an account of her troubles during
my absence.

The next evening Gen. Wilson and his command arrived and camped
near my little shanty. I started at once to report to Gen.
Wilson. On my way to him I passed my friend McBrier, who had
trusted me for some cattle. I still owed him for them. I told him
why I had been unable to pay him, and wished him to take the
cattle back, as I still had all of them except one cow that had
died of the murrain; that it was an honest debt, and I wished to
pay it. I asked him to go to my shanty with me, and said he could
take what cattle were left and a black mare that was worth
seventy-five dollars, and an eight-day clock that was worth
twenty-five dollars, for my note.

"I have not got your note," said he.

"Who has it?" I asked.

"I do not know; I supposed you had it."

"I never saw it since I gave it to you."

"Well," said he, "my house was burned, and all my property either
burned or taken from me, and your note was in the house when it
was burned."

"Well," said I, "it matters not with me. If you will take the
property and give me a' receipt against the note, so that it
cannot be collected the second time, I will settle the debt." He
then said:

"I thought you were in the party that burned the house, and had
taken your note, but I am now satisfied to the contrary, and that
you are an innocent man. All I ask is for you to renew the note.
The property of the Mormons will be held to pay their debts and
the expenses of the war, and I will get my pay in that way. You
just renew the note, and that will settle all between us."

McBrier introduced me to a number of the soldiers as an honest
Mormon. This worked well in my favor, and pleased me much, for it
satisfied me more than ever that honesty was the best policy. I
had done nothing that I considered wrong. I did not have to run
and hide, or screen any act of mine from the public gaze.

My wife had been treated well personally during my absence; no
insults had been offered to her, and I was well pleased with
that. I was treated with respect by Gen. Wilson and his men.
True, I was associated with the people that had incurred the
displeasure of the authorities, and my neighbors were then
receiving fearful punishment for all they had done. The
punishment, however, was in a great part owing to the fault of
the people. When the Gentiles found any of their property they
became very abusive.

Every house in Adam-on-Diamond was searc