?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
(MORMONS.) Cluff, David. Letter from an early settler of Provo, recounting his first meeting with Joseph Smith and his trip west. Autograph Letter Signed as "David Clough" to Sophia E. Silver of Vermont, 4 pages on one sheet; minor soiling; written in red ink. (MRS) Provo, UT, 19 December 1858
An early Mormon settler's letter. Describes his journey across the Great Plains and life in Provo: "The troops are quarterd . . . thirty five miles from here. They do not do much hurt here, and very little good. . . . The heads of the Church keep a good lookout knowing that there are many that would kill them as they did President Joseph and Hiram Smith." Addressing his correspondent as "Sister", Clough adds "I will say to you as President Joseph Smith said to me the first time he saw me, there being a large company around he steped up to me and took me by the hand and called me Brother; said he, 'I call you Brother, Brother, because you appear friendly and brotherly.'" Clough's main purpose was to get Silver to follow him west: "You are friendly to the cause of Christ our Redeemer, haveing the experience of over 26 years in this church. . . . Come to Zion where thousands will rejoice over you and receive you with open arms." Provenance: sold by dealer Robert K. Black to the consignor, 1968.
