Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1859-06-10
THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MAS
SACRE BY THE MORMONS-A
TALE OF HORROR

The San Francisco Bulletin of April
23d has the following:
One of the dread mysteries of Mormon
dom which the United STATES judges IN
Utah are endeayoring to nnravel, greatly
TO the CONSERVATION of the ssSaints," is the
horrible massacre, at Mountain Meadows, of
one hundred emigrants, on their way from
Arkansas to California. At the time, we.
were told that the unfortunate victims fell
by the weapons of the Canosh band OF
Paravant Indians; but various subseqnenr
developments have established the convic-
ton that these were merely tools in the
hands Of the Mormons themselves An
eyewitness of the transaction has been
found at last, and we have received, from
an official source at Salt Lake, a statement
of his account OF the affair.
The whole fearful truth stands revealed,
presenting one of the most shocking cases
OF cruelty and crime that has ever stained
the records Of civilized community
The writer says:
"Wlile | was residing at Cedar City, I
was called upon by Messrs. Isaac Hight,
John D. Lee, and John Higbee-all three
Mormon military otficers-to go a few
miles out Of the city, which did. There
l found thirty or forty others, selected
from diferenk settlements. We were ad-
dressed by the above officers, who told us
that they had sent Canosh, the Paravant
Chief, with his warriors, to destroy the
Arkansas company, and that it any of us
refused, or betrayed them to the Ameri-
cans, they would take good care Of him
hereafter. Here we were all ordered on
the quick march to the Mountain Meadows,
where we found the emigrants, with their
xUa nH inf Iac tl,ni,
families in the midst, trying to defend
themselves against the mercless and blood
thirsty savages, who lay around in am
bush, killing them as opportunity present
ed.
"Hight and Lee formed their men into
two companies, and made a precipitate
rush at the poor defenceless victims. The
men inside of the circles rose up, but in
stantly fell dead or mortally wounded un-
der the fire Of the wretches who SO cruelty
sought their lives. Nothing remained to
be done, except to kill the frightened fe-
males and their innocent children clasped
in their arms Qthers=clung with desper-
alton to their bleeding, dying TfusBands,
pleading IN vain for mercy at the hands OF
the Christians who controlled the no
more savage Iudlan assailan1s.
81 ohm y. Lee now sent to the Indian
chief and his men in ambush to come out
and finish the survivors, directing him to
spare only the little children, who could
not talk. The savages came instantly,
with knives urawn, and speedily finished
the bloody work. The scene beggars de-
Scription. The denoniac yels Of the saw
,ge monsters, mingled with the shrieks
nd prayers of helpless mothers and daugh-
-ers, whilst the death-blows were dealing
with uLfinching hands, and scalps were
torn from heads which bloomed with beau
ty and innocence bnt few hours before.
Now the work Of butchering ended. The
murderers threw the dead into two heaps,
covered them slightly with earth, and left
,hem ''to feed the wolves and birds of
prey" and returned home with their booty
't cattle, and wagons, and a great quanti-
y OF goods &c.