Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1893 — MUEDER BY MORMONS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MUEDER BY MORMONS

• TORY OF THE MOUNTAIN MEADOW MASSACRE. Bow One Hundred and Twenty Emigrants, Men, Women and Children, Were Deceived and Slaughtered at the Inatanee of the Mormon Church. A Tale of BloodAfter the assassination of the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith,, and his brother Hyrum, while confined in the Jail at Carthage, 111., on the 27th day of June, 1844, the followers of the prophet, owing to the undue amount of prejudice ana hatred that existed Sgainst them, were compelled to leave their homes in Illinois and Missouri and seek an abiding place in a more remote party of the country. On leaving Nauvoo they had not determined where to go, but their destination pointed westward. After a thorough investigation, it was decided to settle in the great Salt Lake Basin, where they are residing at the present day. There they at once commenced the building up of one of the most remarkable and powerful colonies of modern times. Their proselytes amounted to many

thousands, who soon came pouring into the New Jerusalem. This condition of things continued until they became powerful and defiant, having organised a government of their own. For a long time they flourished unmolested. They had ingratiated themselves in the confidence and friendship of the Indians by whom they were surrounded. They induced the Indians to make common cause with them against the United States. About the year 1857 polygamy took on its most revolting shape, and crime and immorality became rampant. At last Congress took the matter in hand, and a Territorial Government was formed for Utah and Government officials were sent out to take charge of

the territorial affairs. But they could accomplish nothing and they soon realized the fact th£t their lives were in jeopardy. The Mormons during this time were preparing to resist any further encroachments on the sacred soil of Utah by Gentiles. And to this end Brighton Young, on the 16th day of September, 1857, issued a proclamation forbidding all armed forces from entering the Territory of Utah under any sretense5 retense whatever. Martial law was eclared to exist in the territory from and after the publication of the proclamation, and no person should be allowed to pass or repass into or through or from the Territory without a permit from the proper officer. During the exciting times that pre-

▼ailed in the fat West that Bummer, an emigrant train was dragging its slow lengtif'over mountain and plain toward California, anxiously looking forward to tfifit “oasis«f the desert," Salt Lake City, where they could rest themselves 43£id flfleir Jaded animals and replenish dearly exhausted supplies, and again l 'mingle with civilized people, frbi&'Wh'om they had so long been separated! These thoughts buoyed up the tired wayfarers as they plodded along. This train was made up in Northern Arkansas, and was known as “Capt. Finchers train." It was composed of fitty -seven men and sixty-two women ana children. They had thirty good wagons and'three fine carriages, about sixtv horses and mules, and 600 head of cattle. An army officer who camped with them on the Platte, in June, said: 'lt was without doubt the finest train that ever crossed the plains. ” To the utter amazement of the emigrants, on reaching Salt Lake City, they were refused admittance, assistance of every kind was withheld from them, and they were abruptly ordered to proceed on their journey. Mountain Meadows. : At the village of Corn Creek they halted, without any hope of succor, for at this place resided the chief hierarch of •Southern Utah. But they made fepld to inquire regarding the possibility of their finding forage for their worn-out animals. The official (whose instructions had been sent to him from headquarters) readily informed them that at a spot called the Meadows' they would get what they raquired. .To this place they,, hopetolly hastened, where they found good ano abundant pasturage for their stock. Here thqfchoped to rest awhile after thaif tqtMttteo' and disappointm-ta.

[ The Meadows was a small valley, or I mountain pass, about five miles In width. Ak.;the western end of the Meadows a largd spring, near ,whioh .the emigrants encamped, several miles from tne town of Pinto, in the present county of Washington. Meanwhile the unsuspecting emigrants rested in perfect ignorance of all that was passing about them —of the i treachery that was then secretly scheming their utter destruction. But how was their destruction to be accomplished? With all their power | and ready appliances, the Mormons

realized that they could not safely undertake thtf destruction of 120 human beings without discovery. So it was determined to employ the assistance of Indians in the bloody work, for the blame of the entire massacre could then be placed upon them. The plot was a shrewd one. The Indians, with a promise of plunder held out to them, were to fall upon and massacre the entire party, leaving not one to escape. On the morning of Sept. 7, while engaged, some in preparing and others in partaking of their breakfast, the quiet encampment was suddenly plunged into confusion and dismay-by the sound of musketry. Volley after

volley was poured into them by a large body of Indians from a gulley near by. By this terrifio onslaught seven of the emigrants were killed and sixteen wounded, and the remainder overwhelmed with consternation, but only for a moment, for they were brave men, ready for any emergency, quick to resist a surprise. Instantly realizing the full peril of the situation, they wheeled their wagons into a corral or circlej behind which they barricaded themselves, firing on the Indians, who kept up a random shooting until nightfall, accompanied by wild whoops and unearthly yells. Several Indians were killed and a number wounded. With all its horrors, the attack was a failure. The Mormons wore frustrated in their designs. The brave emigrants proved masters of the situation, convincing their enemies that they had resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible, and there was but little hope of subduing the Arkansans by an open fight.

At this juncture of affairs a messenger was dispatched to Cedar City to inform the authorities there that the emigrants were ably defending themselves at the Mountain Meadows, and could not be routed. Stops had already been taken with reference to obtaining the Lord’s will regarding the destruction of the Fancher train. For the day after the train had passed through Cedar City a church council was called by George A. Smith, one of the Twelve Apostles, at which women were present, and after due consideration it was decided by unanimous vote to bo the will of the Lord that the emigrants should be destroyed. The manner selected was an Indian massacre, but this had failed. A council of Mormons in the Meadows was called for Thursday evening, at which orders from President Height wore read. They directed that the emigrants should be decoyed from their strongWßld and exterminated. There being a feeble remonstrance against this order after a slight controversy, they all knelt with elbows touching in a “prayer circle," and asked for divine guidance; The * Council remained in session until daybreak, and all the minutiae of the following day’s work were arranged for. A hasty breakfast was dispatched and the preparation for the Lord’s work, as they

called it, was at once begun. At first it was thought best to cut off their supplies and starve them into surrender, but this would take too long a time. Finally it was concluded, through a flag of truce, to induce them to surrender on a promise of protection from the Indians and transportation by a military escort to a place of safety. The occurrence has been described since by an eye-witnes3, under the solemnity of an oath. A man stepped out of the line of soldiers, and holding

up the flag so that all could see it and understand its import, he advanced toward the corral. He was accompanied by two or three others, the most prominent of the number being Bishop John D. Lee, Indian Agent, who had been specially selected by Mormons high in authority to carry out this treacherous act to its swift and bloody conclusion. Three of the emigrants came out of the corral' and went forward to meet the bearers 6f the truce flag. Lee then declared that he came as a friend, and proceeded to state that the Indians were greatly irritated and wer6 determined to destroy the whole party y

that h« and the company of soldlera had come there in the hope of assisting them: but after a talk with the Indians he found them very determined, and nothing would pacify them but the surrender by the emigrants of the whole of their provisions, arms, cattle and horses. “If you do this,” he assured his discouraged listeners, “the Indians will cease to molest you, and under any circumstances we will protect you from their violence." The Massacre.

At last the specious arguments of Lee prevailed, and the emigrants consented to the terms which alone —so they were repeatedly told—would insure them safety. Lee then arranged the plan of capitulation. The Wounded men and the younger children were placed in the wagons and driven past the troop, the women and older children following on foot. The work of destroying these had been assigned to the Indians, who were wa ; ting in ambush for the signal to coin part of the bloody wo- _ men were placed ip single fi.~, and by the side of each defenseless victim marched a Mormon soldier carrying a loaded musket. Thus they had proceeded for half a mile, when the ohosen spot was reached. Here a halt was called, a signal given, and the next moment every soldier had fired on the man beside him, and all the brave men lay dead or desperately wounded. Not one man was left to tell the tale. The Indians meanwhile had sprung from their ambush and fallen upon the women and children, who ran in every direction shrieking and screaming. All the women were soon put to death and nearly all the children. Seventeen of the innocent little creatures were spared because they were so young that no after revelation of the atrocious deed could be feared from them. The dead were not buried

The following spring the remains of the butchered emigrants were subsequently gathered together by Maj. Carleton, United States Commissioner, and a detachment of soldiers. He described the scene as most horrible to look upon. He buried the remains in one common grave, and over them erected a pyramid of stones, surmounted with a cross of red cedar, on which he inscribed: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." At the foot of the pyramid a stone monument was erdeted, on which was engraved: “Here 120 men. women, and children were massacred in cold blood early in September, 1857. They were from Arkansas.”

This report was also made to the United States Government by Lieut. Carlton. But Brigham Young, as Governor of the Territory of Utah, made no report to the United States Government of this massacre. Shortly after its erection the cross was torn down, the words obliterated, and in their place was substituted: “Vengeance is mine, and I have had it, saith Brigham Young.” was charged that this was done by the orders of Brigham Young, but it was never proven. This desecration and infamous boast of a hellish assassination was removed by the soldiers and another cross substituted with the burning Scriptural words: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." The little children who had been spared were given over to the Indians,

no doubt, to lend color to the report at once spread by the Mormons that the massacre was the work of the red men. These children were subsequently recovered from the Indians, and, on June 29, 1858, were sent East overland, in spring wagons, escorted by soldiers. Every possible provision was made for their comfort, and in due time they were delivered to friends in the town of Carrolton, Carroll County, Ark. It was a sad day in the little county seat. Nearly every citizen had lost a relative in the massacre, and bitter tears were accompanied by bitter curses on the murderers. The children were all cared for and brought up by relatives and friends living in the neighborhood of their former homes. Execution of John JLee. Such a monster crime could not be forever kept from the knowledge of mankind. Although for a long time the opinion prevailed that the Indians had committed the massacre, it was not long until the true facts in the case were developed. The Mormon Church had ordered the destruction of the “Fancher train,” and Bishop John D. Lee was appointed to execute the order. John D. Lee, being the chief actor in the bloody drama, was the first one called out to answer for the crime. Three different trials were had in his case, the jury each time failing to agree. The witnesses in the case being principally Mormons, dared not tell the truth, for an avenging sword hung over their heads, hence the trials were mere farces. The excitement produced by these trials in the public mind was running high, and a general uprising against the Mormons was threatened if the courts failed to convict the guilty parties. The church authorities became alarmed for their own safety, and decided to sacrifice Lee, and on the next trial the testimony against him was overwhelming. The witnesses made a clean breast of the whole story, describing minutely the main facts of th© horrid tragedy, which the writer has without bias faithfully narrated. Lee now realized that the church had deserted him and- - that he was lost. He broke down completely and openly cursed the Mormon leaders. The jury was out three hours, and brought in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree. Judge Boreman informed the prisoner that, under the statute, he had the choice of being hung, shot or beheaded. Lee said: “I prefer to be shot!” He was accordingly sentenced, and on March 23 the sentence was executed in the Mountain Meadows, at the scene of the massacre. At the last moment Lee confessed that he had killed five of the emigrants with his own hands, and that all the charges alleged against him in the indictment were true. He made a short speech, declaring his faith in M'ormonism as taught by Joseph Smith, and his assurance of a place in the Mormon hefhven. He then sat down on his coffin, a short prayer was offered, the order to fire was given, five rifles were discharged and he fell dead without a struggle.

W. A. HICKMAN.

BISHOP J. D. LEE.

THE ATTACK BY INDIANS.

SHOOTING DOWN THE EMIGRANTS.

MORMON TEMPLE, SALT LAKE CITY.

SCENE OF THE MASSACRE.