George Washington Bean's Life Saved by Chief Peteetneet — Divine Protection in the Indian Mission

As the Indian interpreter and ambassador for Governor Brigham Young, George Washington Bean lived a life constantly at risk. He carried messages of "Peace and Brotherhood" between the white settlements and the Indian tribes, walking between two worlds and often putting himself in positions of grave danger.

During his years of service in the Indian mission, Bean's life was saved miraculously by Chief Peteetneet. According to Bean's own account, Chief Peteetneet—a man with whom Bean had built a relationship of trust and understanding—rode to his aid and rescued him from a situation that would have resulted in his death.

But the miracle went deeper than the chief's willingness to help. Bean himself acknowledged that the chief would not have been able to save him without the Lord's hand directing events. The chief's intervention came at exactly the right moment, in the exact way necessary to preserve Bean's life.

This miracle is particularly remarkable because it demonstrates that the Lord works through all people to accomplish His purposes. Chief Peteetneet, though not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, became an instrument in the Lord's hands to preserve the life of one of His servants.

Bean's life had been preserved after the cannon explosion. Now, years later, it was being preserved again through an unexpected source—the faithfulness of the very people he had been called to serve as interpreter and peacemaker.

The incident stands as testimony that the Lord watches over His servants even in dangerous circumstances, and that He can use anyone—saint or gentile, white or native—to accomplish His divine purposes.