Heritage Gateways

Hosea Stout Journals

January 20, 1848

Location: Winter Quarters - 1014 miles left, Nebraska - Location: 41:21:41N 95:56:45W Currently the site of Florence, Nebraska, Winter Quarters was settled in September, 1846 as a temporary resting place for the pioneers. It is located just west of the Missouri river in Nebraska.

Summary: Hosea goes to the meeting house to express feeling regarding seditious spirits among them.

Journal entry: Thursday Jan 2Oth 1848. Engaged with E. Gardner and D Carns on the subject of the seditious feeling prevalent. We had repeatedly made mention of it to different ones of the Council desiring that would call a private council and hear our report but they seemed very easy and unconcerned which made us feel the responsibility the more on us. So today we were around & saw several of the Council who were as usual very easy. Very naturally supposing that we would see to it. Still we could not get a hearing.

About dark I went to the Council house to a meeting of the High Priests and finding no one there except some of the Council, Clerk & some of the Bishops. I Began about the spirits which were at work until I grew very warm & spoke very long & loud untill they were fairly wakened to look into the subject and appointed tomorrow at 9 o'clock a.m to give the police a hearing for I said many thing that was hard for them to believe. From here I went to notify Priest Harris of the Council tomorrow who was well pleased with the arrangements.

This evening before dark a child belonging to Br. Klingingsmith had her clothes to catch on fire and nearly burnt her to death.

Source: On the Mormon Frontier: The Diary of Hosea Stout 1844-1861 Volume I - Edited by Juanita Brooks. Permission to use excerpts granted by Utah State Historical Society and the University of Utah Press.