was obliged to split the boots with his knife before he could remove them. So weak and stiff that it was hard to move, he struggled on, but soon met the man he had seen in the dream. He said, "Brother Laney, it is no use to encourage you, for no man was ever shot as you are and lived." Then followed the identical conversation of the dream, excepting the substitution of "shot" instead of snake bite. Just a little farther on was the home of friends who took him in. So great was their fear that the mob would follow and kill him, they took up a board and hid him under the floor. Of course, in his con- dition, he could not stand this long and begged to be taken out. They did so, and after washing and dressing his wounds put him in bed. His clothes were literally cut to pieces and his body almost as bad, for it had been struck by seven bullets, leaving thirteen scars, six passing through and through, the seventh, that struck him in the back, leaving but one scar. There are those still living who tell of having seen the scars from these wounds. For some time he lay near death, being fed with a spoon, and so

STRUGGLES. OF AN 184 7 PIONEER 783 weak he could not so much as open or close his eyes. With so many wounds practically all of his blood was lost. The elders were called in and he was anointed and promised in the name of Jesus Christ he would recover. From this time on he recovered rapidly and was soon chopping logs in Illinois for the homes of the Saints. The 25th of March, 1841, Isaac married Miss Sarah Ann Howard in the state of Illinois'. Here they lived with the Saints until the enemies of the gospel of Christ forced them again to seek new homes. Near the first of July, 1847, Isaac with his wife and two children, Margaret and George C, also his twin brother, William, with wife and one child, left Winter Quarters with the first emigration. "The Big Company," as it was called, consisted of about 1353 persons and was equipped with 566 wagons. The Laney family belonged to the 100 of which Edward Hunter was captain. On the 25th of September, 1 847, they arrived at the old Fort in Salt Lake Valley, where the work of making "the desert blossom as a rose" began. Isaac wasi very industrious, seeming always to find something useful to do. When his work was done he would work for some- one else. If they could not pay in money, he would work for any- thing. He thus obtained many useful articles before he left "the states" for the West. Some of them he brought across the plains, among which were a number of tools, a large soap kettle and a hand mill. The mill he set on a post near his home that anyone who cared to might use it. It made the flour for the bread of many neighboring families as well as his own. Very soon after the arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, Grandfather made a spinning wheel and loom, the first one made in Utah, on which Grandmother spun and wove the first piece of woolen cloth made in Utah. One day, some time after they had left the Fort, while Grand- mother was home alone, an Indian came to the house. He seemed to know that Grandfather was away (perhaps he had seen him go) , for he forced his way into the house and demanded that Grandmother give him different articles that struck his fancy. When she refused he began to threaten all manner of cruelties. They had a dog named Watch, which at the time was tied with a piece of rawhide to the ash leach, (a device for extracting lye from wood ashes) . The dog had seen an enemy in the Indian from the first, and had bounded and barked at him until the rawhide was twisted into kinks. Grandmother was so frightened at the Indian's actions that she cried, "Sic-em, Watch." This was all the dog needed. He jumped at the redskin with such force that the kinks in the rawhide broke and* he was at liberty. The Indian had a large buffalo robe which he shook between himself and the dog, but the dog jerked it away, shook it once or twice, found it lifeless so dropped it and sprang at the Indian, closed

784 IMPROVEMENT ERA his teeth on his throat, pulling him to the floor. Things had gone far enough so Grandmother caught the piece of rawhide still fastened to the dog's neck and pulled him back. You can be sure the Indian was not long deciding he had business elsewhere. During the early days, when the Saints were threatened by the army, Grandfather had another dream which was fulfilled. Again it was the sign of an enemy — a large snake coiled and menacing the Valley of Great Salt Lake. The head raised high and seemed watching something in the east. Then it began to sway from north to south and soon the head broke off and flew to the south, then the whole snake broke up, some pieces going north and some south. We see the fulfilment of this dream in Johnston's army, which was a menace to the city until the outbreak of the Civil War, when the head broke off and left to join the Southern army, the rest breaking up and returning east in disorder, some to join the North and some the South. In the fall of 1873, Grandfather had been confined to his bed for some time, but on the day of Oct. 30 was feeling better and, calling his eldest son (my father) to his bedside, spoke to him some- what like this: "It was a cold night last night was it not?" "Yes, father," said George, "there was a heavy frost." "My son, do you know it is just thirty-five years ago today since I was shot at Haun's Mill? My son, I am going to die tonight." "No, father," answered George, "you are better today." "Yes, I know," he answered, "but I am going to die tonight. My mission on earth is filled. I would not turn my hand over to live another twenty-four hours, except for what good I might do for others. Now I will tell you how I want to be buried. I want a plain board casket; you may stain it if you wish, but make it plain. I want no hearse, my own team and wagon would suit me better." All this was said as if he were planning a vacation. His life had been such that he could anticipate with joy the meeting of his Creator. That night he died, a noble man, a prince of the House of Israel. Salt Lake City. What is Life What is life but a grain of time, A sparkling star of light, Beaming colorful, calm, sublime, Message of strength' and might? What is death, but a peaceful rest, The star in sunbeams light? When the sun goes down in the west, The star still shineth bright. Carl F. S. Jorgensen