Peter Gottfredson Tells of A Squaw Buried While Still Alive

The Indians were often seen roaming about and frequently visited the colonists; many interesting instances have been related concerning them. Peter Gottfredson related the following:


"In the spring of '61, when the stock was brought back to Mount Pleasant, Jack Tidwell, Charley Tucker and I herded sheep around near town. A camp of Indians was camped at Twin Creek. They wanted a grave dug for a squaw. Bishop Seeley had two men go out and dig the grave and then they left their shovels for the Indians to fill in the grave. The grave was dug about five rods north of the northwest corner of the graves that were then lengthwise, north and south. We boys saw the Indians bring the squaw lying across a horse, one Indian behind the horse, the other holding the squaw on. We went to see the burial. When the Indians brought the squaw, she was yet alive but very sick. They led the horse to the south end of the grave and pushed her off into the bottom of the grave. When she fell into the bottom of the grave she made a loud moan. The Indians handed the shovels to us to fill in the dirt. We threw down the shovels and went to our sheep a short distance south of the grave yard. When next we went there, the grave had been filled in and the squaw had been buried alive with only a blanket wrapped around her. The Indians broke camp the next day and moved away."