Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1859-07-23
Nj | S G E l. l. A n Y.
OUR UTAH CORRESPONDENCE.
UTAH, June 10Th, lSj.

Sihis SuhS i"Niii i'r".
TO the Editor of The Termont HGnir I'm
my last mentioned the subject Of the Noun
tain Meadow massacre The circumstances of
the case, as near rs | can learn them are these
A party of emigrants left Arkansas during
the year 1857 to go to California by the way OF
Utah. They numbered upwards Of one hun
dred persons, and were pretty well off for prop
erty and conveniences for travelling. They
were fallen in with by one or more of our off,
GERS while crossing the plains in the summer of
1857, and are remembered with pleasant inter-
est and respect. Passing through Salt Lake
City they at length arrived at Mountain Mead
ow, point some $50 miles to the southwark of
Lake Utah, about the time that the troops were
arriving in the vicinity Of Fort Bridger. This
meadow is described as being a beautiful spot,
a kind of oasis in the desert 1t lies Just be-
yond the rim Of the Great Basin, on or near
the Santa Clara River an alfluent of the Colo
rado and is, as its name imports it to be-a
meadow or tract of land ca,pcted with beauti-
full green grass, such as the traveller rarely or
never sees elsewhere in this region of the coun-
try. 1t was while there, and while ndulging
perhaps in a protracted repose to which the
beauties of the place invited, that the emigrants
were suddenly and unex xpectedly fired upon, os-
tensibly by party of Indians, and after defend
ing themselves for several days, were finally all
killed except about dozen small children
Men, women, boys and girls were all killed, ex-
cept these children, the oldest of which is now
about eleven, and all of whom have been gath
Il. ..,l,
the Indian agent in Salt Lake City, preparing
to be sent back to their friends and acquant-
ances in Arkansas. The ground when first
visited by some of our troops several months
ago, exhibited a horrid spectacle, being strewrl
with the skulls and bones of the murdered
persons, with pieces of their dress, locks OF
women's hair, entire sun-bonnets. showing
taste and ornament in their make, ETC., etc.,
the whole scene presenting evidences of sucl,
heartless brutality as should call the dullest
sensbilities to shudder with Indignation and
horror.
1t is believed, from what can be CLEANED from
the children and other sources, that the princi-
pal actors in this inhuman butchery were Nor
mons. Some of the evidences on which this
belief is founded are these: lst. Had the at.
lacking parties been Indians they would moi
probably have been so discriminate in the per.
"ohS "hooC h'So "SiS thSSS couSiStluH
wholly of children, who might be considered as
too young to give q rational account of the af.
fair, or legal testimony in the case. I'd. Much
of the property of the murdered emigrants has
been found in the possession of Mormons. Sd
1t is not at all probable that any party of In.
dams in this region of country could have SC
entirely destroyed such considerable body Of
men who knew so well how to shelter and de.
fend themselves it is more probable that the
work was accomplished by treachery in which
the Mormons are adopts. 4th There was
motive for the deed in the character of the Nor,
mon religion, whose sanctions are at least as
bloody as those of the Old Testament, the
butchered party being Genties and from Ar.
kansas, among whose people the sainted Nor
mon, Farley p. Pratt met his violent death
9th. If there was, indeed, an understanding be.
tween our government and the Mormon leaders
as to the respective parts which they were to
play in the future management of the rebellion
then to the religious motive there might be ad.
ded political one, massacre serving to give
to the rebellion point, emphasis and effect and
9th and lastly, nothing is more natural than
that Mormons should have committed whole.
sale murder for the purpose of robbing the en-
igrants of their property
But besides all this interential evidence, Judge
Cradlebaugh has some pretty positive testimony
to show that the massacre was the work of the
Mormons. There would be but little difficulty