"Early in January 1850, Jerome Zabrisky, Richard A. Ivie, and John Rufus Stoddard were going out from the fort in Utah valley, professedly to hunt cattle; shortly they met an Indian who was wearing a shirt which Richard A. Ivie claimed, alleging that it had been stolen from him and demanded it; the Indian refused to give it up, saying he had bought it; whereupon they tried to take it from him forcibly, he struggling all the time against them, and, to defend himself <he> drew his bow, when John R. Stoddard shot him through the head, killing him instantly. They then dragged his corpse to the Provo River and sunk it near the Box Elder Island.

"The Indians became suspicious, instituted a search and found the body; they then commenced depredations by stealing horses and cattle. The Indian shot by Stoddard was known among the whites as the "old Bishop" on account of his appearance and gestures which somewhat resembled Bishop Whitney's.

"The settlers in Utah Fort then made a law to keep all Indians out of the Fort. Old Elk, who was sick with the measles came in for some medicine; <he> went to Sister Hunt's house, where Alexander Williams saw him and took him by the nape of the neck and kicked him out of the fort. That same evening the Indians stole three cows out of Mrs. Hunt's yard and continued stealing, which was the commencement of the Indian difficulties."